Belize 1996
Belize Navidad: December 21-29, 1996
The itinerary:
Day 1 Sat 12/21: For those flying with us from Houston, we’ll meet at Houston Intercontinental’s TACA airline check-in counter two hours prior to departure. If you plan to meet us in Belize, call for the group arrival time. Our private van will drive us 45 minutes west of town, across the coastal plains through the center of Belize. Our destination is Banana Bank Lodge. Banana Bank is located on 4000 acres of beautiful river front rainforest land, and features trails for horse riding and hiking. The lush vegetation is excellent for birding (195 species) and wildlife viewing. This small property features five unique cabins built from native materials. Located on the banks of the Belize River, Banana Bank provides an excellent base for exploring the many diverse attractions of central Belize.
The reality:
Ariel: My friend, Lindsay, and I arrived at the airport about 2 hours prior to departure. We thought that we were quite early - until we saw the incredible line up at the check in counter! As we waited in line, I saw a tall man who was wearing a Remarkable Journeys shirt. "Jon!" I called out - I had correctly identified our tour guide. We waited in the line up to check in for over an hour, watching the line grow longer and longer behind us, but finally checked in successfully. I recalled my previous experience on Take a Chance Airlines from my travels to Costa Rica, and I was a bit concerned, but it all sorted out fine in the end. We went through security, and sat down in the waiting lounge.
The emerald waters of the Rio Frio, just outside of the Rio Frio caves
As it turned out, we needn’t have been so concerned about the time at which we arrived at the airport, because the plane was two hours late in departure! This gave us time to introduce ourselves to Deron, with whom I would be sharing a room. We also talked with Nancy Landau, the co-owner of Remarkable Journeys. She was traveling with a group to Costa Rica.
Finally, it was time to board our plane! The crowd at the departure gate was very large, because there were two TACA flights leaving at approximately the same time, from adjacent gates. This just reinforced my opinion of the poor organization of the airline. Finally, we got on the plane, but we had to wait for a few minutes because an entire group of people had gotten onto the wrong plane! It was incredible that the stewardess who was examining boarding passes didn’t notice this. Fortunately, the flight itself was uneventful. There was a movie, and free drinks. We arrived in Belize!
Our van picked us up at the airport. It was a bit of a tight fit to get everyone in, but we managed it. Unfortunately, because the plane was late, it was dark when we arrived, so we could not see the country side around us as we drove. But we could feel the warmth and the incredible humidity. For those of us susceptible, our hair began to curl!
We turned off the main road (we had driven half way across the country!) and onto a narrow road just wide enough for the passage of a single vehicle. We bumped along, until the driver noticed that the van wasn’t riding quite right. It turned out that we had a flat tire! Out we all climbed from the van, took out our flashlights, and started to walk to the Banana Bank Lodge. Fortunately, the moon was almost full, so we didn’t really need our flashlights. Although the driver had told us that the lodge was only a 5 minute walk away, after 15 minutes of enjoyable walking, we started to learn what a Belizean minute is!
After we had all piled out of the van, the driver continued to drive the van, and we arrived at a very muddy spot. We traded runners for hiking boots, picked up our luggage, and followed a cement stairway - to a river! We had to take a boat across the river to get to the lodge! The technique for crossing the river was simple and effective. There was a rope stretched across the river, and the boatman hand over handed across the river! We obtained our room assignments, freshened up briefly, and headed to the dining hall for a late dinner. Dinner included delicious freshly baked bread! We were all pretty tired, and headed over to our Cabanas to prepare for bed.
Each Cabana had two bedrooms, each with two beds, and Deron and I shared a Cabana with Tracy and Mary Lou. In our bedroom, the double bed had mosquito netting and heart shapes carved in the headboards! Deron graciously offered that bed to me. We had some help in lighting our kerosene lamps. The compound obtained its electricity from a generator, which ran only until 9 or 10 in the evening, so if you wanted a night light, you had to use a kerosene lamp! I was actually a bit disappointed that the others wanted a light on, since I really love sleeping in the absolute dark, but I understood that others might have to get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom.
Lindsay: I had been enjoying the day in Houston, walking around without a parka in December. The arrival in Belize, although late, was great. The air was warm and humid. Our van produced lots of exhaust fumes, but we could keep the windows wide open. The ride to Banana Bank was supposed to take half an hour. An hour later, we discovered that this was Belizean time. When the driver finally gave up on driving on a flat tire, and we got out into the mud, I had a self righteous moment when I realized that I was the only one wearing hiking boots, and did not have to change. The walk was lovely. There were lots of frogs, bugs and birds to provide background music. Ariel pointed out the reflected points of light, saying that they were the eyes of frogs and spiders. I told myself and anyone who would listen that they were just dew drops on the plants.
I shared a room with Jon, our tour leader. We shared the cabana with Keith and Rosemary. I soon discovered that these were good people to room with, as they are all very polite and quite good sports.
During dinner, I indulged my curiosity about Mayan ruins by questioning John Carr, the transplanted Montana rancher who runs Banana Bank along with his wife, Carolyn. He said that there was a small, unexcavated Mayan city within walking distance of the lodge, and that there was a Mayan house mound just behind the main lodge. I knew what I wanted to see in the morning. I had my trepidations about horse-back riding, as I had not been on a horse since I was five years old.
I discovered that there was a rooster living close to our cabana who was also on Belizean time. He seemed quite contented to crow at 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. This gave me an opportunity to listen to the other sounds of the Banana Bank night, including the nearby horses, and the numerous frogs and crickets.
The itinerary:
Day 2 Sun 12/22: This morning we’ll explore Banana Bank’s 2500 acres of rainforest from horseback. The lodge maintains a string of saddle horses for rides on the property, enough to ensure there is one suited to your skill level. On our morning ride you will have an opportunity to view the complex rainforest environment through the eyes of our experience guide. The flora and fauna found at Banana Bank is impressive, and we should see a variety of species during our time here. The afternoon will be free for swimming, hiking, or relaxing.
The reality:
Ariel: After a great night’s sleep in the peace and quiet and dark, we awoke to a beautiful, tropical morning. Out onto the porch we went to enjoy the view of the rainforest around us. In the light of day, we realized what a short distance it really was from the dining hall to our cabana. In the dark, the unknown had seemed much further. We had an opportunity to observe many birds, and look at unfamiliar vegetation. Breakfast was not yet ready, so we took the opportunity to explore Banana Bank Lodge.
A short walkway took us to see the Jaguar! This spotted cat was kept in a large enclosure, and it was tricky to see him in the leaves. He moved with incredible grace! There were also some other creatures kept on the property. We saw some beautiful birds, a howler monkey and a spider monkey. Then, it was off to a delicious breakfast of eggs and toast and bacon, and toast made from that delicious bread of the previous evening.
