TravelStream™ news feed for member nate-n-amy on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/nate-n-amy en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:27:15 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225686600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225686600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225686600/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:27:15 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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Federal Way, Washington, United States

Home sweet home!
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Dallas, Texas, United States

Snore!
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Belize City, Belize

Spent the morning in the spa before our trip. Great way to start the morning before a long flight. we planned to visit the Belize zoo but had no idea what we were in for in relation to all the rain the country had experienced. Roads were terribly flooded and we ended up taking the backway through Old Belize since the main freeway was under water.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1224972000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1224972000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1224972000/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:13:06 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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San Ignacio, Belize

The drive from the airport in Belize City to Chaa Creek Lodge, near San Ignacio, is only about 60 miles. Neverthelesss, after our experience driving our Nicaragua in '07, we were not too surprised that it took almost three hours!

The heat and humidity were stifling at first, but we were very fortunate to have barely missed their worst flooding in 40 years. Water over the roads also contributed to the duration of the drive.

Miguel reported that the mosquitoes were actually not too bad, which was music to Nathan's ears! Unfortunately, that was only part of the story, as a plague of tiny black flies seemed to be everywhere we went. They seemed relatively harmless at first, since their bite was usually painless and only evidenced by a tiny dab of blood. The itching set in 24 hours later, however, and Nathan spent the rest of the trip covered from neck to toe and drenched in bug spray. By that time, we'd both gotten a number of bites on our arms and legs, and we saw a number of other people at the lodge who'd gotten it even worse than we had.

The lodge itself was lovely and well-kept, about as close as one can get to actually living in the jungle without foregoing the pleasures of civilization. The rooms stayed relatively bug-free considering that the doors weren't exactly air-tight, although we suspect the linens (or at least the comforters) were treated with pesticide. The food was excellent, athough the dinner menu was quite expensive. Dinner choices were different almost every night, but somewhat limited.

The lodge offers a number of local activities as well as guided excursions around the countryside and beyond. We decided to acclimate for a day before heading for Caracol, one of Belize's best-known Mayan ruin sites. www.chaacreek.com.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1224930600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1224930600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1224930600/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:12:41 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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Federal Way, Washington, United States

Our departure day was just about as smooth as silk. Our flights from Seattle and then Dallas both left a little late but arrived early. We somehow ended up at the end of the slowest line going through Immigration in Belize, but it still only took just long enough for our bags to come out on the conveyor belt. Plus, we had remembered to bring our anti-malarials, unlike a last-minute traveler Amy talked to on the plane. "Uh...malaria?" Our advice to him: drink lots of gin!
Going through Customs was a breeze, and soon we were greeted for the first (but not the last) time by Miguel, the guide dispatched by Chaa Creek Lodge to ferry us to our temporary home-away-from-home. He proved to be one of our favorite things about Belize! We started out by speaking a little bit of Spanish to him, but we soon learned that Spanish was actually his fourth language, behind English, Kriol, and his family's ancestral Mayan dialect.

Belize has only been independent from British rule since 1981 (read here for lots more info). English is still an official national language and taught in schools, but the locals most commonly speak to each other in Kriol, which sounds a lot like a bastardized, pidgin version of English and can be pretty humorous. Spanish is also common, but nearly everyone we spoke Spanish to responded in English.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1249588484/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1249588484/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1249588484/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:11:16 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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Federal Way, Washington, United States

Very warm and muggy morning, but the river had lowered enough for us to canoe into town for lunch. Lots of iguanas and birds and quiet, slow paddling. San Ignacio was really hot, so did a little shopping and then headed for lunch and back to camp by van.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1230229500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1230229500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1230229500/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:55:34 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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Barton Creek, Belize

We started our day out with a great horseback ride through the property. Our guide showed us rubber trees, pools, and the organic garden which had been in place long before the property was discovered in the 70s. The property was pretty wet but we got a chance to run the horses a little bit (sometimes by surprise) and to mark off a couple new bird species we hadn't seen yet.

After lunch, we opted for the canoe trip to Barton Creek Cave, which would take us through one of the more remote Mennonite communities in the area.To our surprise, Miguel showed up as our guide and off we went with our favorite guide! He procured the Land Cruiser today, as we were going to be expected to cross a couple pretty flooded creeks and lots of wet, muddy land. The drive through the Mennonite community was serene, enclosed on all sides by citrus trees and farmland. We only saw two houses but came across a group of farmers in their buggies. The desire to take a picture was overwhelming but obviously we respected their traditions and beliefs. It is an amazing site though with the little black buggies pulled by strapping, huge horses with everyone inside dressed alike in their overalls and straw hats.

Our little bit of excitement was the creek crossing. Snorkel engaged on the Cruiser.

The entrance to the caves was from a bar in the backwoods! A neat little place with a few people hanging there - from the 70s. Miguel brought our canoe around, loaded up the big spotlight we would need and put its battery under Amy's wet seat. Ahem!!

