UnBELIZEable!

Thursday's adventure was preceded by an insane amount of anxiety about said adventure. We have cruised with Celebrity in a 4x4 that broke down in Aruba (the clutch literally came off in the driver's hand), and a van with fold out seats in Grand Cayman, an old school bus in Bonaire, and a janky circus trolley in Curacao, just to name a few. None of these transports came with a warning.  But our tickets to Lamanai did. It basically said that the quality of the transportation was not up to US standards. I mean, what could that mean? Riding atop a bus with chickens? No air conditioning on the surface of the Sun? Vehicles meant only for munchkins with pint size legs? Those are sanest scenarios that I came up with. 😂

As it turns out, maybe there is a Nervous Nelly in the excursions office, because for roughly four hours of transport, it was pretty good! We rode a tender from our ship to the port in Belize City, a full sized tour bus (with air conditioning!) to...the next place, and then a perfectly acceptable boat up the river to the Lamanai site! We did go over a couple bridges that I expressed some disbelief in, but we didn't fall in or over, so that's positive!

Lamanai is another site with Mayan ruins. In Yucatec Maya, the term means "Submerged Crocodile". Happily, we only saw one. :)  How they stumbled upon these ruins in the first place is a wonder! The previous site we were at (Chacchoben) was discovered by a farmer, on his own land. This site is located in the jungle, and it took a roughly 30 minute (fast!) boat ride to get there. The site is enormous - 950 acres, and they estimate that they have uncovered only 5% of it! Among the unearthed structures are three temples. 

The first one we saw was the Temple of the Jaguar Masks.

In case you don't see the jaguar at first, I've drawn a very sophisticated one for you. Our guide said the ears were meant to have "trinklets" on them, sort of like earrings. The jaguar was revered in Mayan culture, and offerings might have been placed in the openings to honor the jaguar. 

We also saw howler monkeys! There were three in a tree on the path from the Temple of the Jaguar Masks. Based on the noises it was making, I'm pretty sure Ms Winnie Foster is related to howler monkeys!

From there we walked through the jungle to the High Temple. It was HOT and humid, and the trees and palm fronds were gigantic.

Back in the heyday, the High Temple would have been the largest structure in Mesoamerica, standing just over 100 feet. I had zero intention of climbing it. I was so proud of the climb at Chacchoben, but also really feeling it! But then we got there, and we were having this once in a lifetime experience, so....what were we to do! Actually the deciding factor was that they had built a stairway around the structure, complete with a railing, and I knew I could probably do that. 

The view from the top was amazing. 

Being in Lamanai was so special, and being able to stand atop this temple was breathtaking. There is so much in this world to discover!

I put this photo in just to make us laugh. 

The Mask Temple was our last stop. It is named so because of the giant masks on the side. They are thought to have been masks of previous rulers. They are about 13 feet tall, flanking each side of the temple. Since they are quite old (somewhere between 200 BC and 200 AD), they have been covered in fiberglass to preserve them. This is a good time to say that unlike most Mayan cities abandoned in the 9th century, Lamanai was inhabited into the 16th century when the conquering Spanish arrived.

We still cannot believe that we were here, and saw such amazing things! We were H-O-T, and sore from all our scrambling around, and unbelievably happy. Also, as a wrap up to the day: we have both eaten more chicken and rice than is reasonably good for you; jungle humidity is no joke; I think those WERE bats at the loading dock; I don't think there is a tea that prevents covid; I don't understand how a pool of mercury was under the ancient ball court; or how cinnabar and obsidian are here in a non-volcanic area; is allspice a tree or a deodorant; and modern plumbing is a true gift. 

Onward to Cozumel!

PS Fifth graders would groan at this blog title; feel free to do the same! ;)

Chacchoben, Mexico

This morning as I was obsessing about the bathroom situation for the day, I was sure this blog was going to be called: Monkeys in the Toilets, or something about opposable thumbs and porta-potties. To love me is to deal with the varied bathroom peculiarities I have. Basically, I'm a no on most bathrooms. On the way to Seattle on Friday night, the lobby of the McDonald's in Raymond was closed. Um, WHAT???? Mom was like, no biggie, we'll go to the Shell Station. It has an OUTDOOR public bathroom. And I was wearing open toed shoes. Hard pass. She went in first, and said it wasn't great, but basically fine. If you have to put a lock on the toilet paper, is it basically fine? But yes, I survived. Which brings me to a Trip Advisor review that said the bathroom at Chacchoben was "fine".  I'm thinking about tracking down that person, because their standards seem somewhat higher than mine. Kindred spirits. 

We are in Costa Maya today, and one of the excursion choices was seeing Mayan ruins in Chacchoben. Louise has seen ruins out and about in her travels, but this was my first rodeo, and was a definitely on the bucket list!

If you read yesterday's blog, you know we are struggling with time and place. This morning we struggled with the alarm. I think we slept through it for like 20 minutes! Eek! So this adventure started with adrenaline instead of coffee. Danger, danger!! 

Chacchoben was discovered by a local farmer (whose descendant we met today) in the 1940s, and excavation started in the early 1990s. It would have been inhabited between 200 BC and 700 AD. There's a misconception that the Mayans "disappeared". In reality, there were several factors that led to the decline of their empire. It's all the biggies: war, disease, drought & famine...I'll let you Google that. What's interesting is that where we were today, in the the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Yucatec Maya is the most common language. Spanish is the official language of Mexico, but this Mayan dialect is the first language many people here speak, being dual lingual with Spanish, and of course many others with English. 

