The Last Snow Storm

    At least I hope it's the last of the year, and it has been a corker. So far 12 cms. has accumulated and the wind is so strong that drifts are developing. We are back into the minus temperatures with a strong wind chill.The poor sparrows are almost being blown off the bird feeders!

We climbed to the top of this temple.

From the top looking across the plaza.

Wednesday, Feb. 26

   Our last stop in Belize was Belize City (not the capital as it is prone to flooding) and we came in by tender followed by a long, bumpy ride to Alton Ha. This site is a bit different from the others as it was ruled by priests and had many temples and burial mounds. It was also a commercial centre with two large plazas.

   After lunch and a nap another boat took us to a tiny atoll called Goff's Cay where we spent a couple of hours snorkelling. I was a bit apprehensive about trying it so opted for starting off on the beach - never did get out of my depth! But I got the hang of using the snorkel and was quite pleased with myself. The water a clear blue-green and I did see a few small fish. I will be more adventurous next time. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera so had to get a photo from the CD.

 



Goff's Cay

 

 

Thursday, Feb. 27

 

   Sailed overnight to Costa Maya, Mexico for our longest excursion yet -  2 1/2 hours by bus on bumpy roads, but it was well worth it. Kohunlich is quite an unusual site with huge carved masks set into the side of the temple. It was built around 400 AD and abandoned around 900AD. t was also the largest site we had visited so far. Its name refers to the nut palm "Kohun" used to thatch houses to this day.

   On the return ride we stopped at a cenote (sinkhole, formed when limestone is dissolved by an underground stream and the roof collapses in). We ate at a restaurant and had a quick dip in the pool. We had ceviche of shrimp and octopus, followed by fried and battered fish and other seafood, the first local food we have been offered and quite delicious. Dinner also included ceviche. There was a brief rain shower on the ride back to the ship but we were all snoozing anyway! Two interesting slide shows before dinner given by the "bird guy" and the "fish guy" - so many beautiful examples of local fauna.

 

This mask was about 4 feet tall.

Trip continued...

   We have had a most Spring like day today - I even sat outside without my jacket for a while soaking up the rays. However, more snow is forecast for tomorrow so winter is not over yet!

Monday, Feb. 23
   Arrived at Punta Gorda, Belize in the early hours and after breakfast boarded a tender for a very bumpy ride to shore. It was quite thrilling actually, although some on board were not impressed! We saw an iguana in the trees by the shore but no time to capture it on film.



A stella at Nimi-Li-Punit

   We visited two Mayan sites, Nimi Li Punit and Lubaantum, very quiet restful places and the weather was most pleasant. However, the roads there were extremely rough and bumpy. It is extraordinary how these sites were built, seemingly the stones were brought from a nearby river and carved to fit. One interesting location was a ball court where the Mayans played "pok-ta-pok", a game played with a large rubber ball and using only elbows, knees and thighs. Rumour has it that the winners were executed!



This is a quaint, rustic boarding house in Placencia. All the houses were painted pastel colours and had multi-coloured signs outside.



The Ball Court - most sites had one.

Back to the ship for lunch, buffet style, while the ship sailed up the coast to a small seaside resort called Placencia. Another tender ride to the dock and an hour or two browsing the shops - didn't buy anything - and wandering the beach. The sand was beautiful and the sea a light greeny-blue.  Gorgeous, the most Caribbean of the places we had so far visited. Belize used to be a British colony  so the official language is English. The toucan is its national bird, although we didn't see any.

Tuesday, Feb.25
   Overnight we once again sailed north to spend another  day in Belize at the Cockscomb Nature Preserve. The rainforest was very impressive but little in the way of wildlife to see except for some parakeets and a few paw prints in the mud. We had a long hike to a waterfall where we had a dip before heading back. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yes, that's me in the pool, cooling off after the hike!
 
Another lecture that evening on the Mayan to prepare us for the next day's site.

Before I Forget....

   I have been back from the cruise for over a week and details are becoming blurred so before it is all gone, I had better get things down.

Saturday, Feb. 22
  A very early start - the wake-up call from the limo company came at 4:15, 5 minutes after I woke, and we were on the road by 5:00 a.m. The flight to Miami took off and arrived on time and, after a short wait we were on our way to San Pedro Sulla in Honduras. We arrived there and were met by a local guide who rounded us all up and escorted us to a bus, where we waited for nearly an hour while she tried to locate someone's lost luggage. It never did turn up so there was a mountain of forms to fill out and other arrangements to make.

"The Yorktown" docked at Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala.

   Finally we arrived at the "Yorktown" , climbed aboard and quickly located our cabins - small but comfortable - and found our way around the ship. It is quite a small cruise ship - just 130 passengers. I was placed on the main deck, very close to the dining room. One deck up was the lounge, and above that the sun deck. First task was a safety drill, conducted by the captain, a visit to our "muster stations" and fitting the life jackets. Next dinner was served and most of us retired early after a long, busy day.

Sunday, Feb. 23
During the night we sailed to Guatemala and docked around 6:30 a.m. Soon after breakfast, we departed for an excursion to an old 16th Century Spanish fortress - "Castillo de San Felipe" - located on Lake Izabal, about 60 kms. inland. It was originally used to protect the area from pirates whose purpose was to intercept and capture ships loaded with cochineal ( a die made from insects). When cochineal became less valuable with the development of other die sources, the attacks stopped and the fort was abandoned around 1700. It was restored in 1960 and boasts some original and well preserved cannons from a British frigate that sank close by.
   We were back at the ship in time for lunch, a beautiful buffet spread. Of course, I had to try everything so headed for a nap afterwards. Later in the afternoon tea and sandwiches were served, followed by two lectures, one on the Mayans and the other on the geological formation of the Yucatan and how it influenced the development of the civilization of the area. More snacks were served when the bar opened around 6:00p.m. so by dinner time I was already half filled and had to cut back on the courses. I decided to be more selective in the future!!

 

 

 

 

 

A Long Gap

   I feel very guilty about neglecting my blog for nearly two weeks but will gradually catch up over the next few days. Due to a mix-up with my medications (my own fault, I took a double dose of one drug and a half dose of the other!) I have had a recurrence of the symptoms from last summer and only today am feeling back to something close to normal. Luckily, this all occurred after I got back from my trip.

   It's still very cold and wintry here - morning temperatures in the minus double digits - so no relief in sight for more Spring-like weather. The snow remains stubbornly on the ground and we have even had a further accumulation this past week. It will be some time until we see bare ground and several weeks more until the ground is ready for planting. In the Prairies, they say, the ground is frozen to more than a metre's depth and it will be summer until it has thawed out, so we are luckier here.

   I hope to load the photos from my trip soon but here's one to be going on with. It was taken in Placencia, a little tourist town in Belize - all coral sand, blue sea and quaint little shops, bars and boarding houses (couldn't really call them hotels, they were too rustic). The photo was taken by one of the crew from the ship and included in a CD we got on disembarking.