Our group split into two for the half day of horseback riding. My group went out in the morning. Me - I’ve not ever really ridden a horse, so it was with some trepidation that I faced my mount. Helen, our guide, was very reassuring. But, the first horse that I tried could not have the stirrups adjusted short enough for my legs, so I climbed off the first horse, and onto Harrier, or Harry if you prefer. Helen adjusted the stirrups, and my short legs could reach them. I sat on the horse for awhile, waiting for the others to get adjusted. The other people that were in my group this morning included Keith, Rosemary (the expert rider), Mary Lou, and Tracy.
Then it was off to the rainforest! We started out at a slow and gentle walk - a pace that we maintained most of the time. We learned to steer, accelerate, and brake the horse - western style. You had to learn how to steer the horse, because otherwise, the horse would not pay any attention to the fact that your legs were about to rub against a very prickly and thorny tree! The horse wasn’t about to run into aforementioned tree! The ground was very muddy because it had rained for the past several days, so we were glad that we were on horseback.
Our first challenge came when we were to cross the creek for the first time. The banks were steep and slippery, and watching the horses ahead slip and slide did not give very much confidence. Helen carefully taught us how to manage the embankment. "Give the horse its head (let the reins out as far as they will go), lean back in the saddle for balance, hold onto the pummel, and pray". O.K. so she didn’t say ‘and pray’ but I sure felt like it! I felt pretty unsteady as the horse felt its way down the slope, but it was the first step to learning that the horse is steady on its feet, and knows the trail.
We rode through the rainforest, learning about plants and the symbiotic relationship between an ant species and a plant. Everyone must think this is pretty special, because many people pointed this out to us on this trip, and it was pointed out to my group on the Costa Rica trip as well. We crossed the stream about 5 more times, and the more times we crossed, the more confident we became on the horse. "Lean back as you go down the hill, lean forward as you climb the embankment on the other side!", coached Helen, and it worked! On the opposite side of each creek that we crossed successfully, I patted Harry on the neck and told him what a good horse he was for conveying me safely across the creek! We made our way to a field, and Helen asked us if we wanted to try to gallop. Hmm - well, I suppose I should try it?!? So Helen taught us about kicking the horse along its side to coax it into a trot, and then kick it smartly again to convince it to gallop. It is much smoother to gallop than to trot, but the trick is to kick the horse as you are bouncing along! I handed my camera to Helen, and held on tightly to the pommel, and bounced along for the duration, but she looked effortless as she galloped along - machete in one hand, camera in the other, molding with the horse. We galloped twice, but I had had enough by then, as my knees were starting to become a bit strained. For the end of our horseback ride, we walked through an orange grove, and we learned that with these oranges, you pick the ones that are still green, to obtain the juiciest oranges.
After lunch, I went for a nap (lovely, isn’t it, to nap during vacation time!), and when I awoke, I went to explore the property with Rosemary and Keith. I had anticipated that Lindsay would come along as well, but I found out that he had decided to try horseback riding after all! Rain threatened, so I put on my rain gear, but the rain never materialized, and I just ended up hot and uncomfortable. We went and looked at the jaguar and other animals again, and we found another spider monkey that is kept in an open cage - where the trees are not quite tall enough for him to be able to jump over to the other side of the fence. This fellow frolicked and played in the branches high above our heads, but unfortunately, did not descend too close. The sureness and agility with which he moved was amazing. Then we set off in search of the water buffalo. Unfortunately, we never did find the water buffalo, and just wandered aimlessly. Eventually, we ended up at the art exhibition studio of Carol. We spent quite a bit of time talking with her about her paintings and her life in Belize. She told the story of building the cement steps up from the river’s edge while her husband John was away in the States (she sold a couple of cattle for the money to do it), and how they have been improving the ranch slowly - as funds have become available. In fact, the dining room floor was tiled only a week ago!
After a pleasant walk about the place, we returned to our cabanas, and awaited the return of the second group of horse back riders. Tracy and Mary Lou reflected on the desire for a margarita, or other similar beverage, but there was not even beer to be found at the Banana Bank Lodge. We all wanted a mid afternoon snack as well! When the afternoon group of riders returned, we sat and chatted, awaiting dinner time. We talked with some of the other guests as well, including the German family with two children, Marcus and Eric. It was fun to talk with them. They were very excited to describe their day. We all impatiently awaited dinner, and some of us were pleasantly surprised to discover that beer and sodas were available! As usual, dinner was excellent.
The day would have been perfect, except for the showers that were outputting only chilly water. This made for some interesting sounds emanating from the girls’ cabana! And I know that it made for some very short showers as well. Unfortunately, this was a problem with the water heater, and the shower never did get hot in our stay here.
Lindsay: After a cup of delicious coffee, I went off to explore Banana Bank’s lush grounds and wildlife preserve. It was interesting to see coconut and banana trees. My first encounter with a jaguar blew me away. Tika seemed quite friendly for a jaguar, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to pet her through the chain-link enclosure. Her teeth seemed quite large and sharp. The parrots, macaws and monkeys were fascinating. It was also my first encounter with a keel-billed toucan.
After a fine breakfast of eggs scrambled with onions and peppers, along with bacon and toast, the rest of the group went off horse-back riding, and a few of those that remained went to see the rest of the animals in the enclosure. There were monkeys, a coatimundi, a deer, and a very friendly peccary. The peccary is sort of a cross between a pig and a porcupine, and seemed quite docile.
We had a tour of John and Caroline’s house/art gallery. It turns out that Caroline is a well known and respected artist throughout Belize, and we saw some of her lovely paintings. John also had some Mayan artifacts, including pots and spear points.
Finally, we set off to find the local ruins. A group of us went trekking through the orange grove, following directions to a road through the sweaty jungle. When we finally got to the place where the Mayan city is supposed to be, we would have had to hack and slash our way through the jungle to see it. Jon was hesitant, pointing out that this activity would stir up any snakes in the area. We concurred, and headed back for a fine spaghetti lunch.
It was raining after lunch, but I decided to go horse-back riding after all. I put on my rain jacket, but it soon stopped. Helen got a special horse for me after I explained my horsemanship skills. His name is Strawberry, and he is kind of old, and blind in one eye. Helen explained that this made him extra careful, which suited me fine.
We got started, heading toward the same orange grove that we walked past in the morning. The horses really did seem to know the way to go, and Strawberry would stop every once in a while to graze on plants that were within his reach. I indulged him, since I figured it wouldn’t do to tick him off. We continued on to various patches of jungle, clearings, forests and streams. The diversity of the terrain and vegetation in such a short space is astounding.
