starting at the top in Chetumal, Mexico, to Corozal, Belize, across the sea out to San Pedro, and then to Caye Caulker. then you can track me across the sea to Belize City where i flew south along the shore to Dangriga. from there a boat ride out to Glovers (the Marine Reserve is even shown !). then back across the sea to Dangriga, and a 2hr bus ride up to Belmopan, another 1hr bus to San Ignacio. look to the left and you see Xunantunich, and Benque Viejo del Carmen, and the border of Guatemala, Tikal is not shown (this is a map of Belize) ... then you back track from San Ignacio to Belmopan to Belize City, and back across the sea to San Pedro.
i'll continue blogging, but doubtful it will be everyday, .... i'll be living more like a 'local' than a 'tourist' ... but enjoying the warmth, sunshine, and the sea !
hugs to you all and thank you for all your support and friendship !
Wednesday, March 17
8 Mar - End of 2010 Adventure
Mon, 8 Mar
Marta drove me .... and my bags .... into San Ignacio to the bus stop. i got on the bus to Belmopan, changed buses there to go to Belize City, and caught the water taxi out to San Pedro. My 'adventures' are coming to an end, sadly ... but i have met so many friends, and made so many memories, and pages and pages of blog that i can read and re-read when i get home, and pinch myself, to remind me just how lucky i am to have been able to enjoy this opportunity.
i found this really good map of Belize, and you can track every place i've been ....
starting at the top in Chetumal, Mexico, to Corozal, Belize, across the sea out to San Pedro, and then to Caye Caulker. then you can track me across the sea to Belize City where i flew south along the shore to Dangriga. from there a boat ride out to Glovers (the Marine Reserve is even shown !). then back across the sea to Dangriga, and a 2hr bus ride up to Belmopan, another 1hr bus to San Ignacio. look to the left and you see Xunantunich, and Benque Viejo del Carmen, and the border of Guatemala, Tikal is not shown (this is a map of Belize) ... then you back track from San Ignacio to Belmopan to Belize City, and back across the sea to San Pedro.
i'll continue blogging, but doubtful it will be everyday, .... i'll be living more like a 'local' than a 'tourist' ... but enjoying the warmth, sunshine, and the sea !
hugs to you all and thank you for all your support and friendship !
starting at the top in Chetumal, Mexico, to Corozal, Belize, across the sea out to San Pedro, and then to Caye Caulker. then you can track me across the sea to Belize City where i flew south along the shore to Dangriga. from there a boat ride out to Glovers (the Marine Reserve is even shown !). then back across the sea to Dangriga, and a 2hr bus ride up to Belmopan, another 1hr bus to San Ignacio. look to the left and you see Xunantunich, and Benque Viejo del Carmen, and the border of Guatemala, Tikal is not shown (this is a map of Belize) ... then you back track from San Ignacio to Belmopan to Belize City, and back across the sea to San Pedro.
i'll continue blogging, but doubtful it will be everyday, .... i'll be living more like a 'local' than a 'tourist' ... but enjoying the warmth, sunshine, and the sea !
hugs to you all and thank you for all your support and friendship !
Monday, March 15
Sun, 7 Mar
Sun, 7 Mar
i had originally planned to leave this morning with Eddi. she was heading south to Punta Gorda, and i was going back to San Pedro. i wasn't in any hurry, so Marta suggested that i stay another night and go to Xunantunich today, and then spend another night with her.
she dropped me off at the main road and i caught a taxi south again, almost to the Belizean border town of Benque. Xunantunich (zoo-nan-tun-ich) is another Maya settlement. it is on the other side of that same river where the kids were swimming. so you have to take this ferry across. it's run by a man pulling a cable .... as you can see, he takes cars and trucks across as well.
it is a mile or so walk up a gravel road to get to the temples. taking my time, minding my toes, i enjoyed the views. i saw several wooden boxes about 1ft square, that were hanging from trees, with a rope and pulley attached to them. i asked at the visitor center and was told that a bee keeper was using them to capturing bees and taking them to their bee farms .... interesting .... i also took these pictures of these fruits ... the tree is call "HorseBalls" ... i guess you can see why. the fruit is a favorite of the Howler Monkeys.