Amy in front, Nathan in the middle and Miguel paddling in back. The river that leads to the entrance is beautiful with its high cliffs, hanging trees and ultra clear smooth water. We glided quietly into the cave entrance and entered the darkness. On with the spotlight. The dank smell was cool and you could hear the dripping water in the cave along with the 'swoosh' of bats. Miguel recounted the area and the cave's history, pointing out neat rock formations, shards of pottery and skulls high up in the interior of the cave. The water was notably high so we had limitations on how far back we could go but we sailed through quite a while, eventually ducking low in the canoe so we could pass under some formations to the other side. Eventually turning around, we made our way out. During the last several minutes, Miguel had us turn off our spotlight and just quietly drift out the entrance. Spectacular!


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225648800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225648800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225648800/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:54:45 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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Hattieville, Belize

On our way to the airport, we opted to swing by the Belize Zoo. We stopped for a wonderful lunch first and then headed into the zoo, which has a wonderful back story.
The zoo and tropical education center was started in 1983, as a last ditch effort to provide a home for a collection of wild animals which had been used in making documentary films bout tropical forests. Learn more here - www.belizezoo.org

We didn't have a lot of time, but it was well worth the effort.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225378800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225378800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225378800/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:32:31 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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Yaxha, Guatemala

There was a site on the return trip called Yaxha that Miguel hadn't been to yet. We decided we would make a side trip, let him scout the area, and we would be his guinea pigs. The road to the ruins was quite long, a couple gates to pass through and some really muddy spots, but it was yet another impressive complex with lower structures- more cleared out and accessible.....including the temple we climbed to the top of. We could see for miles and miles from the perch. Amy clung to the center areas as Miguel just jaunted his way around the whole upper portion. pointing out monkeys, leaning over the edge, and chatting up the guard who admitted he had the best job in the park. Nathan ran around taking pictures. We were thrilled to explore this new spot with Miguel. Don't walk under the howler monkeys.

Drive home was somewhat quiet, a couple stops for a refreshment, a little souveniring, and some good coffee.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225292400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225292400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nate-n-amy/8/1225292400/tpod.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:36:51 -0400 Amy and Nathan's 2008 Belize Trip

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Tikal National Park, Guatemala

We were both very much anticipating this little jaunt across the border, but Amy more than Nathan; she had been here 1992 and was anxious to see how it had changed. Little did she know.

The trip was enjoyably fun and memorabl. Miguel loaded us into the good minivan early in the morning and off we went. Arriving at the border, Miguel seemed to become somewhat nervous; noting that Belizeans have a mixed history with Guatemalans.We had to pick up a Guatemalan escort, as Miguel was not allowed to do guide in Tikal. The drive was bumpy but fun with our new guide, Elias, sharing some great Guatemalan history and making jokes with Miguel.

As we entered the park, Amy didn't recognize the huge road. Having stayed at the Jaguar Inn in '92 and having arrived in the middle of the night via a great deal of speed and fervor by their driver, not much looked familiar during the day. Even less so once we arrived in the park. So many people. We checked in at the lodge, left our stuff in the van and off we went. Eli took us through the seemingly non-traditional path of walking through the trees and jungle to reach our destinations. It was great to be on the trail with just the 4 of us, we could hear people but not see them.

We started our tour sort of backwards, ending with the huge Jaguar temple complex at the end. So, many newly uncovered ruins, it was exciting to know the work continued. In 1992, Amy and her friends were the only ones in the lodge for their stay. No electricity, phenomenal food and a pool. Entering the park pre-dawn, the guards just let them walk through being more interested in their boardgame. They had the entire place to themselves for the whole day back then; climbing structures still mostly covered with time and grass and rubble and scorpions. It's hard to say it was quiet with the din of noise from bugs, monkeys, birds and other animals, some heard but not seen. But, there were no other people around. We are hard pressed to imagine a time like that now as we walk through the ruins with concession stands, bathrooms, and hoards of tourists everywhere. Amy is thankful she saw it in what she refers to as its glory and long before the popularity.

Our tour through the structures was long and filled with amazing amounts of history from Elias - true or otherwise, we didn't know. He left us at the spot where we were to have lunch with Miguel. The food was really good but the people feeding the buzzards was not. We finished up and left to go back to the lodge.

After getting settled at the lodge, Miguel sat with us for a bit while he waited for a friend and guide to give him a ride to his hotel for the night. Not staying with us? No, but he would have a beer on the front deck. Probably one of the funner parts of the day was listening to him talk about his family, what they did for fun and drinking a couple beers with us - accusing Amy of getting him drunk. Hah, never!

We sat and witnessed endless hummingbirds frequent the grounds, watched staff buzz about and listened to the languages of guests coming and going. Miguel departed and we went back to our room to clean up, relax and just hang out to wait for dinner. Our room was very pretty on the outside, inside not so much. Suitable but sparse in its comfort and water departing from the shower. Holes in the netting that surrounded the bed and we somewhat questioned sleeping in the beds...oh well.

Dinner was quite deplorable. It crossed our mind that doing the day trip would probably have been better but after getting back to Chaa Creek and hearing the day trippers talk, we were glad we hadn't done that...we were far more relaxed and had seen quite a bit more. Most notably, was the return trip in the morning.




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