Reset search
I can’t belize itI can’t belize it
SatelliteEdit route

I can’t belize it

November - December 2010
Kim and I are visiting Belize for 10 days, with a quick trip into Guatemala to see the ruins at Tikal. We anticipate much merriment and adventure, particularly with my awful Spanish. Read more
  • 12footprints
  • 3countries
  • -days
  • 3photos
  • 0videos
  • 3.8kmiles
  • 3.6kmiles
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    So what if the passport's expired

    November 24, 2010 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F

    Well, I haven't had this much stress preparing for a trip...ever. On Monday night I asked Kim where her passport was because the only one I could find was expired. "I think that's the only one I have," she said calmly. Uh, I think that's a problem if we're leaving on Thursday morning. Controlled panic ensued. Thank the gods for the internet! Within thirty minutes it appeared that we could get her a passport in 24 hours. Many phone calls later she had an appointment scheduled with the US Passport Agency in Aurora. Although I was a little peeved, waiting for passport photos in the local Walgreens at 8 o'clock at night, it all turned out OK. She had her appointment on Tuesday morning and confirmed her passport was in hand this morning around 11:30. That's right, she secured her passport just 20 hours before the flight. That's cutting it a little too close, even for me! However, now that we are ready to go, I can say it was a good learning experience. Heck, I might even find it funny someday.Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Happily giving thanks

    November 25, 2010 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    A long day of travel got us from Denver to Belize with no troubles. The airport in Belize City was small, and it took less than thirty minutes to clear immigration, gather our bags, and get through customs. I guess I had not read as thoroughly as usual, but English is the official language in Belize, making listening to directions a piece of cake. The information lady sent us out to a cab to ferry us over to the bus terminal. From there, a 5pm "express bus" would got us out to San Ignacio. We thought "express" might be an upgrade from the US school buses they use to move passengers around the country. No. Express means it is a direct shot to San Ignacio from Belize City, with a stop in Belmopan (the capital). A little bit of a misnomer. Indeed, this bus did not stop at every bus stop along the Western Highway; however, coming out of Belize City and going in and out of Belmopan, the bus stopped frequently for passengers. No worries, it was still only a two hour fifteen minute ride. Of course I've put on about 100 pounds since I rode a bus like this in elementary school, and I think the amount of cushion in the seat is commiserate with an eight-year-old's butt. Despite the sore bums, we made it to San Ignacio without a hitch, and the hotel was about a good rock throw from where they deposited us from the bus. Betty, the owner, met us at the door and got us all set up. We made a quick trip around our neighborhood before hitting the rack.Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Mayan Medicine

    November 26, 2010 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    We slept in late and took our time getting ready for the day. We had planned to get ourselves oriented today before starting any major adventures. We tracked down breakfast at Flayva's. I had the standard breakfast burrito, but Kim had the eggs in a fry jack. Yeah, what is that? Think sopapilla stuffed with eggs, salsa, etc. Yum.

    After breakfast we loaded up with water and met Denny, the cab driver. He took us out to Chaa Creek Jungle Lodge, where he waited for us, while we explored the grounds for several hours. We started at the Natural History Centre, where we learned all about the area's geology, flora, fauna, and cultural history. From there we got a tour of the blue morpho butterfly breeding center. Amazingly blue creatures, the females are more of a blue-purple. We were the only ones around, so we got a private tour, and individual, close-up views of the many stages of the butterflies, from egg, to growing caterpillar, into a pupa, and out as a hungry butterfly. Very cool.

    Following the butterflies, Denny drove us down to the Maya Medicine Trail. We read about the Mayan methods of natural healing, then took a walking tour through the rain forest. A large number of plants, trees, and shrubs were marked with extensive explanations of their purpose, curative powers, or ordinary use. My two favorites were the rubber tree and the other that I can't remember right now. I had my trusty, tiny Swiss Army knife (don't tell the TSA) and made a very small cut into the rubber tree. You see, we just bought an all-natural latex bed, the material originating from a tree just like this one. Because I was familiar with the whole process, I wanted to check it out for myself. Well, imagine my surprise when a tiny little cut made the sap drip quickly. All the old cuts in the tree were huge, comparatively, so I didn't think my little cut would be a big deal. Thinking fast, I put my finger to the cut to catch some of the sap on my finger. It is supposed to harden into rubber. Well, I guess I never read how long it would take to harden, nor did I read how sticky it was as a sap. I tried to wipe my finger off on the tree, but then I had sap and pieces of bark on my finger. When it did finally get a little spring in it, I showed Kim, who was then compelled to get her own, which only resulted in the same sequence of realizing it was sticky, trying to get it off on the tree, and leaving a handful of sap and bark.

