August 24- On the Road Again (to Belize)

Our last overland trip would be to the last country on our Central American itinerary; Belize. First we stopped nearby Tikal to visit another Maya ruin named Yaxha. The television show Survivor: Guatemala was filmed here. They closed the park for 3 months for the filming. Yaxha has a number of smaller, but impressive pyramids, many used for astrological purposes of equinoxes, solstices, and calendar planning. In 557AD, enemies came through and ruined much of the town. More evidence of thatch structures were found here, in conjunction with the pyramids. It has an unusual ball court with no hoops and barely slanting sides.

Upon leaving Yaxha, we headed for Belize. The border crossing was much quicker, but we did have to leave the bus and walk across the border. Just past the border, we passed Xunantunich ruins that Kathy and I visited this summer on a shore excursion with our cruise. The countryside of northern Belize is much different from most of Guatemala-very flat and some areas swampy. This is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. We also left the modern Mayan culture behind.

When we arrived in Belize City, we had a local guide who gave us much information about the country. Belize was former called British Honduras. It is only 184 miles N-S and 69 miles E-W, with the smallest population in C.A. It has been an independent country since 1981, but Guatemala is still trying to annex it back. It also includes 200 islands, and the largest barrier reef in the Americas. Pirates came here first, but the Spanish ignored it, calling it The Mosquito Coast. There is a large Creole population, as well as Garifuna (black natives). The country prides itself on being multiethnic, multicultural, and multilinguistic. Belize City is below sea level. There are only 11 stop lights in the entire country. The local wildlife includes iguanas (called bamboo chicken for its taste), agouti (or gibnut, or Royal Rat, since it was served to Queen Elizabeth), and the coatimundi. The are no venomous snakes. We stayed at the BW Belize Biltmore Plaza, which was a mediocre motel along the highway.