Island Life

It was around 5:30pm, the sun had set, the moon was rising, but there was still just a hint of daylight left.  Our boat was heading east towards one of the reefs, and slowed to a stop.  Now was the time to make the choice.  We had spent the entire day between the boat and a private island, fishing for snapper, conch hunting and pulling up lobster traps.  Our group’s catch – a great combination of crab, lobster, conch and snapper – was turned into a feast back on the island, including conch and lobster ceviche, grilled fish, and crab and lobster stew.  Then we headed back on the boat for one final fishing adventure.

Benedict, our guide and catcher of all things with fins, claws, or otherwise residing in the ocean, was scanning the ocean while James, our navigator and captain (and the only person who had not been drinking throughout the day) instructed us on the proper handling of a spear gun.  It had been a really long day, spent mostly under the direct heat of the Belizean sun, and part of me just wanted to stay in the boat.  But part of me really really wanted to try my hand at spear fishing.  So I put my mask and snorkel back on and jumped into the warm ocean.  We swam around scanning the reef below for more snapper, or perhaps a stray lobster.  Unfortunately, our intended prey was nowhere to be found, and after 10 minutes or so we were all back in the boat heading for shore. 

And that is how we spent the second of three days on the island of Caye Caulker, just off the coast of Belize City.  The first and third days were remarkably less adventurous – I spent at least half of each day living the island life from the vantage point of my hammock.  Our room at De Real Macaw guesthouse is well placed – the front porch is about 6 feet off the main drag, and just a few more yards from the ocean.  Whether watching the locals, fellow tourists, boats in the water, birds in the sky, lizards on the porch rails, or Java or Squeaker – our two adopted porch cats, this is the place to do it.  Just about everything the island has to offer is within a five minute walk from here.  And, when we get lucky, the island (in the form of the local fruit vendor, the Tart Man or the Cake Lady, all with their wheeled carts) comes to us. 

Tomorrow we hop the ferry back to the mainland and head to the airport for the trip back home.  The twelve days in Belize and Guatemala have provided a great mix of adventure and doing nothing at all.  As everyone has been trying to get us to say since we got here, and I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, yes, it has been “unBelizeable”.

Aliens did it.

Yes, aliens.  That is the only possible explanation as to how the ancient Maya were able to build giant temples, hundreds of feet tall, on hilltops in the Guatemalan jungle.  There is no evidence (yet) that the wheel existed in this culture.  No pulley systems.  Yet thousands of blocks of limestone were quarried and placed in exacting detail to build these temples and surrounding structures. Certain temples, miles apart, line up perfectly with the sun on each of the solstices and equinoxes.  So, yes, aliens it is.  That’s my theory and I’m sticking with it.

We arrived at Tikal National Park late yesterday afternoon.  We had a lazy morning in Belize, took a bus to the border, then hopped in a shared shuttle going to the lakeside town of El Remate.  We stopped there for no real reason other than to break up the trip, have a little lunch, and do some scouting for our post-Tikal plans.  Yes, we are in the “making things up as we go along” portion of the trip. 

We got to the park a bit later than expected, close to 5pm.  We dropped our bags at the
Tikal Inn – one of three lodges inside the park – and scurried over to the main grounds hoping to get in at least one site before nightfall and the park close time of 6pm.  We just made it to our destination after a quick 20 minute walk we came upon the Grand Plaza, the site of some of the most famous temples.  Many of the temples are no longer open to being climbed, despite the massive front stairways going up over 100 feet.  Apparently, one too many tourists lost their footing and fell to their death, and most stairways are roped off.  Killjoys. 

We were able to climb to the top of the north acropolis, in time for a bit of the sunset, and got our bearings for future exploration.  We met a family from Guatemala – a group of about 10 – and a few other Americans.  By the time we were making our way back down the limestone, rock and mud path it was dark.  Very very dark.  We had small flashlights but they only did so much.  Then it started to rain.  Welcome to Guatemala. 