    Farther down the trail was the other tree, whose name eludes me, but the sap is called chicle. Familiar? Think Chiclets. The sap, chicle, was originally used in the production of gum. Well, what the heck! I made a small cut, put my finger to the sap and stuck in my mouth. I should have learned from the first sap incident. There must be a hardening or drying process. It was the consistency of cream, without the good taste. It wasn't bad, but I'll stick with the sugar-added Chiclets.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    The Guatemalan Experience

    November 27, 2010 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We had a cheap breakfast at the "Snack Shack" (literally a shack), then met Elias, our Belizean guide for Guatemala. Elias is the only Belizean allowed to guide in Tikal, the Guatemalan Park that features the largest Mayan Temples in Mesoamerica. Elias got us across the border quickly, where Kim pointed out that cars crossing the border got a free car wash. Well, only if you consider a major disinfectant spray a car wash. We walked by the car wash on the border, got into Guatemala's immigration, and again Elias took care of us. Passports stamped, we met a family from North Carolina who was to join us. While we milled around, a Toyota 4Runner pulled up, and the driver stepped out with silver pistol on his hip. As we boarded our van, Kim noticed the machine gun in his front seat. It appears to be a little wilder here than in Belize.

    The ride to Tikal was uneventful, two hours, and filled with interesting stories about the drug trade, Guatemalan politics, and cows. There were a number of cowboys riding their ponies out on the range. Actually, the "range" is deforested rain forest. It is interesting in this part of Guatemala because the national park can be seen on one side of the road and private property is on the other. The road acts like a line drawn down the middle of the forest: to the north, thick bush; to the south, deforestation. It's rather striking in some areas.

    Tikal was amazing. It is a large complex of temples and pyramids. The visible structures date from about 300BC to about 700AD, with older structures hidden inside of the newer ones. The first temple had a wooden staircase, which was upright at about an 80 degree angle. Imagine propping a ladder up to your roof, but your roof is up about 100 feet. I now have glutes of steel! Sore steel. The climb was a butt killer, but it was a beautiful view at the top. We then proceeded to climb a couple other structures. The amazing part of the view is not the rain forest canopy, although that is cool, it was the other handful of temples and pyramids that are piercing through the canopy. You can't see jack from the forest floor, then, suddenly, you climb up a hundred feet and there are structures popping up all around. Apparently the view of the last climb we ascended was used in Star Wars at the end of the movie. I'm going to have to rent it and see for myself. We've also decided to watch Jurassic Park again. Apparently the sounds of the howler monkeys were used for the T-Rex growl. As soon as the guide said it, we immediately envisioned the giant reptilian every time the howler monkeys started howling. They are little mammals with one heck of a growl.

    We spent several hours in the park, climbing ruins, viewing monkeys, and taking pictures. And walking, a lot. We had arrived around 10:30 and didn't manage to get to lunch until after three. We ate at the Park, then drove the family to Flores, a town sitting on an island in a lake. While Elias got the family settled in, Kim and I took a quick tour around the downtown, bought a couple of tee shirts, and met Elias to return to Belize. It was 5:30, it takes two hours to get to Belize, and the guidebook said it was not advisable to be roaming around Guatemala after dark. Did I mention the sun sets at 5:45? I felt a little nervous but figured Elias does this all the time, so we're fine. We made it back across the border and when we arrived on Belizean soil, Elias looked at Kim and said, "You feel better now. It feels different to be in Belize, yeah?" Kim answered affirmatively then Elias surprised me by saying, "Even as many times as I have gone to Guatemala, I still feel better when I get back to Belize." Glad he told us after we were back.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Spelunked and put away wet

    November 28, 2010 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    What a day! Kim and I went on a tour of the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave outside of Belmopan. It was amazing. As if the great hike through the rain forest wasn't enough, then we swam, walked, climbed, crawled, and prayed our way through the cave, with great rewards. Once you reach the grand room, there are Mayan artifacts strewn everywhere. There are so many items in the cave that you must be careful where you step, so as not to crush anything. The last part of the tour required the climbing of an extended aluminum ladder (late Mayan classic period, I think) into a small room, where the calcified remains of an entire skeleton lie, just as they were left centuries ago. You can see where the spine had been broken, as well as the jaw, so I don't think it was a pleasant death. All the other skulls and bones we saw were partial, so this was a nice way to finish out the tour. Our guide, Carlos, was very good. He had a nice sense of humor and was very knowledgeable about Mayan history and archeology.

    The tour was fantastic and probably one of the best adventure experiences ever. It was a great mix of nature and history, with some demanding physical requirements. We were gone from 0830 until arriving back in town at about 7pm. It was a long day and my feet will probably be pruned for a couple of days. We were able to take pictures in the cave, so we will have some photos to remember and share the experience. If you are planning to come to Belize some time, do not miss the ATM. It truly is amazing and may not be available for touring in the future due to some of the degradation the tours have brought.

