What We Saw and Did in Belize
We had some of the most amazing experiences of our life in Belize. While some of these came in the most mundane and unexpected moments--such as the people we met, or the crazy scenes in the villages--others were organized expeditions. I've attempted to review some of the latter in detail below.
Jungle Horseback Riding
I have to be honest: when Mary pressed me to go horseback riding with her, I was less than enthusiastic. While I'm hardly an experienced rider, the few times I have been on a horse were, shall we say, less than comfortable.
Not unsurprisingly, riding was uncomfortable this time around too. However, the scenery and novelty of riding a horse up and down narrow jungle tracks more than made up for it. Despite my initial misgivings, at the end of the day I had to admit that it was an amazing experience.
We organized our expedition through DuPlooy's, which offers guided tours by horseback. The name of our guide was Oscar, a exceedingly patient man with only broken English who looked like he was born on a horse.
However, even Oscar was a bit nonplussed at how little we knew about horseback riding. As soon as we got to the corral, he hopped on his mount, pointed us at two others, and got ready to leave. Meanwhile, we just kind of stood there looking at the horses. The horses looked right back at us. Finally, Oscar cottoned on that we needed some help, and showed us what to do. I could tell what he was thinking:
what kind of crazy tourista signs up to go trekking through the jungle by horseback without knowing how to get on a horse?
Finally mounted, we headed off. Luckily for us, our horses knew how to follow one another, which at first was a great thing because we had no idea how to steer. With Oscar's help, we very quickly picked up basic reining to prevent our our horses from brushing us off on tree trunks, stopping to eat at every opportunity, and generally acting on the view that their riders should have no say in the afternoon's activities. Oscar, to his credit, was very patient with us, giving us instruction on horsemanship while also pointing out jungle plants and animals of interest.
The narrow track we followed wound into the jungle and soon started uphill. It was extremely muddy due to the recent rains, and the horses hooves occasionally slipped (a heart-stopping feeling) as we wound back and forth up over a ridge into a nearby valley. It was a fascinating to see firsthand what kind of terrain a horse can actually traverse. I would have had problems hiking up that trail on foot, but my mount didn't hesitate. Well, unless it saw something good to eat on the side of the trail.
The vistas at the top of our climb were amazing, looking over cleared pasture, orchards, and nearby jungle. I'm sure Oscar was bored stiff, but we felt a real feeling of accomplishment that was worth every rear-bruising jolt on the way up.
After a reaching top of the valley, we began the trip back to DuPlooy's. As we snaked back down into the jungle, two things occurred to me: 1) horseback riding can be very rewarding, and 2) god damn someone get me off this horse now, my ass is killing me.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience, and I have to admit that I am glad Mary talked me into it. If enjoy horseback riding--or, like me, have never tried it and are a sucker for learning new things--be sure to give it a go.
Belize Botanical Garden
The Belize Botanical Gardens are located at the end of a seven mile dirt road off of the Western highway outside of San Ignacio. They're right next door to both the Chaa Creek and DuPlooy's lodges.
The gardens are laid out on a large plot of grassy land criss-crossed with paths lined by wood chips. While it's possible to get a guided tour, we opted instead to follow the very informative self-guided tour pamphlet.
Even in the rain, we enjoyed wandering through the gardens much more than we thought we would. The various trees in the garden are well-labeled, and the tour pamphlet is absolutely stuffed with extremely interesting facts about each. The Belizean jungle is packed with useful plants--for example, we had no idea that Allspice came from a jungle tree!
Overall, even in the rain and outside of the fruiting season (which we regretted, as the pamphlet continually recommended fruit to try from the plants it mentioned), a visit to the Belize Botanical Garden is a worthwhile stop for anyone who is curious about where many of their foods, spices, and medicines come from. Set aside perhaps two hours to fully enjoy them.
Canoeing the Macal River
After horseback riding, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Macal River. To facilitate this, we borrowed a canoe from our lodge, hopped in, and promptly learned that there is considerable current in the Macal.
The Macal River is a minor waterway that runs all the way western Belize and feeds into the Belize River, which eventually empties into the Caribbean sea. The Belize Botanical Gardens and many Cayo eco-lodges sit on its banks, as does San Ignacio. It also runs through some of the Cayo's broad-leaf jungle and is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Unfortunately, due to it's proximity to people, it also contains a fair amount of trash.
Our expedition on the Macal was far outside of town, and in an area that is almost completely undeveloped outside of occasional trails up to lodges. We canoed upstream for about an hour before tiring and deciding to drift back down past the various lodge docks. We both truly enjoyed the peacefulness of the river as it wound through the forest.
One thing we would have liked to do but didn't have time for is to canoe into San Ignacio from our lodge and then hitch a ride back. Perhaps next visit. In the meantime, if you're looking for a peaceful and scenic afternoon on the water, you could do a lot worse than canoeing the Macal.
Tikal (Guatemala)
Visiting Tikal was the first item on our itinerary when we hit the Cayo. It is one of the largest and best-known Mayan sites in Central America, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tikal is a bit of a drive from Belize and requires a border crossing, but the experience is worth every bit of hassle in getting there.
We were up and out of the lodge early for this one, rumbling down the dirt lane to San Ignacio by 7am. With us were some very friendly Canadians we'd met at DuPlooy's. We paired with them on several tours with during our stay.
We drove through San Ignacio and headed onward to the border with Guatemala. Here, we were ushered out of the van and sent to stand in line at the border crossing. After cursory conversation with the border guard, we were in. Welcome to Guatemala, touristas.
On the other side of the border, we were picked up by another van with our driver. We would later learn that tours are arranged like this due to oppressive regulations for Belizeans working in Guatemala--it's just far less of a hassle to coordinate with Guatemalan guides on the other side. The driver killed some time giving us a tour through the town on the other side while waiting for our guide to appear.
This was actually very interesting. Towns in Guatemalan are actually quite different from what we saw in Belize, especially San Ignacio. It's a lot more dense, with people stuffed together cheek by jowl. Small, colorfully painted buildings rub shoulders and lean over the streets in an almost medieval fashion. And the driving is insane--aside from the usual crazy third-world chaos, any domestic animal that you could possibly find in a town you will also find walking, rolling, strolling, clucking, lying, or even just sitting in the middle of a road. And they know that cars will move to avoid hitting them, so they cheerfully refuse to budge.
Eventually, we picked up our guide, a portly, jolly Guatemalan by the name of Eric, and away we went.
Eric was beyond a doubt one of the best guides we had on our trip. He was very knowledgeable about Tikal, but at the same time was also interested in giving us a thorough view of how Guatemalans live. To that end we made a couple different detours on the way to Tikal. During one of these our guide sent us bouncing along a back road along a large lake, where we saw a normal laundry day in action. Each family claims a rock well out into the shallow lake to pound laundry on, and builds little huts over them to keep the sun off. The shore was thick with suds--can't be good for the fish. The locals also drink out of this lake.