The ride was great, and my jacket protected me from thorns and scrapes with other vegetation. The trails were pretty good, and the streams that we crossed increased in difficulty. Helen’s reassurances of the horses’ sure-footedness were well founded. After crossing all the wet spots, I realized the advantages of being elevated on a horse’s back. When the horses started trotting on the way back, I decided to give Strawberry a break and slow down. Nevertheless, my butt was sore for a week. My confidence level on horseback increased from 0 to about 10%.
After dinner, I went to find the Mayan house mound behind the lodge. I realized that the small hill that I saw there was it. It’s not that impressive to look at, but when you think about it, even the Mayans used the area around Banana Bank as farms, who-knows-how-many hundreds of years ago.
The itinerary:
Day 3 Mon. 12/23: Today we’ll travel a short distance down the Hummingbird highway to Caves Branch, where we will begin one of the most fantastic river trips you’ll ever take. The Caves Branch river passes through large, underground caverns filled with spectacular crystal stalactites and stalagmites. The caves, some 150′ high, were sacred to the Maya, who believed they were the entrance to Xibalba, the underworld of the gods. You can still see traces of the Maya, including fossilized footprints, 1400 years after they departed. We’ll float the river on innertubes using headlamps and natural light shafts for illumination.
The reality:
Ariel: The river rafting trip was canceled, we discovered first thing in the morning, due to the heavy rains that had been falling for the past many days, driving up the river to dangerously high levels. At breakfast time, an alternative of going ‘walking in a cave, to see some interesting cave structures’, was offered to us. That too sounded quite interesting, so we dressed very differently, and headed off for this different adventure.
Looking out of the Rio Frio caves
We rode in the Banana Bank Lodge van to the Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch River Rafting and Cave Exploring base. The group was divided into two. My group, consisting of Lindsay, Deron, Mary-Lou, Tracy, and Jon, waited at the base camp to give the first group a bit of a head start. While we waited at the base camp, we discovered the antics of Julius, the monkey! Julius was a little imp, and stole hats and Lindsay’s camera lens cap. He also wanted to climb all over people, and Lindsay has a great photo of me with a monkey on my head! Julius liked to swing by the hand or foot and tail, and it was very interesting to observe the tail up close. It was very strong, and it had a very good gripping surface at the end. We also spoke briefly with Ian Anderson, who proclaimed that he did not do spelunking, he did CAVE EXPLORING.
We left all of our gear at the camp, since we would not be needing it in the cave. Although the first group had ridden out in a van, our group got to stand on a flat bed trailer that was pulled by a tractor. We stood and enjoyed the forest around us, as a very light rain fell. The rain was refreshing, rather than chilling.
When the tractor came to a stop, we were in an orange grove. We had to walk to the cave, and the walk itself was a very challenging one. First, we walked through the orange grove, and then we had to walk up a steep and pretty long hill. It was muddy and slippery, and that made the going more difficult. Finally, we arrived at the entrance to the cave. Unfortunately, the other group had not yet made very much progress, so we waited for a while longer.
We took one last potty break, and then prepared for our descent to the cave! We had to use a simple rope for the first section, and we learned the correct technique. Take big steps, and keep your feet wide apart. Brace the rope behind your hip with your left hand. Control your descent with your right hand in front of you. We all made it down successfully, and then faced our second challenge. We had a leg harness for support of our body, and for safety, and we used another rope to lower ourselves. We learned how to make the safety harness out of a single length of rope. Here, it was important to keep your weight on the safety harness, and keep your legs pretty straight, and your feet flat against the wall. If you tried to keep your toes on the wall, you quickly ran into a problem. We were quickly learning how helpful our guides were.
We commenced our journey through the darkness of the cave, using only our headlamps for illumination. We descended into the bowels of the earth (had to use that line) The going was very physically demanding, yet the rewards of what greeted our eyes were great. We saw incredible stalactites and stalagmites. We saw pottery shards left by the Mayan who broke pottery because they believed that a person’s cup carried their soul, and when they died, the cup had to be broken so that the person’s soul could go free, and wouldn’t be trapped. We saw pottery that had been blackened. These pieces had been used for the purpose of human sacrifice! This was a sacred cave of the Mayan - they thought that it was the way to Xibalba, the underworld of the gods.
We stopped for lunch. Our guide, Ricky, carefully laid out a table cloth for us. It really set the mood for the meal. One of the reasons for the table cloth was to keep any crumbs from littering the cave floor. We dined well in the geologic splendor. Then, we pushed onward. We could imagine the Mayan exploring the interior with their torches. Ricky had us extinguish our lights, and lit a flame. A magical thing happened. The walls of the cave danced with a million sparkles of light, like the stars in the sky. This was because of the crystal structures that were left by the minerals in the water. It looked eerie to us, and must have impressed the ancient peoples with the power of the walls and the cave. No wonder they performed human sacrifices here. This is where the gods resided.
We had one last sight to see, but there was a tricky bit of climbing to negotiate. I managed it first, and then I was able to give a hand to two others who followed me. We climbed to the back of a small section of the cave, and came upon... a human skull! This had been involved in the rituals that had transpired here hundreds of years ago. It was eerie to see this realization of the primitive, barbaric practices that had gone on, so long ago. I was very glad that I didn’t live in those times!
We turned around, and wondered how we were going to negotiate that tricky bit that had been a challenge to come up. While we had been away, Jon had worked out a solution - a human bridge. He positioned himself so that we could use his back as a step, and ease our way across the difficult spot. This was highly appreciated by everyone in our group! When we arrived back at the location where he had eaten lunch, we one by one extinguished our lights, and sat in the absolute dark for about 5 minutes. We did still have the reassuring sound of running water off in the distance, but for those not used to it, it must have been very disconcerting in the pitch black.
We made our way to the place where we had left the ropes in a surprisingly short amount of time. Going up was far easier than going down. Our challenge came at the point where we had to use the safety harness and the rope to climb the steep wall. Some of the girls were unable to pull themselves up! The solution was to use the safety harness as an assist, with Jon pulling with some amount of force. This worked, and when we climbed this point, we could at last, see the light of day. There was still a little rope climb left, but that was quite easy, considering our new found skill. Then, we were out! I think that Jon breathed a sigh of relief that we were all safely out of the cave with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises to show for wear. We still had a hike to the tractor/trailer flat bed down the steep slope that was slick with mud, but that was easy compared to the challenges that we had faced and conquered in the cave.
Our guide, Ricky, had been very helpful, and very careful. We couldn’t have done this without him, although I did wonder how he had lost a couple of fingers on his right hand...
