Go ahead - Mayan my day: Belize and Guatemala get away

[Mattg]

I was in the Term D. AC from about 11am to noon, local 

Ah okay. I flew into DFW at noon but Dallas was my final destination and I left the airport.

 

[TomVexille]

Sweet. Love RooFlyer​ TR's

 

[RooFlyer]

Can't do much posting at all due to poor internet on Belize Guatemala border ( sure, that's what they all say !).

But I can confirm that they have very big budgies here



And the kitties are also maxi size

 

[im.daniel]

Telstra doesn't do roaming in Belize. Its sorts funny; there are only a relatively few countries round the world where they don't but in the past 12 months I've copped 3 of them : Bahamas, Myanmar and Belize.

Telstra roaming is also very hit and miss in Guatemala - I was connected to movistar for the majority of the time, but was unable to send any messages while I was there. It's also non existent in El Salvador, Honduras and much to my surprise, Panama!

Thank you so much for your trip report! I missed out on Belize this time, but will try to get Belize and Tikal in one hit next time!
The macaws at Copan were magnificent!

 

[RooFlyer]

Back in the big city and strong internet. Service will resume.

Arrive Belize City on time. This is all of it (sunny bit only; the shadows are bush); population about 80,000 out of a country total of about 380,000. BC reminds me a lot of Darwin when I first moved there in the mid 1980s but it was probably more like Darwin 'pre Tracey'. Mildly bustling; the odd modern building amongst mostly older stuff; lots of dank and mildly decrepit corners. Mostly mangrove water frontage and shallow, warm sea around.

After we de-planed, it was a long walk the length of the outside of the building. The airport is about as big as HBA today, both in runway and terminal size, but dating from maybe the 1970s. The terminal building needs modernisation big time. More on this when I leave.




Got a transfer to the Radisson; BZ$50 or US$25; its exactly 2:1 and both currencies are accepted and given as change, although prices are mostly in BZ$. The Radisson was my second choice. I wanted to stay in 'The Great House' but it was full; both are in the 'Fort George' area - the better hotel and touristy area, close to some sights and easy walking into town (but not at night). The Radisson is your typical 'fancy' hotel in a third world country, except its not that fancy. Outside its nice grounds, palms etc and the lobby is a riot of lime:




Room that I had would be what you would get in a NSW north coast seaside motel; there were better standard ones in a 4 story tower, but by the look of it, most were like mine. Decently large, patio to the outside, everything there, but overall basic. Views out over the Caribbean from the patio.




This is all very well, except for the cost - it was something like US$240/night and it was bad value. Service and facilities I'd say were A$180 standard, in a third world country.

The day I arrived was a 'cruise boat day'; about 3 or 4 days a week there are usually 3 boats in. They moor offshore and the hoards are brought in by tender. In 2000, there were no cruise boats; now about 750,000 pax per year arrive :shock: and they are straining the country's infrastructure.

As I mentioned, next door is 'The Great House Inn'; I didn't go inside but it looks good from the outside.




I did a bit of a local walk, then had dinner in the hotel restaurant, as I couldn't be bothered navigating taxis etc after the flight down, starting at 3:30am. The menu looked interesting and I chose the Beef and okra stir fry with beans, rice and fried plantain (a 'cooking' banana). It was horrible. The beef was as tough as old boots, as was the okra (a bean like vegetable). No spiciness or flavour other than that of sir fried beef, onions etc. The fried plantain was nice. BZ$25

 

[RooFlyer]

Belize City began in the late 1700s as the destination for logs harvested upstream by British woodcutters prior to the lumber being shipped out. It was a pretty rough place of rum and mosquitos, at the opening of Haulover Creek, a branch of the Belize River.

In 1961 it was all but destroyed by Hurricane Hattie and this caused the government to move the capital to newly established Belmopan, about 50 miles inland. After a decline in the 1980s and 1990s, the beginning of cruise ships in about 2000 has given the city a new lease of life, but there still isn't a lot of geography suitable for wandering around. There is the 'Fort George district' (Radisson area) to the NE of Haulover Creek, and downtown, along to the old Government House, SW of the creek.

There are a few old buildings in the Fort George area, but most were destroyed in the hurricane. At the point is Fort George lighthouse, and at its foot, the tomb of Baron Bliss, a British benefactor of the city who never actually visited.