The road to Tikal was a mix of paved and gravel. It's a fair drive inside the border and things occasionally get a bit rough, but it's nothing compared to the ordeal of getting to, say, Caracol or ATM. We finally pulled up to the entrance around 11am, got our tickets, and started in.
Even in the off-season, there was quite a crowd of visitors at the site. To our surprise, we later learned from our guide that most tourists at Tikal are actually Canadian, with Americans a distinct second. With such amazing sights only a few hours south of Houston by air, I can only guess that most Americans just don't appreciate adventure travel.
Tikal is huge. I mean, absolutely enormous. While not all of it has been restored, there are too many temples and plazas to see in one day, all linked together by miles muddy paths winding through the rain forest. The half day we had there just didn't do the site justice. I think it might be worth an overnight visit.
We started our tour by hiking to Temple V, a very imposing 187ft tower of stone. Here we saw a the major difference between national parks in Guatemala versus those in the US: there's a very rickety ladder (loose boards and all) available for those seeking to climb to the top. Ignore your misgivings and do it, even if you're afraid of heights. The views at the top are breathtaking, with green jungle canopy as far as the eye could see, broken here and there by the stone heads of Tikal's seven other temples.
We got down just in time--in the jungle, when it rains, it RAINS. The whole tour group dashed to a tarp in the woods as the skies opened up and poured on us for several minutes. It was like getting a pool dropped on your head continuously. See the video below for an example:
A few minutes later the skies dramatically cleared and the sun shown again. We made our way over to Temple IV.
Temple IV is famous for its appearance in one of the most famous movies of all time: Star Wars. Yes, several of the scenes of the Rebel base on Yavin 4 near the end of the movie were filmed at Tikal. Perhaps because of this, the climb to the top of this temple is a lot better maintained than Temple V, consisting of a series of well-constructed stairs and ramps.
The view from the top of Temple V was, again, spectacular. We spent a long time at the top enjoying the breeze and taking it all in.
As we prepared to head down, we heard the craziest racket coming from the forest. Frankly, it sounded like something out of Jurassic Park. We had no idea what we were hearing. The mystery was solved soon after climbing back down: howler monkeys! Check the video below for an example:
Very different than what I expected--something between a screaming baby and a downshifting semi.
After wandering through several other ruins and nearly drowning in another rainstorm, we slogged over to the final major sight on our tour: the Great Plaza. This is probably the best preserved and restored Mayan square I saw on my trip, complete with a sacrificial altar in the center, two towering temples (one of which, Temple II, we climbed via an even more sketchy ladder to get pictures of the whole plaza), an acropolis, several ball courts and the Royal Apartments. We spent over an hour climbing around the area, wandering inside the stone rooms and looking at the well-preserved stellae around the site. There is still a lot of archaeological work being done here--one of the guys in our tour, a Dutchman, joked that he was thinking of burying a Dutch flag when nobody was looking for the scientists to find. Yeah, I'm sure they'd go for that: "we interrupt this broadcast to bring you some late-breaking news--Archaeologists have just discovered that the Mayans were all Dutch!"
Our tour concluded with a delicious meal cooked by some locals at the site--grilled chicken with fresh tortillas and vegetables. From there, we loaded up the van, and started the long trip back to Belize. We crossed without incident and grabbed a van back to our lodge, getting in late.
But boy, was it worth it. Tikal is, in a word, unforgettable. If you visit this area of the world you need to see this. It is not a World Heritage Site for nothing.
Xunantunich
One of the smaller Mayan sites, Xunantunich has the advantage of being extremely accessible via good roads from San Ignacio. It's easily viewable in half a day with a good guide.
And we definitely had a good guide, our soon-to-be friend Phillip. An old farmer from a nearby village and a solid all-around guy, we took several tours with him, during which learned quite about life in Belize.
After an early breakfast, we rode a van out to the ruins with another couple from Canada. While Xunantunich was fairly large Mayan city, only a few of it's buildings have been cleared. The rest remain as large, heavily forested mounds in the jungle. Comparing a cleared ruin to one still claimed by jungle, it's clear that it must take an incredible amount of work to uncover a ruin.
The main attraction at Xunantunich are two large plazas bordered by structures in various states of restoration. The most noticeable feature by far is the huge ziggurat temple known as "El Castillo". This structure--which is very climbable--is over 130 feet tall and offers great views (and breezes) at the top. We took a video of the view.
Interestingly enough, all the Mayan pyramids we saw at every site had huge steps. Phillip told us that this was done so that those climbing were forced to use both hands and feet, thereby subjugating themselves before whomever was at the top. I'll remember that if I ever build a front porch on my house.
In front of El Castillo is a large grassy area filled with what used to be a paved and bustling marketplace. There are religious structures on both sides, and at the back are the royal apartments. On the far side off the main plaza is a Mayan ball court--a fixture at Mayan sites everywhere. These are typically about 20 feet long and 10 wide, with acutely sloped sides. Phillip explained the game to us:
the idea is to bounce hard rubber balls through hoops using only chest and shoulders. It sounds like a strange combination of hackey-sack, basketball, and squash.
We spent the rest of the morning wandering the site while avoiding armed soldiers on patrol (a common sight in Belize, as there are problems with crime coming across the border from nearby Guatemala). We also visited the covered museum--containing some of the best-preserved stelae depicting coronations and other events in the city's history. I was surprised to learn that Xunantunich was completely abandoned around 1000 AD, after which it was quickly swallowed by the jungles. It was then forgotten by all save locals who occasionally still used the temple. How could such a mighty city be lost and forgotten so quickly? What happened? While there are many theories, nobody knows for sure.
We left right as the parade of arriving tour vans started, each disgorging a full compliment of exuberant visitors. If you're in the area and have half a day to kill, Xunantunich is a worthwhile investment and worth the easy trip. There is lots to see here. Just be sure to come in the morning, before the buses from cruise ships meander in and pack the place up.
Actun Tunichil Muknal
Actun Tunichil Muknal ("ATM" hereafter) is a long cave system deep in the jungles of Belize's Cayo district. It is also a place the Mayans regarded as having tremendous power. Over hundreds of years, they journeyed deep into the cave to conduct sacrifices of food, objects, and people. The artifacts that remain are now preserved inside, and--if you're willing to take a few risks--viewable (for now) as part of an adventure you'll never forget.
Visiting ATM became one of the highest priorities for our trip as soon as we read about it. There are only a few guides certified by the government for leading tours into this cave, and if there is a lot of rain they very quickly close it down. We learned exactly why later: we arrived at the tail end of a week of rain and took the very first available tour, which would have serious ramifications on our visit.
On the day of our visit to ATM, we got up early and grabbed a van into San Ignacio, stopping on the way to buy tickets to the cave. Once in town, we transferred to a bus filled with other members of our tour, and headed up to the cave.
