Belize-Tikal, Caves, Plants (Days 5-12) Part 1

January 22-29. Roy Gentle, manager of the Kumquat Cottage which we had rented for a week, picked us up in Crooked Tree and drove us down the Northern Highway to the Western Highway to San Ignacio in the west. Once we got to the Western Highway we started to see the mountains to the south.

Lodging: The Kumquat Cottage is owned by some people in Minnesota we found online. It's a very artistic, one-of-a-kind house. It was a great location, just a 5 minute walk into the center of town and a nicely landscaped yard complete with fruit trees. (Unfortunately there is no fruit in season now.) It was really nice to have a house to stay in instead of just a room and cook our food. We also had access to a laptop and the internet (and a TV to watch CNN and movies at night). We did have some issues with it like the lack of good lighting and the lack of hot water in the kitchen and the bathroom sinks. Notice the seats on the roof and the typical cistern to catch rainwater.



Food: The food which we bought at a store and the farmer's market was quite inexpensive. We didn't eat out at all except two tours included lunch (rice/beans and chicken and sometimes potato salad.) The only bread the stores had was squishy white bread. We survived. We loved the sweet bananas and the papaya. Saturday's farmer's market sold a little bit of everything, even some used books and used clothing.






Town: The downtown has a little park and a roundabout as well as a bigger park with playground equipment and two soccer fields. We were surprised with the condition of the downtown. Some of our observations: In front of some stores there were sidewalks. There was an open gutter. People are selling food everywhere from tables or stands (and we later learned that they have to pass certain health standards just like here). Doors to the stores are open. Cars drove very close to each other. Litter is a problem even though we saw signs about not littering. Other things to note: 1) There was a beautiful African Tulip tree in the park, just like the ones we saw in Hawaii. 2) The ATM worked at the Belize Bank and didn't run out of money. (But it did cost us $10 for every withdrawal!) 3) We had delicious, refreshing frozen bananas dipped in chocolate for only 25 cents each. 4) They buy and keep using the US's old school buses for their children. One bus was from Wilson County, one from a town in NJ. Other school buses were the highway buses for only about 50 cents for 5-6 miles. 5) We got a load of laundry done by a woman in what looked like a laundromat but it wasn't self-serve. (I added a picture of the typical Belikin Beer sign so we don't forget its name.)


Tours: 1) Barton Creek Cave and Big Rock Falls. David Simpson, owner of David's Adventure Tours, was recommended as a nature guide. We put the canoe in the Macal River at Barton Creek Outpost, a camping area with a little restaurant run by a family. (Here we saw some green parrots that came to a pole because they feed them.) The cave was used as a burial ground for Mayans wanting to be reincarnated as jaguar. It was a beautiful cave with so many beautiful formations and a few bats hanging from the ceiling. (We were lucky it wasn't the rainy season as the water level rises so much that you can't go very far in.)


On the ride to the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve we saw a stand of mahogany trees (taller ones) in front of teak trees. The pine beetle has done a real job on the pine trees. We also went by Francis Ford Coppola's lodge "Blancaneaux" and his landing strip. We had a bit of a hike down to Big Rock Falls but they were very pretty and we were the only ones there. We ate lunch and Sandy took a swim. It was a lovely day.

Belize-Birds & Mayan Ruins (Days 1-5)

We really had a great time in Belize. We first became intrigued with this country in about 1990 when Scott did a report on it for school. After further research we decided to spend time there because of its tropical wilderness, 2nd longest coral reef, its ancient Mayan cities and nearby Tikal in Guatemala, and they speak English. We met some wonderful people, saw beautiful flora and fauna and interesting Mayan ruins, and had a fabulous time playing in the beautiful waters of the reef. What we weren't prepared for was the much lower standard of living. I guess because it had been a British colony we assumed the standards would be higher with paved roads, sidewalks in all the towns, seemingly basic things. Once we accepted these things we could really enjoy the uniqueness of the country. For example, 40% of the land area is preserved.

Until 1981 it was known as British Honduras and is about the size of New Hampshire with only 300,000 people. It wasn't easy to plan but we didn't want 3 weeks of tours. The decent lodging was expensive and it seemed like everything required a tour guide, even hiking (because of the poorly marked trails). We ended up doing very little hiking. But we learned later from others that we could have gone hiking had we rented a car for about $75 a day and had been willing to drive on pothole-ridden roads. There are also some resorts that have hiking trails. (I also expected to see lots of flowers and orchids. I didn't know they won't be out until March or April.)

