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Belize and Tikal-Guatemala

By : JULIE & SYLVAIN
Trip Begins May 21, 2011
Trip Ends June 1, 2011

A wonderful time in Belize discovering the Blue Hole, Glovers Reef and South Reef as well as the jungle of the Jaguar Preserve and Mayflower Park. Tikal in Guatemala is the cherry on the cake.
See my photos : Belize and Tikal-Guatemala

Want to go? Hamanasi Adventure

I went to: Belize, Xunantunich, Belize, Glover's Reef Atoll, Guatemala, Tikal Ruins, Belize City, Hopkins, Hamanasi Resort
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May 21, 2011
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Denver, USA - Hamanasi Resort, Belize

Belize City, Belize

The adventure started at 3:45 a.m. when the alarm clock went off. Getting ready, having some lite breakfast before driving to the Denver Airport; which is around 90 minutes from home. Nice smooth drive while witnessing the beautiful sun rise over the horizon. Tonight we will be in Belize at the Hamanasi Resort, Hopkins. Can't wait to finally be there and enjoying our vacation. After three flights and twelve hours later, we finally reached destination. . . our new home for the next 10 days- a tree house. All the staff at the hotel made us feel on vacation right away and by the way they make the service so personal that it's almost unreal. Dinner is welcomed and delicious. After dinner, we began to plan our vacation and filled-up the activity sheets. A lot of great adventures planned and starting tomorrow with Xunantunich (Mayan Ruins). What a great start!

May 22, 2011
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Xunantunich and Cahal Pech- Mayan Ruins

Xunantunich, Belize, Belize

After a great night sleep, the alarm clock went off at 5:30 a.m. Packed our day bag with water bottles (that were given to us), sun screen, insect repellent (a must to have at all time), and a hat. Buffet-Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and we were good to go at 7:00 a.m. along with two other guests and our guide/driver. Our first stop was ''Cahal Pech'' meaning ''the place of the thicks''. Cahal Pech is a very nice area to visit and explore. Climbing the pyramid was a great way to understand the way Mayans used to live. After a break for lunch (rice, veggies, sandwiches, salad and cookies), we were heading to the famous Mayan site: ''Xunantunich'' pronounced (Shu-nan-tu-nich); which means Stone Maiden. After crossing the river on the ''ferry'' which consist of a floating platform that usually carries one car from one shore to the other and it is hand-powered. Xunantunich is wider and bigger than the previous area visited, but also a wonderful place to explore and investigate to learn more about Mayans' history. The site was very peaceful and welcoming. The pyramid has a few replicas of hieroglyphs giving a glimpse of the majesty of its past. From the top of the pyramid we could see the border of Belize and Guatemala . . . the place we will be heading in couple days, but for that moment we enjoyed the grandeur of the view of the jungle, the city and the ruins. We were back at the hotel by 4:30 p.m.

May 23, 2011
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Glovers Reef, Belize

Glover's Reef Atoll, Belize

This morning, we woke-up at 6:00 a.m. and were ready for breakfast thirty minutes later. Destination today is: Glovers Reef with another 12 people on the boat. We were the only two to snorkel and we were very excited to do so. This was a 1.5 hours long boat ride, but worth it, filled with idyllic small cayes surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water. We snorkeled at three different areas: Middle Caye, Southwest Caye and Southwest Point. JB was our snorkel guide and taught us a lot of different marine life. He was a great ''Lion Fish'' hunter as well. We encountered: barracudas, nurse sharks, lion fish, lobsters, conch shells, parrot fish, flounder, trumpet fish, corals and sponges of all sizes, shapes and colors. Glovers Reef is a World Heritage site and the size of the corals were truly awesome - few places in the world still allow you to see that much of a pallet of colors. We had a great time snorkeling and a bumpy ride coming back to the resort around 4:30 p.m. After showering and rinsing all our snorkeling gear, a good nap on the hammock felt so good. Delicious dinner and went early to bed after a wonderful day in the ocean.

