Belice (4th Jan to 12th Jan
2016)
On January 4th: We took off early to go to
Belize. First we dumped and loaded water than went grocery shopping and filled
up on propane and Diesel. About 10 min later we were at the Mexican border to
check out which was painless and the deposit for the rig was returned. Then it
got a little more complicated. We continued to the Belize side just to find out
that we had to get the rig fumigated so we turned around which I believe was a
one way street and got the fumigation done. We also purchased insurance which would
be of good use pretty soon. Next we went back and got our passport stamped and
I applied for a temporary import license for the vehicle. The customs officer
inspected the rig asked some questions about bringing fruit or veggies in the
country or alcohol which we nicely declined hoping he is not going to find our
secret places J. So now we were in Belize. We didn’t hear a
lot of nice things about this country so we were already a bit reserved. The
stop for the night was Orange Walk. Our camp ground was right next to the
river. We payed 15USD and got power included http://ioverlander.com/places/9220-lamanai-riverside-retreat.
Also we should have a crocodile visiting us…. didn’t come J We went into town for
dinner but everything was closed at 7pm. Even a grocery store was hard to find
and the prices were outrages (compared to Mexico, like the US).
Impressions from Orange Walk and driving in Belice
On January 5th. We packed up and got on a dirt
road to see on of Belices Mayan Arqueological sites, Altun Ha. It was a nice little
mayan village from over 2000 years ago, in the middle of the jungle. On the way
to the “ojo de agua” / lake where they got their water from we got in contact
with the first belizian mosquito invation….. We decedided not to camp there and
0continued to the Belize Zoo. The drive was easy but parking for the night at
an eco-lodge next to the zoo, was rather expensive. At least we got the first hot
shower in the last month or so…. http://ioverlander.com/places/4-tropical-education-center.
On the way to Altun Ha:
Altun Ha:
On January 6th. We got up and had some coffee at the restaurant where we also had Wi-Fi. We visited the zoo which was really cool, as they have local animal which they rescue from all parts of Belice… The pictures will tell the story.
Belice Zoo:
On the Hummingbird Highway on the way to Hopkins:
Robert filing the police report at the Hopkins Police station...
We afterwards continued south through the mountains to
Hopkins where we wanted to stay for 2 nights. In town we went through a check
point which was easy and then 1 mile later I had some trees in the way and a
car parked on the other site which I slightly hit so the owner wanted money and
I insisted on the insurance so we called the police who came after some funny
issues and then we had to go to the police station for a statement and that was
it. We had a nice place on the beach next to a pizzeria, http://ioverlander.com/places/299-driftwood where we
stayed for the next 4 days. We tried to get a copy of the statement from the
police for the insurance but no luck. The people were very nice and we just
enjoyed the break. I do have to say that the prices in Belize are expensive
when you compare it to Mexico. A large Pizza next door was 25$ US and a beer
was 2$ . We did meet some interesting people.
Enjoying the Hippy community of Hopkins:
On January 10th
we packed up without getting the accident resolved and went to the blue hole
national park and St. Herman’s cave. We decided to stay the night on the
parking lot and walked to the cave which was nice but had a shitload of mosquitos,
returned and went to the blue hole for a swim which was very refreshing.
http://ioverlander.com/places/302-blue-hole-national-park
St. Herman's cave /Blue Hole National Park:
On January 11th After a peaceful night scratching
ourself to death from all the bites we continued to San Ignacio, the last stop
in Belize before going to Guatemala. On the way there we stopped at Spanish lookout, a menuite community, who uses modern technology, before heading to San Igancio. We had a nice lunch and relaxed the rest
of the day at a campground right next to the center of the city.
http://ioverlander.com/places/309-mana-kai
Farming community Spanish Lookout:
Hopkins:
