Belize City, Belize



On Tender to Belize

            On Saturday, 26 Mar 2016, we awoke to our alarm at 6:00 AM, went for a quick breakfast, and met in the Princess Theater at 7:45 AM for our excursion.  We had signed up for an outing that included a visit to the Xunantunich Mayan ruins, marimba music, and lunch.  Since the ship was anchored offshore again, we boarded a local tender which took us ashore.  This local tender was a large transport vessel, much larger and more comfortable than the ship’s tenders, and took about 15 minutes to reach the pier.

Xunantunich Mayan Ruins

We boarded the tour bus at 8:30 AM, with tour guide Caroline and driver Mr. Goff (at least that’s what tour guide called him).  The bus traveled about two hours taking us to the Mopan River Crossing in Belize’s Cayo District, with rolling green lawns, palm trees, plantations, and mountains.  Finally, we exited the tour bus and walked past several open-air shops, selling various items, many handmade, such as purses, dresses, scarves, hand-carved items, etc.  We then boarded a 19th century, hand- pulled ferryboat to cross to the other side of the river where two vans waited to shuttle us to the ruins.  The vans needed to make two trips to get our entire tour group close to the ruins entrance, where restrooms were available.  Even then, there was still an uphill hike to the ruins; however, transportation was available for those unable to make the climb.

The ruins “expert” that was assigned to us at the entrance gave a very long-winded history of the ruins.  Some tired from standing, and most began to suffer somewhat from the heat.  While he talked, we spotted a group of spider monkeys playing in the trees above.  Xunantunich is the Mayan ruins with the most archeological importance in Belize, as it features one of the tallest Mayan structures found in this location and some of the most intricately detailed sculptures.  Built on a mountaintop that overlooks the Mopan River, the ruins offer striking views in a lush setting.  We climbed up a few steps of El Castillo for a photo; however, a little later, Sally climbed almost to the top, which involved her being out of sight for about 20 minutes while Jesse waited anxiously below.  (Sally had told Jesse that she planned to climb a little way up the pyramid, not all the way to the top; therefore, he was afraid that she had fallen off the back of the pyramid!)  El Castillo is the tallest temple at the site, standing 135 feet tall.  From the top of El Castillo, you can see the Guatemalan Peten District, the Maya Mountains, and a sweeping view of the entire Cayo district.

After our tour, we reversed our trip with a walk back to the entrance, van ride to the river, and ferry ride back across the river.  Our tour bus took us to the town of San Ignacio for a traditional Belizean lunch of rice and beans, stewed chicken, coleslaw, and fried plantains, plus bottled water.  We also purchased two of the local Belikan beers, which have been manufactured in Belize for about 50 years.  While enjoying our lunch, we were entertained by a Belizean marimba band.

At 2:55 PM, we boarded the tour bus for our two-hour drive back to the pier.  Although we had enjoyed the adventure, the temperature was definitely uncomfortably hot and humid.  (On the bus, we were given forms that included a question asking what would have made the trip better.  Sally noticed that one person had written, “Make the temperature cooler!”)

The passengers were all concerned because the last tender was scheduled to leave shoreside at 4:00 PM, and there was no way possible for us to make it back before that time.  Anyway, we made it back to the pier and boarded the last tender back to the ship – and the ship was still awaiting our arrival at 5:25 PM.

Since Merrill and Grace had other plans for dinner, we took our time getting ready and went to dinner at 6:25 PM, where we were joined by Mary, from Phoenix, who was traveling alone.  Jesse thought he remembered her from a previous cruise.  We talked a lot about genealogy and travel.  Afterwards, the Princess Quartet was playing in the Wheelhouse Bar, but after listening to a couple of their songs that were not good dancing music, we decided to try the New Deal in the Explorer’s Lounge.  Although the music there was much better for dancing, the band soon went on break, so we decided it was time to go to bed.  Before turning off the lights, we set our clocks forward by one hour.