After Tikal in Guatemala, we headed to Belize for the second week of our vacation. We treated it sort of as our anniversary trip, as we both have wanted to go to Belize because we had heard wonderful things about the country. Being the outdoorsy kind of couple we are, we sort of backpacked across the country. I KNOW, I still don't know how I managed to get all my stuff for two weeks in one bag! Well, I admit, it was a large backpack :)
Here we are crossing the Guatemala/Belize border
Once in Belize, we stayed in San Ignacio. At dinner the first night, our restaurant listed several of the tours offered. We ended up going through Lonely Planet to join in on a cave tour the next morning. This, too, was unplanned (like so many other things during our trip), but it turned out to be amazing, and one of our favorite excursions.
The Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM, for short) Cave Tour was an all-day, challenging trek that included hiking, swimming, climbing, etc. Our guide took us through the archaeological site to see ceremonial pottery and stoneware, artifacts, and the calcified remains in burial chambers dated back over 2,000 years!
We could not believe we were able to do this...in the states these artifacts would be roped off and in glass cases.
The Stone Princess
After this tour, we took a chicken bus (yep) to Belmopan, the country's capital. From there we hopped on another route south to Caves Branch and stayed at a resort-like lodge. The surrounding views were beautiful!
Above: Brett enjoying the view and a book with a cup of coffee on the patio
Below: Our bungalow!
We also hiked over to the Blue Hole National Park, where we took a dip in the crystal clear water, surrounded by the most beautiful flowers and hundreds of birds.
From there, we headed further south to a small community of Hopkins. We had read about it in our Moon guidebook, and I had heard from several people that it was a lovely and romantic town.
Here is Brett trying his hand out at kayaking. It was fun!
We booked a flight to Belize City and onto Caye Caulker (another popular destination). We flew in a four-seater plane (ahhh!), and I was a little terrified to go (the front-seat passenger was a little boy about 8-years-old, and I thought, "If he can do it, so can I!")
Looking back, it was worth every penny (and the detour) to get the aerial view of the Belizean coast.
So the last stop on our tour of Belize was Caye Caulker, a small little island (caye) with a laid-back agenda. We were ready to stay put and do nothing! And that's exactly what we did...
With access to the Caribbean, we decided we couldn't pass up the chance to go snorkeling. We have wanted to take scuba diving lessons and get certified, but we have not had time. Maybe next year!
On a tour that was arranged, we boarded a sailboat with about 20 other people. We went into the water three times. The first was the Coral Gardens, with beautiful coral reefs stretching to the surface of the water. Also, we were able to see Manatees...although they are HUGE, they seemed to be very docile.
The second drop was at the Shark Ray Alley, where, as the name implies, we saw nurse sharks and stingrays. I was a little timid about hanging out with these sea creatures, so reluctant that I even did a back flip (not on purpose, obviously) into the barracks of the sailboat. I would have to say I may not be so inclined to learn to scuba dive after that experience. I think I’ll stick to just checking out the coral.
Also, we visited the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where the coral reef was soooo colorful. We even saw a sea turtle on the way back to the boat. Fun experience for sure!
View from our patio in Caye Caulker
A tropical storm was on it's way, so we left at a good time.
Belize City Marina
After all these water and land exercises (for two weeks at that), we were ready to get home…that’s when they say you know you had a great vacation, right?!
We rested by the pool, ate well, and watched (although we really wanted to learn) surfers in Newport, Laguna, and Huntington beaches.