May 24, 2011
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Cockscomb National Park and Jaguar Preserve

Belize

This morning, even though we could sleep in until 7:00 a.m., we woke-up around 6:30 with the sounds of the birds and lizards that were surrounding our tree house and even inhabiting it with us. . . geckos are very helpful in keeping the house clear of insects of all sizes and shapes. They are also very amazing to watch catch their lunch or dinner with their long tongue. After breakfast, we were good to go at 8:00 a.m. for our first visit of one of Belize's Tropical Jungle. Cockscomb National Park and Jaguar Preserve was our destination for the day. Pedro, our guide, met us at the entrance and along with him and five other guests, we left. It was a hot day, so the wild cats were sleeping and keeping cool in their home. It was a great time to see lots of mosquitoes harassing the people in the group (remember: bug repellent is a must and your new fragrance for this trip), two tarantulas, lizards, ants of all sizes and shapes and hear beautiful bird's songs. Speaking of ants. . . Pedro took one of them, a leaf cutter warrior ant; in his hands. . . this little guy was pretty angry, with its mandibles snapping back and forth. Once the guide mentioned these mandibles could cut nails like butter and showed us a demonstration, everyone moved far away from the hive. . . awesome demonstration! After a great lunch, we walked to a waterfall and people enjoyed a nice swim that was very refreshing and cooling too. After about 30 minutes of so, we walked back to the van. On our way out of the Park, we stopped at a site of a plane wreck. On the sign, we could read that all three people who were on-board suffered of only scratches and made it through. It was interesting to see that this plane that was hidden in the jungle could only be seen as we walked into the forest; which was about 300 feet away from the road. After sightseeing the wreck, we left and went straight to the hotel and arrived around 4:30 p.m. We enjoyed a wonderful and tasty dinner and called it a day around 9 p.m.

May 25, 2011
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The Great Blue Hole and Light House Reef, Belize

Blue Hole, Belize

This morning at 5:00 a.m. we were up and ready to get some breakfast before taking the boat to the Great Blue Hole at 6 a.m. It was a nice boat ride to the Great Blue Hole, starting with a nice smooth ride behind the barrier reef seeing turquoise waters and cayes after cayes filled with mangroves, birds and clear white sands beach. Then, we cut in front of Turneffe atoll, the largest in Belize, before punching through the waves towards Lighthouse Reef. We could feel everyone's excitement aboard with the thoughts of snorkeling or diving the Blue Hole National Monument. It is around 9:00 a.m. that we could finally see a large dark blue patch in the middle of the sea. . . and jump in the dark blue water ! While the divers were doing their mandatory rest before plunging to 130 feet deep, our first encounter took the form of two 6-7 feet long dark shape about 15 feet under us snorkelers: Two reef sharks ! Under the reassuring guidance from our guide, we looked at the sharks as they gracefully glided in the water under us. Then, we continued towards the internal wall side of the Blue Hole, looking in barely 3 feet of water amazing and colorful corals and variety of fishes along the Blue Hole's walls: it is like doing a wall-dive, but right under the sun under which the colors come in vibrating blues, reds, purples, yellows and greens. After about 35 minutes, we got back on-board and we were off to Half Moon Caye where we snorkeled from the boat and the open sea towards the beach while exploring the reef. Several stingrays, a couple of large spotted eagle rays, lobsters, parrot fish, angel fish, lion fish were just a few of the marine life that crossed our paths. This second snorkel's site ended at the Half Moon Caye Bird Sanctuary, where we walked to the nesting place of Red-Footed Boobies, Brown-Footed Boobies and Frigate Birds. The reserve, managed by Belize Audubon, provides an observatory bringing you right at eye level with the nesting grounds of literally thousands of birds. There are 98 documented species of birds at Half Moon Caye; during our visit, we saw at least 20. It was a great experience to witness the parents feeding their babies as well as hearing all of the boobies speaking to each other in their own bird language. It was lunch time and we walked on the other side of the small island to meet our fellow divers, looking at beaches, palm trees and turquoise blue water 400 yards away. Amazing sandwiches, salads and fruits prepared by the Hamanasi's staff were delicious and welcomed after a great morning of snorkeling and birding around the island. After lunch, we all left the Bird Sanctuary to our final snorkeling place of the day at South Long Caye. All kinds of fishes welcomed us in the water. We saw spotted rays, squids, easily over 30 different species of reef fish and even a barracuda escorted us all that time. At 2:00 p.m. we headed back to the boat and took off back to Hamanasi Resort. Around 4:30 p.m. we arrived at the dock and we were amazed of the day we had with all the great things we've experienced. This was our best snorkeling experience ever, and that is a lot as we snorkeled in Hawai'i, most of the Caribbean, and Tahiti's Bora Bora.