Xunantunich was discovered in 1938. it was another ancient city that thrived between 650-1000AD and supported 7-10,000 people in a radius of 1-2 miles. i mentioned that Cahal Pech in San Ignacio used to send smoke signals back and forth. Xunantunich means Stone Maiden because legend tells that a maiden appeared one night briefly, but then turned to stone. Xunantunich survived the initial collapse of the Maya civilization but was abandon around 950-1000AD. all of the sites i went to were quick to stress that the collapse of the Maya cities did not mean that the Maya culture became extinct. Many Maya people live in Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, and Honduras today
a photo of the main temple .... nothing too special about it from this side ....
but, ....either side of the temple is highly decorated, and of course, has been restored .... but it is very interesting to look at. there was nothing like this at any of the other sites i visited .
this was on the North side of the Temple ...
and the South side of the Temple
i climbed all the way up to the top of this temple, and was inside the temple taking a few photos, out the doorway looking south ...
and the other side, looking north ...
when i heard people talking below and making noises like the Howler Monkey makes ... so i climb down i go to see if i can see them too ... yes, there was a troupe in the trees. to my inexperienced eye, it appeared there was a 'mom' 'dad' and at least 2 young ones. i watched the little ones for quite a while ... it looked like they were having a fun time with their 'monkey business' ..... i took these photos, which do not give you any idea of what was going on. check out my video on You Tube ... and see the fun they were having.
video is named "Howler Monkeys" .... go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE6pnHx2pGI
i then climbed back up to the top of the temple for some panorama views ....
when i was at the top i talked with 2 women who were here with a group of nurses from Loyola in Chicago. the one woman has been bringing students here and visiting The Medicine Trails at Chaa Creek for 15+ years.
when i came down again, the monkeys were still there playing, and entertaining everyone, under the watchful eye of their parents....
i walked back down the road again, across the ferry, and had some roadside grilled chicken, rice and beans, then caught a taxi back to the entrance to Chaa Creek; where i walked the mile or so to Marta's house. in the evening she took me to work with her at Chaa Creek and the guys in the kitchen set a place for me at the table for dinner. everyone there was so nice!
i've also posted the video, titled, "Spider Monkey" from Tikal on You Tube. you can see it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMJTFfuicXM
it is a mile or so walk up a gravel road to get to the temples. taking my time, minding my toes, i enjoyed the views. i saw several wooden boxes about 1ft square, that were hanging from trees, with a rope and pulley attached to them. i asked at the visitor center and was told that a bee keeper was using them to capturing bees and taking them to their bee farms .... interesting .... i also took these pictures of these fruits ... the tree is call "HorseBalls" ... i guess you can see why. the fruit is a favorite of the Howler Monkeys.
Xunantunich was discovered in 1938. it was another ancient city that thrived between 650-1000AD and supported 7-10,000 people in a radius of 1-2 miles. i mentioned that Cahal Pech in San Ignacio used to send smoke signals back and forth. Xunantunich means Stone Maiden because legend tells that a maiden appeared one night briefly, but then turned to stone. Xunantunich survived the initial collapse of the Maya civilization but was abandon around 950-1000AD. all of the sites i went to were quick to stress that the collapse of the Maya cities did not mean that the Maya culture became extinct. Many Maya people live in Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, and Honduras today
a photo of the main temple .... nothing too special about it from this side ....
but, ....either side of the temple is highly decorated, and of course, has been restored .... but it is very interesting to look at. there was nothing like this at any of the other sites i visited .
this was on the North side of the Temple ...
and the South side of the Temple
i climbed all the way up to the top of this temple, and was inside the temple taking a few photos, out the doorway looking south ...
and the other side, looking north ...
when i heard people talking below and making noises like the Howler Monkey makes ... so i climb down i go to see if i can see them too ... yes, there was a troupe in the trees. to my inexperienced eye, it appeared there was a 'mom' 'dad' and at least 2 young ones. i watched the little ones for quite a while ... it looked like they were having a fun time with their 'monkey business' ..... i took these photos, which do not give you any idea of what was going on. check out my video on You Tube ... and see the fun they were having.
video is named "Howler Monkeys" .... go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE6pnHx2pGI
i then climbed back up to the top of the temple for some panorama views ....
when i was at the top i talked with 2 women who were here with a group of nurses from Loyola in Chicago. the one woman has been bringing students here and visiting The Medicine Trails at Chaa Creek for 15+ years.
when i came down again, the monkeys were still there playing, and entertaining everyone, under the watchful eye of their parents....
i walked back down the road again, across the ferry, and had some roadside grilled chicken, rice and beans, then caught a taxi back to the entrance to Chaa Creek; where i walked the mile or so to Marta's house. in the evening she took me to work with her at Chaa Creek and the guys in the kitchen set a place for me at the table for dinner. everyone there was so nice!
