Un-Belize-able! [San Ignacio]
After some fun by the surf, it was time for the turf (lol)! Welcome to San Igancio, the jungle-y inland of Belize. I'm SO glad we split up the trip into these two distinct regions. It added a lot of variety and made me appreciate both aspects of the country.
San Ignacio definitely gave off more industrialized vibes with real roads. While the first day was mostly a travel day, we stopped for coconut water and plantain chips from a cute stand operator. After settling into our pretty hotel villa, we made our way independently to the local Cahal Pech ruins for golden hour. We were the only ones there! So pretty.
Back at the hotel, we chatted up some other people milling around and learned that everyone loves our hotel owner because he gives a lot of financial support to the people. Made me feel good for supporting an independent hotel owner rather than some big faceless chain.
We made our way to a place called Ko ox Han nah (which means "Let's eat"), which was suuuper packed. We had some tasty lamb steak and leche flan. This place was recommended by our shuttle driver Tyrone, and it did not disappoint! That night, we attempted to swim in the hotel pool but it was way too cold.
The pool! The villas! Would definitely recommend staying at Cahal Pech Village Resort.
The next morning, we got up bright and early at 7:15 am for an ATM tour. No, we weren't checking out all the cash machines of San Ignacio (har har). ATM stands for Actun Tunichil Muknal, which is a giant underground cave system. I honestly don't understand how this tour is legal. I have zero pictures because we were too busy struggling all day. Our tour guide, Luis Zaiden, mentioned that people between ages 4 to 76 have participated in the tour, but even in the peak physical condition of my early 20s, I found it HARDCORE. We had to squeeze through tiny gaps in the caves and walk in just our socks through the jagged rock face. We needed to wade through rushing water to get out of the cave. Caveat emptor*, but if you do decide to do this tour, do it with Luis Zaiden.
Inside the cave though, we saw several skeletal bodies, pots for Mayan rituals, and sacrificial artifacts due to droughts during ancient times. Nine adults and seven children were sacrificed altogether through different means (disembowelment, beheading, getting beaten to death, etc.). All I can say is that I'm glad I didn't grow up in the Ancient Mayan civilization.
After the ATM tour, we walked around the town to grab some ice cream, visit a supermarket, and eat more plantain and cassava chips in the square. Since the day's activities were so intense, we honestly spent the rest of the night chilling by the pool and hotel restaurant.
The next day, we went horseback riding at Hanna Stables! My horse was named Tyrant, and Jenny's was named... Henry, lol. We were conflicted between going to the local ruins of Xunantunich and visiting Tikal in Guatemala, and I'm so happy with our decision. While visiting Guatemala would've checked off another country on my tally, we would've had a long day of driving through a less-safe part of Guatemala and wouldn't have been able to immerse ourselves in the scenery via horseback. I've been to Chichen Itza and Tulum already, so I've caught the vibe of what they're like (tbh kinda similar).
Our guide Eddy was super friendly. We took ALL the modes of transportation, since we even had to board a hand-cranked ferry with our horses. The path was nice and shady all the way through, and there was a fun uphill part with spider monkeys swinging above us. I couldn't believe how well-behaved and well-trained the horses were.
Once we got to Xunantunich, we were met by a funny guide named Junior. He took us to see the "Stone Lady" ruins. It was a big rush for us to get to the top before all the cruise ship tourists arrived, and it was SWELTERING hot. We certainly weren't by the sea any longer!
Finally, we capped off the afternoon by visiting a cacao farm for a chocolate-making tour with Adrian from a company called Ajaw. He carried a giant machete and talked about the importance of preserving their local culture, the rain, and primary tree branches. The key to successful cacao cultivation is to prune the trees to maximize success. Along the way, we also ate oranges, coconut water, small bananas, and cacao fruit at various levels of ripeness. It kind of reminded me of mangosteen, which is one of my favourite fruits!
After the farm tour, we tried our hands at making Mayan chocolate. It is not only gruelling hard work, but also quite the art form. You start by turning the cacao beans into a liquid by scraping them along a plank, seasoning, and then allowing the chocolate to set. We also tasted some Mayan hot chocolate (my fav!) with honey, chili peppers, cinnamon, and all spice.
That evening, we went to a place called Boito's for barbecue. It was okay, albeit a little dry. Instead, I would highly recommend a barbecue joint called Rodriguez, which was super hyped up by the locals and lived up to their praise. The pork reminded me of a Filipino bbq dish called inihao, and the tender was SUPER chicken. They slathered a deliciously sweet barbecue sauce on top, which seemed to have a hint of tomato/salsa.
That was it for our week in Belize. It was such a wonderful trip in every way. If you need a winter pick-me-up, find a good flight deal to Belize and do exactly what we did!! ...Well, only do the ATM part at your own peril.
`* Aka "buyer beware." Yeah, I learned something in LCA @ HBS.