Walking along the foreshore, there are views to the low outlying islands (the diving areas are beyond). I was looking for the museum and came across the structure on the left, which I assumed was it. Nope - its the Reserve Bank of Belize building - a ludicrous structure, with many armed guards about. Goodness knows what they do in there. The museum is next door, in the 1857 former main jail building. BZ$10 admission.




The museum is a bit basic - displays on Belize stamps, insects (especially butterflies) and early transportation, and an upper gallery on Mayan history. Some Mayan jade on show, but most artefacts are in overseas collections (including UK and US Universities which have done architectural digs for decades). Posters, maps and some ceramics. I did the lot in 30 minutes.




Elsewhere in the area are the Chateau Caribbean Hotel (another possibility for digs, on the waterfront) and a school.

 

[RooFlyer]

The other side of Haulover Creek is downtown, about 15 minutes walk from the Radisson. To get to it, you have to run the gauntlet of the 'Tourist Village' and the spruikers and 'tour guides' standing in wait for the cruise ship passengers, who dis-embark not far from the Radisson. But its not too bad. if you walk ahead and make it clear you aren't going to stop, they don't bug you.

You cross Haulover Creek via the 1923 Swing Bridge, apparently the only manually operated such bridge left in the world, hauled open twice a day to let boats through. The RH pic looks upstream. There are a bunch of hustlers about, usually Rastafarian types with a 'Hey, mon!' greeting. I gave them a wide berth and again, there was no hassling but I think it would be a pickpocket area.




Down town is busy, but pretty small. The streets are too narrow for traffic to be much of a hazard. In the RH pic is Albert Street, the main drag. There are municipal elections on, hence the bunting. I began my walk at 8:00am and it wasn't until about 9:30am that I saw another tourist. By 10:00am the cruise boat passengers were well about, but most of them go on day tours inland or out on the water.




Walking along the outer harbour is nice. The top panorama is looking across to the Fort George area - the Radisson would be close to the tall trees to the right. Fishing boats tied up in front of the swing bridge and the arrival point for cruise ship passengers. Music playing and generally bright atmosphere.





Further along the shore is old Government House - now the House of Culture. Built in 1814 for the (British) Governor of Belize, it survived Hurricane Hattie in 1961 and was the place where Belizean Independence was celebrated in 1981. There are art displays and furniture etc from the colonial days. BZ$10 to enter and its a nice place to visit. It opens about 8:30 and at 9:30 I was the sole visitor.




Right across the road from old Government House is St John's Cathedral, built by slaves between 1812 and 1820; the oldest Anglican church in Central America.



I wanted to go on to Yarbrough cemetery, holding the graves of early inhabitants of the town (pre 1800), but I was warned that it wasn't that safe to go walking there - and as I was about to get in a car to head west, I thought it prudent not to proceed. So it was back down Albert Street and to the Radisson, and my lift to the Belize Zoo and onwards to San Ignacio, the centre of the Mayan cities tours.

 

[RooFlyer]

OK, time to head west and to see the sights I came to see. I had organised a shared transfer to San Ignacio, about 2 hrs west of Belize City, but when I arrived the tour operator said that they had made a mistake and no shared transfer was operating that day. They offered me a private transfer for - wait for it - US$280! Yes, they were serious and yes, I sent them packing; this for 2 hrs there and, OK, 2 hours back, but I doubt that the return would have been empty. I walked 4 paces in the foyer of the Radisson and organised one through their tour desk for US$100. Still expensive, but this included a stop-over at Belize Zoo and I don't think there would have been anything less expensive from a 'reputable' carrier (I did consider hiring a taxi!).

Getting out of Belize City is a bit of a trial; lots of road works and some serious pot holes, but once we hit the Western Highway, it was plain sailing. The road is good, single lane each way and the traffic was light. Some trucks, but easily over taken. Next time I wouldn't hesitate to drive myself; the only hassle might be the police checkpoints, of which there were several (this is the main road through to Guatemala).

The zoo is about 45 minutes out of the city, a short way off the highway. Mostly flat, through savannah type country. On the way you go past Belmopan, the Belize capital after the 1961 hurricane.




The zoo is great; admission BZ$30. It was set up as an animal rescue place - orphans, mal treated animals etc and although most of the exhibits are caged, the enclosures appear to be large and viewing is easy. It gets good reports from animal-conservation types and some high profile visitors.

