A whole new world

• Brad-katie's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Orange Walk

Trip Start May 14, 2011 Previous
Entry Trip End Jul 15, 2011 Next
Entry

  Orange Walk, Orange Walk, Belize
Friday, May 20, 2011

May 19:

We woke up on the beach in Tulum, Mexico covered with the fine sand that could still fit through the tent screen. Flagging a taxi at 6:30 a.m. proved to be more difficult than expected out as far as we were, but we eventually made our way to the bus station. A three and a half hour bus ride later and we were at Chetumal, also know as the border town between Mexico and Belize. We found out that the clean and beautiful bus station was not where we needed to take our next bus, so we snagged a taxi and showed up in front of a set of questionable school buses. Flagging down the right bus to head out to Orange Walk, Belize, we boarded a bus that Katie was pretty sure was the bus she took in grade school...no, literally, the exact same bus. Brad had a nice couple displaying public affection behind him for awhile (we proceeded to name them Big Bobo and Kitten), but beyond that the ride was very scenic and beautiful.

We showed up on Orange Walk to find the most bizarre place we have ever been to. There seemed to be more Chinese food restaurants than Belizean, there are German Mennonites here that brew the local beer and the town pretty much shut down after 5 pm. Quite a contrast between here and Cancun, but we are always up for the adventure.

May 20:

After a scorching night of little sleep, we woke up excited for our tour of the Lamanai ruins. Thankfully we met our new friend "Cliff" on our way into town who helped up set up our tour with the best in the business. We got in a small boat with two travelers from Canada and set off down the jungle-lined river. Along the way we caught glimpses of crocodiles, spider monkeys (which climbed into our boat and Katie fed a banana to) and birds of all shapes and sizes. There were even the Jesus Christ birds and lizards, which as you can guess, both appear to walk on water. Once at the sight we had a chance to see ancient Mayan ruins of a city that once boasted a population of over 50,000 and lived well past the fall of other major Mayan cities.

Now we are off to enjoy some of the local cuisine! We'll keep you posted!

Slideshow Share

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Brad on the boat

Jaguar Temple

Previous Entry Next Entry