Finally....Belize

Belize was our main destination for our holiday. Not only do they speak English, but the Caribbean beaches were beckoning.

Border Crossing

This is a bit different here. Leaving Guatemala was quite stright forward.

Entering Belize we had to import the car. not difficult to do, but car insurance was required - $24 US for 14 days.

Also had to go through a pest control procedure - declare all fresh fruit and veges, the car was sprayed from the outside only, a cost of $5 US.

So, on to our next chosen destination of San Ignacio to look for accomodation. Final decision, after a look at options, was the Midas Resort, a short walk from the town centre. $64 US a night plus tourist and govt tax = $80 US a night! Well, it did have a pool and free wifi.... and the other options were, well...

The next day we went on the ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) tour which is one of the highlights of our holiday.

We had heard this was  a must-do, talked to other travellers about it, but weren't prepared to be so amazed. I never thought I would be river crossing in the jungle, swimming through underground rivers and climbing into potholes and caverns of Mayan artifacts and skeletons, and crystal stalactites and stalecmites. Truly spectacular day.

Our guide, Abraham, was of Mayan descent and very proud of his heritage. At only 27 years old he had qualified just recently to take guides into this area but gave us an informative and knowledgable guide to the area.

 

Tips

Choose your tour guide to ATM carefully. We had a group of 4, but saw other minibuses turning up - one guide per 8 people. Our was called Hun Chi'ik Tours.

Accomodation is more expensive in Belize but some of the hotel/backpackers in San Ignacio looked fine, but not so easy parking the car overnight.

HOT tip

Buy bananas from the market - 10 for $1 Belize - thats 50c US, and they are fresh, fresh, fresh! not like the ripened bananas we get everywhere else in the world. Delicious!

Recommended restaurant - Cenaida's Belizean - opposite Martha's guesthouse, for cheap local  food.                  
Also Hannah's is supposed to be good food too.