Epilogue

Brian and I boarded a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles on the afternoon of March 15th and arrived in Los Angeles with no difficulties.  There was a brief roar of complaints at the immigration and customs area in LA when the officials moved people from one line to another, resulting in the people at the back getting through the process before the people who were originally at the front of the line.  It was nothing compared to our immigration experience when arriving in Cancun ten days prior.  We took a shuttle from LAX to our hotel and had a decent night's sleep before returning to the airport on the 16th to fly back to Redding.

Again, no problems with the flight and we arrived in Redding, picked up our car at my sister's home then headed north to Yreka where we were to meet my parents and the boys at my grandparents' home.

When we walked through Gram and Pop's door Sam was bouncing on my mom's knees and Ben was playing in one of the bedrooms.  It wasn't until Sam turned, looked at me for a moment, then exclaimed, "Mommy!" that I realized how much I really missed the boys.  He ran into my arms and it was all I could do not to crush him in my embrace.  When tears sprang to my eyes I just squeezed harder.  Ben was happy to see us too and was talking a mile-a-minute about his adventures at Grandma and Grandpa's.  Both boys looked so different to me, older, bigger, and somehow more independent.

We celebrated Gram's birthday by going to a nearby Mexican restaurant for dinner (what irony) with Uncle Ray and Aunt Annie then spent the night at Gram and Pop's before continuing on to Tahoe on the 17th.

Once we were home we learned that Dave and Sarah's flights were as uneventful as our own. 

It took several days to get back into the swing of everyday life.  Brian had been at work less than one full day and came home nauseous and sick.  It took the entire weekend to really get him feeling better.  All we can guess is that the shock to his system of multiple immunizations, malaria pills, probiotics, etc. was finally catching up with him.

We had dinner with George and Irma in the couple weeks following our trip to "debrief" and learned that the people of Yo Creek enjoyed us visiting and said that they thought we had fun.  They were concerned most with what we thought of all of them.  Our answer to George and Irma was that we have rarely met so many people who are all so friendly and helpful and are anxious to go visit again.

Parte Once (11) - Retorno a Mexico

We left Yo Creek on March 14th with bittersweet feelings.  Obviously Brian and I were missing our boys, Ben and Sam,  but we were also not quite ready to say goodbye to the new family we had in Belize.  I was ready to say goodbye to the dry, dusty roads of the village and say hello to the white sand beaches in Playa del Carmen.  But leaving Belize meant one big thing....reality.  And that wasn't somewhere any of us were quite ready to visit  inhabit. 

After a final breakfast from Lorena and plates of leftover barbecue chicken packed for lunch we loaded up the rest of our things, said goodbye to Gordo (the baby gecko in the shower), hugged Lorena, Aldomere, Lily, and Pedro and set off north to Mexico. 

With only four of us in the van on the way back it seemed like things really were coming to an end.  The hour and a half to the Belize-Mexico border seemed to take no time at all and we got through immigration with no issues.  The remaining drive to Playa del Carmen and the Playa Palms Beachfront Hotel was uneventful.  By this point we all felt like old pros crossing borders, driving in foreign countries, and navigating the one-way streets in Playa.  We were all happy to return to the lovely little hotel where we had started our trip and we kicked off our afternoon of relaxing with the last of Lorena's food on our balcony overlooking the sea.

We spent the rest of the afternoon beachcombing, swimming, reading and resting.  We then headed out to Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) which is known for all of its shops, restaurants, and nightclubs.  We did a little window shopping and sat in an open-air restaurant for drinks and appetizers then wandered a little farther for some tacos for dinner.  Another day came to an end and again the weight of reality began to press on us.

We spent the next morning relaxing a bit more before driving the rest of the way north to the airport in Cancun. Brian and my flight back to the states was scheduled for the afternoon of the 15th and Dave and Sarah were checking into one of the Cancun resort hotels for the night before their own flight back to the states on the 16th. 

We arrived in Cancun with enough time to go to the hotel and drop off Dave and Sarah's bags with the idea that then they could simply return our rental van and be free of that duty the next day before their own flight.  When we arrived at the Cancun hotel it felt like we had been transported into an entirely different world!  From thatched roofs, dusty roads and mosquitos to pure opulence....it was hard to take in.  After seeing so many people in the lesser-populated areas of the Yucatan and in the villages of Belize who have so little compared to most Americans and then being surrounded by the grandeur of the Cancun hotel zone... it was unsettling.  I realized that so many people who travel to Mexico never really visit the true Mexico.  The resorts provide a vacation that lacks the culture that we experienced and all I could think looking down that the throngs of people on the beaches below was, "Look at all they're missing by staying here."  At that moment I knew that not only was our trip amazing, unbelievable, memorable, and magical it was so much more. So many other people will never get to or choose to experience what we experienced.  And in that moment I knew that I would return to Belize and the Yucatan as soon as possible.

