Belize is one of the more expensive countries in Central America. Where I was paying $2-$4 for a meal and $4-$7 for a private room with private bath is SE Asia, I pay $6-$8 for a meal and $10-$12 for a room with a community bathroom in Belize. I’m told the other countries I plan to visit are much cheaper. I am also caught off guard with how honest people seem to be so far. I’m used to lies and tricks to get the most money out of me, but prices seem to be fairly fixed here and transportation is less stressful when you don’t have to haggle prices.
I‘m so used to being absolutely exhausted (after 30+ hours of traveling) when I arrive for an extended trip somewhere. There’s something satisfying about finally getting a room after such a long journey, as if you’ve accomplished something. But the flight here was so short (barely over 2 hrs.) as to be anticlimactic. From the airport, I took a $25 taxi to the Marine terminal in town and hopped a $7.50 ferry to Caye Caulker, a small island in the Caribbean favored by backpackers. I spent two days snorkeling and diving there, including a dive in the infamous “Blue Hole” where we descended to 130 ft (40m) to take a quick view of the stalactites there. Our tour also included a visit by some 3-4 large grey reef sharks appearing out of the murky unending hole below us. It should have been terrifying, but I think I was a little loopy from the Nitrogen, so it was just fascinating, like I was watching it on TV. On our second dive we went to a reef nearby where I saw the coolest thing I have ever seen underwater – a turtle being chased by a 13 ft shark (presumably a tiger shark since I know of no other species to consume turtles except for maybe bull sharks (?)). It was far enough away to witness without feeling threatened or scared and I couldn’t even i.d. the shark. I know it sounds scary, but it was pretty cool.
Next I took the local bus to San Ignacio where I did a tour of some Mayan ruins in the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave. It was great fun as the entrance to the cave required a brisk swim through a pool of water. Most of the rest of the ¾ mile walk through the cave was through an underground river. As if that weren’t enough fun, we arrived at various pottery items and a few skeletons dating over 1000 years old. The cave is considered a sacred place where people came to be sacrificed to the gods. The way it was explained to us is that the sacrifices occurred during a time of famine, drought, and warfare. So the Mayans felt compelled to sacrifice some of their most valuable members to appease their gods. To be sacrificed was a great honor. We were also told that Mayans mourned birth and celebrated death because to have your spirit sent to Earth was akin to a kind of punishment. It was thought that to come to Earth and live a life here meant great suffering for the duration of your life. Now there are some people in serious need of some Prozac! But seriously, it was a fascinating glimpse into the lives and deaths of a unique and powerful civilization that continues, to some degree, in its descendants today.
Anyway, I’ve been enjoying myself so far. There’s a curious mix of religions here with the predominant one being Roman Catholic. But it’s not uncommon to see Rastafarians, Mennonites, and Amish here and there. Generally the people are very nice and genuine. I had a hard time feeling a connection with fellow travelers in Caye Caulker, but met a few interesting people in San Ignacio. Today, I’ll be heading to Guatemala to make my way down to Antigua for 4 weeks of Spanish school. Hopefully, it proves useful in the weeks afterward. . .
I hope you are all happy and well and that 2010 brings good fortune.
Here is the link to the photos if you haven't seen them already:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2904269&id=8369089&l=8158c114f6
Sierra