Our adventure for the day was not yet quite over, though. On the return trip to Banana Bank lodge, the head lights in the van extinguished themselves abruptly, as we drove down the highway in the night. After a few moments, they turned themselves back on, after a connection rejoined. Then, this happened again - and again - and again... We were all extremely relieved to turn off the side road that led to the Lodge, where at least there would be no oncoming traffic at inopportune moments. Back in our cabanas, we enjoyed a delightfully refreshing cold shower, changed out of our filthy clothes, and went off to partake of another excellent dinner.
Lindsay: It had been raining quite a bit, and the Caves Branch River was too high for a safe trip. Instead, we would go to a cave called Mountain Cow. We arrived at Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Tours, and were promptly greeted by Julius, a spider monkey, who climbed into our van. Ian Anderson is a Canadian, originally from Vancouver.
Julius entertained us quite a bit, by climbing all over us, swinging from our limbs, and frolicking with their other pets, a cat and a dog. When you ask anybody if spider monkeys make good pets, they kind of go ashen, avert their eyes, shake their heads, and say ‘No, they most definitely do not make good pets’. Julius seemed so friendly though. He was almost sitting still, and as I moved closer to take a picture, he stole the lens cap right off of my camera! After a short chase into the woods, he dropped it. After that I kept a wary eye on him.
The trip to the cave entrance was on a flat-bed trailer pulled by a tractor. After about a ten minute ride, we parked at the edge of an orange grove. We trudged through the orange grove to a hill. We started climbing this muddy hill, grabbing protruding rocks and vegetation as handholds. Our guide, Ricky, teased us saying that we had to hike 5 more miles up this hill. After about half an hour, we arrived at a large, rocky depression in the side of the hill. Looking closer, we could see ropes, and the actual entrance to the cave. We lowered ourselves down these ropes and got to the entrance. Ricky, another guide, and Jon helped us fashion harnesses which we used with carabines and a safety line to rappel about 20 feet into the cave proper. Another first! Me, rock climbing!
We got started into the cave, and noticed lots of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and rocks. Large, slippery sharp rocks. The minerals in the water dripping into the cave gave the rocks a crystalline coating, which really sparkled in firelight, provided by Ricky’s lighter. It was easy to see why the Mayans regarded these caves as the entrance to Xibalba, the underworld of the gods.
We stopped for a nice picnic lunch on a large flat rock. There were tortillas (of course), hard-boiled eggs, farmer sausage, tomatoes and lots of other good stuff, all on a white table cloth. We started noticing nearby pottery fragments, some of which were burned. Apparently, the Maya would come to this cave to perform sacrifice rituals. After the sacrifice, they would break the pots so that evil spirits would not live in them. After blood sacrifices, they would also burn the pot fragments. Quite a few of the fragments were burned.
After lunch, we moved farther into the cave, crawling, jumping, climbing and sliding along. Looking deep down into a pit, we could see a human leg bone! After Jon stood on hands and knees to help us climb up to another area, we saw a small grotto with a skull! Apparently, the Maya would sacrifice different parts of bodies to the nine gods of the underworld. We weren’t sure where the rest of the body was. We climbed over Jon’s back again (he really let us walk all over him) and started heading out. We stopped for about 15 minutes at our picnic site, and doused our lights. If not for seeing Mary-Lou’s watch glow and hearing the drip of nearby water, I think that it would be very easy to panic if I were there by myself and lost.
It was fun climbing out of the cave, too. Ricky was quite agile and didn’t need ropes, but the rest of us used the ropes and eventually made it out. We slipped and slid back down the muddy hill, back to blessed flat ground. Jon slipped for the first time that day when he fell on his butt in the mud in the orange grove.
The driver of the tractor had fun with us on the dirt road leading back to Ian Anderson’s place by going fast and heading toward the low overhanging branches.
Banana Bank served chicken for dinner (I hope it was that damned rooster!) It was a warm, clear, starry evening, lit by a full moon. We met a honeymooning young couple from Toronto who were cycling around the world. John Carr pulled out his Meade Newtonian reflector telescope, and focused on Saturn and the moon. They were both spectacular. I prefer astronomy in the warm tropics over astronomy during Winnipeg winters. It is easy to see why the Mayans devoted so much time to astronomy, with clear warm nights like that.
The itinerary:
Day 4 Tue 12/24: Canoeing the peaceful Macal river amidst exotic river amidst exotic birds and iguanas is a great, relaxing way to get acquainted with the Cayo district. After a picnic lunch and a swim, we’ll hike along the Panti Medicine Trail. this is the land of Don Eligio Panti, a Mayan shaman who used the plants of the rainforest in his healing practice. Today, scientists are analyzing plants from this area to learn more about their medicinal value. We will hike with a naturalist guide who will identify many of these plants and explain how the Maya have used them for generations. Back in town, it’s time for a Belizean Christmas Eve.
The reality:
Ariel: The drive to San Ignacio was not too long, and we got to see the only traffic light in the country outside of Belize city. This traffic light controlled the traffic over the bridge across the Macal river. The bridge was wide enough for only one vehicle. It was a noisy bridge as well, as we discovered while we were traveling on it! The Queen of England had stayed at the San Ignacio hotel, and they were very proud of this fact.
Our itinerary commenced with the exploration of the magical cures of the rainforest. Our guide, Elvin, took us for a short walk along the Panti Medicine Trail. Within the distance of about a quarter of a mile, he explained to us the many uses of the plants around us - and about the dangers of some of the plants that we had not suspected! We knew that it was bad to walk into the trunk of the tree that had many thorns sticking out, but we also learned about the sap from the black gumbolina tree that has a strong and bad effect on the skin of many people. Fortunately, the cure is close at hand, at the sap from the white gumbolina tree can be used to counteract the effect of the black tree. Interestingly, these trees always grow close to each other. Kirk wondered if a thesis could be written about a symbiotic relationship between the two. We learned about the jackass tree, which contains quinine, and is used to counteract malaria. The uses of the forest were many, and there was a woman who had studied with Don Eligio Panti over a period of many years, slowly obtaining his trust. The shaman died at the ripe age of 106, so perhaps there was much wisdom in his techniques!
