On the road again

A quick travelogue to let you know how yesterday went - pictures later!
We left Gallon Jug at 7:30 a.m. and took the 2-hour drive in 2 trucks to Lamanai, one o f the oldest and largest aya sites in the region. Our guide Ysidro met us there with his boat, and once we transferred our considerable luggage from truck, to boat we had a good tour, wending with the climb up the high temple. A few of the kids were a little shaky on the heights (fine going up coming down, not so much.) Just as we got too hot, it was time to rest under a palapa and have a picnic lunch made by some wonderful local cook you will be surprised to know if consisted of chicken, rice & beans, coleslaw, papaya, plantains, salad (a few cheers for leafy greens).
Happy and rehydrated, we got aboard Ysidro’s boat and bombed down the New Belize River for an hour zoom. As the river narrows and the turns sharpen it’s reminiscent of any Everglades chase scene you’ve seen. Many birds flushed out including great blue herons, giant snowy egrets, multiple types of hawks and a bunch of birds whose names I didn’t catch as Ysidro shouted them out. We passed many Mennonite fishermen along the wya - a bizarre contrast to the local folks. The river, brackish as we got closer to the sea, holds bass, tilapia … and a bunch of fish I can’t remember - maybe Alex will remind me later.
The ever vigilant Carlos Lopez met us at Tower Hill where we unloaded from the boat and got our gear onto the bus and rode another hour into Belize City. After a quick tour of the city, including the governor’s mansion, the supreme court, churches built from the bricks the old logging ships used as ballast during the heyday of logging, and much more.
To our delight, our tour ended at a beautiful new marine terminal with fancy new boats. The captain dropped us right at our dock and we settled into the beautiful Sunbreeze hotel, where the rooms have AC and TV (!), a wonderful pool, gorgeous beachfront and a fantastic location on the edge of the town, near both Barry’s home and Caleb’s.
Tomorrow Barry says he has “something fun” planned - no idea what it is, but we’re up for it!