Belize & Guatemala Dave's Version

Our departing flight from San Francisco left at 6 AM. We decided to stay up through the night rather than set the alarm for 3 AM. The plan seemed pretty good until about 2:30 AM when we both started to struggle to stay awake. Then our cab which was scheduled to pick us up at 4 AM didn't show up. After three phone calls and 40 minutes it didn't look like our vacation was getting off to a good start. Things picked up quickly though. A cab showed up a few minutes later and we got to the airport in plenty of time. We boarded the plane and both fell asleep before it taxied from the gate which made the leg from San Francisco to Dallas pass in no time. The flight from Dallas to Belize City passed much the same way and we landed in Belize before we knew it.

After a 20 minute cab ride from the airport we were at the water taxi station on Haulover Creek at the mouth of Belize Harbor. Interestingly the water taxi station is only a stone's throw from the America's only remaining manually operated swing bridge. Twice a day local traffic in Belize City comes to a halt while three men crank the bridge open and then closed. Sadly we did not get a chance to view this spectacle in person.

After a 40 minute ride aboard a small ferry we arrived at Caye Caulker which is a small island 20 miles north of Belize City that lies a few hundred yards west of the the world's second largest barrier reef. The island is about 4 miles long by 650 yards wide at the widest point and has a year round population of 800 residents. Everything about the island is geared towards tourists and specifically snorkeling, diving and fishing. There are no fewer than a dozen outfitters on the island that will take you snorkeling, fishing or diving for the right price. Despite catering to tourists Caye Caulker does not have any large scale resorts so it's a pleasant laid back place with nowhere near the obnoxious built up feel of Koh Samui in Thailand or Cancun to the north.

After settling into our room we checked out the island and got the first of many fresh seafood meals. Not surprisingly the local beer and rum drinks complimented the snapper and lobster fantastically.

Our first day on the island we slept in and laid low. After a late breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, eggs and strong coffee we went out to the pier in front of our guest house and took our first dip into the Carribean. Despite it's tropical setting, Caye Caulker does not have natural beaches. After our swim we walked into town to sign up for snorkeling trip on the following day.

The day of snorkeling was fantastic! The following morning we headed out with a guide and eight other vacationers to Hol Chan Marine Park which is a reef nature reserve two miles northeast of Caye Caulker. On the way out to the reserve we stopped to jump in the ocean and snorkel with a three foot diameter lager head sea turtle. Hopefully the pictures we took with the underwater camera come out well. On subsequent stops we saw numerous fish and other marine life including manatees, nurse sharks, rays, two varieties of lobster, moray eels, groupers, snappers, baracuda, tarpon and dozens of varieties of other brightly colored fish.

By the third day on Caye Caulker we realized that unless you are a hard core diver, snorkeler or fisher three days is about all anyone would want to spend on the island. We decided to book a trip inland for a day of intertubing through an underground cave system. Floating through a pitch dark cave is pretty good way to spend a hot afternoon.

Next we were off to Guatemala and Francis Ford Coppola's La Lancha resort. It was long hot bus ride from Belize City to El Remate, Guatemala but well worth it at the end. Guatemala is a beautiful country with lush rolling hills and colorful people. La Lancha is beatifully landscaped and perfectly situated on a hillside overlooking Lago Petan Itza. We spent the afternoon swimming in and canoeing on the lake watching birds and listening to the howler monkees.

The next day we were off to Tikal which is a spectacular Mayan ruin that supported a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants at it's heyday. Only a small portion of the 40,000 or so structures on the site have been excavated. We were on the move for the whole day and saw numerous temples, pyramids and dwellings but still only saw a small portion of the site. We also saw a good deal of wildlife including a crocodile, spider monkees, and a fox.

The following day we headed back into the western jungle in Belize where we spent two nights in a tree house in the forest. On the second to last day of our vacation we visited Caracol which was similar in size to Tikal. Caracol lacked the spectacularly tall temples present at Tikal but was an even larger site that supported a larger population. On the way back to our guest house the tour we were on stopped at Big Rock Falls pictured at the top of this posting where Angie and I swam in the pools around and below the falls.

Although we were sad to leave Belize and Guatemala we have lots of pictures to help keep the memories alive. We'll send them out soon!