Then, it was time for the canoe ride down the river. I teamed up with Deron, brothers Kyle and Kenyon paddled together, Kirk and Jacqueline, Keith and Tracy, Jon and Lindsay, and Rosemary and Elvin paddled while Mary Lou trailed her arm in the water (taking the leisurely cruise while everyone else was working). The river flowed gently in the direction of travel, so the paddling was not too arduous. Along the way, we played spot the iguana, for there were many iguanas sunning themselves in the trees alongside the river. We also saw many people doing their laundry in the river, and washing in the river. It’s a much more difficult lifestyle when you don’t have running water from a convenient tap inside the house! At certain overhangs, we came up close and startled hundreds of bats out of their perch. They were small bats, and looked almost like sparrows. Fortunately, their bat sonar worked perfectly, and despite the fact that they were swarming over our heads, none of them flew into us. The river flowed quite gently most of the time, but there were a few places where the banks narrowed, and the river flowed a lot more quickly. It was fun to paddle through these spots, and feel a slight exhilaration of speed. Perhaps some of us became inspired to go white water rafting! The trip was very pleasant, and came to an end all too soon, except for the fact that nightfall was soon approaching.
We rode in a taxi up to the hotel, and took the time to shower and change. The group met again for dinner. We ended up at the Sandcastle where the service was incredibly slow, and the food not too great, but the seaweed drink (a holiday beverage eggnog style) was tasty. Fortunately, we were not in a great hurry. Then, it was off to explore San Ignacio on this Christmas Eve. We wandered the streets, and discovered that the most excitement was occurring with some contests and fun and games for some children. We watched the first contest where the challenge was to take a long string into the mouth, and obtain the piece of candy at the end of the string. This was accompanied by much loud music by a live band. After a while, we tired of this, and wandered about the town. Rosemary and Keith decided to attend some services for Christmas Eve, and then the rest of the crew wandered some more. Deron decided to go to Church too. It didn’t seem that much was happening, so Mary Lou and Tracy, in their inebriated state, also decided to attend the services. Lindsay and I decided to head back to the hotel.
I waited up for Deron, and then Mary Lou and Tracy came wandering in. They had decided to leave the services early, because simultaneously, they both started to feel unwell. They claimed that they slipped out quietly from the pew�0/00 Unlike the others, Rosemary and Keith had enjoyed the entire service.
Lindsay: Iguana wish you a merry Christmas. We left Banana Bank in the early morning, and after a short stop in Belmopan, we made our way to San Ignacio. A quick look around the hotel’s yard showed that there were a few resident iguanas. A few of us made our way into town, and grabbed a quick lunch. San Ignacio is a nice town, with a suspension bridge over the Macal River.
We arrived at the Panti Trail, and had a very nice tour. There are quite a few trees there, with signs, and our guide talked about the uses of the trees and plants. Most of us bought some ‘Rainforest Remedies’, which they produce nearby.
We got into canoes and started paddling. There were quite a few iguanas in the trees on the river bank, and lots of birds nearby. We even saw some fish-eating bats under an overhanging ledge, which I thought were swallows. After an experience with some rapids, I discovered that my hiking boots really are waterproof.
We paddled all the way back to San Ignacio, and pulled up on shore near the Sandcastle restaurant/bar, where I bought a much deserved Belikin beer. The bar is outdoors, and its floor is sand. I noticed that there were several dogs lazing about, but nobody paid them much attention. Soon, we got back in the van for the short ride back to the hotel. At the hotel, we could hear firecrackers being set off to celebrate Christmas eve. Jon and I discovered a small bottle of coconut rum, a Christmas present from the hotel. In the distance, we could hear a fellow talking through a loudspeaker in Spanish, which was often interspersed with ‘ho-ho-hos’.
We walked back to the Sandcastle for a slow to arrive dinner. Some liked their dinner better than others. I had fried chicken, that while salty, was quite good. The dogs were still there, minding their own business. We walked around San Ignacio, me in T-shirt and shorts, on Christmas eve! There were all sorts of Spanish celebrations going on, and it was quite surreal, seeing all the Christmas stuff in Spanish, and not being extremely cold walking around outside. Some of the group wanted to go to church, and Ariel and I wandered back up the hill to the hotel around 11:30. At midnight, they set off the sirens in the fire-hall just down the street from the hotel. Three times.
The itinerary:
Day 5 Wed 12/25: It’s Christmas day - Belize Navidad! Today we visit the vast Mountain Pine Ridge area south of San Ignacio. We’ll hike to the Rio Frio cave and stop for a swim at the beautiful pools and cascades of the Rio On. On our return we’ll stop and visit the Garcia sisters to see the intricate slate carving of these artistic Mayan women. Tonight there will be more holiday activity.
The reality:
Ariel: We had another lesson in Belizean time on our trip to Mountain Pine Ridge. The trip was supposed to last 45 minutes to an hour, but it ended up requiring about 2 hours. This was due to all of the potholes in the road that had been caused by the recent rains. We had to negotiate the road slowly and carefully.
We did make a stop along the way, at the shop of the Magano brothers. They carve slate with the traditional pictures of the Mayan. After some deliberation, I settled on a carving of Jaguar Eating a Human Heart. This was an ancient symbol of power and authority. Then, we continued onto Mountain Pine Ridge.
We proceeded to the Rio Frio Cave. This was a large cavern with a cold river flowing through it, that once housed some ancient peoples. There was a small beach inside - from which you would never become sunburned! The cave would have remained cool, even on the very hottest of days, and it was easy to understand why the ancient peoples who had lived here would have found many advantages to being in this location. I wanted a photo of a man in a loin cloth, standing on the rock, gazing into the distance, but for some reason, Kyle, person in our group most suite, didn’t want to be the subject of the photo!
We then took a small hike through the rainforest. I very much enjoyed it, but I think that Jacqueline was starting to feel claustrophobic in all of the vegetation. Some of the steep slopes were slippery, and a bit challenging - and a bit difficult for those of us who did not have hiking boots. Me - I could hike happily for hours in the rainforest�0/00
We proceeded in the van to a picnic point, and ate some sandwiches that had been prepared for us. The price that was requested for the simple sandwiches was out of line, at $6.50. Jon made a decision to charge us only $5.00, and charge the rest back to Remarkable Journeys. I did, however, learn a useful trick. In Belize, it is incredibly humid, so items like sandwiches would rapidly become soggy. The woman who had made the sandwiches had wrapped each one in a piece of paper towel, and that kept the sandwiches fresh.
A few of us walked along the pathway to the point where you could gaze upon the water cascading down the river. It was truly a sight to behold! It amazed me how similar the terrain was to the Canadian shield - very pretty. We took the time to enjoy the view, and I tried some photos of Tracy and Kenyon, who were sitting and enjoying the power of nature. I hope that they turn out!
From there, we traveled a short distance up the road to some pools where you could play in the water, and suntan, and enjoy the day. The water was extremely refreshing, and some of us went swimming, and the others just waded. It was our first opportunity to sit and relax, and we very much enjoyed it.
On our return to the hotel, we stopped at the Garcia sisters, who were unusual in that it was they, Mayan women, who carved the slate. Usually, that was man’s work! Here, I purchased a carving of a dove - symbol of love and peace. This was to contrast the other carving that I had purchased!
