Belize and Guatemala

June 14, 1997
Planned itinerary
Arrival and disembark at Belize City around 08.00h.

What we did!
Morning
We left the Rembrandt van Rjn at 9:00 am and met with Albert and Albert 2 in front of Fort George.  We boarded their vans and headed towards the Banana Bank Lodge.  We drove through the city and also had a chance to see the countryside.  The hilly landscape showed evidence of slash and burn farming.  Many hill sides had been blown off with dynamite to collect the soil and spread it in the city.  During the rainy season many areas flood so they use the soil from the hills to build up the land.
We stopped half way at a restaurant that was used in the past by British troops to would rest and fill up on refreshments.  This restaurant was commonly used because it contains a water hole and it is one of the highest points of land in the area.

Afternoon
We arrived at the Banana Bank Lodge at 12:30 pm and were shown to our cabanas.  We then had lunch at 1:00 pm and were introduced to a common visitor - a scorpion.  We were told that the scorpions are not poisonous but, they do bite.  Our cabanas were made out of local wood with thatched roofs. There were windows covered by mosquito netting as were the beds.  Our bathroom had a tile floor and porcelain bath tub that was inhabited by a small frog.  Our cabana was surrounded by wind thrown trees and one rain tree.

We went on a nature walk at 2:00 pm around the lodge.  Bird sightings include:

squirrel cuckoo green jay
great kiskadee flycatcher strong billed wood creeper
boat billed flycatcher red lored parrot
social flycatcher grey necked wood rail
keel billed toucan tameron
clay coloured robin tropical kingbird flycatcher
grosbeak ani rudy ground dove
brown jay montezuma oropendula

1.  Sour sap and custard apple
- used to make ice cream
2.  Cercropia or trumpet tree (L. Cercropia obtusifolia)
- medicinal value hollow inside
size 20 feet
- dry leaf used for tobacco
- fruits enjoyed by toucans and tanagers
3.  Guanacaste (L. Enterolobium cyclocarpum)
- used to make canoes
- seeds are used to make jewellery
- bromeliads, ferns, grow on these trees
- at least 100 species crowing on this tree
4.  Flamboyant (L. Delonix Regia)
- originated in Madagascar
- hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers that bloom in May and June
5.  Stinging Toe (L. Cassia grandis)
- very common
- pink/white flowers
- leaves are used to make a tea for people with diabetes
6.  Travellers Fan
- from Brazil
- very few in this area
7.  Wild Ocoro
- eaten by sparrows
8.  Horse Balls (L. Stemmadenia Donnell-smithii)
- tree produces a sticky white latex in the fruit
- birds must be long-billed to access the fruit inside
9.  Bay Cedar (L. Guazuma Ulmifolia)
- bark is used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery
10.  Heliconia
- pollinated by rufous tailed and cinnamon hummingbirds
11.  Saba
- thorns on young tree only
- considered a sacred tree
- cotton is made from the flowers or inner bark
- in the rainy season the tree soaks up water and holds it in the bark and leaves and then uses this stored water in the drier season
- montezuma oropendula use the cotton from this tree to make their nests
12.  Cahoon
- used for thatches
- heart of palm
13.  Bay Leaf (L. Sabal Morrisianan)
- preferred palm for roofs
- wood is resistant to decay

flower butterfly >5
termite nest >10
damselflies <10
leaf cutter ants >1000

1.  Night jars
2.  Long legged spiders
3.  Fig trees
4.  Gumbo-limbo (L. Bursera simaruba)
- found growing near the Black Poisonwood
- the bark is a curer for the effects of Poisonwood sap
5.  Leaf cutter ants
6.  Mahogany (L. Swietenia Macrophylla)
- national tree of Belize
- less than five left in Banana Bank Property
7.  Give and Take
- if cut by the spikes on the tree use the sap from the leaves for healing
8.  Toad
- approximately 3 inches long
- similar appearance to the american toad
9.  Wild Yam
- medicinal menstrual properties
10.  All Spice
- outside of seed contains a spice like aroma while inside the seed is a liquid nutmeg
11.  Wild Pineapple
- medicinal properties
12.  Cohune Hole
- after a tree dies it leaves a hole behind

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What we did!
Morning
At 9:30 am we left for Guatemala.  We followed a winding paved road through many plantations.  The landscape here is breathtaking.  It is dominated by green vegetation and dotted with poorly built homes and restaurants.  At 11:30 am we arrived at the Belize/Guatemala border and paid a border tax.  We exchanged our money for 5.7G:1US.  This is a better rate than in the tourist shops of Guatemala.  We then travelled South West to Tikal.

Afternoon
We arrived at the Jungle Lodge at 1:00 pm and had a quick lunch.  We then took a 3.5 hour guided tour through Tikal.  Many temples had been reconstructed to their original shape and size.  That which was most interesting was the history of the temple or pyramids.  Temples were built on top of one another.  They were constructed with large steps leading to the entrances to signify power and superiority.  The temples were not used for burials as they are in Egypt.  Stelae - the symbols on the walls of the temples - have been deciphered.  The thick walls of these structures are important for support because their cobalt passageways are not supportive.

The Maya civilization was one obsessed with time.  The rulers could read and predict the position of the sun and stars therefore, they would threaten their people using this knowledge of future astrological events.  They believed throughout the year that their were five evil days that children could be stolen from their families.  The people would have their children wear masks so the gods would not recognise them and pass over them.  This culture collapsed and was reborn numerous times.  The population consisted of over two million people.  The remnants of this civilization are visible but, many root systems are destroying past temples.  We continued to explore and learn about Tikal then returned to the Jungle Lodge for dinner.