January 18-22. We arrived on time in Belize City and were happy to see a man with a sign with our name on it. He drove us on the Northern Highway to Sam Tillet's Hotel in Crooked Tree, northwest of Belize City. He talked about politics since a new prime minister will be elected on Feb. 7 and there were signs all over the telephone poles. He called it "politricks." Apparently there is a lot of corruption here. Taxes get paid but not too much gets done with it except for a few months before the elections (every 5 years). Many of the roads are poor with some sections paved and some not. The side roads are sand and limestone and are rarely graded. There are lots of potholes, some huge.

We saw elementary schools, all pretty much alike. The kids wore uniforms. Most are sponsored by the churches in the town. The government gives them a certain percentage of the money needed. The children have to be bussed to the high school in Belize City. Our cook had one daughter in H.S. and it costs her $500 a semester and $35 a month for supplies. Here's a typical school playground.

We saw a number of unfinished homes. People here don't take out loans. They save up and then build what they can and stop. Then they save up again and build some more. Gas is $5 a gallon. Most people have British accents which we found a little hard to understand at first.

Lodging: Our first room was in a thatched roof building - very basic. One thing we had to get used to was putting our toilet paper in a waste basket. Their septic system can't handle paper. The last night was at the much larger Bird's Eye View Lodge, a step above the first hotel but didn't look as cool. It was right on the lagoon. The first night Sandy had a surprise. He felt something on his bed. He jumped up, turned on the light and saw a gecko. It had fallen from the thatched roof!

There were 3 women staying at Sam Tillet's: Marcy (Prescott Valley, AZ), Pat (Houston) and her mother, Helena (Prescott, AZ). We did 2 days of tours with them and had a wonderful time together. They let us know that Sam had died a few months ago at 47. He was a noted tour guide so it was a real loss. Fortunately he trained a number of people who will carry on for him. We had Alvin as a guide who was excellent. The women also had Reuben whom they also had high praise for. Sam's daughter, Natasha, runs the place now. She was very nice and efficient.

Food: Sliced fried breadfruit for a snack which tasted a bit like french fries. Rice and beans in some form for lunch and dinner accompanied by chicken or beef. Orange juice, papaya, tamales, bread and cheese or pancakes for breakfast. Banana cake or pumpkin pie for dessert. All meals were pretty tasty. Here we are with the Tillet's cook (on an abnormally cool night).

Village surroundings: The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary was a real disappointment. It has a wonderful location next to the Northern Lagoon with trails but they weren't well marked and there was lot of trash along side them. We saw this termite nest in a tree which are pretty common. We also came upon a man who had just come out of the lagoon where he had speared 6 fish! He said he fishes every day. Some he eats and some he sells. Here's the termite nest and typical dugout out canoe used by many fisherman we saw.



The homes were either wood or cinder block. Some were on stilts, some not. Few had any kind of bush or flowers in their yard. There were numerous animals rooming the streets: chickens, ducks, dogs, cows, and horses. We were a bit surprised at the last two. The dogs we encountered were quite docile and never even came up to us to say hello. They also have a casual attitude towards trash. We saw some wire trash bins where they burn it but there was garbage and broken things everywhere. Some homes are vacation (weekend homes). This white house had a double car garage bigger than many of the homes.

The village just got a road over the lagoon in 1982. Before that you had to use a boat to get to Belize City, now 45 minutes away. Then when they got electricity the wives all asked for washing machines.




Here's a typical grocery store with fruits, vegetables, canned goods as well as chips, cereal, and granola bars from the US.




Like other third world countries, they reuse, reuse, reuse. I asked Alvin what people do if they have a broken refrigerator. He said, "We fix them." "And if you can't fix them?" "We use them for something else." (Obviously, some of the broken things we saw in the village couldn't be fixed or used. A sad sight for us.)

Crooked Tree is the home of the cashew tree. They have a big party in May after they've been harvested. They eat the nuts and use the fruit for wine and jam. One night we had cashew wine. It was fruity tasting but that's the one adjective I can use for it. I don't know the taste of wines well enough to say it tastes similar to something.

We found the people here very friendly. Most said hello to us as we passed them on the street. One 7 year old chatted away on her way back to school (after lunch at home).