The drive to ATM is a real adventure, and I am not sure exactly how the driver managed to get our bus of folks through roads with literally a foot of mud. I thought he was joking when he asked us if we were all OK with getting out and pushing if necessary before we left. Luckily for us, he got the job done brilliantly.
Once there, we changed into our clothes we'd brought for swimming/hiking/caving, grabbed the caving helmets and lunches issued by our guide, and hiked off into the forest.
The path to ATM is a couple miles long, crossing the same river three times. There are no bridges, so expect to get wet. In the dry season, I imagine this is a treat. However, after a week straight of torrential rains, the river was extremely flooded, had an extremely strong current, and went up to my chest, waist, and waist on each respective crossing. It also has a very treacherous rocky bottom--go slow! Wading the river was especially tough on poor Mary, but she took it like a pro and gutted it out.
We hit the muddy base camp soon after the last crossing. We sat for a bit eating a snack while our guide, Oscar, attached lights to our helmets. He then called us together and showed us how to use the lights, gave us some basic training on caving (communication with those behind you being key), and finished with an stern explanation of what we were in for. As it turned out, even he didn't really know what we were in for, thanks to the recent rains.
Soon after, we made our way down to the cave, got into the river, and swam into the darkness.
The ATM cave is basically a long river passage. To get to the area with all the artifacts, the would-be spelunker must crawl, climb, and swim through a very cramped series of passages by he light of our headlamps. The crawling part is no joke: you get the least bit claustrophobic or are an extremely large person, do not attempt this tour. In some parts, I was bent double in the water with only my head above to breathe as I scraped through very small openings.
The tour group we were with, consisting of 6 folks (including us) from all over the world, constantly worked together to keep everyone safe. While at first the continual barked reminders from our guide to communicate back down the line seemed silly, we all quickly realized that was very important.
During dryer times, there is only one swim--through the entrance--followed by a lot of wading when not shimmying through cracks and up rocks. However, thanks to the flooding, the river was almost two feet higher than normal. Our guide was surprised by how high it was. The current was also incredibly strong as more water squeezed through the same tight passages. This made our journey into ATM a lot harder than I thought it would be, and I am in pretty good shape. The water was well over our heads for a good portion of the hike. We clung to rocks in the blackness, working our way from handhold to handhold while attempting to avoid being swept away from the walls by the current. At one point, I lost my footing and couldn't hold on. I was swept under and nearly drowned.
It took at least an hour before finally reached a series of rock formations that allowed us to hoist ourselves out of the river. Here, we took our shoes off--a method of preventing folks from running off, our guide said--and followed Oscar into the main cave.
What we found there was absolutely worth every bit of trouble getting in. I have never seen anything like this before in my life, and may never again. It is one thing to read about human sacrifice. It is another entirely to see the calcified remains of victims--people!--lit up by flashlight in the darkness in front of you while you listen to a matter-of-fact description of exactly how they died. And these were not easy deaths. Nor were the victims all adults. Our guide Oscar put it best: what could drive a person to give up their child as a sacrifice? In his opinion, only the truly desperate would do so. I think he's right. Standing there shivering in the dark, I could envision the frantic pleas for help as the Mayans slowly starved, their cities crumbling, and their civilization slowly shrinking back into the endless jungle.
There are so many things to see inside ATM that describing each would take a small book. So instead, here are a series of pictures to give the flavor of what the experience was like:
The highlight of the ATM cave is a tortured crawl up and through cramped passages to view the Crystal Maiden. A complete human skeleton of a young female victim, completely calcified. Her bones sparkle in the lamplight. A grisly--but beautiful--sight.
From there, we headed back down to the rocks above the river, got our shoes on, and started back out. Being with the current--and knowing what to expect--made a huge difference, and we made it out in far less time than it took to get in. In no time we were swimming out of the cave and to the shore of the river. A brief rest, and we began the hike back down to the vans.
Three river crossings and two miles of mud later, and we were back--exhausted, beat-up, and exuberant--where we had started. What a tour! And what a tour group--at the end we all felt we'd made friends on this trip. If any of them are reading this, you guys were great, and thank you for all your help through ATM.
We dried off, changed and loaded up the bus for the ride back. Our driver managed to again pull us through the mud against the odds. We were also stopped to and in our tickets at the gate (after we had visited for some reason). I'd forgotten the tickets in my pocket, where during the events of the day they had suffered a soggy disintegration. I dutifully handed the remains up, where the disgusted guard just chucked them on the ground and let us pass.
If you're going to the Cayo, like adventure, and want to see history in a way few others have, then ATM should be at the top of your list of "must-see" destinations. It is truly amazing. I've also read in several places that the government is thinking of shutting tours to the place down. After what we went through--and saw--I can see why. Go visit it! Go now! You won't forget it.
On a final note, there is a lot of conflicting information on the web about what to wear for ATM. Here's what worked for us: light-weight quick-dry clothing (you do NOT want to swim in heavy wet cloth), and closed-toe Keens water sandals for our feet. In retrospect, the Keens weren't really required; any closed-toe shoe that doesn't get too heavy when wet (and dries quickly) will work fine. Keep in mind you'll also be climbing, so wear something with some tread.
Caracol
Caracol (Spanish for "snail") is the biggest Mayan site in Belize by a wide margin. It's also the hardest to get to, requiring several hours of travel over roads that even native Belizeans grimly acknowledge as "rough". In addition, vans to Caracol are required to pick up an escort of soldiers from the Belizean Army, as it's only a couple miles from the border with Guatemala. There have been some serious issues with desperate Guatemalans crossing the borders to kidnap, ambush, molest, etc travelers. In short: visiting this site is an adventure in and of itself. However, it is also absolutely an amazing tour worth every inconvenience. If you enjoy wandering Mayan ruins, don't miss this one!
The road to Caracol had been closed for the first part of our stay in the Cayo due to heavy rains. Luckily, guides were willing to risk it again the day before we left, and we jumped at the opportunity. We rose early in the morning to embark in a huge van driven by Phillip, our guide from Xunantunich. We later found out that we used the van due to it having much higher suspension than other vehicles. This came in handy!
Soon enough we were bouncing our way to Caracol on back roads outside of San Ignacio. On the way we passed the village of San Antonio, the home of our guide. He showed us his lands and farm, and spent quite a bit of time describing what it was like to be a farmer in Belize. We also picked up a couple of local kids he knew to give them a ride to school--a very young boy and girl who have to walk an astoundingly long way to get to class. The little girl smiled at us shyly the whole time, peeking over her brother's shoulder in the front seat.
An hour or so later, and we were rumbling through Mountain Pine Ridge. This area is a lot higher and cooler than most of the Cayo, and the ecology reflects this in dramatic fashion. Gone is the jungle;
instead, sparse, spindly pine trees dominate the scenery. Unfortunately, a beetle has somehow been introduced here that has decimated the forest, killing most of the pines and driving the price of wood through the roof in mainland Belize.