June 16, 1997

What we did!
Morning
At 6:45 am we headed back to Tikal along many trails not open to the public.  We observed an archaeological excavation site.  Sightings include:

collared aracari
keel billed toucan
yellow warbler
social flycatcher
buzzards
combus kite
black billed cazeeke
parrots
montezuma oropendula
black penelopina
occelated turkey
lineated woodpecker

At 9:00 am we had breakfast at Comedor Tikal. We had a traditional Guatemala meal of fried beans, two eggs and corn bread.  At 10:30 we visited the stela pillars museum and at 11:15 am we headed back to the border.  We stopped before the border to shop for souvenirs and were able to bargain for our gifts.  We brought very little money because their was a risk of being held up by bandits.  We crossed the border after having the tires and bumper of the van sprayed for mayflies.  They do not want this insect populating either country.  We then headed to Xunintunich.  We crossed the River Mopin via a floating barge and explored what seemed like a smaller version of Tikal.  The name of this area originates from a story of a stone maiden whom is believed to have disappeared into the wall of the main temples (castela).  After spending time in Xunintunich we travelled back to the Banana Bank lodge for dinner and a swim.

June 17, 1997

What we did!
Morning
At 8:00 am we ate breakfast and then headed off to the main bridge.  This bridge is used to cross the Belize River and is approximately 2 car lengths long.  It is made out of wood and is manned by one person.  This is where we began our canoe trip down the river.  It took us approximately two hours.  The current carried us very slowly and at times we had to paddle to keep the canoe in motion. We experienced some white water only at the beginning of the river.  There was evidence of the water line from the past rainy season.  Trees appeared to be growing on large mounds of dirt that held no other vegetation - this indicated the height of the water during the rainy season.  Hence, during the rainy season the water appears to increase by 10 feet in height.  Many other trees bordered this river and limited our view of the homes and plantations behind them.  We crossed below a bridge that is used during the rainy season to carry passengers across on a golf cart size vehicle.  We observed various insects but many birds.

Sightings included

      ringed kingfisher
      mangrove swallow
      grackles
      common black hawk
      lesser tailed swifts
      black catbird
      anhinga

At noon we had lunch and then left for the Medicine Trail.  At Ich Cheel we hiked along a path observing various medicinal trees with a key to their uses.  This trail was very short but informative.  Many trees are used for rubbing compounds, latex and rubber while others are used to cure sicknesses.  This area appears to be a shelter or home for those with sicknesses and are searching for cures in nature.  It is a very peaceful setting with modern accommodations and places to get away.  For example, a butterfly farm is located through the woods and houses many emperor (L. Morpho peleides) butterflies.  There are places to rest and observe nature along the trails.  A termite nest can be observed from a resting station.  The termites feed on wood and are reluctant to forage in the sunlight.  They construct enclosed tunnels of wood pulp leading from their nests to the ground.  The wood which contains cellulose is a difficult substance to digest therefore, termites have intestinal protozoa to perform the conversion to glucose.

We left this serene area after enjoying a cool coke on the veranda.  We travelled down a dusty road - chalk like dust - back to the main road.  Caesar's Place, a souvenir shop, was our last stop before heading back to Banana Bank.

June 18, 1997

What we did!
Morning
We travelled to Cahal Peck, a temple that is in better condition that those at Xunintunich.  The design and structure of the temples at Cahal Peck were very small but, well defined.  The cobalt vault was very vivid and an unusual finding was an elongated slab of rock that appeared to be a large bed.  We hypothesized that it could have been the sleeping area for as many as three people.  Around these structures there were many star shaped seeds from the surrounding trees.  We discerned afterwards that these were seeds from a mahogany tree.

In the Cahal Peck museum a story of the area explained that this area was once a farmland developed into a hamlet and then became a citadel.  The Citadel was an area for those of power and strength and those who were considered inferior were cast away from the Citadel to farmlands.

We visited Belmopan, the capital of Belize, at 11:00 am.  This city is the smallest in the world.  It is a very simple area with mainly administrative buildings and has a small food market.  There is one main road and very few people.  The entire city appears to fit into five city blocks.

Afternoon
After a 25 minute car ride we arrived at the inland blue hole.  We followed a trail into the woods and then descending thirty stairs to arrive at the blue hole.  This hole is approximately 300 feet in diameter and 100 feet deep.  The hole is feed via ground water and is believed to have a higher sulphur content than surrounding pools of water.  This freshwater hole was inhabited by snook and black banded fish.  The hole was surrounded by lush vegetation and intermittently crepescular rays would sneak through the canopy above.

We then travelled to St. Hermans Caves, a two minute car ride from the blue hole.  We travelled the length of approximately two football fields to reach the caves.  We entered with flashlights in hand and explored the stalagmites and stalagmites.  We investigated the gold coloured ceiling after to realize that this was only the water percolating through the limestone.  The odour of these caves devoid of life projected a world that we have never experienced before.  The freshwater pools were cool and stagnant and also showed no presence of life.  After exiting the caves the humid warm air was a contrast to the environment we had explored.  We then travelled back to Banana Bank for dinner.

June 19, 1997

What we did!
Morning
We packed our belongings and said good bye to the Banana Bank Lodge.  Jack Carr explained the origin of the Banana Bank Lodge to us over breakfast.  The land was a banana plantation in the past and the Belize River was used to transport the bananas and the mahogany trees that existed in abundance.  Though, he commented that many logs are now probably buried at the bottom of the river because when the river dried the logs would become stuck in the mud.
We arrived at the airport and awaited our flight.  We thoroughly enjoyed Belize and would recommend this trip to our colleagues.  As quickly as the trip had begun it was over.  We said goodbye quickly to our friends and left with our pictures and souvenirs.

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