Our last stop for the day was a quick tour of Cahal Pech - Place of the Ticks. We decided to stop here and have a bit of an opportunity to see some Mayan ruins. This was a smaller site, but I still found it to be very impressive. The entrance, with its enormous steps, was impressive, and must have been particularly so to the people who had lived there. As we were leaving, Lindsay stopped and talked briefly to a German woman with an interesting walking stick (who wanted to learn some of the secrets of Mayan medicine). This was to provide a source of teasing for the rest of the group!
We had Christmas dinner at the hotel. The Weaver family enjoyed Christmas dinner, and the rest of the group sat down together. Well, the rest of the group except for Lindsay, who had decided to walk into town - undoubtedly to try and find the woman with the walking stick! When Lindsay reappeared at the hotel, the teasing started. Of course, the Weavers had told us the message that Lindsay had decided to walk into San Ignacio, but we pretended that they hadn’t, and that he had gone exclusively for the purpose of tracking down that woman! We had a bit of fun with that, until Lindsay realized that we were teasing him.
There was a party for expatriates living in Belize, at the hotel, but most of us were too tired to partake of the excitement. Me - I didn’t even hear all of the noise that w happening almost right outside of our window! We hadn’t needed to go into San Ignacio to look for Belize Navidad. Belize Navidad came right to our hotel!
Lindsay: Once again, we piled into a van. The ride was quite nice, very scenic. We stopped at San Tunich, where the Magano brothers create slate carvings similar to the Garcia sisters. I had jaguars on my mind and found a green slate jaguar head glyph. We saw several Mayan villages along the way, as well as some Mennonite farmers. We finally arrived at the Mountain Pine Ridge. I was intrigued by signs saying that the road was the beginning of the journey to the ruins at Caracol, but that was misleading, as Caracol is actually some distance away. The Rio Frio cave is quite tiny compared to Mountain Cow cave, but it is still quite large. There is a stream flowing through it, and it was spectacular. I was able to take some of my best pictures of the trip there.
After the cave, we started hiking some trails. At this point, I was accustomed to walking uphill in mud, but the area is very nice. The Mountain Pine Ridge is very similar to areas north and east of Winnipeg, in the Canadian Shield. We stopped at a picnic area for another fine lunch, this time of assorted sandwiches. Most of the group went for a swim in the Rio On Pools, which also made for some fine photographs.
On the way back, we stopped at the Garcia Sisters, where the artwork was truly fine. Most people bought something, but the Mayan calendars that appealed to me looked too fragile to survive in my luggage.
We made it back to San Ignacio before dark, which left time to get to Cahal Pech and take a quick look around. Some say that this is a small insignificant Mayan city. If so, then the big important ones are definitely on my list of vacation destinations. On the way back, I was teased after chatting with a good-looking German woman (a shaman wannabe, no less!). I decided that I had had enough of the group for one day, and that I would dine alone.
I sulked into town and spotted a Chinese restaurant that was open. I had a delicious conch noodle soup with chop suey, ridiculously cheap. I caught up with the rest of the group as they were finishing dinner at the hotel restaurant. I quickly forgave everybody, and a few of us went wandering through San Ignacio
The itinerary:
Day 6 Th. 12/26: After breakfast we’ll drive back toward Belize City, with a stop at the informal, unique Belize Zoo. The zoo features only animals found in Belize, and their natural habitats have been recreated here. Afterward, we’ll catch a 20 minute flight across the azure Caribbean to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. San Pedro is a small town situated between the ocean and a large lagoon. The streets are sand and the people laid back. The rule is: no shirt, no shoes - no problem! Our comfortable hotel is a five minute drive down the beach south of town. The second longest coral reef in the world is waiting for you just one half mile from your beachfront room. We should check in to the hotel by 2:00 p.m., leaving several hours free to explore the island.
The reality:
Ariel: Before breakfast, a few of us went to see the Iguana Project. The hotel had hatched almost 200 green iguanas, and they were going to raise them for a few years, and then release them to the wild. They started with eggs in a special incubator, and now the iguanas were kept in a large enclosure. We learned that the natives eat only the female of the green iguanas!
Once on the main road, the drive to the zoo went quickly. It was intriguing to see the animals native to the country. We saw some animals that we had seen in the wild, and we were particularly intrigued by the tapir. The enclosures were large, with a copious quantity of native vegetation inside. They were ‘natural habitat’ type enclosures, which was pretty advanced for a country such as Belize. Perhaps the most fascinating to watch were the jaguars. The zoo has two jaguars - a yellow spotted one, and a black one. At first, we watched them play fight, and then we watched them groom each other with strokes of their rough tongues. It was fascinating to watch.
Then, it was to the local airport, to catch our commuter flight to Caye Ambergris. The flight take off was incredibly short, and the flight was short and smooth. The only worrisome matter to me was that my luggage was not on the same plane as we were! There had been no room in the luggage compartment, so my bag had traveled on the next flight over, which was 5 minutes after our flight. I was much relieved when my luggage finally showed up, as I had done a poor job of packing, and important items, such as my car keys and my plane ticket were in that bag! Fortunately, it all turned out in the end. A very short taxi ride of 5 minutes took us to our hotel - Coconuts.
Unfortunately, our rooms were not yet ready, so the hotel served us complimentary drinks of rum punch. These were quite tasty. Keith decided to order a Pina colada, and it came in a size large enough to share. I’ve probably never had such a tasty Pina colada before. The coconut milk that was used was fresh, and then drink itself was very delicious. It turned out that it was also quite expensive, so it’s a good thing that we didn’t drink too many of these.
Although everybody else chose to eat at the hotel, Lindsay and decided to try a restaurant that served seafood for lunch. We ended up a few doors down, at the restaurant above the Crazy Canuck’s. Kind of appropriate, that the two Canadians in the group ended up at such a restaurant. Lindsay decided to have the lobster burger, and I settled on fish and chips. I think we made a better choice than those who ate at the hotel.
When I came back to the hotel, I saw that Deron and Mary Lou had bicycles ready, and I decided to join them for a trip to town. We spent some enjoyable time exploring the shops, but we had to have the bicycles back by 6 p.m.
In the evening, the group took a late dinner at a nice restaurant. To our disappointment, lobster at the tourist places on the island was not particularly cheap. We walked down the beach in the full moon of the evening, and it was delightfully pleasant. The weather was just perfect, and the conversation with fellow travelers was very comfortable.
Lindsay: We started off the morning by visiting the San Ignacio Hotel’s Green Iguana conservation project. There was a nice trail down to the river bank. The iguana conservation project consisted of a solar incubator and a good sized iguana habitat.
