Chetumal and Belize

February 24, 2009

We stopped at the gateway city of Chetumal for a visit to Belize. Chetumal is practically new for a couple of reasons. First, Chetumal (now over 120,000 people) was only 5,000 fifty years ago. A trade route from the north into the rest of Mexico and another to the south into Belize has caused the city to boom. Another reason Chetumal is so new is that it seems to get blown away by a hurricane every ten to twenty years!

We holed-up for three nights in an RV park entirely of lawn. The park sits on the water and the RVs are only 6 feet from the Caribbean sea. One would think that this is a bit close, but with reefs and barrier islands protecting, and a tide of about six inches it is a perfect place to park. The park has all the facilities one could ask. A concierge desk, an Internet connection (slow) a bar and a restaurant all in palapas in the middle of the park. We enjoyed happy hours next to the water and even had a mini jam-session on the beach. Fun!

A tour of Belize started when we were introduced to a 50 year old school bus converted to tour bus service by a Belizian bus company “Morales”. Student seating isn't much problem for local folk, but gangley, long-legged tourists from the north haven't' a chance of sitting squarely in the space between these seats.

Luckily enough, we had a break midway for a Belizian style border crossing. Everyone exits the bus carrying all their possessions. People at counters are charged with the task of copying -nearly completely- each person's entire passport into the Belizean record book. Then a $30 dollar fee is collected and we are allowed to approach the customs desk. Henry, our guide had already talked with the staff so they were pretty certain we weren't coming to Belize to up-end their way of life. Everyone was waived through and allowed to re-board the now-inspected bus. We're on our merry way.

Our destination in Belize is a small company that does river tours on the New River. (No, it's not new.) We were loaded onto tourist boats that each seated about twenty. The boats are powered by twin 150 HP outboards. They fly!

The river is drainage for about half the country of Belize. The land is flat so the water movement is slow. The channels are classic ox-bow serpentines. Channel widths vary from a few hundred feet to around twenty. At forty MPH the trip is more like a thrill ride than any of us expected.

Our river pilot was a man in his early twenties. He was born on the river and grew up fishing the waters with his dad. He obviously learned a vast amount in a dugout because he was able to impart a vast amount to us during our 30 mile journey. His keen eyes enabled him to spot (at full speed) such things as small, rare birds and fresh-water crocodiles. He showed us amazing plants and described them in ways that gave us all new respect for these unique waters.

As is true on any inland waters one is responsible for one's wake. Our driver is no exception. He would drop the boat speed back to an idle at any point where other boats were present. The only other boats (beside our tour boats) were folks fishing with hand-lines from canoes. A few held up handsome catches of tilapia (an accidental transplant) and cichlids, the native and favorite fish. Our guide seemed to know the fishermen and spoke to them in a language not English or Spanish. They enjoyed a short chat and we were on our way.

Lamanai Ruins

Our destination was reached shortly before noon. We arrived at a Mayan ruin known as Lamanai. Lamanai is in the densest jungle we've seen yet. The top of the canopy towers sixty or more feet above our heads. The shade is so deep that cameras don't want to take pictures without flash.

You might think it a cool, quiet place, but it is neither! Bird song is a constant. The temperature is in the nineties. The humidity is similarly high, and as we walk back from the river there isn't a breath of wind.

The trees are full of howler monkeys. Everything that grows seems to have something that grows upon it as well. Orchids and/or bromilliads occupy every branch of most trees.
The city of Lamanai may be the only Mayan city continuously inhabited from before the time of Christ until well into to 1600's. Many structures are un-restored, and people think there are even more that are undiscovered. A steep pyramid is in good enough shape that people are allowed to climb to its top.

As short as Mayan people are, we all wonder at the height of Mayan steps. They are more than one shin high on the tallest of us tourists; it is surprising that the dimensions aren't more appropriate for the Mayan masses. I guess it's possible that Mayan masses weren't particularly welcome up there!

Pyramids are often over-built. When a building no longer impresses, it can be replaced most quickly and easily by using it as the foundation for the next. This is the case with one of the pyramids here. When a passageway hinted at the old finished surface beneath the structure the newer layer was removed. A massive stucco face is revealed on one side of the pyramid. Heroic heads aren't a Mayan thing. The existence of this mask indicates that the Toltec world bisected this city and left its influence on the art of Lamanai.

Each Mayan city seems to have its own principal god. In the case of Lamanai the Jaguar god is the apparent major protector and provider. The largest temple is homage to the Jaguar God. Lost in antiquity are the finish stucco and the brilliant paint, but the form of the Jaguar still dominates the front of the temple.

The day was waning and we were still 30 miles up-river from our venerable old bus. We boarded our boats once again for a flying trip down river. The bus trip back featured stops at an artisan's shop and a Belizean grocery store. Everyone should at least have the opportunity to import a bottle of Belize's famed rum; “One Barrel”.

The sun set over the Belizean cane fields, we slipped easily through Belizian and Mexican immigration and customs procedures. We were all home and ready to rest by about 7 PM. - A long happy day!