Wonderful day
Unbelizable
is my new word. The local say that their country is unbelizable and we must
return.
It actually
is quite special and we had a very nice and unbelizable day in Belize.
It began by
us discovering that we would be in port with three other Carnival ships. We
were anchored along side Carnival Pride, Carnival Freedom and Carnival
Splendor. It should be a hectic day in port was our first thought but since our
excursion was all day we would not have to contend with much of it.
It was a
cool morning and when the captain announced that it was 65 degrees we were in a
quandary. We knew we would be on the water for a good part of the day and that
would make it seem cooler. They had advised long pants and long sleeves because
of the threat of mosquitos. I had nothing casual with long sleeves and my only
slacks were navy or black which is not good for mosquito country. In the end we
both wore long pants and took our jackets along. Those jackets were reversible
with nylon on one side and fleece on the other,,, not exactly what to wear into
the jungle.
We had room
service breakfast and then headed out. We went to the Library to enter the Wake
Show contest and then on to the Princess Theatre to be tendered with the rest
of those going on this same excursion with us.
Usually
when we are tendering Princess tenders are used but not today. The tenders from
Belize were being used. They were larger and more open and I think they were
faster. When I heard that the ride would be between 18 and 20 minutes I decided
to take a gravol. The tender ride was not bad at all and then we boarded the
boat that would take us up the river. I expected a larger boat and I expected a
slower boat. The first thing they made us do was don life jackets….not a good
sign!??
The boat
just flew through the waters of the Caribbean sea and at times it came down
hard and it made spray come up and we were soaked. But once I realized how
stable it was I exhaled and enjoyed the rest of the trip. It was wonderful. Our
guide Ann was so very capable.
Our first stop was at a manatee reserve at the
mouth of the Wallace River. We sighted many of them. They don’t live right here
but the come there every day to feed on the grasses that grow there. Then we
began our tour up the river. We saw many different birds, monkeys, iguanas and
dolphins. I guess the dolphins like to swim along side of the boat and they
swim in the wake and it is like taking a bath because the fast flowing water
from the engines washes them. We had 2 or three of them jumping and playing
behind us. It was exhilarating to see them. We spent about an hour and a half
exploring the river. While we travelled Ann pointed out animals and homes and
told us a little of the history of Belize.
Our lunch
stop was at a place called The Iguana Stop.
Lunch consisted of rice and red
beans and chicken fried and cooked in a red sauce and a green salad. For me it
was like a step back in time. Every Sunday that was dinner. Ann said it was a
traditional Sunday meal in Belize as well as in Barbados. The only difference
was the lack of hot sauce. I asked and Ann showed us where the hot sauce was if
we had wanted to use it. She told me that Belizeans do not use as much spices
as the other Caribbean islands. There were some vendors here and I was able to
get Ken his hat pin. This is the first time we have been to Belize and we
always collect a pin from a new place
After lunch
we boarded an air conditioned bus and headed for the Mayan Ruins at Altun Ha.
This is a Mayan Ceremonial site. It is believed to be approximately 6 square
miles in size and the excavation is a work in progress. Only a small part of
the work has been done and it will continue as funds become available.
There are
13 structures that surround a 54 foot temple of the sun god. Ann was very knowledgeable
and she told us all about it. Ken climbed the tall temple but I passed.
There
were vendors there as well. Many of their good were very special, not the usual
assortment of trinkets. I bought a lovely mahogany carving of 2 people holding
hands. I really like it.
The day was warm but not too hot. We kept getting high
cloud cover that kept it comfortable. Ann was telling us that she and the other
guides almost froze in the morning because 65 is cold for them. But needless to
say we did not need those jackets. Ken said he heard one mosquito but I did not
hear or see even one. After about an hour and one half of exploring we boarded
our bus and headed back to the pier.
It was
after three when we got back and the last tender was to leave at four. There
was no time to shop or explore and a tender was at the dock loading so we
headed back to the Caribbean Princess. There was nothing that we needed or
wanted to buy anyway.
Sail away
was beautiful. We were alone for dinner again. Those people did not return and
the other couple has never showed up. Rui said he felt sorry for us not having
our friends with us. But Ken and I have always enjoyed each other’s company so
it is not a hard ship.
After
dinner we went to the show in the Princess Theatre. It starred a comedian named
Phil Tag and he was very funny.
Then we
went to the international café for specialty coffee and brandy.
This is the
first time we have done this during this holiday. It was great because while we
were drinking our coffee Tim and the Caribbean Princess Showband was playing
Dixieland Jazz. It was a grand way to end the evening.
We headed
back to our room and when we arrived we found that Ken had been chosen on the
wake show again. I put his name in and twice he has won and I have never won.
The prize is a magnetic clip and since he has won twice he has offered to share….
Tomorrow we
are in Cozumel.