Birds: One of the reasons we went to Crooked Tree was to see lots of Belizean birds. Within 2 days, with the help of Alvin from the hotel and Amir Reyes on the New River tour to Lamanai, we saw 29 species, as well as iguanas and a Moelet's cocodile. We even saw the jabiru stork which stands 5 feet from tip of beak. This stork is native to this area and they're not common to see. The 4-5 foot green iguanas sit in trees to warm up in the morning. The females are green, the males kind of orange. We added 36 more species on our early morning boat ride on the lagoon. Here are pictures of just a few of the amazing wildlife:


Mayan ruins: We visited the ancient village of Lamanai, accessed only by boat on the New River. There were numerous of howler monkeys here. (Yes, there howls can be heard miles away!) Mayans lived here from about 1500 BC to 1500 AD with a population of about 1 million at its height. The downfall began about the 10th century when there was a drought followed by peasant revolt. Greed on the part of the rulers also played a part. The temples were built on top and around the temples built by the previous king for it was bad luck to have him "watching" you. The Mayans were the first ethnic group to have hierarchy in society. You could not go up or down. Today there are three main Maya groups living in villages. Each feels their group is superior to the others. Pictures show the Mask Temple and the Jaguar Temple where Sandy and I are sitting on the sacrificial altar.

On the way to Altun Ha we saw a man with an anteater as well as numerous snakes which he showed off to us for a small fee. We also passed an old-fashioned Mennonite community (3000 pop.) on the New River which is noted for being hard-working and producing great fruits and vegetables.

We had been told that we could drink the water. However, when we arrived at Crooked Tree they said we shouldn't and pointed us in the direction of a little store where we could buy bottled water.

I forgot to mention all the books we're enjoying reading and the cribbage we play everyday. (We're been sharing Lee Child books, among others. They're excellent!) So far there's no clear winner in cribbage. We're pretty much neck and neck, much to Sandy's chagrin since he taught me how to play.

Carnival Fascination Cruise (& Cocoa Beach)

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. We left Ft. Myers to spend the weekend at a Holiday Inn in Sunrise, FL (outside Ft. Lauderdale). This was part of a timeshare presentation package and cruise. Jon and Becky Hurwitz were getting in on the same special deal. By the time we checked into the timeshare Welcome Center and had lunch half the afternoon was gone. So we just hung around the motel, walked, and read until dinner at the Shrimp Shack. It was about a 40 minute wait but was excellent food. What an eclectic interior. It looked like they went to a tag sale, bought everything and hung it on the walls. It was obviously a popular family place.

Sunday, Jan. 6. We all attended the timeshare presentation. Since we already own a timeshare we went to a different presentation than the Hurwitz's. None of us intended to buy. We were given options to upgrade ours but we weren't willing to spend extra money to do that. We saw no real advantages and after 2 ours we were done. The Hurwitz's 90 minute presentation turned into a 3 hour one - not fun! After that we really felt we needed to deprogram so had an enjoyable lunch. The Hurwitz's had been to Ft. Lauderdale before so took us to the beach. It was beautiful and relaxing. On the drive and the walk from the parking lot we admired the yachts. We took a long walk on the sidewalk and then read for a bit. It was a fun, leisurely afternoon. (It was about 82 degrees.)

Monday through Friday. It was the first time we were on a cruise ship. Just getting to the port was an experience. We first drove to a parking lot to leave our cars. They then shuttled us to the Port of Miami, Carnival building - a huge building. The check-in process was short and smooth. We walked on the huge ship and were awed by the interior lobby with its glass elevators, shiny walls and multi-storied atrium. (The ship picture is actually when we were docked in Cozumel.)

We had about an hour or more before our luggage would arrive in our rooms so we took ourselves on a tour of the ship. On the top level there was a mini golf course surrounded by a spongy walking track. The next level down had a basketball half court, volleyball court and a golf cage made of netting. There was a main pool with twisting slide and 2 other smaller pools, one specifically for kids. The view of Miami from the ship was gorgeous with all the homes and yachts and palm trees.


Our rooms were on the bottom deck but were really roomy. They have twin beds but they can make them up into King beds. (No balcony rooms for us at our rock bottom price!) It was fun to come back to the room after the nightly show to see what towel animal the room steward had left on our bed (along with chocolate candy).

Right before the ship left Miami everyone had to grab their life jackets and go to a specific meeting area (Muster Area) to receive instructions in case of an emergency. When the ship starting moving (about 4:30) we definitely felt the movement of the ship and hoped that we wouldn't always feel it. Well, we did always feel it but it didn't bother us, thank goodness. We saw a number of people with seasick patches behind their ears but didn't hear of anyone getting sick.

The entertainment every night was excellent, better than what Club Med offers. They have a huge theater with comfortable seats and little tables for your drinks.

They had people all day and night asking if they could get you a drink. Drinks are really expensive and many people spend as much or more on drinks as they do on the price of the cruise!

The food was very good although from movies and TV we expected long buffet tables with ice sculptures. Maybe there was one at the midnight buffet which they had only one night. We didn't make it to that! For breakfast you could get served in the dining room and have nicer food or you could go to the grill, still have lots of choices and eat outside. We really enjoyed eating outside and watching the water. Lunch was from the grill and there were always lots of options. For dinner you could go either to an assigned table in the dining room or to the grill. We went to the dining room every night except when we missed our seating one night because of our Cozumel excursion. We enjoyed meeting these people but are not sure we'd really like to sit with them for 7 nights. The Hurwitz's were at a different table so we all met other people. The husband of one couple they met is from Watertown, NY and knew our sister-in-law's (Amy) father! Small world!

