Route of the Maya Day 12
Route of the Maya
DAY 12 - 12/05/05 - Transfer to San Ignacio, Belize/Green Iguana Project
We woke up to the birds singing and the sun shining, another beautiful day on the lake. There was no buffet breakfast this morning, but we did have a nice meal; eggs, pancakes, fresh fruit and coffee. We had plenty of time, so I explored the region by the lake and the docks. There was a nice breeze by the water but the trek back through the jungle and then up the stairs made me feel like I was in a steam bath!
Jacob and the porters loaded all of the luggage inside the bus for our border crossing this morning. We took a rugged road trip from Flores to San Ignacio, Belize. We had to have all of our papers ready along with our 10 quetzals "gratuity" ready for the guards. We made a brief stop for gas, toilets, to stretch our legs, and buy a few snacks.
When we arrived at the border, Judith took all of our documents and she and I went in to the office, foregoing the line that was waiting. It was a very interesting experience. She referred to me as "el jefe", the Boss, and the four guards welcomed me with handshakes and big smiles. She then mentioned that I was from Brazil and they wanted to talk soccer while they rapidly stamped all the passports and took the Q 10 notes. We were not in there more than 5 minutes and we were out and on our way to immigration and customs in Belize.
We got in the bus, went 30 yards and got off the bus and unloaded all of our luggage. We each had to go through on our own carrying our hand luggage as well as our big suitcases but this proved to be no problem as Judith had given us all of our paperwork the night before and had helped us fill it out. After we had gone through, we met on the Belize side. I helped Jacob load all the luggage back on the bus and we were off. Our next stop was the insurance agency where Jacob had to buy special insurance for the van. This whole boarder crossing took about 40 minutes.
The road from Benque Viejo was paved so it was relatively easy 20 miles. In San Igacio we entered the town and quickly arrived at the San Ignacio Hotel and Flying W Steakhouse and Restaurant. They greeted us warmly, in English, served us ice cold water and then were given a short briefing by Martin on the work being done on the Green Iguana Project in Belize. We were then given a tour where Martin spoke of the flora and fauna of the area and what they were doing to save the iguana, an endangered species.
Our first encounter was the black orchid, the national flower of Belize. Along the herb and ornamental garden path we saw wild sage, which attracts butterflies. He told us about many more plants that are used for medicinal purposes and food for wild life and birds. We also saw many hummingbirds that are attracted to the flowers although he does put out two small feeders during the dry season for extra water.
We entered the area where they are raising the baby iguanas and had the opportunity to see them up close, very close. These were 1 to 2 feet long but very gentle as they are all babies, one to two year olds and hatched here in captivity. It is the hope of the project to help the native people to eat more vegetables and chicken and leave the eggs and the iguanas alone which will attract tourists to this area.
After we were done with this informative tour, we returned to the restaurant and had a very good meal of chicken, rice and beans, and potato salad. We had lemon meringue pie for dessert. At 1:30 we began our drive to our ultimate destination.
From San Ignacio it was a 2+ hour drive to the Five Sisters Lodge on very bumpy dirt roads. This is the fourth time we have had this experience but we do realize the necessity. Most locals travel at high speed even in these conditions.
When we entered the Moutain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve we noticed the devastation of the pine beetle on the Caribbean pine tree. We were welcomed by our hosts Nigel and Catherine who gave us a refreshing fruit drink and explained to us about the five waterfalls for whom this eco-lodge was named. We shown to our cabin, Barton Creek, named after one of the provinces of Belize. Even though there are screens on the windows our beds have a mosquito net. Our rooms have large windows and two high powered fans that will provide us with some relief. We are at an altitude of 1500 feet so it should be cooled with nightfall.
We were able to see the surrounding area, spoke to a few workers, and then walked down 221 steps to the river to see the Five Sisters waterfall. Dwayne, Alicia and Steve were swimming so they convinced me to take off my shoes and jump in. How refreshing! From 85 degrees and 90% humidity to the coolness of the water was wonderful. We climbed ----- steps back up, returned to our cabin to work on our journal and get ready for the buffet dinner.
Accommodations: Five Sisters Lodge - - - Meals: B, L, D
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