Caye Caulker

Thursday, Lorne, Karen, Fred and I made our way by water taxis to Caye Caulker, which lies 11 miles south of Ambergris Caye.  Caye Caulker has a typical Belizean atmosphere, a laid back lifestyle.  This working fishing village of about 1500, is mostly of mestizos descent.

Front Street is full of brightly coloured wooden houses, shops, restaurants and small hotels.  The Barrier Reef is visible from the shore and is fantastic for diving and snorkelling.

The Split, at the north end of the village, a channel cut through the island by Hurricane Hattie in 1961, is a very popular gathering place for a nice swimming area and a popular spot to watch the sunset.

The northern tip of the Caye forms the Caulker Forest & Marine Reserves.  This reserve became necessary after developers began clearing the native tree species leaving only the coconut trees.

The backside (west side) of the island is where you will find fishermen cleaning their fish, working on lobster traps or mending their nets in the morning.  The main fish are groupers, barracuda, snapper and amberjack, which are all good eating.

 

 

Arriving at Caye Caulker by water taxi.

The Split, a channel cut through the island by Hurricane Hattie in 1961.

Enjoying a Belikin at the Split.

Lobster traps.

San Pedro on Ambergris Caye

Lorne, Karen, Fred & I arrived  by water taxi last Monday at San Pedro the main town on Ambergris Caye.  It is the most northerly and largest of the 200 cayes off the coast of Belize.  Our condo is about 3 miles north of San Pedro town with many restaurants along the beach.  It is quite a hike into town so we decided to rent bikes.  That was much faster but still quite a workout as we travel along the narrow beach path meeting other walkers and bikes.  The road north of San Pedro is very rough.  Our bikes with the baskets allow us to pick up our fruits and veggies, groceries and Belikins on our way home.
We have been enjoying the local cafés and bars which serve the traditional Belizean food and drinks. The town streets are busing with the local artists and craftsmen trying to sell their wares.  Saturday was BBQ day, you could smell that chicken from down the street.  We were told to try it, it was safe to eat, so we did and it was very good served with rice and beans and coleslaw.  We will for sure have to stop again for BBQ chicken.
Other than relaxing by the pool, heading out for our morning walks and biking into San Pedro, not a lot else is happening.

View from our condo each morning.

 

 

Construction...no need for a pumper truck.

 

 This is the highway to Mexico.

 

Workers on their way to work along the beach path.

 

More construction...lots of rebar is used.

 

Our path we walked each morning along the beach.

Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Tour or ATM

Friday we were off to explore one of the most impressive cave in Belize.  We didn't know what to expect except we were going to be hiking through jungle and wading through water.  No cameras were allowed.  We had heard it was quite something to see.
Orlando, our driver and guide, took us to the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve where we began our 45 min. hike through the jungle crossing the Roaring River at 3 different places to get to the entrance of Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave meaning "Cave of the Stone Sepulchre".  Here is where we left everything, put on our helmet with a light and began our swim into the cave and the unknown for us.  This was also the part of the tour which was very strenuous.  We waded through knee to neck deep waters, climbed up the jagged limestone formations and crawled through small passages leading us further into the cave.  The river ran through the cave which is approx. 3 miles long but only 1/2 mile has been explored.  Research has found that that is as far as the Maya people went.  This cave was only discovered and explored in 1993 and in 2000 excavation ended and was featured in National Geographic Magazine .  The stalactite formations are throughout the cave. To get to the Maya ritual site, place of artifacts and human remains we had to climb 20 ft. out of the river.  There we found a gigantic chamber where the rituals took place, along with intricate stalactite and stalagmite formations representing cathedral like structures and columns.  An unbelievable site.
Our return didn't seem as strenuous.
This would be a must for anyone coming to this area if you are up for this type of adventure.

Tikal in Guatemala

Thursday we were off to Tikal.  Eddie our driver picked us up by 7:00 am arriving at the Guatemala border by 7:30.  The border crossing was simple and quick for us while Eddie waited for us to get through and meet our Guatemalan driver.  We were on our way with Eddie and Carlos.  The first thing we noticed was how good the roads were and the signage along the roads...so different from Belize.  The countryside was hilly and the land seemed to be more fertile.  Eddie said there were large cattle ranches in the area, a brahma and angus mix, which were exported to the US to Wendy's, Burger King and McDonald's.
On our drive we passed by some small lakes where the local ladies were doing the laundry in the water.  We also passed Guatemala's 2nd largest freshwater lake, Lago Peten Itza.  Survivor was filmed a few miles off the road we were travelling on also.
We picked our tour guide up where we stopped for a bathroom break, coffee break and a gift shop.  Surprise, surprise.
Tikal an amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site - not a wonder why it was featured in the Star Wars movie.  It encompasses more than 3000 Maya stone structures with 5 massive temples rising above the jungle.
The Maya settled Tikal around 700 BC because of its hilltop location and abundance of flint used for making weapons and tools.  Tikal became one of the major population centers, a city, with a population of 1 million people and an area of 64 sq. km.  All 5 of Tikal's massive temples, built of limestone, were built in the span of a single century.  Then around 900 AD the Maya civilization mysteriously collapsed and Tikal was abandoned.  By 1000 AD the jungle completely took the city over.
The pyramids are all aliened in precise degrees and angles to the sun and moon.  Amazing how this was done so long ago with so little to work with.
The Great Pyramid is 32 m high and the view of the jungle from the top was spectacular.
Excavation of these ruins only began in the 1080's and there is only about 25% uncovered at this time.
Luis was a wealth of information as we walked many km around the site and hiked the steep steps of the pyramids hearing the stories of the Maya people.  A great day.  Truly an amazing site to see.

Countryside in Guatemala



Ladies doing laundry in the lake.

 

Tikal Ruins

 

 

The Great Pyramid at Tikal in the background.

 

Climbed to the top of the pyramid to look out and see the view.

You actually can see Belize from there...

Cahal Pech Ruins

Monday we took a short walk up a steep hill to visit the Maya ruins.  The Mayans named this place the "Place of the Ticks" because its location  was in a pasture area on the side of the valley having many ticks. Cahal Pech is a medium sized Maya centre but it left some of the earliest evidence of occupation in the area.  There has been a lot of restoring happening  however there still remains a lot more to be discovered.  The real attraction of Cahal Pech is in the dark rooms of the Royal Chamber located in the far plaza, getting to it by following the narrow paths.  The residential quarters are among the most extensive in the area.  A great first ruin to see here in Belize.

Tourist tree...turns brown and peels.