Lena and I just returned from Belize, where we spent our long-awaited fall vacation. Able to take a week and a half away from work, we were just looking for a lazy, relaxing time on the beach. Belize was perfect for this, and we found ourselves at the Coral Bay Villas in Ambergris Caye.
Though it rained for the first few days, and on and off the rest, we didn't really mind much. We relished the opportunity to lie on the couch and read and sleep without any responsibilities. There was enough sun for us to spend two days snorkelling, and for me to get in one day of diving, at the world-famous Blue Hole.
We arrived to Ambergris Caye on an 8-seater Cessna that landed at a little airstrip on the island after a 15-minute flight from Belize International Airport.
The roads in San Pedro - Ambergris's town - are mostly unpaved, and as it was the rainy season, this meant the roads were just long tracks of soppy mud, over which it took about 15 minutes to go the half mile to our hotel.
Once we got there, we were very impressed by the room - a one-bedroom condo with a full kitchen and a balcony overlooking the beach, where we ate breakfast each day.
We also spent time exploring the beach and lounging around doing not much of anything.
The reef just off the shore is one of the longest barrier reefs in the world, and home to all kinds of interesting fish and marine life, including sharks and rays - non-agressive - with whom you can swim. When we parked near the reef for our second day of snorkelling, sharks and rays surrounded the boat. Check out this video we took right off the side of the boat.
These dogs also enjoyed Belize's laid-back atmosphere.
After our week at Ambergris, we headed back to the mainland to visit Lamanai, one of the oldest Mayan sites in Central America. The trip started out with a 2-hour bus ride to the town of Orange Walk, then an hour boat ride down the New River, to the park where the ruins stand. Lamanai thrived about 1500 years ago, and has only recently been excavated. It's not on the scale of some of the other Mayan sites like Tikal or Copan, but it is still quite impressive.
The tour included a climb up the main temple, from where there was a spectacular view over the treetops.
Looking down from the temple top.
We returned to Belize City for our final day and a half, and took a day trip to the Belize Zoo, which is actually one of the better zoos I've been to. The animals are in large, natural enclosures and seem content and well-cared-for. Some of them even take small breaks outside their cages. We came across a grey fox that was just walking around the grounds. Then there was this guy that was perched on a railing outside its area. We were a bit freaked out and notified a caretaker. He said not to worry - sometimes they just come out to walk around, but that it'll go back. Sure enough, the animal watched us for a few minutes, then apparently got hungry, jumped onto the fence, climbed up, and then jumped onto a tree inside the enclosure.
We met this girl on the bus on the way to the zoo.
Didn't know what a Tapir was until we came to the zoo. Very cute animal, called a 'mountain cow' in Belize. Looks like a cross between a horse and a pig, with an elephant trunk stub for a nose.
Also saw a crocodile.
And a very colorful toucan.
And then it was home again.
Be sure to check out the Belize photo album, to the left, or here.
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