Monday, September 13, 2010 – Day 06

I was up by 6:30. Greg was supposed to be there at 7:30 but showed up at 8:00. He said that he had been mistaken about the time, so, he left and returned at 9:00. We took the northern highway and drove about 90 miles and by 10:30 were at the lagoon where I would catch the boat. The guides and the captain were there but were still waiting for a group to show up. Within half an hour the group arrived and we boarded the boat and left

The launching point


Spider monkey




There is a community of Menonites in Belize. They are primarily occupied w/ agriculture. Actually, even though they account for less than 5% of the population, they are responsible for more than 30% of the country’s agricultural production.

Menonite encampment along the lagoon




As we sailed along the lagoon the abundance of fauna and flora was obvious. We saw all kinds of animals and birds, including vultures and crocodiles. The guide said that there are no alligators in these waters, only crocodiles. Personally I do not know what the difference is. I asked him and he gave me a dubious explanation. Honestly, I do not think he knew.

The bayous


The lagoon



The captain (Isidor)


Docking at Lamanai


The lagoon


Finally after sailing at high speed for more than one hour we arrived at Lamanai. As I found out, Lamanai can be reached by land as well, but it would take an entire day of driving and the road was in really bad shape. Be that as it may, we docked at the pier and landed.

The pier


It was time for lunch, which had been arranged for by the guides. The place we had lunch was really beautiful and idyllic.


Having satisfied our dietary needs we all felt that we now had the energy to take care of our spirit and following Isidor, our guide, we walked to the site.

The first pyramid at Lamanai


Top of first pyramid








Low gravity field






After the first pyramid we proceeded to visit the royal chambers

Pyramid seen from the royal chambers


The rain God pyramid










Going up the rain God pyramid






View from above


The jungle


The lagoon





We then proceeded to the third pyramid, the croc







View form the top



That was the end of the site and we walked away in the rain. So far it has rained many times but the rains, which can range form drizzling to a downpour do not last for more than 20 mins. And soon after the rain is over, the sky clears up.

Majestic trees


We boarded the boat and headed back
The group




Greg drove me back to the guest house and after leaving my stuff there I took a walk and visited the bus depot. Even though it was earlier than 17:00, once more there were no employees at the teller windows and hence no reliable way to find out what were the departure times for Ladyville (the stop for the airport) on Wednesday. I had to rely on heresay. I asked several people that were waiting for the bus and a couple of drivers. The consensus was that the first bus leaves as early as 6:00 in the morning and that there are buses every half an hour. I walked back the long way, going through the city center and stopped to buy food and also have a beer at the same place




I grabbed the food and walked to the guesthouse. By 22:00 I was sound asleep.