Part 10, Birthday in Belize

I count myself incredibly lucky to have been able to celebrate my 33rd birthday on March 13th in Belize surrounded by some of the nicest people in the world.  The one low point of the day was having to say goodbye to Roger and Janet as they took a shuttle from Orange Walk Town to Cancun to catch an evening flight back to the states and back to life in Cedarville.  Before they left we were able to take one last photo of all of us at George and Irma's house in Yo Creek.

In addition to the unforgettable gift from Brian of our trip to Belize I was also given a very heart-felt gift from Dave and Sarah, a new chef's jacket (complete with my name embroidered on it) to use for my catering business.

Once we had said goodbye to Janet and Roger we had little planned for the day but were looking forward to watching a local cultural group perform traditional Mayan dances for us later in the evening.  We did agree that we would like to see more of the village so Lorena's son Aldomere set out to find enough bikes for the four of us to tour with him.  He was quite a determined kid and in about an hour had gathered five bikes for himself and the remaining Browders.  We set out toward the village of San Antonio just a few miles from Yo Creek.  Aldo was going to show us the river where he and his friends often go swimming.  He had told us before about crocodiles in the rivers and warned us not to swim on our own.  Aldo was also quite worried about Sarah biking so far.  She chuckled and assured him she would be okay but he didn't seem certain until I told him that everyone but me had done bike rides of at least 70 miles and as many as 100 miles.  The person Aldo should have been concerned about more was Dave who was riding Lorena's bike.  Every half mile or so if Dave hit a bump or accelerated too quickly the bike's chain would come off and he'd have to stop and fix it.  Or maybe Aldo should have been more concerned about Brian who had only the peg for the pedal but no actual pedal.  Or maybe Aldo should have been more concerned about me since I was the one who managed to get my front tire too close to the side of the gravelly road and sent the bike skidding into the nearby ditch while I somehow managed to leap free of the spill.  Despite our biking challenges, we all had a great time and we could see that Aldo loved pointing out things to us in and around the villages.

When we arrived back to the house from our bike ride we were treated to a wonderful lunch of Belizean tamales which are very different from Mexican tamales.  These tamales were the typical masa wrapped in leaves and steamed but they were also filled with meat and veggies and were quite moist.  Kevin joined us for lunch and planned to join us later in the day to watch the dancers and enjoy more of Lorena's cooking.  After lunch Brian, Dave and Sarah took a walk with Kevin to the school where he does his Peace Corps volunteer work to check out the computer lab he works in.  We really don't know how lucky we are to have the technology that we do in the U.S.  Internet service in Belize is quite expensive and the only reason there is any kind of lab at all in the school is because of funding from the South Korean government.  Though there is internet access at the school, Kevin said that if more than four students log on at once, the entire network will go down.  Brian thought that maybe some of the extra computer stuff lying around his office and here in our house might be useful to Kevin. 

While the others headed out I opted to stay home and read my book and get a shower.  I ended up hanging out with Aldo for quite a while and when everyone came home I was ready to party! 

We had another of Lorena's amazing dinners this time it was Belizean barbecue chicken - chicken marinated overnight in red recado and lime juice then grilled.  Delicious!  Irma's sister Lily even made some red recado for all of us to take home and use in our own kitchens.

After dinner we retired to the veranda and watched the sunset with Belikins in hand then the local cultural group performed some Mayan dances for us.  Two of the dancers were Lorena's teenaged daughters and they were both as sweet as their mother.  Lorena also told the group that it was my birthday and I was serenaded with Belize's very long birthday song that goes something like this....

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Maggie, happy birthday to you.

May God bless you today, may God bless you today, May God bless you dear Maggie, may God bless you today.

How old are you now? How old are you now? How old are you now? Happy birthday to you!

At this point you are expected to give your age then the entire crowd begins clapping and chanting the years until they reach your age.