Along the way we passed the turn-off to Francis Ford Coppola's lodge--the most luxurious accommodations by far in the region. It's also so far out in the middle of nowhere that I have to wonder how folks stand to commute to anywhere. Of course, this was before I heard about the on-site airport and heliport. Mystery solved.
We pulled up to the army depot a few minutes later to pick up our soldiers. In the high season, vans queue up here for an escort at set times of the day. Today, we were the only ones, so we took off in short order, a pickup filled with cheerful, rifle-toting Belizean grunts behind us.
This is where the going got rough. I could not believe the state of the road--it made the ride up to DuPlooy's look like driving on a linoleum floor. Huge crevasses crossed the track, some more than a foot deep. Areas of the road were so washed out it was almost impassible. Even Phillip was intimidated at times. While we were doing this, he told us about the toll the horrible roads take on cars around Belize. The average car gets 3mpg or so, and goes through four sets of tires per year. Four sets! You have to figure that this lack of infrastructure is crippling economic growth in Belize. It seems like this would be a great place to make an investment that would pay immediate dividends.
It was an adventure of a ride, but we made it through to the paved entry to Caracol. Not surprisingly, when we finally rolled up we found the place nearly deserted except for the soldiers wandering the grounds. We paid the entrance fee and started exploring!
And wow, was the trip worth it. Caracol is huge--at it's peak, it covered around 65 square miles, and accommodated almost 200,000 people. Only a small fraction of it has been excavated today, but what is available to explore is substantial.
We explored four major plazas, each surrounded by enormous temples and royal living quarters. It was fascinating seeing all the opened tombs built right into the buildings--the Mayan royalty regularly made their dead part of the architecture, burying them (in various states of dismemberment) in rooms underneath stairs and floors. Here's a video we took looking into one of the tombs in the acropolis area:
Also interesting was seeing the various types of stonework as the Mayans built up their city. These guys were supreme recyclers--need new temple? No problem! Just take that one over there that we built for the last ruler and add a new layer or two. The different strata are very visible if you look for it, particularly in the lower level corners of buildings.
We spent over three hours climbing the ruins of the city, including multiple ball courts and a sacrificial plaza. We saw this in Tikal as well--an altar with a grooved stone circle to collect blood from victims. The Mayans believed that blood was one of the ultimate sacrifices. Very likely this was why they tended to paint everything red. And boy, life was NOT good for sacrificial victims in ancient Caracol. Several stellae around the area showed prisoners about to be sacrificed with two balls around their necks. Archaeologists believe these to be the victim's testicles, cut off in advance of the actual killing. Ouch.
Eventually, it came time to head back to the vans for some lunch and begin the trek back to San Ignacio. While walking back, Phillip showed us a very cool local plant that actually closes up and hides when touched. It's in all the lawns in Caracol. I didn't catch the name of it, but we took a video, which you can see below:
There is much, much more to tell about this site, but in reality my words aren't going to do it as much justice as the pictures. You can find the complete photo album here.
Touring Caracol will take a full day of your time, but it's worth it. This is a tremendous place to visit for anyone who has the slightest interest in Mayan history.
Reef Fishing, Ambergris Caye
I've never fished in the ocean, and it was something that I'd been dying to try ever since we started planning our trip to Belize. Even Mary--with her previous experience catching fish consisting of exactly one three-inch monster bass--was interested in giving it a go.
We organized a half-day expedition through the Monkey Business Tour company on site at the Banana Beach resort. A few days later, we got up early, headed down to the docs, and off we went.
The boat that picked us up was called "Uprising", and was captained by the very capable fishing guide Eric. Along with his partner Clifford, Eric spends his days cruising the beautiful tropical seas, fishing and giving tours. What a life.
After introductions, we plopped down and watched while the boat started slowly wandering the shores looking for bait fish.
This took a while. Fishing the reefs requires lots of bait, and the preferred bait are sardines. Sardines swim in small schools around the shallows, most often near structure. The best way to find them?
Follow the birds, who flock above schools and pick off any fish stupid enough to come to the surface.
We eventually found a couple schools and hauled aboard a fair stash of bait. Then we headed for a break in the reef to find what Eric called a "honey hole"--a deep hole in the ocean floor with cooler water and a much higher fish population.
Fishing on the open water outside of the reef is a trip. First of all, the waves are HUGE. Combine this with the constant heavy miasma of diesel exhaust from the boat idling to keep us in place, and you have a recipe for serious discomfort. Even if you've never had motion sickness in your life--and I hadn't--take some Dramamine before trying this. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before before you'll feel a little green.
The action was fast, hard, and furious. We were catching red and black snapper at depths of 200+ feet. These guys hit hard and fight harder, making hauling them up a real chore. Things weren't helped by the arrival of a reef shark under our boat. He, uh, got a few snacks off us. The first time we noticed him was when poor Mary was bringing up her second fish. She was so excited to catch it, but after cranking and cranking and cranking managed to haul in just the head. The look on her face was priceless.
From there we headed back inside the reef and followed a school of mackerel and ladyfish around. This was a lot of fun--we'd hook an anchovy, toss it out, and almost immediately get a fish on. These were decent-sized fish, and we were running 8lb test. This meant that there was some actual skill involved in landing the fish, which I'd never really had to worry about before when muscling small bass and trout to the shore. Our guides were amazed and disgusted at how many lines we broke off.
Another interesting problem were the ever-present seabirds overhead. Several times Mary would cast her bait out only to have a large seabird swoop down and snap it up. This led to some pretty hilarious scenes where Mary was reeling a struggling seagull back to the boat before the bird wised up and dropped it.
After what seemed like a few minutes, we finished fishing around 1pm. Our catch for the day? Nine and a half fish (stupid shark) totaling more than 50lbs. This was WAY too much for us to eat, so our guides filleted a few for us and kept the rest. I'm very glad we had a kitchen in our suite--thanks to this trip, we made some pretty amazing meals out of our morning's work.
What an amazing experience this was. We both picked up an incredible amount of fishing knowledge, manage to catch some pretty big (for us) fish, and at the same time ended up with several delicious meals. We ate fish tacos and sandwiches for the next several days. The only downside? Our apartment smelled like the trash can outside of a seafood shack for the rest of our stay.
Snorkeling the Hol Chan Marine Reserve
One of the primary reasons for visiting Ambergris Caye was it's proximity to one of the biggest reefs in the world right off the eastern coast. Luckily, Belize is well aware of the treasure it has here, and has protected a large swath of this marine habitat in the form of a national park: the Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
Hol Chan contains several types of marine habitat: it has sections of the reef, it contains the deep channel bisecting the reef, and also a big chunk of shallow underwater grasslands inside the reef itself. Each contains a different type of sea life--from the large fish in the channel, to the colorful scenes you'd expect on a tropical reef, to the sea turtles, nurse sharks, and rays browsing the sea-grass for food. Swimming through it is an amazing experience.
