21 NOV 22 Belize City, Belize

 

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in November 2022. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "Cloudy with a Thunderstorm 78° F."

The Viking Star was scheduled to arrive in Belize City around 8:00 am.

 

The Viking Daily newsletter describes “Belize City, Belize” as follows:
“Inhabited by Mayans for more than 5,000 years, Belize is home to more than a dozen remarkable ruins. At the ancient and mysterious site of Altun Ha, one of Central America’s most accessible archaeological treasures, several Meso-American temple-pyramids stand as testament to an advanced civilization. It is [sic! = Its] most famous, the Temple of the Masonry Altars, is 54 feet tall. Offshore, Belize boasts another spectacular wonder: the famous Great Blue Hole. Just off Ambergris Caye, this natural phenomenon is a breathtaking chute in the middle of a shallow lagoon descending straight into the reef to a depth of 412 feet. The abyss-like hole has attracted divers from all over the world ever since Jacques Cousteau famously braved its depths.”

Belize (pop. 441,471) is a country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a water boundary with Honduras to the southeast. Its mainland is about 290 km (180 mi) long and 110 km (68 mi) wide. It is the least densely populated country in Central America. Its capital is Belmopan, but its largest city is Belize City. It is the only Central American country where the official language is English, reflecting its history as a British colony. However, Belizean Creole is the most widely spoken dialect. Spanish is the second-most-commonly-spoken, followed by the Mayan languages.
The Maya civilization spread into the area of Belize between 1500 BC and 200 AD and flourished until about 1200. Many aspects of the Mayan culture persist in this area, despite nearly 500 years of European domination. European contact began in 1492, when Christopher Columbus sailed along the Gulf of Honduras. However, European exploration was begun by English settlers in 1638. Spain and Britain both laid claim to the land until the British defeated the Spanish in a battle here in 1798. In 1840, it became a British colony known as British Honduras and became a British Crown Colony in 1862. Britain granted British Honduras self-government in 1964, and it was officially renamed Belize in 1973. Belize was granted independence in 1981. It is the only mainland Central American country that is part of the British Commonwealth.
The earliest known record of the name “Belize” dates to 1677, with a Spanish reference to “Rio Balls” (Belize River). It has been proposed that the word “Balls” was probably the Mayan word belix (or belize), meaning “muddy-watered.” More recently, it has been proposed that the name comes from the Mayan phrase “bel Itza,” meaning “the road to Itza.” [The Itza are a Maya ethnic group native to northern Guatemala and parts of Belize.] In the 1820s, the Creole elite of Belize invented the legend that the name Belize derived from the Spanish pronunciation of the name of the Scottish buccaneer Peter Wallace, who established a settlement at the mouth of the Belize River in 1638, However, there is no proof that buccaneers settled in this area, and the very existence of Wallace is considered a myth.

Belize City (pop. 61,461) was founded in 1638 as “Belize Town” by the English. It was the capital of British Honduras until the new government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970. It is the country’s principal port; cruise ships drop anchor outside the port and are tendered to the shore by local citizens.

 

We woke at "6:15" am, but discovered that we had forgotten to set our watch back by 1 hour for Belize. So it was really 5:15. (MT, whose cell phone hadn't changed, was up an hour earlier, really 4:15.)

We had ordered room service breakfast for 6:30, but asked for it to come as soon as possible.

MT Monday, ‎November 21, ‎2022, ‏‎6:32 AM - Viking Star: view from our balcony of threatening clouds on horizon (mild telephoto 52 mm).

‏‎7:13 AM - Viking Star: view from our balcony toward small island on front of Belize City, on horizon, shortly after anchoring.

‏‎7:14 AM - Viking Star: tender boat "Belmoran" heading for the ship (telephoto 93 mm).

‏‎7:14 AM - Viking Star: view from our balcony of small island near ship; Belize City, on horizon (telephoto 130 mm).

‏‎7:14 AM - Viking Star: view from our balcony of Belize City on horizon (telephoto 130 mm).

‏‎7:15 AM - Viking Star: tender boat approaching the ship, and another small boat (probably a pilot for the ship).

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‏‎7:15 AM - Viking Star: tender boat approaching the ship and another small boat (probably a pilot for the ship) (mild telephoto 31 mm).

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‏‎7:16 AM - Viking Star: tender boat "Belmoran" backing up to exit from the ship on Deck 2 aft (telephoto 130 mm).

MT ‏‎7:32 AM - Viking Star: tender boat "Belmoran" and two smaller boats.

MT ‏‎7:32 AM - Viking Star: tender boat "Belmoran" and two smaller boats (mild telephoto 43 mm).

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‏‎7:37 AM - Viking Star: view of clouds over Belize City on horizon.

‏‎7:38 AM - Viking Star: view toward Belize City (telephoto 130 mm).

At 8:30, we went to the Theater (Deck 2) for the 8:45 meeting for the optional shore excursion "Exhilarating Cave Tubing Experience."

