More Ruins (Tikal this time)

Yep, couldn't resist my weekly dose of ancient Mayan ruins. Tikal though, is completely amazing. It might have helped that we finally gave up on guide book interpretation, and hired a professional guide...but it definitely made more of an impression on me than any of the other ruins I visited.

I've found it quite difficult to picture what life might have actually been like when these places were really at the peak of their power. Having a guide really made a difference. He was so passionate about the history of the place that it really started to come alive for us.

Again, the pictures don't really do it justice (especially as it was pouring with rain for most of the day), but here are a couple of snaps:

Mennonites

As it turns out, there is a large population of German-speaking Mennonites in Belize....As I was a bit hazy on the exactitudes of the Mennonite culture, I had to look them up on good ole Wikipedia:

The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496–1561), though his writings articulated, and thereby, formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders. The teachings of the Mennonites were founded on both the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, which they held to with great conviction despite generational persecution by the Catholic church state. Rather than fight, the majority survived by fleeing to neighboring "states" where ruling families were tolerant of their radical belief in adult baptism. Over the years, Mennonites have become known as one of the historic peace churches given their commitment to nonviolence, nonviolent resistance/reconciliation, and pacifism.

There are about 1.5 million Mennonites worldwide as of 2006.^[1] Mennonite congregations worldwide embody the full scope of Mennonite practice from old fashioned 'plain' people to those who are indistinguishable in dress and appearance from the general population. The largest populations of Mennonites are in the United States and Democratic Republic of Congo, but Mennonites can also be found in tight-knit communities in at least 51 countries on six continents or scattered amongst the populace of those countries. There are also a significant number of Mennonites scattered throughout China. There are German Mennonite colonies in Mexico, Paraguay,^[2] Bolivia,^[3] Belize, Brazil and Argentina.

We ended up staying on one of the largest Mennonite communities at a place called Barton's Creek Outpost, owned by an American family. It's pretty back to basics: leaky tents (you sleep on the verandah if it rains), no showers (wash in the river) and a massive trek to get there (more than an hour on bumpy roads, only passable by 4x4, or apparently, Mennonite wooden wagons).

It was really lovely though, rope swings into the water, long walks, gorgeous scenery. It was also interesting to meet some of the Mennonites. On first appearance, they are a cross between extras from The Village, and scary characters from Children of the Corn. But they are uber-friendly, and one of the most industrious (and wealthy) communities in Belize. If you want nice bread, a decently built house, or amazing fruits and vegetables in Belize, it's likely that Your Man is a Mennonite.

I've attached some photos below to illustrate (think this blog post could go on for some time otherwise, we really did have a very good time!)

Jimmy & Derek taking a shower:


The Mennonites don't really like pictures being taken in their communities...but if you look really closely at this one, you can just about see a distant wagon:


Relegated to the verandah after a rainstorm:


The journey back to town (as you can see, washing my hair in a river and then sitting in the back of a pick-up truck does not agree with my hair!)

Caye Caulker Christmas....weird

It's just strange having Christmas decorations up when it's sunny. It's also very confusing to hear Christmas Carols when everything else around you says Summer!

Island Life

Spent a few days on Caye Caulker, where life goes on at a pace much slower than the rest of the world (there are some herbal reasons for this). Within 24 hours, it's possible to have met, and become friends with, most people on the island.

On the first night, Derek & I bumped into a couple (Rachel & James) who had also shared the delights of the Seaside Guesthouse....as good a basis as any for the formation of unbreakable bonds!!

The main activities on Caye Caulker are snorkelling, hanging out in hammocks, eating Lobster (the cheapest thing to eat in Belize!) and drinking happy-hour cocktails containing negligable amounts of Rum.

Apres snorkelling:



We swam with manta rays, eels, sharks(!), and trillions of fish. Apparently the sharks are not man-eating, but I've seen Jaws, I don't trust them an inch!!

More, land-based apres snorkelling:



The generally chilled lifestyle on Caye Caulker:

Belize City - A bit like Marmite

I really liked Belize City. I was pretty nervous on the way there as i'd been told (by just about everyone i'd met) that I would likely be attacked and killed within 5 minutes of getting off the bus. The main piece of advice i'd been given was to NOT under ANY circumstances arrive at night.

