Here is the description from the Carnival Caper of the excursion we took in Belize, with my comments afterwards. We had a wonderful day.
Altun Ha Mayan Site/River Wallace tour. (All day.)
"A double treat awaits you in the Belize district. First, you will enjoy an open riverboat trip along the coast before entering the Belize River, called Rio Wallace by the Spaniards during the Conquistador rule of the New World. Besides the abundance of bird life, the river is home to crocodiles, manatee and even dolphin. After your river exploration, it is time to board a motor coach and head for the Mayan Ceremonial Center of Altun Ha. It was within the main temple of the masonry altars where the famous jade head of the sun god Kinich Ahau was found during an expedition led by Professor David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum. The site, which is set in pristine rainforest, has two plazas and thirteen structures within its epicenter and was a vital trade center during the classic period (250-900 AD).
Note: A delicious lunch will be served at a small local restaurant. Your river trip is approximately 1-1/4 hours, and since the boats are uncovered, a hat and sunscreen is recommended. Restrooms are available at the site and the restaurant. A 45-minute motor coach transfer returns you to the tender dock. This tour may operate in reverse depending on participation. This tour is not wheelchair accessible."
We really enjoyed this excursion A LOT! The same type of river tour is available in Costa Rica, and I've always wanted to go, but every time we're there, there are kids, and grandkids, and business to do, and banking, and maintenance on the house.......Well, you get the idea. So I got Jose to try it in Belize, and we really enjoyed it. The river trip was awesome. We saw lots of wildlife and we had a great guide and pilot. They knew just where to look for all the birds and animals. We saw many different types of birds, including several varieties of herons and cranes. We saw howler monkeys, crocodiles, lizards, parrots, manatees and I can't remember what all else.
The food at the little riverside restaurant was fabulous. They served the typical "Rice & Beans", a dish which contains (surprise, surprise!) rice and black beans. They scrape the meat of the coconut and then squeeze it, using the liquid which is squeezed out for flavoring the rice. It's REALLY GOOD! They make this same dish on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Then there was a central american style potato salad, a small green salad and roasted chicken. Yum, yum! Jose felt so at home because the food is very similar to Costa Rica's that he asked for a second plate. No problem! Then on to the ruins. It was New Year's Day and a national bike race blocked the roads for a while and the buses were late picking us up, so our tour of Altun Ha was kind of rushed, but I still enjoyed it. They didn't give us any literature, like a pamphlet or any kind of guide, but it was still very interesting. You can feel the presence of that great civilization. Very impressive and awe-inspiring. It is not on the scale of Chichen Itza, but you could feel the presence of the great Mayan civilization, leaving you in awe of all that they accomplished.
Then it was back to the tender dock, a very new and very nice tourist reception and shopping area. Pristine restrooms with state of the art toilets that flush unaided by human hands!
! We bought some T-shirts there and made the last tender back to the ship. You can tell that the Belizians are really gearing up to make tourism an even more important part of their economy. Just a great, great day! Have a great time!
jennifer
It's TORTURE, I tell You!!!
Linear Mode