i've also posted the video, titled, "Spider Monkey" from Tikal on You Tube. you can see it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMJTFfuicXM
Sat, 6 Mar
Sat, 6 Mar
Eddi and i packed up our backpacks and took a taxi to Santa Elena to catch the bus back to Belize. we drove through Santa Elena and realized it was Saturday, Market Day. the streets were packed. we walked around Santa Elena for an hour or more, taking in the culture.
if you look in the center of the photo, you can see the pale yellow arch and the bridge going over to Flores
beautiful fruits and veggies
herbs and spices
and in the middle of it all, ... while you are at it, why don't you just get your teeth cleaned ?
and, yes, there are chickens in those baskets ... live chickens ....
and animals no longer living ....
don't you just hate Saturday morning Traffic Jams ???????????????
we finally decided we'd better head for the bus. this was not our bus, but i couldn't help notice the 'JOPLIN, MO' still clearly visible behind the front tire ... memories of home sweet home ... well at least the same country :)
the bus was a minibus and took us about 2 hrs. the border town of Guatemala is Melchor. i had to pee, so we went into 'town'. there must have been 9 medical clinics within the first 3 blocks, and 2 funeral parlors across the street ... seemed strange to us. then one street over, we found their Market ... it is hard to imagine that they could possibly sell all that merchandise. we later found out that many Belizean families come across the border to shop in Guatemala because it is cheaper. After we left the market, we crossed the river and saw the kids swimming, moms doing laundry, and dads washing vehicles.
across the bridge we exited Guatemala ... they were very nice and friendly in Guatemala, upon entrance and exit. Can't say the same about the officials in Belize.
Marta had offered to come pick us up at the border and bring us to her home to spend the night, ....savings us a US$30 taxi ride, not to mention sleeping accommodations. i mentioned she has some animals, ... i couldn't resist this little guy all safe on his mom's back ... and her expression .... "wha chu lookin at?" a good shot to end the day
beautiful fruits and veggies
herbs and spices
and in the middle of it all, ... while you are at it, why don't you just get your teeth cleaned ?
and, yes, there are chickens in those baskets ... live chickens ....
and animals no longer living ....
don't you just hate Saturday morning Traffic Jams ???????????????
we finally decided we'd better head for the bus. this was not our bus, but i couldn't help notice the 'JOPLIN, MO' still clearly visible behind the front tire ... memories of home sweet home ... well at least the same country :)
the bus was a minibus and took us about 2 hrs. the border town of Guatemala is Melchor. i had to pee, so we went into 'town'. there must have been 9 medical clinics within the first 3 blocks, and 2 funeral parlors across the street ... seemed strange to us. then one street over, we found their Market ... it is hard to imagine that they could possibly sell all that merchandise. we later found out that many Belizean families come across the border to shop in Guatemala because it is cheaper. After we left the market, we crossed the river and saw the kids swimming, moms doing laundry, and dads washing vehicles.
across the bridge we exited Guatemala ... they were very nice and friendly in Guatemala, upon entrance and exit. Can't say the same about the officials in Belize.
Marta had offered to come pick us up at the border and bring us to her home to spend the night, ....savings us a US$30 taxi ride, not to mention sleeping accommodations. i mentioned she has some animals, ... i couldn't resist this little guy all safe on his mom's back ... and her expression .... "wha chu lookin at?" a good shot to end the day
Friday, March 12
Fri, 5 Mar - Tikal
Tikal
Tikal was discovered in 1848 and opened to the public and declared a National Park in 1955. it was occupied from 1200BC to 925aD. it had 4,000 structures and 200 monuments with more than 100,000 occupants. as an aside, there were around 150,000 Mayas in Belize, which is more than the current population of Belize today.
This gives you an idea of the size and layout of this settlement
we walked through the forest for quite a while (since i was frequently distracted by photo opportunities as shown in my previous blog); before we saw Temple IV ...