Our next trip into the ruins started at 4am on Wednesday.  Yes, 4 a.m.  The Sunrise Tour.  We weren’t the only crazy ones – we were joined by about 15 others from various countries and around the US.  It was worth getting up for.  We crossed the entire length of the park to get to Temple IV, the highest one at the site, by 5am to see the sun rise.  We had an awesome view over the lower valley, and as it got light we could see various temples popping up in the distance.  Then, the howler monkeys started.  They are aptly named – it sounded like something out of Jurassic Park and I half expected to see the tree tops start moving in waves.  I guess they just get chatty in the mornings, and they stopped soon after sunrise.  We also saw some toucans and lemurs.  The morning tour lasted until 9am, when we returned to the lodge for breakfast, a short rest (and a swim in the pool) and then made our way back out again to explore on our own.  Then back to the lodge, a short nap, and one more trip out before it got dark. We ended the day on a high note - the last ruin was one of our favorites.

Over about 12 hours we saw most of the excavated sites at Tikal.  Each is unique, each served a different purpose (or a different god), and all together they comprise about 7% of what archeologists believe to exist over hundreds of acres.  They have barely scratched the surface, but for now I am satisfied and get to cross Tikal off my “things to do before I die” list.  I am about to amend that list to include a good foot massage.

People, Places, and of course, The Food.

The People:  Our trip started with William, our shuttle driver who picked us up at the airport on Thursday and drove us to Parrot Nest Lodge.  During the 1 ½ hour drive, William introduced us to the local specialty of rice & beans, as well as the local Belekin beer, which we sampled on the way to the lodge.  William also picked up some local pineapple, which he said went perfectly with the Belekins.  He was right. 

Theo and Marcus run the lodge.  There we met Kelly and Lezlie, brother and sister from Texas, our first day.  A day later, we were joined by Dave and Sue, who run a bed and breakfast near Banff.  They all have been great company at ATM and over dinner and breakfast the last few days.

Places:  Parrot Nest Lodge in Bullet Tree Falls (about 3 miles from San Ignacio) is the perfect combination of rustic charm and modern day amenities.  Individual cabanas surround the main lodge, each tucked away just enough so you aren’t staring at the other guests as you’re lounging in your hammock on the deck, but you don’t feel isolated.  The surroundings are lush, and the toucans are as bright as the birds of paradise and other flowers lining the paths.  But we aren’t really roughing it – the cabanas have private bathrooms, showers, hot & cold water, and there is always a full pot of coffee (and a fridge full of beer) at the lodge.  The Mopan River runs behind the lodge, and inner tubes are free for guests to use for a lazy ride down the river.  Guests are greeted by four-legged hosts Nina and Puppy, and the three cats all take turns hopping in your chair the minute you get up for a fresh drink.  And, yes, there is a parrot at Parrot Nest Lodge, and she is a chatty one, although she has only one leg. 

The Food:  We’ve been spoiled.  On most of my travels I have avoided “hotel” food, and opted to go in to the local towns to sample what they have to offer.  Not here.  Dinner and breakfast at Parrot Nest is not to be missed.  Rice dishes, chicken, pork, shrimp curry…  local eggplant, squash and tomatoes…  oh, and the desserts!  Lemon pie, banana bread, homemade ice cream with brownies.   Breakfast?  Omelets, fruit, French toast, and today, pancakes!  Just. Fabulous.  We have had the local fare in San Ignacio and surrounding – breakfast papusas at the Saturday market, quesadillas, sopadas, burritos and tostadas.  Everything has been great.  Spices are used more for flavor than heat, but a bottle of local hot sauce sits on every table, just in case that’s your thing.  Fresh juices are widely available –  the watermelon juice is my current favorite.  And the local market has a good supply of rum and fruit juice that have become the staple of our pre-dinner cocktail hour.

And, the Belizean attitude…  mellow doesn’t begin to describe it.  Everything moves at a lazy pace.  A Saturday market that you can walk through without being accosted by every vendor.  Even when actually looking, it is such a soft sell.  The shops are the same – buy something, don’t buy something, whatever.  Our day today consisted of walking up the road for lunch, then about a 20 minute walk to throw our inner tubes in the water for a ½ hour float back to the lodge.  I think that’s a busy day for Belize. 

The Belizean ATM

In the US, going to the ATM means walking up to a machine, pushing a few buttons, and leaving with a handful of cash.  In Belize, going to ATM means hiking 45 minutes through the jungle, pushing the “on” button on the headlamp attached to your hard hat, and leaving with a newfound respect for the ancient Maya.

