Belize - January 2024 (71 Images)
1. Show of hands! Who knew where Belize is before you saw this map?
2. We drove ourselves – including our traveling companion, nephew Jason – on this route across Belize.
3. (L-R) Julie, Jason, and Rick on the road to our Airbnb in San Ignacio.
4. The Belizean highways are scattered with lots of speed bumps that make driving quite slow.
5. We also encountered multiple police checkpoints - they usually waved us on without even looking in our car.
6. Entering San Ignacio, after driving about 3 hours to cover 65 miles and visit a couple of grocery stores.
7. Our Airbnb - Suzie’s Hilltop Villas! We had the left side of the duplex.
8. We celebrated making it to Belize with a tasty meat platter from the Running W Restaurant.
9. On our way to some Mayan ruins, but first we had to cross a river on this ferry.
10. Julie took a turn at propelling the ferry forward with this ultra-modern hand crank.
11. In front of El Castillo, at the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins. At 130 ft, it’s the 2nd tallest structure in Belize.
12. Making the trek to the top of El Castillo. The heat and humidity made the climb a little challenging.
13. A side of El Castillo showing how a portion of the pyramid before it became a ruin.
14. The three of us about half-way up, and running out of water quickly.
15. Julie and Jason on the way to the top. Rick stayed behind because it was just too damn hot!
16. I spy Julie and Jason. Can you?
17. The view from the top. Guatemala, on the other side of that road, is about 2,000 ft from El Castillo.
18. Iguana Sighting! Did you know these buggers have a third eye of sorts on the tops of their heads?
19. Nice view of the ruins site.
20. Julie and Rick posing for one last view of El Castillo.
21. After slogging thru heat/humidity, we needed refreshments before going on.
22. The Cahal Pech ruins. The name means “Place of Ticks” in Mayan – must have been a fun place to live.
23. Julie in one of the many Cahal Pech passageways, which were likely built for people to hide from the ticks.
24. One of the Cahal Pech plazas. The area reached a peak population of 10-15,000 people around 750 AD.
25. Cool, artsy shot as we bid adieu to the Place of Ticks.
26. By mid-afternoon Rick was HOT, so he soaked in our pool, despite a water temperature just above freezing.
27. We enjoyed a tour at AJAW Chocolate. Here’s Jason smushing cacao beans into a bitter paste.
28. Patrick, our guide, driving us to the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave, a super cool sacred Mayan site.
29. We had to swim, wade, and walk about a mile to get to the cave entrance.
30. At the cave entrance. Cameras are no longer allowed in the cave, so we borrowed old photos from the www.
31. Wading in the cave’s river. The only light was the light from our helmets.
32. Climbing one of the cave’s walls to another level. The butt-push is an oft-used climbing technique here.
33. The main chamber was huge, and we had to remove our shoes to protect the cave floor.
34. The Mayans spent time here making offerings to the gods. Around 700 AD, the offerings were food.
35. By 900 AD, they moved to human sacrifices, trying to end a drought they caused by cutting down all the trees.
36. Leaving the spectacular main chamber. We were in the cave for about 4 hours, and hiked over 4 miles.
37. Yes, we all had to squeeze through this tight slot in order to leave the cave!
38. A photo of us with Patrick to commemorate our amazing, memorable experience.
39. Celebrating our spelunking adventure with another nice dinner at the Running W.
40. We went to the large San Ignacio Market during our last morning in the town.
41. Machetes are quite popular in Belize. Here’s one being used to end the life of yet another coconut.
42. Julie cooled down with some coconut water, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
43. On the road to the coast and Placencia, where we had a stretch of like 30 miles without speed bumps.
44. Watch out for tapirs on the highway! Nope, we didn’t see any.
45. And look-out for those crazy jaguars! Nope, didn’t see any of those either.
46. We made it to Placencia just in time for rush hour.
47. Despite poor directions and signage, we eventually found our rental property.
48. Our rental was close to the beach, so “Beach Rules” were indeed necessary.
49. It rained quite a lot on our first full day in Placencia, but we didn’t care because the Pack was in the playoffs!
50. Eager to tip some back and watch football at the Tipsy Tuna.
51. While the Packers lost, it was still fun watching the NFL in Central America.
52. At a restaurant with some of the world’s slowest service; at least we had refreshments!
53. Strolling along the beach, Julie picks up some fishing tips....
54. ...while Jason spotted this sign. Sandy Cove BZ Tours does everything – except use punctuation.
55. In our backyard, wondering where we might find some sweet treats.
56. A short walk led us to some pretty yummy gelato.
57. Julie and Jason went snorkeling here - Rick stayed behind, regretting what he ate for lunch the day before.
58. Laughing Bird Caye is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) .
59. The MBRS is 560 miles long, stretching from Yucatan, Mexico to the Honduras.
60. The MBRS is the second-largest coral reef in the world. Belize's coastline has 30% of the MBRS.
61. The MBRS has a plethora of bio-diversity. Here’s a sting ray, lurking on the ocean floor.
62. What’s this? A ferocious barracuda. Don’t get too close – these guys sometimes attack humans.
63. Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo.
64. A rare living conch shell (mollusk inside)! Worldwide, there are only about 50,000 living conches.
65. An artsy shot of Julie and guide Kyle coming up for air.
66. Julie and Jason are all smiles after their big adventure.
67. Hermit crabs snacking on the beach. They’re really quite scary-looking, don’t you think?
68. Julie and Jason had dinner at this fun tropical place. Can you find the Packers license plate?
69. Jason gets big-eyed thinking about getting so close to that fearsome barracuda.
70. At the airport, prepared for a long, tiring day of air travel.
71. Saying adios to Belize within the confines of its chaotic airport.