May 26, 2011
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Birding in Mayflower Bocawina National Park

Belize

This birding adventure started at 6:00 a.m. with our guide Golden. He drove us to the Mayflower Bocawina National Park about 15 minutes away from Hamanasi Hotel. Armed with our mosquito repellent and our cameras, we had breakfast, directly on site of Mayflower, which consisted of a warm egg burrito that was delicious along with apple juice. After a full stomach, we were ready to walk the trail and search for birds. Golden, our guide, was very excited to hear all the birds' songs and pointed the birds to us. We saw, right there in the jungle before our eyes, the shy Emerald Toucanet (a prized bird to see), pygmy Kingfisher (another prized bird), smokey-brown woodpecker, a brown headed parrot and admired a soaring solitary eagle, just to name of few of the 52 species we've encountered that morning. We also found a jaguar's print in the mud, but no sightseeing of the animal itself. Time flies when you have fun. . . so at 10:00 a.m. we were back at the Hamanasi with wide eyes and a smile on our face. We had such a great time birding that we kept looking around our Tree house to identify the birds living among the trees surrounding our ''vacation home''.
We changed into our bathing suits and jumped in a refreshing pool. Relaxed and swam a bit before lunch. The rest of the day was spent kayaking in the ocean, taking a nap in a hammock, swimming in the pool or just relaxing while reading a good book by the pool and sipping some Blue Hole and Tequila Sunrise drinks. . . while munching on homemade tortilla chips and salsa mmmm! Dinner time was approaching, so after showering, we were ready to enjoy another delicious dinner sitting at a table overlooking the pool and the ocean. This table was indeed our favorite spot at dinner time.

May 27, 2011
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South Water Cayes for Diving

Belize

This morning, we had time to relax and enjoy breakfast because our departure time was at 8:00 a.m. I was a little nervous because it's been nearly a year last time I went diving in the Caribbean. The water in Belize is so warm (around 84 degrees) that I didn't need any wet suit. I was diving with Terrel who had a plan of hunting all the lion fish that he could find. Lion fish are a nuisance to the waters of Belize because this is not their natural environment. There are two theories on how the lion fish came to Belize waters. The first one is after a major hurricane and the second one is about a man who got tired of ''fish-sitting'' the lion fish after someone went on vacation and never claim the fish back. That man is said to have drop the aquarium content of lion fishes into the ocean of Belize coast. It is from that time that lion fish has been living in Belize Reefs, damaging the food chain as well as the corrals. It is why the lion fish is wanted and everybody has the right to fish them and hunt them down. So Terrel had a chance to go after lion fish that morning. He caught 7 of them at the first site named ''The Abyss'' where, besides lion fish, we saw a myriad of healthy corals, large parrot fish and queen angel fish, and several hawksbill sea turtles ! After diving the Abyss, we stopped at a small island to get some fruits and refreshment. Terrel cut the poisonous spikes of all the lion fish he caught, so they were all ready to be cooked or BBQ'ed for dinner. The second dive was amazing and I felt more relaxed. We saw a green sea turtle, many corrals, lion fishes again (5 were caught), spotted eagle rays, black grouper, and a reef shark passed by all the divers without caring about them. After that last experience, I know that I prefer snorkeling over diving. It is the same with cheese cake: it is my favorite, but if you give me a piece of chocolate cake I might try it anyway. Hamanasi Resort stands right in front of the South side of the barrier reef so, after a short and smooth ride as we were protected by the rich reef from the big waves, we were back from our diving trip by 1:30 p.m., had a small bite for lunch and relaxed around the pool for the rest of the afternoon. At dinner time, we had a surprise: grilled lion fish was passed around the group of divers to try. We just got a bite, but it was a delicious smooth fish and very good too. (It is not recommended to eat too much because it is not known how poisonous the lion fish meat is.)

