VIVA LA MEXICO

We started our trip in Tulum, after a short bus ride from Cancun. This is where we stayed for a few nights. It was a nice and quiet place, had a bar with swings and nice matresses on the beach. Needless to say after not recieving sun for 8 months my skin got fairly burned and I spent the second day mostly under shade.



Here are the ruins at Tulum. It was cool to see my first mayan ruins, but it was very hot, there were thousands of dumb american tourists, and I was slightly hungover from the precelebration of Mellissa's birthday the night before. A top of all that the taxi was 30 more peso's to leave the ruin than it was to get there. We made it back for some more beach time and a little bit tamer eveneing of live salsa music for the birthday girl.






After a few days in Tulum it was time to make our way south. The buses in Mexico were nice, and not too expensive. It cost about $20 US to get to Belize from Cancun. An easy border crossing lead to fields and fields of sugar cane. When the sugar cane is ready to be harvested they set the whole field afire. This is to flush out any snakes, asps, rattlers and what not. Then the cane is harvested and sent to the refinery. At the refinery there was the blackest smoke coming out of the smoke towers than I have ever seen. Belize mainly exports its its sugar to the UK, as you may know Belize was formerly known as British Hondurus, and has only been it's own country since 1981. Here is a view of the main downtown of Orangewalk, Belize. Not much goes on here, but I got great Taco's, 3 for $.50 US.

The purpose of staying in Orangewalk was, for us, to take a trip up river to the mayan ruins of Lamana(submerged crocodile). When we got off the bus we were instantly greeted by someone wanting to book us on their tour (not unusual). However, this was unlike Mexico, the man trying to get us on his tour seeemed guinuinly interested in our good fortune. In mexico most who approached wanted money, in one way or another. So he helped us find a hotel even though his hotel was full, and even tried to negotiate the room price for us. A start of a trend?

The trip up the New River to Lamanai was great. It's a 33 mile trip by boat. On the way we saw many birds, crocodiles, iguanas, and monkeys. Some spider monkeys even came to hang out in the boat with us! At the ruins we heard the other species of monkey native to Belize, the howler monkey. These guys usually just hang out slothfully in the trees. At the ruin we hearad all of the sudden, RWOOROWORWO, or something. Mellissa and I both looked at each other like 'was that a Jaguar we just heard.' "No just the howler monkey's" the guide said. I guess most people have a similar reaction! The ruins were nice. There were not so many people, and we could climb to the top of the temples. They have cruise ship tourists here, but they book them on different days than the private guides, and they are not allowed to climb the temples. Belize is very good about protecting its historic sites, as well as its natural ones. Over 40% of Belize is national park.