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Update
We were able to successfully upload pictures to our previous blogs (dating all the way back to Chichen Itza). Check them out by visiting
our blog's homepage and simply scrolling down. Enjoy!
Intro to San Ignacio
Fairly teeming with Guatemala-bound travelers, archaeologists, peace corps workers and other thrill seekers, San Ignacio (also called Cayo) is a pretty town with a plethora of things to see and do in the surrounding area. Together with Santa Elena across the river, this is the chief population center of the Cayo District. That said, it's still small and during the day it's quiet. At night the quiet disappears and the jungle rocks to music from the town's bars and restaurants. With a selection of hotels and restaurants, it's also the logical place to spend the night before you cross the Guatemalan border.
Archaeological Sites Mayan for 'Tick City,'
Cahal Pech, not its original name, was a city of some importance from around 900 BC through AD 800. There are 34 buildings spread over 6 acres and grouped around seven plazas. Plaza B is the site's largest plaza and also the most impressive. It's surrounded by some of the site's most significant buildings. Off Plaza A, Structure A-1 is the site's tallest pyramid.
Our Experience
From Dangriga we took a bus back up to Belmopan (the capital city of Belize). As we might have mentioned earlier, the drive from Dangriga to Belmopan is really beautiful. The road, called the Hummingbird Highway, winds through lush jungle mountains. From Belmopan we took another (extremely bumpy bus, ouch!) to San Ignacio (also called Cayo).
We pulled into San Ignacio and followed our travel guide to J&Rs Guest House. It was reasonably priced (only $8.75 US per person for four rooms, a private bathroom, and two fans). Clearly this
was the deal of a lifetime, so we decided to stay. As it turned out, John (of J&Rs) was a really cool guy and a licensed tour guide for all the local activities/excursions. Because we arrived late in the day, there were not any tours available; however, John was nice enough to drive us (for free) up to Cahal Pech (local Mayan ruins on a nearby hill). There was no one else at the site, and we were able to climb all over the structures. Joe did a lot of steep hill climbing. Lila watched, took pictures, and then meandered up the stairs.
We also got to watch a video in the information center at Cahal Pech. It was really informative. We left Cahal Pech after two or so hours and walked back to San Ignacio (15 min walk downhill). The town itself feels like an old frontier town except it is equipped with high speed internet, and that is what we used for the next hour. After playing around on the internet, we went to Cafe Sol and had a fantastic dinner. Joe had ginger-pineapple pork chops and mashed potatoes and I had pasta primevera with lots of
yummy veggies and chicken.
We walked back to J&Rs and asked about tours for the next day. After considering our options, we elected to go "cave canoeing." We woke up the next morning and had breakfast and then John took us out to the cave. It was a long hour-or-so ride through the country before we reached the cave. We passed a small village, Sunkist orange groves (about 4,000 acres), and a Mennonite settlement. Once we reached the river, it was a short paddle upstream to the cave. The river ran directly into the mouth of the cave and continued on for about a mile. The cave was truly spectacular. There were points where the ceiling was hundreds of feet above our heads and other times we had to duck into the canoe to squeeze under. We saw a Mayan burial site in the cave (complete with a human skull) as well as many other cave critters (scorpion spiders, centipedes, fish, and bats). The cave was also full of the typical stalactites and stalagmite formations. Our guide sat in the back and paddled while Joe used a big flashlight attached to a car battery so that we could see.
I sat in the front and took pictures. I'd hate to think what would have happened to us if the flashlight (and backup flashlight) or battery (and backup battery) had failed.
Joe's Note: I soooo would've saved the day.
Lila's Note: Yeah. Right. We would have BOTH died.
Note to Our Parents: We're fine. No worries.
After our cave adventure, we headed back to San Ignacio where we got to try some local Belizean BBQ. Joe was skeptical... even though he doesn't admit it, but we both agreed the BBQ pork chops and sauce was fantastic. Also, I should make mention: the potato salad in Belize is awesome! (Joe doesn't like potato salad. Sad, eh?) The next morning we woke up early and got ready to cross into Guatemala. Luckily, John only charged us $10 US to take us safely to the Guatemala border.
Up Next...
Crossing into Guatemala and heading straight for Tikal. Stay tuned!
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Jane
non-member comment
Iguana wish you a great trip...
Cool stuff - great pictures. Sorry the little lizard guys gave you a fright - they really make nice pets - but the wild ones would be a little unpredictable. The buses are amazing - I will have to let the folks back at my old high school know the contributions they have made by recycling buses... love the cave and the bats..... not so much the croc.... stay safe and enjoy Jane