ATM in Belize is shorthand for Actun Tunichil Muknal, a 3 mile long cave which was the site of Maya rituals, including human sacrifices, dating back about 1,200 years.  The site was only officially discovered in the mid 1980’s, and most of the artifacts – and human sacrifice remains – have been left as they were found.  The site is amazing, and well worth the effort it takes to get there.

The expedition starts with a 45 minute hike through the jungle.  Our local guide, Luis, has been doing this for 12 years, and stops along the way to point out various plants, trees and assorted crawly things.  Before going into the cave we don our hardhats and headlamps, and get a few safety lessons.  Lesson #1 – listen to your guide.  Lesson #2 – see lesson #1.  Then we walk down a few rocks, slip into the cool water at the entrance of the cave, and swim about 20 feet to a ledge on the opposite side.  From that point we spent almost 4 hours inside the cave, climbing over, under or through rock passages, almost all the time being at least partially submerged in water.  The rock climbing was longer and harder than I anticipated, and I fit through some spaces I never would have believed I could have.  With one exception, the only light came from our helmets.  We turned them off a few times and were in a pure darkness rarely experienced by most people.  I kept looking up, amazed by the stalactites hanging over our heads.

After about 2 hours we got to our destination – a high ledge that led up multiple levels, each scattered with various artifacts.  And a few bones and skulls.  The last level was reached by a well placed, and thankfully modern, ladder.  Going up another 12-15 feet, we reached the site of a very well preserved human skeleton, the bones calcified to the limestone below.  Once we were done there, it was time to turn around and start our trek out.  For the most part, it seemed easier going out than coming in (with the exception, at least for me, of coming off that big ledge – a rather harrowing experience that luckily was over in just a few minutes). 

Once we were out of the cave and back on dry land, we had time for a quick lunch before our hike back to the van.  Little did we know that during the 4 hours inside the cave we missed torrential rainstorms outside.  A quick change into dry clothes, and we started our ride back to Parrot’s Nest.

The total trip took just under 10 hours.  We arrived back at the lodge with enough time for a hot shower and well deserved fruity rum drink before dinner.  I was in bed by 9pm, asleep within minutes, and so exhausted that for the first time in 3 days I did not hear the 4am rooster. 

PS - I'd love to post photos of the expedition, but due to the fact that stupid tourists kept on dropping their cameras on artifacts, including one of the skulls, cameras are strictly prohibited on ATM tours.  This is what google is for.  

JAC edit:  Many thanks to Laura Watilo Blake, fellow world traveler and phenomenal photographer, who has shared her pictures from ATM which were taken before the ban.  See them here:  http://www.farflungtravels.com/?p=1329
 

That which can not be pronounced shall nevertheless be climbed.

Xunantunich. Now, say it with me.  choon-a-two-eech.  Again.  OK, now just give up and call it Tuna Sandwich.  Isn’t that easier?  You can thank our afternoon cab driver for that one.

Xunantunich is a site of ancient mayan ruins in western Belize dating back to around 600AD.  It is only about 9 miles from the Guatemalan border and an easy 20 minute ride from the lovely Parrot Nest Lodge that we are calling home for the next few days.  Of course, the part that comes after the taxi ride was anything but easy.  A bit of that was my fault, when I took the “oh why not?” approach when deciding whether or not to walk our way about a mile uphill to the ruins’ entrance.  My physical endurance is sadly lacking, especially in the Belizian heat.  Once at the entrance there was a little more of a hill to tackle before walking onto the grounds of the once great Plaza.  From there, we had a great view of El Castillo – the tallest, and grandest, of the ruins. 

Conquering El Castillo took about 20 minutes of climbing multiple stairways with stair heights varying from normal to about knee height, some of which were disturbingly skinny and perched out on the edge with nothing separating you from the ruins below.  In the end we reached the top – 130 feet high – with not only a spectacular view of the rest of the ruins below, but also of Central American countryside all around.  We were told we could see Guatemala (we waved), and later learned Honduras could also be viewed from the site (I’m a little more skeptical about that claim).  I took advantage of a small spot of shade, and sat down on the cool stone to rest up from the climb.  The climb down was a bit easier, and we took a few minutes to watch some monkeys playing in the trees. 

                        

This was the highlight of our first 24 hours in Belize, and was a teaser for what is to come in a few days – Tikal National Park in Guatemala.