We did a half-day excursion through Hol Chan with a guide. This turned out to be about the right about of time with the quality of rental gear we had (leaky masks and fins that gave us terrible blisters). The guide picked us up at the pier, took us to the reef, and then swam with us throughout the morning, pointing out features, fish, and other items of interest.
The infamous "Shark Ray Alley" is a section of Hol Chan where large nurse sharks and rays meander through side-by-side with sea turtles. Swimming alongside huge sharks and rays was breathtaking, and with the guide's help it is possible to touch these amazing creatures. (I later learned that it's really bad for the fish, and felt guilty.)
Overall, I'm just not a good enough writer to describe what a amazing treasure the Belizean reef is. I'll have to let my pictures speak for themselves, and content myself by saying that it is worth a trip to Ambergris just to visit.
A note on swimming skill requirements: the guides here offer life preservers for those who aren't comfortable swimming. Most reasonably fit folks with swimming experience should be fine. However, be aware that the current in the channel--which you'll cross on your tour of the reserve--can get very swift depending on the tides.
Sailing, Ambergris Caye
I had to try this as soon as I saw it being offered. I'd never even been on a sailboat before, much less sail one. Learn how to sail in the sparkling tropical waters off of Ambergris? Sign me up!
Our adventure started right on the beach, where Colin--our instructor--had me help him shove a small catamaran into the water. As you might guess, these are more stable than single-hull boats, although they can still flip over with alarming ease when mishandled in the gusting winds off the coast.
Once aboard, I was surprised at how quickly the boat got going. The sail caught some wind, and we took off like a shot! Colin walked me through the various upwind and downwind turns, showing me how to manage the rudder, which way to lean, and how to avoid catching a sail in the face (hint: ouch). We then headed back to shore, where he got off, Mary got on, and away we went.
Boy, talk about trial by fire! Ten minutes of lessons, and poof I'm a sailor. The hardest part was managing the turns while simultaneously rolling in the ocean swells. However, we avoided screwing up too bad--I didn't flip the boat (although it leaned alarmingly whenever I botched turns and kept the sail too tight), and when Mary took over she was able to pick it up even quicker than I did.
And we had fun. Oh, did we have fun. Sailing is awesome. There is nothing quite like riding the wind across the ocean in a tiny boat with no motor, with the flapping of the sail, roaring of the waves out on the reef, splashing of the water, and crying of the seabirds the only sounds. We went up and down the Caye inside the reef, zig-zagging around the piers jutting out from shore.
Eventually, we ran out of time, and had to land the boat back on the beach. What a morning: this was an amazingly enjoyable activity, and surprisingly easy to learn. If you're a landlubber like I am (was?), you owe it to yourself to give small-craft sailing a try.
Night Snorkeling Hol Chan National Park
Another day, another experience I'd never had before. Night snorkeling was something I'd read about but had never tried. When I saw it offered at the tour company at our resort, I quickly decided that we just had to try it out. I'd probably seen "The Abyss" too many times, but swimming through bio-luminescence seemed like it would be a pretty cool experience.
In the tropics, night falls incredibly quickly. In November, this occurs around 6pm. So, at 5:30 on the appointed day, we rented some snorkel gear and lights, trudged out to the pier, and endured a particular vicious swarm of mosquitoes until our boat motored up.
Our guide for this expedition was a portly Hispanic man whose name we didn't catch. We were the only ones going with him that night. I think the stronger than usual currents and lower than usual visibility might of deterred others from joining us. It might have deterred us too, had we known about it beforehand.
We headed out to Hol Chan in the gathering darkness. How our guide could navigate the open expanse of water in the dark I'll never understand, but he pulled us right up to the reserve and tied off the boat to a docking buoy. We slipped on our gear and dropped over the side.
The ocean is a very different place at night. For one, well, it's pretty damn dark. For another, with the sun no longer warming the shallow water and the current bringing in colder water from beyond the reef, it gets to be fairly chilly. Finally, the tide was coming in, which meant that the currents were extremely strong. This made it an extremely challenging swim and quite a struggle to stay off the coral--do not attempt this one without life jacket help unless you're either confident in your abilities to stay afloat.
What made this expedition worth it was the amazing diversity of nocturnal nightlife found on the reef. First of all, there were swarms of tiny shrimp that attacked our lights. Our guide called them "sea mosquitoes", but while they feel weird on your skin they don't bite. While battling our way through these, we also saw plenty of huge lobsters out wandering the reef floor. Octopus were also a common sight--including some big ones. Finally, while crossing the channel we saw several larger fish, including some nice-sized barracuda. The possibility of sharks crossed my mind, but we saw no sign of any.
After several hours in the water, our guide took us back to the boat. We were utterly exhausted from struggling against the current for so long--definitely something we weren't used to. However, despite the diminished visibility and difficulty of the swim, we were very glad we'd gone. Snorkeling a reef at night is a unique experience that shows the sea-life on the reef in a completely new light (or rather, lack of it), and is worth every bit of extra time and effort.
Jungle Horseback Riding
I have to be honest: when Mary pressed me to go horseback riding with her, I was less than enthusiastic. While I'm hardly an experienced rider, the few times I have been on a horse were, shall we say, less than comfortable.
Not unsurprisingly, riding was uncomfortable this time around too. However, the scenery and novelty of riding a horse up and down narrow jungle tracks more than made up for it. Despite my initial misgivings, at the end of the day I had to admit that it was an amazing experience.
We organized our expedition through DuPlooy's, which offers guided tours by horseback. The name of our guide was Oscar, a exceedingly patient man with only broken English who looked like he was born on a horse.
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| Mount up! |
what kind of crazy tourista signs up to go trekking through the jungle by horseback without knowing how to get on a horse?
Finally mounted, we headed off. Luckily for us, our horses knew how to follow one another, which at first was a great thing because we had no idea how to steer. With Oscar's help, we very quickly picked up basic reining to prevent our our horses from brushing us off on tree trunks, stopping to eat at every opportunity, and generally acting on the view that their riders should have no say in the afternoon's activities. Oscar, to his credit, was very patient with us, giving us instruction on horsemanship while also pointing out jungle plants and animals of interest.
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| Heading into the jungle... |
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| By the time we got back, Mary was practically a centaur. |
After a reaching top of the valley, we began the trip back to DuPlooy's. As we snaked back down into the jungle, two things occurred to me: 1) horseback riding can be very rewarding, and 2) god damn someone get me off this horse now, my ass is killing me.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience, and I have to admit that I am glad Mary talked me into it. If enjoy horseback riding--or, like me, have never tried it and are a sucker for learning new things--be sure to give it a go.
Belize Botanical Garden
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| Walking into the gardens. |
The gardens are laid out on a large plot of grassy land criss-crossed with paths lined by wood chips. While it's possible to get a guided tour, we opted instead to follow the very informative self-guided tour pamphlet.
