A jump south to Belize

The Myan Ruins of Tikal in Guatemala's has been on our bucket list for a long time so at last.....   After a lot of  discussions it was decided that we would  leave the rigs parked at Yax-Ha RV Park in Calderitus, Mexico and take the Jeep on the trip.  The deciding factor in this decision was that collision insurance is not available in either Belize or Guatemala without paying through the nose for it and waiting a month for some private underwriter in the United Sates to decide if they are willing to write the policy.  This depends on the age of the vehicle the value of the vehicle and the alignment of Venus and Mars.  That decision gave us another change to no native and stay in some more Eco Lodges.  Holiday Inns will never cut it for us again!  Too cookie cutter and civilized.

The border crossing into Belize went very smoothly.  We had to park on one side of the border walk through customs and immigration then  wait for Ron to return to the Jeep and drive it across the border.  So we wait........

Belize roads are in very good shape with very little traffic and very little distractions.  After a hour of driving we   found a road side sign advertising Cashew  Wine ....so we had to check it out.  A good excuse to

 un -fold our legs and have a stretch.  After a small tasting I decided that it was sweet enough to put on pancakes.  All we left with was a bad after taste and this great picture of the vintner.

We are four other than petite people in a  little jeep on a 4-5 day trip through 2 countries. We were  lucky to find space for our p.j.'s and toothbrush so the grocery store was our second stop.  Beer, water and chips.  Sure hope the Lodge has a kitchen.  This gentleman is from Denver, he has run this store for 10 years and loves the life style.

Our first night stop was at the Baboon Sanctuary.  Belize had been a British Colony until the 1980's. You may remember it was known as British Honduras. They British settlers came to log  the forests for Mahogany.  When they first arrived they thought the Howler Monkeys were Baboon's and the name just stuck.

Our thatched cottage was really quite comfortable, we enjoyed the view of the jungle from our porch waiting for the Howlers to appear.

We took a little guided walk into the woods and were rewarded right away with a family of Howlers.

Helen even fed the male of the troop a banana.  While we were at Palenque, parked at the Hotel we had a Troop of Howlers in the trees right next to our RV's.  We never got  a good look at them but we were certainly intimated by their howl, really much more like a roar. It's difficult to describe just how scary the noise is.



Day 2 and we are off to St Ignacio, Belize near the Guatemala Border.

We were to late for lunch at the Eco Lodge and man were we hungry.  A few inquiries  about where to eat led us to the Saturday Market, where we were assured the food was good, sanitary and cheap.  Markets are always fun and colorful, this was no exception.

The produce was so fresh and colorful I wanted to shop.  But alas we are hotel travelers this trip.  No place for produce.

Ron and Skip looked around and just like at home went to the stand with the longest line,  Long lines always mean good food.

These two young women and their mother/mother-in law are Salvadorian, Mennonites.  They had a great deal of fun out of cooking for us.  The dish they are preparing Pupusa is the national dish of San Salvador and Ron's new favorite dish.  We got the recipe and are going to make it for Dave and Jen when they come down in a few days.

More to come. Next post on the lovely Eco Lodge and Tikal.