Belize

For our Belize excursion, we chose the Xunantunich Mayan ruins. Jason and I both love history and have always wanted to see Mayan ruins. The ruins we chose were deep in Belize, about 2 miles from the Guatemala border. We even saw soldiers patrolling the border area. We had to take a two hour bus ride from the port to get to the ruins. Belize is a beautiful but poor country. Their primary language is English, they are the only country in Central America with English as their primary language. Our guide was very informative, and told us about the different towns we passed. Belize is a beautiful, but very poor country. This is the sleeping man mountain:

This is the main river. They had large orange iguanas roaming around. 

We had to take a ferry across the river and then hike a little ways to the ruins. The site was a major ceremonial center during the Classic Period composed of six major plazas and surrounded by more than 25 temples and palaces. The largest temple, El Castillo, has been excavated and partially restored; it is famous for its frieze, a banded stucco decoration that once extended around the entire pyramid. 

We could hear the howler monkeys but didn't see any. They sound so scary. If you have ever seen the movie Jurassic Park, they use the sound of a howler monkey for the T-Rex. 

It looks so small in the picture but it was really high. We were so happy it was sunny. If it rains at all that day, you aren't allowed to climb it because it is slippery enough without the rain. 

The view from the top of the large temple. You can tell here that we are really high. 

The view was spectacular. That white line is the border dividing Guatemala and Belize. 

It was such a great trip. We learned a lot about Mayan culture and Belize. We stopped on the way back in a town called San Ignacio for lunch and a little shopping. I would like to go back and dive there next time; they have the second largest barrier reef in the world. As our tour guide would say, it is "un-Belizable". (wah wah wah)