May 28, 2011
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Tikal, Guatemala

Tikal Ruins, Guatemala

This morning, the alarm clock went off at 3:40 a.m. giving us plenty of time to do our business and get ready for our departure at 4:00 a.m. Hartfield was our driver from Hopkins, Belize to the Guatemala's Border. Once again, we turned on Hummingbird Highway and crossed several Garifuna settlements and dense jungle of palm trees. At the border, we had breakfast and met Edgar who would be our guide for the rest of the day in Guatemala and in Tikal. It was a great day (warm and patches of clouds, but no rain). After a short stop for amazing shopping in El Remate, where we saw the complete reconstruction of a Mayan King tomb, all fitted with jade sculptures, we arrived at Tikal ! After only 3 minutes on sight, we saw a family of coatis crossing the road right in front of us. Later on we passed across two families of spider monkeys who were feeding and giving us a live jumping show from one tree to the other. Howler monkeys were sleeping while the lineated woodpecker was having lunch. It was very nice to hear him knock the wood to let his lunch out of the trunk of the tree. I had a quick thought of how wonderful it is to see this wildlife in their habitat and a smile build up on my face. We spotted a laughing falcon, a keel-billed toucan and finally a pair of red parrots flew above our heads before resting on the tree standing in front of us. All of those animal encounters were bonuses of Tikal's amazing ruins. As you get closer, the sheer scale of Tikal as it rises above the forest canopy is overwhelming. Dominating the ruins are five enormous temples flanked by two Acropolis We climbed the pyramids of the Gran Plaza, Central Acropolis and North Acropolis, Temples II and IV while only admiring the surroundings of Temples I, III and V. Most of these temples are taller than any structures in Belize and most in Mexico, some of them above 210 feet high. I found the view from the two Acropolises very inspiring. The North Acropolis is one of the most complex structures in the entire Maya world. In typical Maya construction fashion, it was built and rebuilt on top of itself, and there are over 100 smaller temples under it. The views from Temples II and IV, once you finished very steep steps 200 feet high (!) are spellbinding. The lost world offered a great view of the density of the jungle as well as its hidden city. After passing all morning in Tikal, we headed back via a jungle back trail providing a cool shade (jungle A/C !) to meet our driver. While walking, we encountered howler monkeys and sighted a white-tail deer. Our visit finished by the lake where crocodiles live. We were lucky or unlucky to see none, but got good pictures of the signs posted by the lake. We enjoyed a tasty lunch at the charming restaurant ''Serpiente Celestal'' within Tikal National Monument Site. After lunch we were back in the van driving towards the Guatemala-Belize border. The journey back was rewarding as well as we laid eyes on the two largest lakes of Guatemala and passed through Guatemala's jungle and lovely country side where cows and horses are crossing the roads by themselves, but do not always look before doing so ! The van stopped at Hamanasi at 6:15 p.m. It was a great trip well-worth the long drive to explore and walk Mayan's Ruins to get a glimpse of their time and the way they lived. It was a highlight of our vacation. At 7:00 p.m. we were ready to have dinner and sat quietly on comfortable chair to rest and enjoy the environment.

