Mayan Ruins Overload

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This morning I had breakfast with most of the group at the same restaurant that we had dinner the night before. In true Belizean fashion, service was excrutiatingly slow. We all had to ask multiple times to place our order or to have coffee brought to us. Most of the group today ventured off to their day tours to the ATM caves or to Caracol. Oren and I stayed behind to slowly finish our breakfast and to meet up with Melanie and Troy later for our own adventures in the area. Before heading off for our exploration of the day, we checked out a few grocery stores in order to pick up some snacks. As in Belize City, we noticed that almost all of the grocery stores were owned by ethnic Chinese people. We would later learn that most of the Chinese people came here as part of a citizenship for investment program where citizenship would be given in exchange for bringing foreign capital and investment into Belize. The 4 of us caught a taxi to the mayan ruins of Xunantunich, just 7 miles away from San Ignacio near the Guatemalan border. We made it to the point where we had to cross the Mopan River on a hand cranked ferry. Initially, our taxi driver was going to cross with us and drive us uphill to the ruins. However, due to high water level of the river, the ferry was unable to accomodate the taxi. So now we were forced to walk the one mile uphill hike to the ruins. While crossing the river, the first thing that is hard not to notice were the gun toting camouflauged Belizean soldiers just hanging out in the forest. My best guess is that since we were so close to the Guatemalan border, they were there to prevent illegal crossings from Guatemala into Belize. They would be a common sight throughout our exploration of Xunantunich. The hike wasn't terribly difficult despite most of it being uphill. We were entertained with the hundredes of butterflies fluttering around, lizards crossing the path, and the screaches of howler monkeys off in the distance. Once we arrived at the main gate, we paid our 10 Belizean Dollar entrance fee and were off to explore the site. The site isn't very large but it is still quite impressive as many of the sites date back to the 7th century. Most impressive is the Castillo with it's intricate and detailed relief carvings of varioius Mayan deities including the rain god, Chac. We all climbed to the top of the Castillo for awesome 360 degree views of the surrounding jungle and even into neighboring Guatemala. Some of the steps were very slick and it was a bit tricky climbing back down. As long as you took each step one by one, you eventually would make it safely back to solid ground without tumbling down. The hike back down to the river ferry was much easier being that it was downhill and after a bit of difficulty trying to catch a taxi, we were back in San Ignacio for lunch and a bit of a rest before heading back for more exploration of ruins.

After resting for a few hours back at the hotel, the 4 of us caught another taxi to the nearby Cahal Pech ruins on top of a hill on the outskirts of San Ignacio. This was an included excursion as part of the Intrepid tour but since Daniel was going to take everyone here tomorrow morning, we chose to explore it on our own and have Danield reimburse us the cost. Although less impressive than Xunantunich, exploring the Cahal Pech ruins was very enjoyable. The site wasn't very large and the canopy covering always kept the site in the shade. As opposed to Xunantanich, the Cahal Pech ruins had passageways, rooms, and hidden staircases which one could explore. The 4 of us just spent our time getting lost in the passages but the place was so small that we eventually we able to find each other in no time. After a relaxing hour exploring the site, we were in a bit of a dilmena as to how we were going to make it back into town. There were no cabs around and just as we were about to just walk down the hill, an American couple from Iowa pulled up beside us and offered us a ride down the hill. The 4 of us squeezed into the back seat and were dropped off just a few feet from our hotel. Never before had I taken a ride from a complete stranger. I wonder if I could call this my first time hitchhiking. As Troy went back to the room, Oren, Melanie, and I decided to walk over to a nearby bakery called Sweet Ting to have some sweets. The Lonely Planet guide indicated that it was a quick uphill walk and after walking a tiring 10 minutes uphill, we thought we were maybe going the wrong way. We asked some people if we were on the right track and it turned out that they had just come from there. All 3 of us ordered a slice of cake and I had an iced coffee and we just hung out there enjoying the air conditioning as well as each other's company. Prior to dinner, I spent an hour by myself outside of the Koh Ax Han Nah Restaurant enjoying a pineapple drink and people watching. I took particular interest and curiousity with a group of young Mennonites who entered the restaurant and sat down as normal customers. Easily recognized by their style of clothing, they were conservatively dressed with the women wearing bonnets and long dresses while the men wore denim overalls. Troy, Melanie, and I decided not to eat with the rest of the group tonight. Instead, we had dinner here just the 3 of us. Afterwards, Melanie and Troy headed off to bed while I joined the rest of the group who were enjoying a few beers over at a Sri Lankan restaurant over on Burns Street.

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Photos

The Mopan River
Crossing the Mopan River to get to Xunantunich