Belize City

Our Next Stop was Belize City, Belize.   Here we were to board a boat for a trip up the Belize Old River where we would stop and have a local lunch followed by a visit to the Mayan Ruins of Altun Ha. 

I didn’t realize that Belize had not gained their independence until 1981 and they are still in a sort of governmental infancy….still constructing their government from scratch.  While Belize is a poor country (with only 4 working stop lights) they do some pretty incredible things.  Each person born in Belize is allowed to claim a piece of property upon becoming an adult.  The size and type of land is dependent on what you apply for and what you wish to do with the land. 

Unfortunately most people can’t get any sort of loan to build on their property (which must be done within three years of receiving the property) so they build what they can when they can.  There are also no building codes in Belize so you can build pretty much what you want where you want.  Our guide pointed out an alcohol addiction recovery center built next to a bar- along the river.

They also have compulsory education until age 16.  Additionally Belize doesn’t have racial issues like we have in the US.  The people of Belize consider themselves Kriol (Creole)… descended from a mix of European, dark skinned African slaves, and native peoples.  The people of Belize come in all shades and they don’t discriminate at all based on skin color.

Belize City is a tender port...meaning that the port is too shallow for a cruise ship to enter, so we had to take little boats to shore.  Also off the coast of Belize lies the second largest living coral reef in the world.  This is why Roatan and Belize are so popular with divers and snorkelers.  The ship had to wind it's way to shore via an ancient underwater river-to avoid damaging the reef.

Belize City was colorful and inviting.

On our way up the river we were offered bags of water (instead of bottles).

This was a first for all of us.

Iguanas are a popular pet in the US but it is still pretty cool to see them "in the wild"

 The guide said these were the smallest bats in Belize. 

Bats make up jus over 50% of the mammal population in Belize and they are essential to the ecosystem.

If I zoom in you can see them a bit better.

Here is a Howler Monkey

We also saw a crocodile.  Honestly it just wasn't that exciting.  I've seen bigger gators in GA.  Perhaps we have just seen and done so much that this river trip really wasn't that exciting.  I might as well have been on the Chattahoochee-just the flora and fauna were different.

We have completed our river journey and we stopped at a river side "restaurant" for lunch.   

The national dish of Belize is beans and rice cooked in coconut milk with some type of meat.  We were given chicken vs iguana or Agouti Paca, a small rodent that is said to taste a bit like rabbit.

The kids were excited to get a soda with lunch.  I thought our lunch was tasty but the seasoning was a bit bland and I didn't see the hot sauce until it was too late.

After lunch we headed to the ruins of Altun Ha

As we learned from our guide, there are hundreds of unexcavated Mayan Ruins in Belize because there are just not enough resources or archeologists to uncover and preserve them.  This beautiful Jade head was uncovered at the Temple of the Sun God at  Altun Ha.  It is considered one of Belize’s most prized possessions and they actually change its hidden location regularly to keep it safe.

This is an allspice tree.  The crushed leaves smelled amazing.  The leaves were used as an embalming agent among other things.

Originally they were using cement to repair and stabilize the stairs of the temples but over time they have learned that this technique actually damages the ruin. 

If you want to learn more about Altun Ha you can read the Wikipedia article about it here

 Altun Ha Wiki

Lack of regulation and oversight = tourists can climb on anything.

This temple was in the process of being excavated but it began to crumble so they stopped. 

You can still climb on it though.

The view from the top of the Temple of the Sun God (where the jade head was discovered)

A Strangler Fig

Our day ended sadly as "J" and I walked to the bus.  She saw something on the ground and said "mom, that looks like an animal" we walked over and there lay a puppy dying on the ground.  It lifted its head and wagged its tail when "J" talked to it but it was just about to die.  Coming from a country where people would move mountains to help a sick animal it was hard for her to understand why no one was helping this puppy.  We never think about what a luxury it is to care for animals.  These people don't have enough to take car of themselves.  In the US our pets get better medical care than the people who live in third-world countries.  It was a harsh lesson.