The Belize zoo is quite small and informal, but it does live up to its reputation of harboring local fauna in close copies of their native habitat. The hand-painted rhyming signs were quite amusing. There were king vultures, which were actually quite handsome, for vultures. We could hear howler monkeys as we walked. There were spider monkeys, deer and some sort of stinky pigs. There was also a tapir, which is the proper name for a mountain cow. There was a Jabiru stork, and a Morelet’s Crocodile, tortoises, ocellated turkeys and cassowarys. There was a margay cat, an ocelot, and two jaguars, one black and one spotted. It actually took me a while to spot the black one. It was well camouflaged. The jaguars entertained us by wrestling for a while. They are truly magnificent animals. On the way out, we spotted the usual macaws and parrots, and we piled back into the van.
We took a quick trip through the side streets of Belize city, and ended up at the small airport where Tropic Air flies in and out of. After a short wait, we boarded a 20 seat commuter plane, and we were off! My first sight of the Caribbean blew me away! The water was so clear you could see right to the bottom. The water was shades of turquoise and azure, instead of frozen and snow covered. After a short flight, we landed at San Pedro on Ambergris Cay. We had two vans take us to the Coconuts Caribbean resort. The ride from the airport to the hotel was actually shorter than the length of some airport terminals that I have been in! But the streets really are sand, and people really do get around using golf carts. The hotel was right on the beachfront, but then most things are, on that long, thin island. I just had to walk into the ocean and feel the water. I took them up on their offer of a free rum punch while they were getting our room ready. I cleverly found out what their drink prices were like before I started charging them to the room. Astronomical! Yikes! $8 Belize for a rum punch? I don’t think so! Ariel and I found Crazy Canuck’s bar and grill two resorts down the beach, and we stopped for a late lunch. I had the lobster burger and she had the fish and chips. Both were delicious.
Later, I went for a solo walk around, and quickly realized I was heading away from ‘downtown’. I was at the end of the airport watching the planes land and take off. There is a lot of air traffic there!
The itinerary:
Day 7 Fri. 12/27: Today we’ll sail south down the reef to the fishing village at Caye Caulker, with swimming and snorkeling along the way. You’ll have some time to explore this undeveloped island and enjoy a seafood lunch before we return to Ambergris. Friday night in Sand Pedro is usually lively, so come on out and enjoy the music at one of the beachfront clubs.
The reality:
Ariel: We were supposed to have an itinerary planned for today, but there was a difficulty in obtaining a boat, so the adjusted plan was to have today as the free day, and do the sail manana. We decided to make arrangements for a private snorkel tour. We chartered a small boat, at the cost of only $25 per person, and headed out for a day of snorkeling in the beautiful coral reefs. We planned a morning snorkel and an afternoon snorkel, with a stop at a place on the island for lunch. After the morning snorkel, we climbed back into the boat. The idea was to relax, and enjoy the surf�0/00 But a couple of us had a problem! We realized that we had to pee�0/00 Now, this was a small boat, with no washroom facilities on board, so back into the water Mary Lou and I went. I was successful in my efforts, but Mary Lou just couldn’t do it! Nevertheless, Jacqueline seized this photo opportunity�0/00 I wonder if the photo turned out? After our morning snorkel, we stopped at a lovely restaurant for lunch, and then defied all of the rules about eating and then swimming by jumping back into the water straight away after our meal.
We had a small problem when Jacqueline dropped my mask and snorkel into the water as she was rinsing off the anti fog from it! It turned out not to be a problem, as Daniel Nunez, the operator of the boat, quickly jumped into the water and retrieved them from the water which was only 8 or 10 feet deep. Coral cannot grow in water which is very deep.
The sights to see below the sea were incredible. We saw a nurse shark, and some incredible coral reefs. The fish displayed an abundance of colours. Lindsay enjoyed some fishing while we saw the fish ‘up close and personal’. To finish off the day, Daniel took a spear gun, and jumped into the water. His efforts netted him a large lobster and a red snapper.
Back at the hotel, the group arranged to meet for dinner. I appeared at the appointed hour, although I knew that Deron had left the room. I looked at the windows of the people whose room numbers I knew, and all the lights were out, so I concluded that there was no one there! I thought that everyone had left, but it turned out that they were still sleeping. I walked down the beach, toward the Crazy Canuck’s, and Jon and Deron and Lindsay were sitting at the restaurant, enjoying the lobster and red snapper that Daniel had caught earlier in the day. I truly was not very hungry for dinner, since I had swallowed too much sea water earlier that afternoon, so I had a bowl of soup and enjoyed a taste of the fish. It was very good - fresh, naturally�0/00
Lindsay: There are lots of frigate birds that hang out above the shore in San Pedro. They seem to hover effortlessly in the air, and have interestingly shaped tails. Friday and Saturday sort of got switched around. Friday was our free day, but we chartered a boat anyway, and went out on the water. I am not much of a swimmer, but I do love to fish, so I was enticed aboard by a fishing rod and bait. Our guide, Daniel Nunez, stopped at a dive shop to outfit everybody, and then we were off. He asked if we wanted music, and demonstrated the boat’s fine stereo system with some fine Bob Marley and the Wailers. We stopped at Mexican rocks, and got the snorkelers into the water. Daniel pulled out his fishing rod, got me set up with hooks and some conch as bait. He demonstrated how to cast with the rod, and promptly caught a yellowtail snapper. The then he was off into the water. So there I was, in the bright Caribbean sunshine, on a fine boat at anchor off of the second largest barrier reef in the world, with Bob Marley on a fine stereo. Life was good. I had a bite with almost every single cast. In all, I caught four yellowtail snapper, and one other sharp-toothed fish that I have yet to identify. I thought it was great, catching the odd little hungry fish that would nibble at the bait. The snorkelers saw the amazing reef life. Daniel surprised me by throwing a lobster into the boat. Then he threw in a large red snapper, with a spear hole in its head. That’s the thing about bait casting versus spear fishing. I had to patiently entice the hungry little fish to nibble at my bait, while he could go down and plaster the fish whether they were hungry or not. One lobster later, the rest of the group came back, and we moved on to the next spot. Apparently, the snorkeling was great there too, but I couldn’t find any hungry fish.
After we went back to Coconuts, Daniel cleaned the lobsters and the snapper, and gave a lobster tail and a snapper fillet to Deron. Later that evening, she, Jon and I went to Crazy Canuck’s, where they grilled the lobster and the snapper along with our other orders. Ariel showed up in time for dinner, too. It was wonderful. They provided us with ceviche before dinner again, which was to be quite common, and quite good.