Unfortunately, due to a lengthy and confusing border crossing, we were heading into the city in the pitch black, listening to a (really loud) CD where the majority of the song lyrics seemed to be 'Be-atch' or 'Ho'.

Belize City does look dodgy too. It reminded me a bit of Shaun of the Dead, with lots of people staggering around aimlessly, sometimes dragging one foot. The buildings are mostly falling down or derelict, and the roads are just dust.

But as it turned out, the Belizean people are the friendliest, most helpful you're likely to come across. They even have a public service announcement on the radio reminding locals to 'be kind to tourists'!

One of the best things about Belize City for me was the guesthouse we stayed in. The other people i was with HATED it. Derek was so disgusted by the pillow, he refused to sleep on it before wrapping it with 2 sheets and a towel, and the bathroom was definitely a hover situation. But any place that insists on reading the tarot cards and aura of prospective guests before check in, gets the thumbs up from me!!

This is a picture of the Seaside Guesthouse in Belize City:

Tulum Beach & Brits Abroad

When the weather is bad at the beach, you can pretty much guarantee that every person still toughing it out in their swimming togs is British. It can be raining cats & dogs, and there can be gale force winds, but ´Us Brits´ will still be flat out on the sand trying to top up our tans.

This is what the beach looked like when me and Derek were still determined to lie there shivering...




Obviously, there's only so much a girl can take before a beer is necessary....though this picture is mainly about the bar swings. All good fun Before Cocktails, not so good After Drinking.

Welcome to the Jungle

After our visit to the ruins, Derek, Julie & I decided to stay overnight in El Panchan, a camp just outside the Palenque site. It's basically a few straggly groups of cabins that have been grown over slightly by jungle.

It's a really nice place to hang out, but evidently we are still in Uptight Londoner mode, as after about 12 hours of lazing around we were keen to find some kind of leisure facilities or activities to undertake.

Having heard a rumour that there was a pool somewhere in the jungle, we set off on a mission to locate swimming opportunities. We spent a good couple of hours wandering around in circles before coming across a small, slightly derelict, bowl filled with leaves.



At least after that, we could concentrate on discussing beading techniques with stoned hippies and drinking warm beer in the caff.

Palenque

I´m constantly in awe of archeologists and historians who spend years and YEARS investigating a particular ruin. Not only a particular ruin, there are people dedicating there entire careers to analysing one building within a complex. I feel a little disappointed that i seem to find it difficult to focus my attention on Mayan ruins for more than about 3 hours.

The information at the sites isn't great, so i'm constantly rummaging through my guide book, or struggling to interpret the site ´map´to work out what the hell i'm looking at. We spent about 20 minutes at Palenque unsuccessfully trying to find a carving of a skull that was supposed to be on the side of one of the temples.

Palenque is really beautiful though. Only 5% of the ruins have been excavated, which is amazing given how much has been uncovered. I actually prefer the ruins that are still ´lost´in jungle. Many of the buildings were designed to reflect features of the landscape, and when they're covered in weeds, trees and flowers, it really does feel like they simply grew out of the ground.

I'll put up a picture, but it's pretty rubbish in comparison to the real thing.

Julie & Derek perusing the guide book:



The ruins:

Waterfalls

Ok, so not much to say other than 'I went to see some waterfalls'. But the water was so pretty and blue, i thought I'd put a picture up. There was one of me going for a swim, but the internet seems to object to pictures of me in a bikini and is refusing to upload anything else....obviously my tan still needs work.

Bad Camper

It was sooo cold in San Cristobal. I had to go to bed wearing all my clothes, a silk liner, a 3 season sleeping bag and a blanket. The upside of this was an excuse for Adentures with Fire!

An initial burst of enthusiasm from me led to a pretty pathetic fire, using the front cover of OK magazine and some toilet paper to light some large logs. After a respectable period of time, Dominic stepped into make the 'fire' into an actual fire.

Ah....going to bed with a log fire burning....very cosy!!