Even in the rain, we enjoyed wandering through the gardens much more than we thought we would. The various trees in the garden are well-labeled, and the tour pamphlet is absolutely stuffed with extremely interesting facts about each. The Belizean jungle is packed with useful plants--for example, we had no idea that Allspice came from a jungle tree!
Overall, even in the rain and outside of the fruiting season (which we regretted, as the pamphlet continually recommended fruit to try from the plants it mentioned), a visit to the Belize Botanical Garden is a worthwhile stop for anyone who is curious about where many of their foods, spices, and medicines come from. Set aside perhaps two hours to fully enjoy them.
Canoeing the Macal River
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| Hey, you gonna paddle too? |
The Macal River is a minor waterway that runs all the way western Belize and feeds into the Belize River, which eventually empties into the Caribbean sea. The Belize Botanical Gardens and many Cayo eco-lodges sit on its banks, as does San Ignacio. It also runs through some of the Cayo's broad-leaf jungle and is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Unfortunately, due to it's proximity to people, it also contains a fair amount of trash.
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| Drifting back downstream... |
One thing we would have liked to do but didn't have time for is to canoe into San Ignacio from our lodge and then hitch a ride back. Perhaps next visit. In the meantime, if you're looking for a peaceful and scenic afternoon on the water, you could do a lot worse than canoeing the Macal.
Tikal (Guatemala)
Visiting Tikal was the first item on our itinerary when we hit the Cayo. It is one of the largest and best-known Mayan sites in Central America, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tikal is a bit of a drive from Belize and requires a border crossing, but the experience is worth every bit of hassle in getting there.
We were up and out of the lodge early for this one, rumbling down the dirt lane to San Ignacio by 7am. With us were some very friendly Canadians we'd met at DuPlooy's. We paired with them on several tours with during our stay.
We drove through San Ignacio and headed onward to the border with Guatemala. Here, we were ushered out of the van and sent to stand in line at the border crossing. After cursory conversation with the border guard, we were in. Welcome to Guatemala, touristas.
On the other side of the border, we were picked up by another van with our driver. We would later learn that tours are arranged like this due to oppressive regulations for Belizeans working in Guatemala--it's just far less of a hassle to coordinate with Guatemalan guides on the other side. The driver killed some time giving us a tour through the town on the other side while waiting for our guide to appear.
This was actually very interesting. Towns in Guatemalan are actually quite different from what we saw in Belize, especially San Ignacio. It's a lot more dense, with people stuffed together cheek by jowl. Small, colorfully painted buildings rub shoulders and lean over the streets in an almost medieval fashion. And the driving is insane--aside from the usual crazy third-world chaos, any domestic animal that you could possibly find in a town you will also find walking, rolling, strolling, clucking, lying, or even just sitting in the middle of a road. And they know that cars will move to avoid hitting them, so they cheerfully refuse to budge.
Eventually, we picked up our guide, a portly, jolly Guatemalan by the name of Eric, and away we went.
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| Our Guatemalan guide and driver. |
The road to Tikal was a mix of paved and gravel. It's a fair drive inside the border and things occasionally get a bit rough, but it's nothing compared to the ordeal of getting to, say, Caracol or ATM. We finally pulled up to the entrance around 11am, got our tickets, and started in.
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| As the model shows, Tikal is a huge city--and much is viewable today. |
Tikal is huge. I mean, absolutely enormous. While not all of it has been restored, there are too many temples and plazas to see in one day, all linked together by miles muddy paths winding through the rain forest. The half day we had there just didn't do the site justice. I think it might be worth an overnight visit.
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| Climbing to the top of Temple V. |
We got down just in time--in the jungle, when it rains, it RAINS. The whole tour group dashed to a tarp in the woods as the skies opened up and poured on us for several minutes. It was like getting a pool dropped on your head continuously. See the video below for an example:
A few minutes later the skies dramatically cleared and the sun shown again. We made our way over to Temple IV.
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| The view from the top of Temple IV. |
The view from the top of Temple V was, again, spectacular. We spent a long time at the top enjoying the breeze and taking it all in.
As we prepared to head down, we heard the craziest racket coming from the forest. Frankly, it sounded like something out of Jurassic Park. We had no idea what we were hearing. The mystery was solved soon after climbing back down: howler monkeys! Check the video below for an example:
Very different than what I expected--something between a screaming baby and a downshifting semi.
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| View of the Great Plaza from the top of Temple II. |
Our tour concluded with a delicious meal cooked by some locals at the site--grilled chicken with fresh tortillas and vegetables. From there, we loaded up the van, and started the long trip back to Belize. We crossed without incident and grabbed a van back to our lodge, getting in late.
But boy, was it worth it. Tikal is, in a word, unforgettable. If you visit this area of the world you need to see this. It is not a World Heritage Site for nothing.
Xunantunich
One of the smaller Mayan sites, Xunantunich has the advantage of being extremely accessible via good roads from San Ignacio. It's easily viewable in half a day with a good guide.
And we definitely had a good guide, our soon-to-be friend Phillip. An old farmer from a nearby village and a solid all-around guy, we took several tours with him, during which learned quite about life in Belize.
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| Walking into the main plaza at Xunantunich. |
The main attraction at Xunantunich are two large plazas bordered by structures in various states of restoration. The most noticeable feature by far is the huge ziggurat temple known as "El Castillo". This structure--which is very climbable--is over 130 feet tall and offers great views (and breezes) at the top. We took a video of the view.
Interestingly enough, all the Mayan pyramids we saw at every site had huge steps. Phillip told us that this was done so that those climbing were forced to use both hands and feet, thereby subjugating themselves before whomever was at the top. I'll remember that if I ever build a front porch on my house.
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| El Castillo. Yup, we climbed it. |
the idea is to bounce hard rubber balls through hoops using only chest and shoulders. It sounds like a strange combination of hackey-sack, basketball, and squash.
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| A common sight near the border with Guatemala. |
We left right as the parade of arriving tour vans started, each disgorging a full compliment of exuberant visitors. If you're in the area and have half a day to kill, Xunantunich is a worthwhile investment and worth the easy trip. There is lots to see here. Just be sure to come in the morning, before the buses from cruise ships meander in and pack the place up.
Actun Tunichil Muknal
Actun Tunichil Muknal ("ATM" hereafter) is a long cave system deep in the jungles of Belize's Cayo district. It is also a place the Mayans regarded as having tremendous power. Over hundreds of years, they journeyed deep into the cave to conduct sacrifices of food, objects, and people. The artifacts that remain are now preserved inside, and--if you're willing to take a few risks--viewable (for now) as part of an adventure you'll never forget.
Visiting ATM became one of the highest priorities for our trip as soon as we read about it. There are only a few guides certified by the government for leading tours into this cave, and if there is a lot of rain they very quickly close it down. We learned exactly why later: we arrived at the tail end of a week of rain and took the very first available tour, which would have serious ramifications on our visit.