Deron and I walked into town and explored the souvenir stores. They all seem to be run by young Guatemalan girls. We picked up a ridiculously cheap bottle of coconut rum at a liquor store, then headed back down the beach to Coconuts. I bought a big glass of pineapple juice, which went fine with the rum.
The itinerary:
Day 8 Sat 12/28: Another day in paradise! This is a free day and your list of options is pretty long. You might want to snorkel or scuba dive, bird watch, fish, windsurf, bike, water-ski, shop�0/00 or just sit under a palm tree and watch the sailboats pass by They’re all good choices!
The reality:
Ariel: We spent today on the Winnie Estelle - a lovely boat, that included a small room with a marine toilet! We picked up our snorkeling gear, and then headed out to the coral reefs. This was certainly a different travel experience than yesterday’s outboard motor boat ride. I spent some time chatting with a man from Alberta, who raises elk to harvest their antlers for the Japanese market. The income from a set of horns is quite staggering! Then, it was time for our first snorkel of the day. Once again, we saw impressive coral reefs, and an incredible variety and colours of fish. Tracy saw a shark! Snorkeling is quite fatiguing, and when we climbed back into the boat, Roberto (or whatever his real name is) very kindly came around and served us a variety of fruit. The sugar was very much appreciated by our fatigued bodies!
We made our way to Caye Caulker. There, we enjoyed a fine lunch - and the lobster on this island was quite cheap! We also had quite a bit of time to wander the streets and look in the shops. Then, it was back to our boat. While we waited to leave port, I took a photo of Keith and Rosemary with snorkel gear, and Santa hats! This is going to be their Christmas photo next year!
We had our second snorkel of the day in ‘Sting-ray Alley’. There were many boats anchored at this location, and one of them had a carcass of some sort hanging from a hook. The number of stingrays and nurse sharks that were swimming around was in the dozens. After watching these sea animals rouse themselves into a feeding frenzy, I decided that it was a very good time to get out of the water. However, for a few minutes, it was an incredible sight to behold. In this location, the fish and the coral were incredible to view. As I climbed back into the boat, I knew that I would miss this activity that was like swimming in a giant, incredible, aquarium. Once on board, Roberto came around again with fruit and cookies, and once again, these were very appreciated.
We continued back to Caye Ambergris, and were caught in a small tropical squall on the way. It was amazing how quickly it started to rain, and how quickly it stopped. Almost everyone on the boat tried to find shelter as quickly as possible.
In the evening, most of the group headed to The Reef restaurant for dinner. As we waited for our table, the waiter brought us complimentary ceviche. It was delicious. I decided to have lobster, and I was served 2 huge tails. I could scarcely finish all of the food on my plate, and I didn’t even eat very much of the side dishes. We wandered through the town for one last evening in the Paradise of the Caribbean.
Lindsay: We boarded the Winnie Estelle, a converted Island Trader, built in the 1920s. We saw dolphins jumping out of the water as we headed out. Our captain, ‘Roberto’, had different last names, depending on what he told you. He was originally from northern California, and said that he has been in Belize for six years, and ‘must stay’ another four. Bail jumper? Statute of limitations? Who knows. He seemed nice enough, though, and runs a good boat. While I was sunning on the deck, he commented on the scar on my belly, and pointed out a similar scar on his belly. His was from exploratory surgery after a gunshot wound.
There were a few other tourists on the boat besides our group, including an elk farmer from Alberta and his family. I had rented a snorkel and flippers, but when it came time to jump into the water, I just couldn’t do it. I was content to laze about on the deck, enjoying the Caribbean sun. After the snorkel stop, we headed to Caye Caulker. We found a nice hotel with a restaurant. The washrooms left a bit to be desired, but I have seen worse. At the restaurant, I ordered garlic lobster. Yummy. Unfortunately, the boat caught up with my inner ears, and the restaurant floor kept tossing and pitching. Rosemary was able to provide some seasickness medication assistance, and I felt a lot better. Ariel and I walked around Caye Caulker, saw the graveyard, some lizards and some shops. It seems like they sell the same souvenirs all over Belize, nice though they are. There are a lot of Rastafarians living in Caye Caulker, and I think it would be a more interesting place to stay than Ambergris Caye.
I caught a nap during the next snorkel stop, and felt much better. We were caught in a short tropical squall on the way back, and got a little wet. Tracy was gracious enough to share a towel with me, which kept us warm and sort of dry. Fortunately, the rain stopped soon, and the sun came out and dried us off.
We ended up at the Reef Restaurant for dinner, and enjoyed more ceviche and fine delicacies. I had grilled conch, which was quite good. We wandered about, and slowly made our way down the beach and back to the hotel.
The itinerary:
Day 9 Sun 12/29: It’s our last day in paradise, and time to head back to the ‘real’ world. We’ll catch a flight from the island to Belize City in the morning and connect with our flight home.
The reality:
Ariel: It’s time to head back to the real world. We went through the mechanics of catching flights. The ride from the Caye to the airport was about 10 or 15 minutes in the plane. I wrote postcards to my friends while we waited for the plane back to the United States. The flight back to Houston was pleasantly uneventful. I drove Jon to the house where he would be staying for a couple of days, and Lindsay and I returned to my house. I spent the afternoon paying bills, and attending to some necessities, because on Thursday, I would have to leave home again to go to London and Paris for work!
Lindsay: We had to catch an early flight, so we needed to get up early. We made it to the airport in plenty of time (not much traffic during the two minute drive)
Another fine flight, this time in a single engine plane, which took us directly to Philip Goldson International Airport in Belize City. We had plenty of time to kill before our TACA flight back to Houston. Some people wrote postcards, some visited the gift shops.
The plane boarded right on time, and we were off to Houston. They were serving alcohol on the plane again, early on Sunday morning, which I declined.
After a fine afternoon (still in shorts) in Houston, we went for sushi. In the evening, I zipped the fleece back into my jacket, then I turned in early for my 8:10 AM Air Canada flight to Toronto. The Houston freeways and the tour that Ariel gave me of the different terminals at Houston International were actually the scariest part of the whole trip.
I arrived back in Winnipeg at around 3:00 PM, and promptly froze my ears waiting for a cab.
Trip Cost: $1645 w/ air from Houston. Included: All ground transportation, 8 nights lodging, rainforest horse ride, Caves branch tube trip, Macal river canoe trip, Panti Trail hike w/ guide, day trip to Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize zoo, R/t Belize City-Sand Pedro air, day sail to Caye Caulker, entry fees and guides, meals as noted, bi-lingual tour leader.Additional: Belize departure tax, gratuities for drivers, guides, hotel staff, and baggage handlers, and anything not noted above