Its set over about 30 acres, but I'm not sure if the sealed paths cover all that area. It took me a leisurely 90 minutes to cover nearly all of the areas on the map. the only 'complaint' (and its not really) is that the wire on the front of most exhibits is quite fine mesh; hard to stick a camera lens through for an un-wired shot, but that might be the purpose! Certainly hard to stick fingers through, which is good, as most of the animals would snack quite readily on them.

First off were the spider monkeys. I think they were enclosed. I saw a bunch of birds and some small animals (unidentified) in the scrub obviously not in enclosures. The monkeys swung about, ate fruit etc but ultimately showed what they thought about the audience.




Next, the Toucans. Colourful one is the Keel Billed Toucan, national bird of Belize. It hopped about a lot, and was keen to get up close, which made photography difficult. The smaller one is the Collared Aracari toucan.




Tapirs. A significant road hazard, and the zoo gets lots of injured ones.




I simply don't know what the creature on the left was. Some Greek-American-Belizean creation? Nice little tortoise.




Belize is home to 5 types of cats. Four of them are coming up.

 

[love_the_life]

Loving the TR - hanging out for the next instalment! The pic over on View from my Office gives a teaser!

 

[RooFlyer]

Loving the TR - hanging out for the next instalment! The pic over on View from my Office gives a teaser!

You called it . First, the cats of Belize. Four out of the five, which are all genus Felis.

Ocelot (L) (in Belize - "tiger cat") and Jaguarundi (R). The RH guy was pretty quick when he came out. Looked and behaved a bit like a stoat, but very cat-like face.




Mountain lion, known as Pumas in Belize. I didn't realise these guys came so far south.




And of course, the Jaguar, of which there are about 800 in the wild in Belize. From the above link:

One of the largest of the Central American carnivores, it was once fairly common in coastal mangroves, lowland savannas, and wet and dry shrub lands and forest up to about 3000 ft. elevation. But because its conspicuous tracks, the high value of its pelt, its reputation as a stock killer, and its vulnerability to hound pursuit and still hunting, this cat is now rare except in parts of large unhunted reserves.

Jaguars are rarely seen in daylight, but occasionally one suns on a cliff or log. They are fairly aquatic and easily swim rivers, small lakes, and straits between mangrove islets. They favor damp sites such as streambeds in gallery forests, where footprints often reveal jaguar's presence. At any season jaguars of any sex may roar at night.

Although jaguars seem to prefer peccaries as prey, they also take monkeys, agoutis, deer, birds, fish, lizard, turtles, and other animals. Mud tracks reveal feeding on dead fish, alligators, iguanas and any other carrion left by receding waters. Jaguars seem not to avoid the scent of a man, and attacks on humans are rare.

These guys were mainly sunning themselves, but just as I was about to leave, one got up and spotted something, then stalked into the bush.



Grey fox:




Now some birds. Check out the look of evil in this guy's eye. You know what happens next, don't you

 

[RooFlyer]

Of course - Polly wanna finger, a nose, a camera, anything Polly can grab :shock:!



Harpy Eagle. And another parrot called ... Polly (really). Its not dead - just resting.



And the Scarlet macaw, from Guatemala. Beautiful plumage.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Oh dear RooFlyer.. you know it's getting lonely when you start quoting Monty Python... or maybe it's about to
Enjoying the trip report

 

[RooFlyer]

Oh dear RooFlyer.. you know it's getting lonely when you start quoting Monty Python... or maybe it's about to
Enjoying the trip report

Parrots .. plumage... a gent of my vintage - how could one not?!

About to get into the serious stuff.

 

[amaroo]

Just tuned in. Nice work

 

[craven morehead]

Thread subscription please

 

[RooFlyer]

After the zoo, we continued west to San Ignacio - a further hour on a good quality road (Western Highway). San Ignacio, with its twin town Santa Elena on the other side of the Macal River is only a few miles from the Guatemala border and is the centre for farming and the Maya tours in the area. There are 3 main developed sites - Xunantunich (just out of town, not visited by me), Caracol, a few hours south and the largest Maya city in Belize, and Tikal, a major complex a couple of hours west in Guatemala.

Population of San Ignacio / Santa Elena is between 10,000 and 20,000 and the ethic mix is 'Creole', Spanish and Chinese. The area was originally settled by British loggers, after mahogany. There is apparently a bit of money about with the coming of tourists, as a couple of the main streets are being curbed and guttered in concrete, with new median strips and round-abouts (see bottom RH pic below).