On the day of our visit to ATM, we got up early and grabbed a van into San Ignacio, stopping on the way to buy tickets to the cave. Once in town, we transferred to a bus filled with other members of our tour, and headed up to the cave.
The drive to ATM is a real adventure, and I am not sure exactly how the driver managed to get our bus of folks through roads with literally a foot of mud. I thought he was joking when he asked us if we were all OK with getting out and pushing if necessary before we left. Luckily for us, he got the job done brilliantly.
Once there, we changed into our clothes we'd brought for swimming/hiking/caving, grabbed the caving helmets and lunches issued by our guide, and hiked off into the forest.
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| Getting ready to cross the river for the first of three times. |
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| If only I could wear this every day! |
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| The entrance to ATM. |
The ATM cave is basically a long river passage. To get to the area with all the artifacts, the would-be spelunker must crawl, climb, and swim through a very cramped series of passages by he light of our headlamps. The crawling part is no joke: you get the least bit claustrophobic or are an extremely large person, do not attempt this tour. In some parts, I was bent double in the water with only my head above to breathe as I scraped through very small openings.
The tour group we were with, consisting of 6 folks (including us) from all over the world, constantly worked together to keep everyone safe. While at first the continual barked reminders from our guide to communicate back down the line seemed silly, we all quickly realized that was very important.
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| Climbing out of the river (which is about 20 feet below) to enter the portion of the cave with artifacts. |
It took at least an hour before finally reached a series of rock formations that allowed us to hoist ourselves out of the river. Here, we took our shoes off--a method of preventing folks from running off, our guide said--and followed Oscar into the main cave.
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| One of the victims in the cave. |
There are so many things to see inside ATM that describing each would take a small book. So instead, here are a series of pictures to give the flavor of what the experience was like:
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| The Crystal Maiden. |
From there, we headed back down to the rocks above the river, got our shoes on, and started back out. Being with the current--and knowing what to expect--made a huge difference, and we made it out in far less time than it took to get in. In no time we were swimming out of the cave and to the shore of the river. A brief rest, and we began the hike back down to the vans.
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| Our amazing ATM group! Our guide Oscar is second from the left. |
We dried off, changed and loaded up the bus for the ride back. Our driver managed to again pull us through the mud against the odds. We were also stopped to and in our tickets at the gate (after we had visited for some reason). I'd forgotten the tickets in my pocket, where during the events of the day they had suffered a soggy disintegration. I dutifully handed the remains up, where the disgusted guard just chucked them on the ground and let us pass.
If you're going to the Cayo, like adventure, and want to see history in a way few others have, then ATM should be at the top of your list of "must-see" destinations. It is truly amazing. I've also read in several places that the government is thinking of shutting tours to the place down. After what we went through--and saw--I can see why. Go visit it! Go now! You won't forget it.
On a final note, there is a lot of conflicting information on the web about what to wear for ATM. Here's what worked for us: light-weight quick-dry clothing (you do NOT want to swim in heavy wet cloth), and closed-toe Keens water sandals for our feet. In retrospect, the Keens weren't really required; any closed-toe shoe that doesn't get too heavy when wet (and dries quickly) will work fine. Keep in mind you'll also be climbing, so wear something with some tread.
Caracol
Caracol (Spanish for "snail") is the biggest Mayan site in Belize by a wide margin. It's also the hardest to get to, requiring several hours of travel over roads that even native Belizeans grimly acknowledge as "rough". In addition, vans to Caracol are required to pick up an escort of soldiers from the Belizean Army, as it's only a couple miles from the border with Guatemala. There have been some serious issues with desperate Guatemalans crossing the borders to kidnap, ambush, molest, etc travelers. In short: visiting this site is an adventure in and of itself. However, it is also absolutely an amazing tour worth every inconvenience. If you enjoy wandering Mayan ruins, don't miss this one!
The road to Caracol had been closed for the first part of our stay in the Cayo due to heavy rains. Luckily, guides were willing to risk it again the day before we left, and we jumped at the opportunity. We rose early in the morning to embark in a huge van driven by Phillip, our guide from Xunantunich. We later found out that we used the van due to it having much higher suspension than other vehicles. This came in handy!
Soon enough we were bouncing our way to Caracol on back roads outside of San Ignacio. On the way we passed the village of San Antonio, the home of our guide. He showed us his lands and farm, and spent quite a bit of time describing what it was like to be a farmer in Belize. We also picked up a couple of local kids he knew to give them a ride to school--a very young boy and girl who have to walk an astoundingly long way to get to class. The little girl smiled at us shyly the whole time, peeking over her brother's shoulder in the front seat.
An hour or so later, and we were rumbling through Mountain Pine Ridge. This area is a lot higher and cooler than most of the Cayo, and the ecology reflects this in dramatic fashion. Gone is the jungle;
instead, sparse, spindly pine trees dominate the scenery. Unfortunately, a beetle has somehow been introduced here that has decimated the forest, killing most of the pines and driving the price of wood through the roof in mainland Belize.
Along the way we passed the turn-off to Francis Ford Coppola's lodge--the most luxurious accommodations by far in the region. It's also so far out in the middle of nowhere that I have to wonder how folks stand to commute to anywhere. Of course, this was before I heard about the on-site airport and heliport. Mystery solved.
We pulled up to the army depot a few minutes later to pick up our soldiers. In the high season, vans queue up here for an escort at set times of the day. Today, we were the only ones, so we took off in short order, a pickup filled with cheerful, rifle-toting Belizean grunts behind us.
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| A smooth patch on the road to Caracol. |
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| Looking down at one of the small temple squares, which itself is on top of a built-up stone structure. |
And wow, was the trip worth it. Caracol is huge--at it's peak, it covered around 65 square miles, and accommodated almost 200,000 people. Only a small fraction of it has been excavated today, but what is available to explore is substantial.
We explored four major plazas, each surrounded by enormous temples and royal living quarters. It was fascinating seeing all the opened tombs built right into the buildings--the Mayan royalty regularly made their dead part of the architecture, burying them (in various states of dismemberment) in rooms underneath stairs and floors. Here's a video we took looking into one of the tombs in the acropolis area:
Also interesting was seeing the various types of stonework as the Mayans built up their city. These guys were supreme recyclers--need new temple? No problem! Just take that one over there that we built for the last ruler and add a new layer or two. The different strata are very visible if you look for it, particularly in the lower level corners of buildings.
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| Plaza with the sacrificial altar in the center. |
Eventually, it came time to head back to the vans for some lunch and begin the trek back to San Ignacio. While walking back, Phillip showed us a very cool local plant that actually closes up and hides when touched. It's in all the lawns in Caracol. I didn't catch the name of it, but we took a video, which you can see below:
There is much, much more to tell about this site, but in reality my words aren't going to do it as much justice as the pictures. You can find the complete photo album here.