Anyway....it was amazing!! This is Temple 24. No, we did not see 24 temples, but I do know that not everything is excavated. This temple would have been one of the last ones built, because archeologists can tell that it was built for a large population because of the four staircases. The two that point north and south were used for ceremonial uses, the best examples of which I cannot summon from memory, while the east and west staircases were used for more astrological ceremonies, the sun lining up perfectly with several markers during different times of the year. 

For all my ReadLive friends, guess what was at the base of this? The kapok tree!!!!!  I've had this read to me for years now, and am quite well versed on the uses of the fiber that it produces. I can answer #5 without any hesitation. Ha! For the rest of you, the fiber from the kapok tree looks like cotton, and has, in history, been used for flotation devices, and to stuff pillows and mattresses. What I didn't know is that it has these spikes on it to deter the mangrove from growing on it. Or the spikes are ancestors in basic purgatory. You choose. ;)

Temples were built on top of each other, so that they are almost like a nesting doll. On the temples that have been fully excavated, you can see the different layers. There is also so much that is not excavated. I assumed this, the Gran Basemento, was the same. Maybe one of the first layers of a temple, or the second or third.

This is one structure that you are allowed to climb. Our guide was so crafty in not spoiling the surprise. I was just excited to get to climb up. I had zero expectations of what we would see at the top. But this is what was at the top!

Temple of the Vessels (probably)

Temple 1

All this is above the steps that we climbed! How amazing is that? Even more special since we climbed for it! :)

Also, it was hot.

We had time back in Costa Maya for some lunch. Beverages were served in a one size fits all container. What to do, what to do. 

Belize bound!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

 ...and shuttles, Ubers, and ships! It has taken a Herculean amount of transportation, but we're cruising to the Caribbean!  This year we are again cruising with Celebrity, but to brand new stops.  We also left out of Tampa for the first time, and loved it. There's a beautiful flamingo in the Tampa airport that I hope to get a picture of on the way back. It was closing in on 11pm when we finally arrived, and I did not have the emotional fortitude to dig around for my phone. Wait. What a ding-dong I am. I have the Internet at my fingertips. Duh. Here is said flamingo.

I'm only two shakerados (coffee!) in, people. I have no idea where we are, or what time it is, so that tracks! We had a long travel adventure getting here, that was happily uneventful, though long. 

I travel with an amazing travel agent that manages to get us to the right places at the right time, using ALL the resources available. We drove Friday after conferences to Seattle, and flew to Dallas on Saturday morning, and then to Tampa Saturday night. This is a Sunday to Sunday cruise, so we had a little more of a cushion getting there. 

Mt Rainier 

It doesn't matter how long it takes, once you're on board, it's worth it! It took a while getting from Tampa out to the Gulf, and we sat on our veranda, reading, taking pictures, and enjoying the changing scenery. Even though we're technically with so many people, you can still find places of quiet. 

I accidentally took this picture on the plane, trying to capture Mt Rainier, but I think it's a good picture for today. What time is it? What day is it? Where are we? Am I on the wifi? Where's my sea pass card? Does this need ironing? What time is it? 

It's a sea day, so we're at our favorite cafe, thinking about going up to the spa, and have reservations at a favorite restaurant tonight. Ah, hello vacation. 

🩷

Love on the Rocks, Shakerado Neat

When I was in 6th grade my mom took me to my first concert: Neil Diamond at Seattle Center. Is there anything like your first concert? The stage, the crowd, the showmanship? He was sparkling in sequins and made several costume changes over the course the night, which I loved. During "Heartlight" people took out lighters and swayed them back and forth in their outstretched arms.  I had never seen anything like that before. It was magical. Mom and I got t-shirts to remember the night. The next day, I wore that t-shirt to school, obviously. I'd been to a CONCERT!! I felt very grown up and cool. The shirt was white with pink and baby blue - I loved it.  Awkwardly, wearing her same shirt the next day at school, was my LA/SS teacher, Mrs Schoeppach. Obviously that made it cooler, right? RIGHT?? In my mind it totally did because she was a favorite. But honestly, how did middle school me have friends? LOL I've always been my own person, apparently. 

How does this relate to Bermuda, you ask? Well, on Friday night there was a cover artist. He actually tours doing Neil Diamond, and I have to tell you it was pretty uncanny how much he sounded like the original. Plus he wore black sequins! I was hoping to win some sort of an award for being the youngest in the audience to know all the lyrics, but no such award was given. Most of the hits were played, and we ALL sang Sweet Caroline. Is this the quintessential cruise show, a cover? Whatever, it was SO FUN!!!

Earlier in the day, we went to Hamilton, which is the main town in this section of the island. As today was day 2 of the Cup Match holiday, most stores and restaurants were closed, but we had fun just the same. 

Inlaid into the sidewalk. 

On the way back to the ship our driver stopped at one of the local beaches. It was so hot, but you have to see the beach! Mom walked down to the water and got her toesies wet. I labored down the stairs to the beach to see the pink sand, and called that the victory. :) 

This was a 7,000 step day, and it was hot. H O T. With two hours left until the boat departed, we decided to have lunch at Bonefish. Let's be honest, we decided to have frozen drinks, and thought what the heck, let's order food too! ;)

We love Bermuda. We think we might have visited previously in the spring, not the summer, but we still have loved our time here. The buildings are so colorful in pastel hues, and the water is a clear turquoise. We'd definitely love to come back!

The great think about cruising, is once you say goodbye to your destination, the vacation is not over. We look forward to some R&R and Shakerados at Cafe al Bacio tomorrow. 😊