Zip Lining

One of the things we did on our trip to the mainland with Wayne and Carol Flora was to go zip lining.  Gail and I have been zip lining before but, this was way better—it was higher, longer, and faster.

First we all had to get our gear attached.

Then we had to make the trek up to the first of ten platforms.

The ten platforms provided access to seven different zip lines.  The longest was 700 feet. 

Here are Wayne, Carol and Gail having just taken off from one of the platforms.  (If you click on the pictures they will enlarge.)

Here are Carol and Gail as they approach the next tower.

We had two guides—one was a "pusher" and the other a "catcher".  They were very safety conscience and each piece of equipment we were using was tested to hold the weight of at least twenty of us at a time.  Here you can see how the cables and pulleys were duplicated.  

If you look real close at these pictures you can see that this was a really exciting and fun time.  At the end of the day we were ready for the long ride home.

Mayan Ruins

Yesterday Wayne and Carol Flora treated us to a trip to the mainland. 

A taxi van picked us up at 6:15am and took us to the Water Taxi that departed at 7:00am for Caye Caulker and on to Belize City.    The first thing on our agenda was a trip to Altun Ha, one of the many sites of Mayan ruins. 

The road to the ruins was pretty good as we left Belize City.  However, once we turned towards the ruins the road became one lane.  Although it was paved, there were so many pot holes that we drove off the road almost as much as on the road.  When you met another car, both had to go into the ditch to make room for each other.

The ruins are located in the middle of the jungle.

Altun Ha is a place where the Mayans made sacrifices to their gods.  Whenever it rained too much, or the crops were bad, or there was sickness, etc, the Mayans believed the gods were upset with them.   They believed the only way to appease the gods was to offer a human sacrifice.  There is a big temple where they would take the person to be sacrificed (usually a young virgin girl).

They would gather in this large field

On these stone bleachers.

The leaders and high priests would take the young virgin to the top of the temple where there was a round stone sacrificial platform.

(I guess Gail felt safe here since she is not fifteen years old anymore.)

This was not just the killing of a human sacrifice.  They would take out the heart and offer it to the gods.  Apparently the young girl felt she would be honored in the after life if she was the chosen one.

It is almost impossible to imagine the mentality and extreme circumstances of the Mayan people that would have led them to offering a human heart to a god.

Great experience!

Chicken Drop—Once Again

Thursday night—once again time for the Chicken Drop.  Gail and I rounded up our friends Wayne and Carol Flora from Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Tom and Robin Sparkes from Calgary, Canada, and headed into town to the beach.   The crowd had already gathered.  The excitement in the air was fueled by the vibrating Reggae music.

The local business people were creating their products

And marketing their wares

We quickly went in and drew our numbers.  They were good numbers in great locations.  We were excited.

Robin was chosen to be the official “Dropper” for one of the drops.  She was a little timid about holding the chicken at first.

But, she gently, oh so gently, twirled the chicken round and round and up and down.

And blew up its tail feathers.

She then placed the chicken softly on number 92—her number.  The chicken, however, immediately moved to the other side of the arena.  Robin tried in vain to get the chicken to come back.

It dropped!  In an area totally foreign to every number we held tightly in our hands.  Over and over the chickens found the most remote area of the board to drop.  It wasn’t our night.

Since the big money had once again avoided us, we decided to take a group picture by which to remember the evening.

We unlocked our bicycles and began the silent ride home in the dark.  We were careful of the swirling golf carts, the pedestrians walking stealthily in the dark, and the other bicyclists—any one of whom could have been BUI-ing (Bicycling Under the Influence).

We returned home safely but disappointed.  The challenge of the chicken drop was engrained in our psyches.  We knew we would go back.  We would master the chicken drop.  We would bring that chicken drop to its knees. 

CHICKEN DROP-YOU’RE GOIN DOWN!

Restaurants

Gail and I have been able to eat at a lot of wonderful restaurants.  Many of these are in the beach area and directed toward the tourist traffic.  They are somewhat pricey, have extensive menus, and great ambiance. 

However, you can also find a lot of local restaurants where there is wonderful food at much more reasonable prices.  You don’t get the same atmosphere at these places but you have some really good food.  I posted one blog about Neri’s where you get the pork tacos on Sunday morning.    However, when you see something like Esperanzi’s Deli, you have to wonder a little before you stop.

Some places don’t have big signs with their name but they want you to know right up front that they have good food. 
They want you to know what is on the menu because they probably serve a specialty--like Conch Fritters.

Some are mobile.

 

You will not find any of the American fast food restaurants, or any other kind of American restaurant for that matter, anywhere in the entire country of Belize.  They do have their own fast food restaurants though.

Some have certain specialties.

These restaurants are small and, if there is seating, it is almost always outside.

Some buildings are multi-purpose.  This structure has two restaurants, a fitness center and upstairs living quarters.

It is wonderful to have such a variety of good local food.  It takes a little extra riding on your bicycles to find these restaurants some times but we have always found them to be good.  Not always do we know what we are ordering or ultimately what we are eating.  We have never had a problem, however, and continue to discover and enjoy the local foods, traditions, and people.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling

We have our good friends Wayne and Carol Flora from Arkansas visiting for a couple weeks.  We took them  snorkeling with some other folks from the complex the other day.  (It is not possible to take many pictures since we do not have a camera that works in the water so this entry will be somewhat limited.)

We went to a place called Hol Chan which is a Belize National Reserve.  You pay the guide $30US to take you out to the reserve.  You then pay the park an additional $10US to snorkel or dive there.  The rangers are in boats waiting to welcome you to the site.

Our guide was amazing.  He has been diving professionally since he was twelve years old.  He knew the names of all of the fish as well as their habits and how they change colors and characteristics to protect themselves. 

We saw hundreds of different species of fish as well as a lot of conch.

We threw chum in the water to attract the sharks.

These sharks are familiar with people being in the water and are friendly.  All of us got to hold a shark in our arms.  The one that I was holding was about ten feet long.  All of a sudden he decided he wanted to be some place else.  He rolled over 360 degrees and flipped his tail--he was off and swimming away.  There was no way I could hold on to him.  He was way too strong.

We also got to swim with, hold, and pet the rays.  These are what they call “Southern” rays and apparently not dangerous—hopefully.

It was a real "WOW" day with hundreds of species of fish, beautiful coral, and playing with the sharks and rays.

Saturday Evening

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One of the things we like to do is go down to the square on Saturday evenings.  There is not always a lot going on but you can usually come up with something.  There is always local food there that is really good and not expensive.

These two ladies will cook you just about anything but I particularly like their bacon wrapped hot dogs.

There is usually some music going on as well.  Most of it has a Reggae sound to it.

Many of the bars and restaurants have music also.  We were at Fido’s Restaurant the other night for a guy by the name of Kelly McGuire.  He is a Jimmy Buffet Wannabe and writes and composes his music in that style.  He travels a lot with his music and is not here very often.  When he does come people love to go see him.  We enjoyed his concert and bought one of his cds.

Overall, Saturday nights on the square are usually a good time.