Temple IV or Temple of the Two Headed Snake is the highest temple at 195ft, 690,000 cubic feet of material was needed for it's construction. this was the first Temple we climbed ... they had nice wooden stairs up ... so you didn't climb up those steep stone steps. unfortunately, some of my pictures did not transfer to my computer, so i don't have a photo of Temple IV. hopefully Eddi has photos of whatever i don't, but they won't be included in this blog.
the view from Temple IV was beautiful .
you can see Temple I and Temple II far off in the distance on the right; and Temple V in the middle, Mundo Perdido is on the right. it gives you an idea of how large an area Tikal covered.
you were allowed to climb on the stone steps of this temple at Mundo Perdido ... a good workout for the legs !
view from there ....
we passed through more forest and came to Temple V which is 171ft. we came around the back side, this is a side view ...
they had these nice wooden stairs to climb up this one .... but it was actually more like climbing a ladder because the steps were very close together and tall .... and you had to climbed down like you would climb down a ladder ... backwards.
the view from up here was breath-taking. here you can see Temple I, the pointy one on the right ... and some people in the bottom left corner for perspective purposes. Eddi has a picture of me at the top, but i'm sure i'm not recognizable.
from here we walked to the Grand Plaza Central ... it was here that i FINALLY felt like i was seeing the remnants of a civilization. so much of what i had seen, including Cahal Pech, was mostly just temples and very few other buildings that made much sense to me. here at the Grand Plaza Central, i could 'feel' how life must have been.
i took a 360 degree video to give a better idea. still snapshots don't show it that well. the video is called "Tikal 360" and the web address for the You Tube video is :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_aZ5k53ZQs
The Grand Plaza Central includes Temple I, Temple II, Acropolis Norte, and Acropolis Central, with a large grassy area in the center.
Temple I, or Jaguar Temple is 135ft high . It sits at one end of the Grand Plaza Central, oriented to the west where the sunset occurs. you cannot climb this one.
photo below of Acropolis Norte, ....it would be to the left of Temple I above
photo of Acropolis Central, which would be to the right of Temple I
Temple II or Temple of the Masks, 114ft high sits across from Temple I in the Grand Plaza Central. it is oriented to the east where the sun rises. i guess if you get there around 5am, it's a beautiful sight. Temple II is also one i don't have a photo of, ... but you can see it in the video.
the photo below was taken from Acropolis Norte, looking towards Acropolis Central. you can see Temple II on the right side of the photo, ...and that is Temple V straight ahead in the background, not a part of Plaza Central.
Eddi and i climbed to the top of Temple II and took some photos .... this is Temple I across the Plaza
and Acropolis Norte taken from top of Temple II
top of Acropolis Norte
this 'guy' was in Acropolis Norte. they have it protected from the sun and elements and it is still down an enclosure.
this photo was taken from Acropolis Central and shows Temple I and the Acropolis Norte in the background
a few of my doorway, arch shots :)
as we were leaving the main area and making our way to Temple VI, i turned around and took this parting shot of the back side of Temple I, ....
we had planned on taking the last bus back to Flores; but the guide Eddi talked to advised us NOT to wait so late, because we would be traveling on the road when it was getting dark, and to leave by the 3:30pm bus because it would be safer. i never felt threatened in my travels; but it is important to keep in remember that intelligent safety should always be on your mind.
it had been a long day, and now pm; we still had Temple VI to see and the map showed it down a long trail. we decided to quickly 'run' down there to see it. ....run ... me, with 2 somewhat mangled toes on one foot, and a torn big toe nail on the other ..... but off we went. we walked and walked .....and walked, through incredible rainforest with huge trees and enormous leaves. this temple was out in "B.F.E." i thought for sure we were going to be dinner for the jaguars :) but, we finally made it....
Temple VI or the Temple of the Inscriptions is 165ft tall and the only one with 3 front entrances; the hieroglyphic inscription is dated 765AD.
we both would like to know why it was so remote from the rest of the buildings and temples. Eddi has made some contacts that might possibly have the answer, she said he would let me know if/when she finds out.
after taking a few quick photos; we 'ran' again, to the exit. we had 15 min to spare before the bus left :) i'd like to mention that we did NOT see all of Tikal ... there is much more, but we did hit the highlights.
we arrived back in Flores before sunset.
a quick shower, ...cold of course, and a change of clothes and we're off to find a Mojito to watch the sunset. our 'guide friend' was going to join us, but he never showed .. but he did direct us to Captain Tortugas where we had both our Mojitos and our sunset overlooking a small island.
it was a fun long day ...
we walked through the forest for quite a while (since i was frequently distracted by photo opportunities as shown in my previous blog); before we saw Temple IV ...