There are municipal elections on, and signage and campaigners are all about. I'm glad we weren't in front of the giant speaker, below!




There are a number of guest houses in town, but also a number of fancy resorts on the edge of town and a little away from it. I wanted to stay at the San Ignacio Hotel, but it was full. I had a peek inside and it is very nice and I'd recommend it. There's an iguana sanctuary next to it. Its a bit over US$200/night I think. Second choice was the Windy Hill resort; about US$180/night and good value. It has cabins set amongst grassy and palm planted grounds, on a modest sloped hill. Air con and non aircon separate cabins, linked by concrete paths.




I had an air con cabin for 3 nights, which was large and made of native woods (I forgot to ask which). Polished floors and windows of flywire mesh and louvers, so the breeze can come through, or you shut them up and air-con it. Amazing selection of TV channels - including the 'Willow Channel' for cricket - tired and early to bed, I watched the start of the Australia V England World Cup match!!




There is an open air bar and open air restaurant, whose meals were OK. Again Belizean cuisine didn't shine - braised pork chops (pork certainly local!!) with hot-sauce. Pool is small but nice, with a view. fantastic cool down after a long days drive and touring - which will finally emerge next .

 

[boomy]

Excellent TR, you go to the most interesting places RooFlyer!

 

[craven morehead]

Groovy room

 

[love_the_life]

You always seem to find the cricket! The big cats are so cool!

 

[RooFlyer]

The Mayan civilisations were initially established in the 'Pre Classic' period (2,000 BC to 250 AD), continued into the 'Classic Period' (250 AD to 900 AD), when many of them collapsed. Some survived for centuries later (eg Chichen Itza in Mexico) but the coming of the Spanish finished off the empires, although Mayan people and communities continue with the cultures today.

Mayans occupied southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and western El Salvador.

The sites I visited were all Classic Period, 250-900 AD, although there were antecedents before 250 AD. Each was a city state with rulers who warred with other city states, winning, losing, expanding, over the centuries. Populations of the biggest cities (Caracol, Tikal) were estimated to be in the low hundreds of thousands.

I'll not go into the turgid details of the various rulers and who-won-why but there were great builders, great warriors and some very smart people. The Mayans were astute astrologers (some would say cosmologers) and architects and their calendar is well known. Te documented their histories using hieroglyphic texts and symbolic carvings on stone pillars (stelae), tombs, altars and in a couple of surviving 'books'.

There is no single widely accepted theory as to why the empires collapsed.

The first city I visited was the largest in Belize, and one of the major Mayan cities anywhere, called Caracol. Its about 60km south of San Ignacio in thick rainforest. It was discovered in 1937 by a logger and began to be investigated archeologically the following year. Its thought to cover about 200 square km, but only a tiny portion (the 'city centre') has been uncovered.

The site has been systematically explored and excavated by USA universities for decades, and this continues. Unfortunately many, if not most of the artefacts found have been sent back to those universities. I sense that there was a recognised quid pro quo by the Belize authorities about this - the universities supplied the large amounts of money and manpower required, but got to keep artefacts for 'study'.

The name Caracol is modern and means coiling like a snail, probably referring to the road in. Its original name was Ux Witz Ajaw, meaning something like 'Three Hills Place' - possibly referring to the three peaks on the main structure in the city (Caana), which is still the tallest structure in Belize :shock: .

The drive takes about 2.5 hours, being very rough for the first part, 4WD but OK to boggy for the middle, and paved for the last bit.

This is where we went, with boxes being collections of pictures I took. The vertical white line to the left is the Guatemalan border - quite close and this becomes relevant later. You can see the Western highway coming from Belize City - about 1.75 hrs drive to San Ignacio.




The first part of the road traverses a pine forest, which seems an odd thing to find in these latitudes. But I was told that the Caribbean Pine exists quite happily around the Sea at these elevations (we were in the Maya Mountains about 500m ASL).

About 1/2 way in we stopped at a ranger station for the guide to sign us in ('4' on the map above); it was an old construction camp for a small hydro project nearby. I noticed a few army guys around and was told that it was an army camp now too. There were about 5 other 4WDs there within a few minutes. We were obviously going to set off in convoy and then I noticed that an army land rover was part of the convoy.. Just to look after us, the guide said, as there had been 'Guatemalan bandits' in the area in the past.

Hmmm...