Apparently after this there is often the chant, Y ya queremos pastel, y ya queremos pastel, aunque sea un pedacito pero queremos pastel. (And we want some cake, and we want some cake, even if it's a small piece, but we want some cake).   As everyone stands around the one to have just completed another year of life, they all chant Mordida, Mordida, Mordida! (Bite! Bite! Bite!) The birthday person is expected to take their first bite of the cake without any utensils with their hands at their back. Then of course customarily one of their best friends or family is sure to push their face into the cake or lift it up into their face for the same affect. All of this is done in great fun but other than the singing I was left without cake on my face.  I did have a beautiful sweet potato cake with cream cheese frosting made by Lorena but maybe it was because the villagers didn't really know me and didn't feel comfortable introducing me to this custom or because I was too busy talking to people that I didn't even cut into the cake until everyone had left I'm not sure.  Regardless, it as an absolutely perfect last night in Belize!

We learned later on that Roger and Janet's shuttle had a flat tire just south of Playa del Carmen which caused them to arrive to the Cancun airport after their flight was scheduled to depart.  Lucky for them, the flight was delayed anyway so they were able to catch it, but....by the time they arrived in San Francisco, their connecting flight to Reno was long gone so they spent the night in San Francisco and left for Reno the next morning.  Eventually they made it home to Cedarville.

Brian, Maggie, Roger, Janet, Dave and Sarah in the courtyard of the Lebard's home in Yo Creek Village.

My new chef's jacket from Dave and Sarah.

Lorena and Aldomere - they both took great care of us!

A bike ride to the village of San Antonio.

 

Next to the river in San Antonio.

Brian and Kevin on the veranda at sunset.

The birthday girl.

Brian on the veranda.

 

Sunset over Yo Creek.

The Mayan cultural group.

One of several dances.

The two youngest performers of the group who also happened to be cousins.

Three generations passing on the Mayan culture.

 

Lorena with her two daughters.

Looking on during the birthday song.

Part 9, Altun Ha

We left Belize City in the early afternoon on March 12th with the plan to drive 30 miles north to the ruins at Altun Ha before returning to Yo Creek.  Altun Ha would be our third and final Mayan ruin of the trip and we were all anxious to see the specific ruin that is on the Belikin beer label, the Temple of the Masonry Altars. 

The drive out the Old Northern Highway to Altun Ha was nearly as bumpy as the roads in Yo Creek with the road being more pothole than pavement.  When we arrived we were immediately hit with the heat and humidity.  Luckily the overcast skies offered some relief from the burning sun and an occasional breeze cooled things even more though not a single rain drop fell.  We were immediately approached by a man who introduced himself as John (Juan) who offered his services as a tour guide.  We seemed to be the last tourists of the day as a group of school children were leaving and heading back to their bus.

John was a native of Belize but from the southern area of the Stann Creek District.  He gave us our first real taste of the Creole language.  He told us how he ended up in northern Belize after meeting a girl (of course) who he fell in love with.  Though he was the same age as me, he had three sons the oldest being 12.  He asked me how old I was and I told him that the next day I would be 33.  From that point, the tour was focused around my birthday and getting the perfect photo for me.  Brian was the focus of John's teasing and he took it all in good stride.  We weren't sure how much of what John told us was really accurate but he did offer a very entertaining tour. 

My own research taught me that "Altun Ha" is a modern name in the Maya language, which basically translates to the name of the nearby village of Rockstone Pond. The ancient name is still unknown.  The site covers an area of about 5 square miles. The central square mile of the site has remains of about 500 structures.

Most of the construction took place during the Maya Classic era, c. 200 to 900 AD, when the site may have had a population of about 100,000 people. About 900 AD there was some looting of elite tombs of the site, possibly because of a peasant revolt against the site's rulers. The site remained populated for about another century after that, but with no new major structures built during that time. After this the population dwindled, with a moderate surge of reoccupation in the 20th century before declining again to a small agricultural village.

Stones from the ancient structures were reused for residential construction of the more modern agricultural village of Rockstone Pond, but the ancient site did not come to the attention of archeologists until 1945, when the existence of a sizable ancient site was recognized from the air by pilot and amateur Mayanist Hal Ball.

Starting in 1965 an archeological team lead by Dr. David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum began extensive excavations and restorations of the site, which continued through 1970. Among the discoveries is a large (almost 10 pounds) piece of jade elaborately carved into an image of the head of the Maya sun god, Kinich Ahau. This jade head is considered one of the national treasures of Belize.  Our tour guide, John, claimed to have even been part of an excavation in the 90's.