Touring Caracol will take a full day of your time, but it's worth it. This is a tremendous place to visit for anyone who has the slightest interest in Mayan history.
Reef Fishing, Ambergris Caye
I've never fished in the ocean, and it was something that I'd been dying to try ever since we started planning our trip to Belize. Even Mary--with her previous experience catching fish consisting of exactly one three-inch monster bass--was interested in giving it a go.
We organized a half-day expedition through the Monkey Business Tour company on site at the Banana Beach resort. A few days later, we got up early, headed down to the docs, and off we went.
The boat that picked us up was called "Uprising", and was captained by the very capable fishing guide Eric. Along with his partner Clifford, Eric spends his days cruising the beautiful tropical seas, fishing and giving tours. What a life.
After introductions, we plopped down and watched while the boat started slowly wandering the shores looking for bait fish.
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| Dumping a catch of sardines onto the deck. Mary and I would then scramble around to catch them. |
Follow the birds, who flock above schools and pick off any fish stupid enough to come to the surface.
We eventually found a couple schools and hauled aboard a fair stash of bait. Then we headed for a break in the reef to find what Eric called a "honey hole"--a deep hole in the ocean floor with cooler water and a much higher fish population.
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| Work it, girl! |
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| Mary with her half of a fish. She's thrilled. |
From there we headed back inside the reef and followed a school of mackerel and ladyfish around. This was a lot of fun--we'd hook an anchovy, toss it out, and almost immediately get a fish on. These were decent-sized fish, and we were running 8lb test. This meant that there was some actual skill involved in landing the fish, which I'd never really had to worry about before when muscling small bass and trout to the shore. Our guides were amazed and disgusted at how many lines we broke off.
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| Not a bad morning's work! |
After what seemed like a few minutes, we finished fishing around 1pm. Our catch for the day? Nine and a half fish (stupid shark) totaling more than 50lbs. This was WAY too much for us to eat, so our guides filleted a few for us and kept the rest. I'm very glad we had a kitchen in our suite--thanks to this trip, we made some pretty amazing meals out of our morning's work.
What an amazing experience this was. We both picked up an incredible amount of fishing knowledge, manage to catch some pretty big (for us) fish, and at the same time ended up with several delicious meals. We ate fish tacos and sandwiches for the next several days. The only downside? Our apartment smelled like the trash can outside of a seafood shack for the rest of our stay.
Snorkeling the Hol Chan Marine Reserve
One of the primary reasons for visiting Ambergris Caye was it's proximity to one of the biggest reefs in the world right off the eastern coast. Luckily, Belize is well aware of the treasure it has here, and has protected a large swath of this marine habitat in the form of a national park: the Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
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| Action shot! Those rocks won't know what hit them. |
We did a half-day excursion through Hol Chan with a guide. This turned out to be about the right about of time with the quality of rental gear we had (leaky masks and fins that gave us terrible blisters). The guide picked us up at the pier, took us to the reef, and then swam with us throughout the morning, pointing out features, fish, and other items of interest.
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| Swimming with the sharks. |
Overall, I'm just not a good enough writer to describe what a amazing treasure the Belizean reef is. I'll have to let my pictures speak for themselves, and content myself by saying that it is worth a trip to Ambergris just to visit.
A note on swimming skill requirements: the guides here offer life preservers for those who aren't comfortable swimming. Most reasonably fit folks with swimming experience should be fine. However, be aware that the current in the channel--which you'll cross on your tour of the reserve--can get very swift depending on the tides.
Sailing, Ambergris Caye
I had to try this as soon as I saw it being offered. I'd never even been on a sailboat before, much less sail one. Learn how to sail in the sparkling tropical waters off of Ambergris? Sign me up!
Our adventure started right on the beach, where Colin--our instructor--had me help him shove a small catamaran into the water. As you might guess, these are more stable than single-hull boats, although they can still flip over with alarming ease when mishandled in the gusting winds off the coast.
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| Next stop, Miami! |
Boy, talk about trial by fire! Ten minutes of lessons, and poof I'm a sailor. The hardest part was managing the turns while simultaneously rolling in the ocean swells. However, we avoided screwing up too bad--I didn't flip the boat (although it leaned alarmingly whenever I botched turns and kept the sail too tight), and when Mary took over she was able to pick it up even quicker than I did.
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| I haven't sunk us! It's a miracle! |
Eventually, we ran out of time, and had to land the boat back on the beach. What a morning: this was an amazingly enjoyable activity, and surprisingly easy to learn. If you're a landlubber like I am (was?), you owe it to yourself to give small-craft sailing a try.
Night Snorkeling Hol Chan National Park
Another day, another experience I'd never had before. Night snorkeling was something I'd read about but had never tried. When I saw it offered at the tour company at our resort, I quickly decided that we just had to try it out. I'd probably seen "The Abyss" too many times, but swimming through bio-luminescence seemed like it would be a pretty cool experience.
In the tropics, night falls incredibly quickly. In November, this occurs around 6pm. So, at 5:30 on the appointed day, we rented some snorkel gear and lights, trudged out to the pier, and endured a particular vicious swarm of mosquitoes until our boat motored up.
Our guide for this expedition was a portly Hispanic man whose name we didn't catch. We were the only ones going with him that night. I think the stronger than usual currents and lower than usual visibility might of deterred others from joining us. It might have deterred us too, had we known about it beforehand.
We headed out to Hol Chan in the gathering darkness. How our guide could navigate the open expanse of water in the dark I'll never understand, but he pulled us right up to the reserve and tied off the boat to a docking buoy. We slipped on our gear and dropped over the side.
The ocean is a very different place at night. For one, well, it's pretty damn dark. For another, with the sun no longer warming the shallow water and the current bringing in colder water from beyond the reef, it gets to be fairly chilly. Finally, the tide was coming in, which meant that the currents were extremely strong. This made it an extremely challenging swim and quite a struggle to stay off the coral--do not attempt this one without life jacket help unless you're either confident in your abilities to stay afloat.
What made this expedition worth it was the amazing diversity of nocturnal nightlife found on the reef. First of all, there were swarms of tiny shrimp that attacked our lights. Our guide called them "sea mosquitoes", but while they feel weird on your skin they don't bite. While battling our way through these, we also saw plenty of huge lobsters out wandering the reef floor. Octopus were also a common sight--including some big ones. Finally, while crossing the channel we saw several larger fish, including some nice-sized barracuda. The possibility of sharks crossed my mind, but we saw no sign of any.
After several hours in the water, our guide took us back to the boat. We were utterly exhausted from struggling against the current for so long--definitely something we weren't used to. However, despite the diminished visibility and difficulty of the swim, we were very glad we'd gone. Snorkeling a reef at night is a unique experience that shows the sea-life on the reef in a completely new light (or rather, lack of it), and is worth every bit of extra time and effort.