Temple IV or Temple of the Two Headed Snake is the highest temple at 195ft, 690,000 cubic feet of material was needed for it's construction. this was the first Temple we climbed ... they had nice wooden stairs up ... so you didn't climb up those steep stone steps. unfortunately, some of my pictures did not transfer to my computer, so i don't have a photo of Temple IV. hopefully Eddi has photos of whatever i don't, but they won't be included in this blog.
the view from Temple IV was beautiful .
you can see Temple I and Temple II far off in the distance on the right; and Temple V in the middle, Mundo Perdido is on the right. it gives you an idea of how large an area Tikal covered.
you were allowed to climb on the stone steps of this temple at Mundo Perdido ... a good workout for the legs !
view from there ....
we passed through more forest and came to Temple V which is 171ft. we came around the back side, this is a side view ...
they had these nice wooden stairs to climb up this one .... but it was actually more like climbing a ladder because the steps were very close together and tall .... and you had to climbed down like you would climb down a ladder ... backwards.
the view from up here was breath-taking. here you can see Temple I, the pointy one on the right ... and some people in the bottom left corner for perspective purposes. Eddi has a picture of me at the top, but i'm sure i'm not recognizable.
from here we walked to the Grand Plaza Central ... it was here that i FINALLY felt like i was seeing the remnants of a civilization. so much of what i had seen, including Cahal Pech, was mostly just temples and very few other buildings that made much sense to me. here at the Grand Plaza Central, i could 'feel' how life must have been.
i took a 360 degree video to give a better idea. still snapshots don't show it that well. the video is called "Tikal 360" and the web address for the You Tube video is :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_aZ5k53ZQs
The Grand Plaza Central includes Temple I, Temple II, Acropolis Norte, and Acropolis Central, with a large grassy area in the center.
Temple I, or Jaguar Temple is 135ft high . It sits at one end of the Grand Plaza Central, oriented to the west where the sunset occurs. you cannot climb this one.
photo below of Acropolis Norte, ....it would be to the left of Temple I above
photo of Acropolis Central, which would be to the right of Temple I
Temple II or Temple of the Masks, 114ft high sits across from Temple I in the Grand Plaza Central. it is oriented to the east where the sun rises. i guess if you get there around 5am, it's a beautiful sight. Temple II is also one i don't have a photo of, ... but you can see it in the video.
the photo below was taken from Acropolis Norte, looking towards Acropolis Central. you can see Temple II on the right side of the photo, ...and that is Temple V straight ahead in the background, not a part of Plaza Central.
Eddi and i climbed to the top of Temple II and took some photos .... this is Temple I across the Plaza
and Acropolis Norte taken from top of Temple II
top of Acropolis Norte
this 'guy' was in Acropolis Norte. they have it protected from the sun and elements and it is still down an enclosure.
this photo was taken from Acropolis Central and shows Temple I and the Acropolis Norte in the background
a few of my doorway, arch shots :)
as we were leaving the main area and making our way to Temple VI, i turned around and took this parting shot of the back side of Temple I, ....
we had planned on taking the last bus back to Flores; but the guide Eddi talked to advised us NOT to wait so late, because we would be traveling on the road when it was getting dark, and to leave by the 3:30pm bus because it would be safer. i never felt threatened in my travels; but it is important to keep in remember that intelligent safety should always be on your mind.
it had been a long day, and now pm; we still had Temple VI to see and the map showed it down a long trail. we decided to quickly 'run' down there to see it. ....run ... me, with 2 somewhat mangled toes on one foot, and a torn big toe nail on the other ..... but off we went. we walked and walked .....and walked, through incredible rainforest with huge trees and enormous leaves. this temple was out in "B.F.E." i thought for sure we were going to be dinner for the jaguars :) but, we finally made it....
Temple VI or the Temple of the Inscriptions is 165ft tall and the only one with 3 front entrances; the hieroglyphic inscription is dated 765AD.
we both would like to know why it was so remote from the rest of the buildings and temples. Eddi has made some contacts that might possibly have the answer, she said he would let me know if/when she finds out.
after taking a few quick photos; we 'ran' again, to the exit. we had 15 min to spare before the bus left :) i'd like to mention that we did NOT see all of Tikal ... there is much more, but we did hit the highlights.
we arrived back in Flores before sunset.
a quick shower, ...cold of course, and a change of clothes and we're off to find a Mojito to watch the sunset. our 'guide friend' was going to join us, but he never showed .. but he did direct us to Captain Tortugas where we had both our Mojitos and our sunset overlooking a small island.
it was a fun long day ...
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