    Warning, if you go to ATM, don't do it after hiking the ruins. It stretches muscles in ways that are not normal. No mas spelunking for this sore and bruised chiquita anytime soon!    Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Elementary school bus, again

    November 29, 2010 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Well, we had a lesson in Belizean culture today. We wanted to take the express bus back to Belize City to take the water taxi to the caye. When we asked our hotel manager last night, she said the express bus would come at 11:30am. This morning, we decided to look around and do some shopping. Since the tiny bus station (aka shack) was on the way, we dropped in to verify the time: 1:00pm. OK, that's a little different than 11:30. We went to a place that said "Tourist Info" on the side of the building, and they said maybe around 11:00am. The next person indicated the express leaves at "I think, 11:15." Now I was getting a little worried because the water taxis don't run too late in the evening, and we had a hotel reservation on Caye Caulker. We decided to try the bus station again, where a bus had just arrived. Kim asked the bus employee when the next express runs, and he said they were all done for the day. I asked the guy who sold the snow cones to bus passengers and he, as well as the guy standing next to him, said 1:00.

    Having gotten two answers that matched, we decided not to wait until one and just go with the not-so-express bus. We went back to the hotel, packed up, and rolled our bags to the bus area, just in time to get on the school bus. It stopped all the way across the country before delivering us to Belize City, where we got a deaf taxi driver, who was really pissing Kim off. Fortunately, and quite luckily, we ended up about thirty minutes early for the boat.

    We are now safely in Caye Caulker, where you can stand in the middle of the island and see the water on both sides. It's small but beautiful. Our hotel room overlooks the ocean, which is within spitting distance...well, it would be spitting distance if it weren't for the sea breeze.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Snorkel 'til you drop

    November 30, 2010 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    We got up late and went to Glenda's for breakfast. The homemade cinnamon rolls were delicious and the coffee was pretty good, too. We had planned to get tours lined up and take it easy today. We started with the dive shop, where we signed up to dive the reef tomorrow. While we were there, they checked the weather and informed us that a cold front was moving in on Wednesday, so the best days would be today and tomorrow. Having gotten the weather forecast, we decided it might be a good idea to take the snorkeling trip we had planned sooner than later. We showed up at Raggamuffin Tours at 9:30am, and they were able to squeeze us on to the 10:30 tour today. We signed up and hustled back to our hotel to get changed, get our gear, and get money to pay for the trip.

    We set sail around 10:45, after a quick lecture on the do's and don'ts of sailing. We boarded our sailboat and headed to our first stop, which was a coral garden just short of the barrier reef. The purpose of the stop was to check equipment and learn to snorkel, for those who had never done so. The coral was in great shape, and we floated around for about an hour.

    The next stop was Stingray Alley and Shark somethin', where we saw stingrays and nurse sharks. This is part of Hol Chun Marine Park, which has been a protected area for over 22 years. I was able to dive down and pet the stingrays but made sure I stayed away from the tail so as not to end up like a barbed Aussie. We swam with the fish, sharks, and rays for about 45 minutes before heading to Hol Chun, which is the area in the reef where a channel feeds the shallow area from the Caribbean, outside the reef. In the 25 years I've been diving, this was the first time I have seen a spotted eagle ray. He (or she) was huge! The ray was cruising along the channel, up and down, in majestic fashion. It was really amazing, and I could have just stayed there and been happy. Instead, the guide moved us on, and we saw a tremendous number of fish: blue wrasse, sergeant majors, angel fish, snappers, hog fish, as well as eels and well-preserved corals. Swinging back toward the boat, we came across a green turtle. Very cool. Kim and I were hanging back from the group, so when they bothered him enough, he came right past us. He came right by us, floated carelessly to the surface, took a big gulp of air, and descended again. Amazing.

    The sail back took a long time (or maybe it wasn't so long and my concept of time is distorted from the sunburn). The sun was setting as we pulled up to the dock. We felt very fortunate to have seen such beautiful creatures today and look forward to more of it tomorrow. Our first dive will be in Hol Chan Park, so we should be able to enjoy the wildlife and coral formations up close.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Staying wet

    December 1, 2010 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We showed up at the dive shop at 8:30 for our two dives this morning. Unfortunately, Kim was not able to go because her last dive was four years ago, and she needed to complete a "refresher course" before going out again. Personally, I think this is PADI's way to generate more income, but I suppose if her passport had been good, she may have gotten a dive in since New Zealand in 2006. Anyway, we arranged for her to do the course tomorrow, and she and I will dive together on Saturday. In the meantime, I went ahead and dove the two sites today. Why waste the opportunity, right? We dove just outside the Hol Chan Marine Park, at a site called Esmeralda. As soon as I hit the water I dropped down where three nurse sharks were trolling the coral garden. They are pretty harmless, but there's still the memory of Jaws forever burned in my mind. The highlight was coming across some sand and seeing a hawksbill turtle floating over the coral just ahead. I stayed where I was, and he glided right past me. They are so darn cute!