A climb to the top of the Temple of the Masonry Altars gives an amazing panorama of the site and over the treetops of the jungle. This temple went through eight phases of construction (usually each phase occured when a ruler was interred in the tomb) and the round altar at the top is unique to this site. It was the focus of an unusual sacrificial ceremony in which copal (incense) and beautiful jade carvings were offered into a blazing fire. As far as historians know, there were no human sacrifices at Altun Ha. John insisted that I act out a human sacrifice on Brian just for fun atop the round altar.

One of many structures that has not been fully excavated.

One of four temples that surround the main plaza, from the top of this small temple we had some great views of Plaza A and other structures.

The Temple of the Masonry Altars.

A strangler fig taking over another tree.

A view across Plaza A.

Most of Plaza A with Plaza B in the distance.

Sarah, Brian and Dave with the Temple of the Masonry Altars in the background.

The Browders in Belize.

I will smoosh your head!

Brian

Sarah and Brian

Carvings on the temples depicted Mayan gods.

John told us that he helped to excavated this particular mask in the 90's.

The Temple of the Masonry Altars.

Brian and I at the side of the Temple of the Masonry Altars.

John insisted we "act" like we are happily married.

Looking down from the Temple of the Masonry Altars.

Roger and Janet atop a temple.

John telling us about Altun Ha.

The sacrifice.

He's a goner!

Another of John's photo set-ups.

Side of the Temple of Masonry Altars.

A large tree nearly done in by a strangler fig.

The sunset on the way back to Yo Creek.

Kevin Frasure, Peace Corps Volunteer.

When we arrived back in Yo Creek we met Kevin Frasure who is the current Peace Corps Volunteer in the village (a job George had some 20 years ago).  We learned that Kevin had been in Belize about 7 months and acts as the youth development volunteer at one of the schools in their computer lab.  We also learned that he grew up in Hamilton, Ohio just north of Cincinnati and then lived for five years in Fort Collins, Colorado while he attended Colorado State.  Kevin was great to visit with and filled us in on his experiences in Belize.  It also seemed that he was very excited to have company from the states.  He also really enjoyed dinner that Lorena made for us and told us that villagers have taken him in and often feed him.  You can follow Kevin's adventures in Belize on his blog http://www.frasure7.blogspot.com/ .

Part 8, Caye Ambergris, San Pedro Town

We set out on March 11th from Yo Creek to Belize City where we planned to take the Caye Caulker Water Taxi to Ambergris Caye and the town of San Pedro. Our plan was to arrive early enough in San Pedro to do a little snorkeling and sightseeing then have dinner and spend the night.  We thought we were in good shape since it is only 52 miles from Orange Walk Town to Belize City to get to the water taxi building.  We were even better prepared, so we thought, because we had purchased our water taxi tickets the day before from Antonio at Jungle River Tours.  The drive into Belize City was uneventful but what we were unprepared for was trying to maneuver through the city streets.  It was a spider web of narrow one-way streets, cruise ship passengers ashore for shopping and nowhere to park.  With Dave, Roger, and Brian working together we eventually found the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Building but knew we were too late to catch the 10:00 boat we had hoped to take.  We were relieved to see the parking lot had plenty of space so we unloaded our bags and got ready to go check in.  At the counter the ticket agents were more than slightly worried about the tickets we had purchased elsewhere.  They expressed their concerns that we had been taken and would have to purchase new tickets for all of us.  After several phone calls to be sure our tickets were legit we began to relax more.  When we mentioned to the ticket counter that we would be returning the next day we then learned that the parking lot where we left the van was not for overnight parking and we risked having it damaged if we left it there.  A taxi driver for the Water Taxi Association told Dave we could park it at his home and he would bring it back the next morning.  When Dave prepared to follow the driver across town they decided it would be a better idea to just leave the keys with the taxi driver and he would transport the van across town and back the next morning for us to pick up.  We hoped for the best and knew that it probably wasn't something George and Irma would advise us to do.

While we waited for our 11:30 water taxi to arrive I cracked open lunch from Lorena only to find the most delicious rice dish.  She calls it dirty rice but it is really much more like a fried rice filled with chicken and veggies.  And after a bit we were loaded and off to the island!