They have games and activities all day long and in the evening before the show. There is no lack for things to do if you want. Sandy played a Trivial Pursuit type of game and won a "Ship on a Stick." Now, who do you know who has one of those? He also played a Family Feud type game (men vs. women) and won. So now he is also proud owner of a Carnival medal.

When Sandy went onto the stage to play the first game he said he was from Amherst, MA. Later, a woman in the audience came up to us in the hall and said she had lived in Amherst and gotten a PhD at UMass. Not only that, she worked with Ron Moyer at the junior high! Another small world happening!

Key West was really picturesque with some beautiful and unusual homes. We were going to be docked there from 7:30 - 2 on Tuesday so we all decided to do a Bike Tour of Key West (a Carnival excursion). It turned out to be informative but it was really hard to ride so slow with 11 others. (Won't do that again.) A walking tour with a printout from the internet would have been just as good. Live and learn (hopefully). We rode through the historic area and learned about the arrival of the Cubans (to roll cigars after the embargo of cigars from Cuba) and the Bahamians (to dive for sponges since they could hold their breath for a long time). We also saw Hemingway's home and rode through a low rent district where low-income people lived in 2 story cinder block housing. Real estate is incredibly expensive here and low-income housing is non-existent and not really desired (according to the tour guide).

When we had a stop at the beach the tour guide mentioned that about 6 months of the year there is a problem with red tide and no one can swim. That also really affects the air quality. One thing we didn't like learning was that the ships dump their waste in the ocean (a certain number of miles out). I can't imagine that it just doesn't affect the ocean. (I looked online for more info and there will be an EPA report out in February.)

After the tour Becky and Jon did there own thing and we checked out the "Audubon House", the "Truman Annex", and the "Key West Heritage House Museum and Robert Frost Cottage" where he lived in the winter later in life. In this house there were numerous beautiful orchids in the garden.

The Truman Annex was purchased from the Truman Navy Base by a developer. He did a beautiful job creating varied housing of single family and condos with green spaces.

We were in Cozumel from 1 to 10PM. We knew that there was good snorkeling so we signed up for a catamaran tour with snorkeling and time at a beach. Before the excursion we walked around town near the dock. It looked nice on Front Street and deteriorated a block back. It was a little annoying having all the employees trying to sell you things.

The trip was fun but not as good as we had hoped. The ride on the cat was really nice. The snorkeling was not very good. The water was cloudy, there was very little coral and only a few kinds of fish. The beach was nice. You could use kayaks or floats or just sit on a chaise lounge. We just sat and enjoyed the scenery. On the ride back there were free drinks and some nice music, much of it with group dancing. Becky was really cold since we had to go into the water up to our waist to get back onto the boat and it was getting a little cool. Fortunately we had humongous Carnival towels that covered her up completely for the ride back. The Hurwitz's walked around the town and visited the Cozumel museum which we would have enjoyed.

The shows consisted of the dancers, two soloists and one or two other acts. We saw comedians, a balancing act, break dancers, and Las Vegas type shows. We really enjoyed them.

The air temperature was in the low 80's everyday on land and sea. The last day when we only at sea it was really windy, so much so that we couldn't play mini golf or walk on the track on the top deck. We used the treadmills that day.

We used this cruise as a trial run to help us decide whether or not to cruise again. Yes, all the food and desserts and ice cream at lunch and dinner were tempting. (We haven't had a weigh-in yet!) We think it really is a good value if you think of it as an all inclusive resort which includes entertainment. But one thing we'd like is to be on land for at least 10-12 hours. And it definitely is more fun to go with friends! Both of the couples at our dining table had cruised numerous times. They got great deals online and felt it was a very good value. As one good deal they mentioned repositioning cruises in the spring and fall where you just cruise one way and fly the other. M-m-m, something to check out! So, I think the answer to whether we'll cruise again is, yes!

We drove up to Cocoa Beach on Friday afternoon and spent the weekend visiting Ron Moyer and Karen de Pasquale. We really enjoyed our time together. Ron and Sandy got a round of golf in on Saturday and we watched to Patriots beat Jacksonville. On Monday morning we drove over to New Port Richey to June's.






Next trip: Belize. We'll be heading for Belize on Friday, January 18. We won't have our cell phones with us and e-mail contact could be sketchy. We'll be back in Florida on the 12th of February.