    The second dive was near the Caye Caulker protected area. We dove the North Cut, where we again saw a turtle. The visibility was not too good because of the incoming storm, but what you could see was amazing. The coral is in great shape, with a huge variety of coral types such as brain coral, elk horn, fan, and tube. There were more snappers, wrasse, angelfish, sharks, and lionfish, too.

    When we got back to land, Kim met me at the dive store and said there had been a downpour. Apparently the rain broke for us, because it started coming down again when we got to the hotel room. I decided to lie down and listen to the rain, which really turned into a full-on nap. It sounds like it will be rainy again tomorrow, so I see more naps and reading in my future. The internet cafe has a nice selection of used books, and there is a coffee shop just around the block from us. We'll be there all day tomorrow, I'm sure.

    Kim reminded me of a story that I thought I would share. The first morning we were in San Ignacio, we were enjoying breakfast at a restaurant/bar (7:30am), when a woman walked in. She went straight to the bar, ordered a beer, and proceeded to chug it. She paid for the beer, went to the doorway, and looked like she was trying to hide from someone. It appeared she might have hooked up with someone the night before, because the roadrash on her forehead looked pretty new. I imagine it would have been similar had she slid into second base on her head. She finally left and we went about eating our breakfast and enjoying our day. At dinner that night, we were eating at a completely different restaurant and guess who walks in. It's the same woman with the wicked roadrash on her forehead. At this point I decided that we would give her a name, since we were apparently destined to spend our vacation with her. I told Kim that I was going to call her Anita, Anita deTox. Well, we had a good laugh at her expense, which has probably messed up my karma, but we got a lot of mileage out of it. We arrived in Caye Caulker on Monday, checked into our room and immediately went to the hotel's restaurant/bar to eat. And there, sitting at the bar with a different guy, was Anita. Are you kidding me? We couldn't believe it. I'm pretty sure I overheard her say that she was from Santa Barbara, but I'm worried she has a flight back to Denver on Sunday, on which her seat will be next to mine!    Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Raining and reading

    December 2, 2010 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Didn't do much today because of the weather. What's that saying??? A rainy day at the beach is better than a good day at work? Barely, of course.

    I've found a new author I like, Maeve Binchy. I'm reading a book of hers from the used book store. Apparently she's a prolific and popular writer in the UK. I started the book this morning and have almost read the entire thing. And it's thick. I have noted her name and will need to pick up a few more at the library when I get home. May I suggest her if you're looking for a good read.

    We are now full of lobster fritters and seafood chowder, so we're off to track down some chocolate cake and coffee.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportI can’t belize it

    Some days are better than others

    December 3, 2010 in Belize ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    Kim and I started our day with a walk through the Caye Caulker Reserve, where a small trail runs through the undeveloped area. Students from a local school painted signs that were posted along the trail identifying many of the trees and shrubs. We found the trail continued on past the east entrance and ran north up the beach, so we followed it. We were sidetracked for well over an hour, looking at the mangroves and birds. I wondered why they didn't call it a mengrove, since there was more than one, but I guess mangrove sounds more appealing. We saw some large water birds (osprey, heron, and an ibis), and some funky seagull looking creatures with cool black tufts of feathers sticking out from the corner of their eyes to the back of their heads (Kim has just notified me it was a tern).

    When we were done, we returned down the beach from whence we came, returning to finish our walkabout the Reserve. I was apparently attacked by a horde of hungry mosquitos, or at least that was Kim's excuse to slap me on the back, the arms, and the gratuitous pop to the head. I think she may have been telling the truth, given the itching bites I'm experiencing now.

    It was early afternoon by the time we returned to the hotel. We spent the day reading in the sun. I finished my book, Whitethorn Woods, and recommend it to anyone looking for a two day read on the beach. There were a couple of very funny sections, which I told Kim I would read to her. She has a bad sunburn on her back, so I had put some local hemp oil on it, as it is said to take the sting out of the burn. Anyway, she was lying on the bed, face down, with nothing but her shorts on, while the oil soaked in. I was reading away, when the door blew open, just as the neighboring Australian girls were walking to their room right next to ours. I got up, said hello, then shut the door. When I turned around, Kim was standing there, boobs hanging out everywhere and wide-eyed. "Did they see you like that?" I said, startled.

    "I don't know, but I saw her face," Kim replied, seemingly shocked at the whole episode.

    "Well, if you saw her face she probably saw you, don't you think? Why did you stand up anyway?"

    Needless to say, we, or at least I, had a hysterical laughing fit. It was a nice moment.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English