May 29, 2011
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Hamanasi Resort

Hamanasi Resort, Hopkins

This morning, we woke-up without alarm clock. It was very nice to just take it easy and have nothing planned for the day except to relax. After a relaxing breakfast time, we grabbed our books, Sudoku game sheets and found chairs by the pool. We also spent time reading in a hammock and swimming in the pool. An afternoon of reading and sipping great drinks: Tequila Sunrise and Blue Hole (a creation of Hamanasi's Barman) which is lemony tasting and very refreshing.

May 30, 2011
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Hamanasi Resort & Kayaking the Sittee River-Boom Creek

Hamanasi Resort, Hopkins

After our day break, we woke up early with the birds' and geckos' sounds. . . quite a nice way to start the morning when on vacation. We prepared our bag for the afternoon: Kayak Adventure on the Sittee River-Boom Creek at 2:00 p.m. After breakfast we headed to the beach for a nice walk by the ocean. Hands in hands we walked and enjoyed the wonderful environment of Belize's shores. The nice warm breeze kept us comfortable under the 90 degrees sunrays. We could spot some dolphins swimming and pelicans fishing for their mid-morning breakfast. We strolled back to the hotel pool and relax in the comfort of one the hammock hanging under two palm trees. Life couldn't get easier at that time. Before lunch, we had a refreshing pool swim and then at 2:00 p.m. we were off again in the small van to Sitte River- Boom Creek for our river kayaking experience. We explored the Boom Creek side and saw green iguanas, egret bird, mangroves, bamboo trees, passion fruit and mango trees. The water was calm and free of crocodiles, well we did not see any that afternoon anyway! (But there are two in the pond of the hotel!) At 4:30 p.m. we were back at the hotel, just in time for Happy Hour by the pool! After a nice and relaxing diner on the patio, we headed to our room for a welcomed night sleep.

May 31, 2011
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Hamanasi Resort

Hamanasi Resort, Hopkins

This morning, we woke-up early as usual with the songs of the birds and the sounds of the geckos. At breakfast, Ginger and Iris, the Hotel's cats, greeted us and after took a nap on the deck. It was a busy day at the pool with a lot of new people (we were the only two guests who stayed from the previous week). It was fun to see them exploring the facility, asking about the tours and activities we did and feeling their excitement about being in such a great and wonderful environment of Belize's coast. We swam in the pool, kayaked in the ocean and of course enjoyed the hammock for our last day. Watching the birds flying around the pool or taking a bath in the bowl (where we rinsed our feet) was pure joy. Just enjoying the Hamanasi Resort and relaxing was the best way we found to end an amazing journey filled with great adventures and discoveries. We will cherish our time in Belize and our short visit in Guatemala for the rest of our lives. All the staff at Hamanasi is professional and made our vacation a real vacation where we didn't need to think about anything except showing off for the meals and the activities. The rest was taken care of so well; that we could really relax and rejuvenate. We are looking forward to our future visits to Hamanasi Diving Resort and to Belize.

June 1, 2011
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Belize to USA

Denver USA

This morning, it was raining and very cloudy outside. It was our last day, and because of such weather, it was easier to leave our tree house and the staff to go back home. We spent time reading in the tree house and between two rain showers, headed-up to the lounge area where we met Lauren, a new guest. We talked together about activities and the rest of her vacation plans. At noon, Hartfield, who was our driver that day picked-us up and off we went to Dangriga Airport. We had a short visit of the city before arriving at the airport. Gave our bags and waited for our departure. At 1:20 p.m. MST we left Dangriga and we were heading to Belize City. At 3:25 p.m. we left for the USA passing by Dallas before arriving to Denver, Colorado at 10:20 p.m. It was at 11:40 p.m. that we reached our home and we were ready to go to sleep and dream of our last 10-day vacation in beautiful Belize.

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