Ambergris Caye is the largest island in Belize and the main destination for travellers to the country. San Pedro is the only town on the island. Ambergris Caye has been the center for Belizean area maritime trade for centuries. Originally the focus was more on fishing and coconuts but in the last 30 years it has switched to diving, snorkeling, and ecotourism.

Belize has an amazing coral reef system, the second largest in the world and this hemisphere's longest, running offshore, and many cayes (islands of coral sand) are surrounded by astounding reefs to snorkle or scuba dive. The reef lies one-half mile east of the Ambergris Caye shoreline and runs the entire 25 mile length of the island. This has made San Pedro Town the dive and water sports capital of Belize and Central America.

The Holiday Hotel http://www.sanpedroholiday.com/

After a 90 minute boat ride we arrived in San Pedro and immediately started looking for a place to spend the night.  We ended up at the Holiday Hotel right on the beach.  As we were checking in we inquireda bout getting out for a snorkeling trip that afternoon.  One of the girls at the front desk made a phone call and let us know that the Reef Seeker Glass Bottom Boat typically leaves at 2:00 each day (at that point it was after 2:00) but they didn't have any passengers for the afternoon so they would head our way and be ready for us in the next 30 minutes.  We quickly went to our rooms and changed into swimwear to head out toward the reef. 

Mercedes Valdez and his son arrived at the pier right outside our hotel and promptly headed south toward the reef and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Hol Chan is Mayan for 'little channel." This sanctuary was officially established in 1987, and since then the return of all species of fish has been quite dramatic.


Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley are approximately 4 miles south of San Pedro Ambergris Caye. It is the single most popular day trip from San Pedro, perfect for snorkeling or diving. The reserve covers approximately three square miles and is divided into three zones. Each one is clearly marked by buoys. The entire reserve focuses on a cut through the reef which is little more than 25 yards wide and 30 feet deep.

The true vacation face!

Brian all geared up and ready to enter the water.

A local sail boat.

One of the local boats.

Exploring with snorkels.

Dave and Sarah.

When Mercedes (also known as Mitch) stopped the boat he and his son got us geared up in flippers, masks and snorkels and led us into the shark and ray infested waters.  For Janet and I it was our first experience snorkeling and it was AMAZING!  Huge rays and nurse sharks glided over the sandy bottom.  Schools of tiny colorful fish swam in and out of the coral and conch shells littered the ocean floor.  After quite a while I began feeling woozy and headed back to the boat.  Right about that time, Mitch motioned for all of us to come aboard so we could head to another spot.  I mentioned to Brian my feeling of sea-sickness and he told me it is actually quite common for divers because of the surge of the water.

When the rest of the group promptly splashed back into the sea, I chose to stay on the boat rather than lose my lunch out in the water.  Mitch encouraged me to climb to the top of the glass-bottom boat's flat roof and get a better view.  From there I was able to see everyone following our guide and even saw two huge sea turtles - a green sea turle and a loggerhead which had to be 3 feet across its back.  The cool air definitely made me feel better and soon we were all headed back to San Pedro.  We asked Mitch and his son where to get the best seafood dinner and were told Caramba. 

After getting cleaned up we wandered around the town a bit and asked another person where the best seafood was and again were told Caramba.  So off we went to Pescador Drive to sit and satiate our hunger.
Along the way we were bombarded by street vendors selling their wares - jewelry, cloth, carvings, and so many other things.  Eventually we made it to the restaurant and were greeted by a host who encouraged us to come inside.  When we mentioned that we had been told that this was the best place for seafood he immediately told us that he would bring some complimentary ceviche to us. 

And that ceviche was the best I have ever eaten!  Everyone enjoyed their meals and we also enjoyed trying out a couple other versions of Belikin beer.  www.ambergriscaye.com/caramba

With full bellies and tired bodies we headed back to the Holiday House to be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.

The next morning after a great breakfast at Blue Reef restaurant we picked up where we had left off with our exploration of San Pedro.  We walked through the narrow streets busy with golf carts (the main mode of transportation on the island) and picked up a few things to bring home. 

Roger and Janet at breakfast.

Looking back at the beach from one of the piers.

The streets of San Pedro.

The beaches of San Pedro.

Visiting a local vendor.

Local art at the Blue Reef restaurant.

A quick drink before getting back on the water taxi to Belize City.

When we arrived back in Belize City we were relieved to find our van keys waiting for us at the front desk of the Water Taxi Association office.  We loaded into the van and headed north toward the old highway and the ruins at Altun Ha.