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The My Viking Journey web site describes the shore excursion Exhilarating Cave Tubing Experience (optional $129 Per Person) as follows:
5.5 Hours
Belize’s River Network Through the No Hoch Chen National Park
Uncover the mystique surrounding the ancient rituals and ceremonies of the Mayan civilization.
This unique tour takes you along the rivers and through the caves of the tropical rain forest in western Belize. Begin your tour with a short jungle trek, learning about the ecosystem, wildlife and natural medicinal plants that have been used here for centuries. Upon arrival at the cave entrance, mount your inflatable tube and begin your journey through the limestone underworld, passing through the tunnels, caves and archways as you hear untold stories of Mayan culture. Let your imagination be fueled with stories of the past. Explore the breathtaking natural formations that entwine themselves with the sacred underworld of the Xibalba, known as the place of gods. Complete your adventure at the Jaguar Jungle Café, where you can enjoy a cool local refreshment or snack before returning to your awaiting ship.
Moderate - Walking portions may be long and somewhat challenging with occasional step-ups, stairs and inclines. Total time walking or standing

 

We boarded the tender boat for the 5-mile trip to the Belize City port (Terminal 2). The Viking Star had to be anchored at least 5 miles from the coast due to shallow water (only 5 ft or so).

MT ‏‎9:14 AM - Belize: Belize City port - Terminal 3 to right; our tender was headed to Terminal 2, farther right (mild telephoto 52 mm).

At Terminal 2, we met our guide Alvaro and driver Mr. Nelson for tour group/bus 15.

Then it was a 1 hour 15 minute bus ride to Chukka Jaguar Paw Outpost. During the drive, Alvaro told us that, for 8 going on 9 years, he has been a part-time student at a 6th Form (junior) college that offers associate and bachelors degrees and a part-time tour guide and waiter. He said the country of Belize was 184 mi long (north to south) and [68] mi wide. He said the official language is English, but most people speak Spanish (because of neighboring countries) and (English) Creole (different from French Creole). At home, his family speaks Spanish, because they are Latino.

‏‎10:51 AM - Belize: sign at entrance to "CHUKKA Jaguar Outpost Belize" (mild telephoto 49 mm).

CHUKKA Caribbean Adventures, a tour company born in Jamaica, offers services at several places in and around the Caribbean Sea, including Jamaica, Belize, Turks & Caicos, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados. It is the Caribbean’s largest nature-adventure tour operator. [We would encounter this company again later in our cruise.]
 
CHUKKA Jaguar Paw Outpost is nature’s 200-acre adventure playground. Jaguar Paw is hidden beneath the tropical rainforest canopy along the Caves Branch River in western Belize. Ideally situated near some of Belize’s best cave tubing networks of the Nohoch Che’en National Park, it offers cave tubing at its best. Cave tubing is done in the national reserve known as Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve, which is made up of an extensive network of limestone cave systems north of the city of Belmopan. The Caves Branch River flows through 19 caves, providing ideal conditions for tubing on an inner tube.

 

‏‎10:51 AM - Belize: Jaguar Paw Outpost - CHUKKA bus driving through rainforest.

No photos were allowed during the tubing, but the CHUKKA people took a photo of us as we were about to enter the water, and we were able to get a digital photo emailed to us for $15. The debit card receipt said $30, but that was in Belize dollars.

‏‎Belize: Jaguar Paw Outpost - CHUKKA photo of MT and Don as we were about to get onto our tubes at the mouth of the cave.

For a few more photos of the cave tubing, ziplining, and lunching, see  the company's web site at  https://chukka.com/destinations/belize/jaguar-paw-park-outpost/.

 

After tubing, we had (included) lunch provided by CHUKKA.

‏‎12:40 PM - Belize: Jaguar Paw Outpost - Don's traditional Belizean lunch of Stew Chicken with rice and beans. Here it also came with red slaw, accompanied by fruit punch.

MT ‏‎1:12 PM - Belize: Jaguar Paw Outpost - Don under huge palm trees (mild telephoto 37 mm).

MT ‏‎1:15 PM - Belize: Jaguar Paw Outpost - MT on bench under sign for "CHUKKA Jaguar Paw Outpost Belize."

MT ‏‎1:21 PM - Belize: Jaguar Paw Outpost - MT and Don by sign, showing a map of the cave route, by where we had got our tubes.

MT ‏‎1:21 PM - Belize: Jaguar Paw Outpost - sign, by where we had got our tubes, showing a map of the cave route: pink arrow at bottom right says "You are here" and small white print points to blue "Cave Branch River."

On the way back to Belize City, we passed the "Sleeping Giant" mountain that Alvaro had mentioned on the way out to Jaguar Paw.

‏‎2:04 PM - Belize: "Sleeping Giant" (lying on his back with snoring mouth open under large nose at far right); photo taken across the center aisle of the bus, through a window, with telephoto, with bus moving on bumpy road (telephoto 130 mm).

Sleeping Giant Mountain. Many locals have grown up accustomed to seeing the rolling hills of the Maya Mountains in the distance when driving south from Belize City on Hummingbird Highway. Near Mile 25 is a large, looming mountain undulating to resemble the form of someone sleeping, with the highest peak being the nose.

 

The Viking Daily newsletter  said for passengers to be back on board by 5 pm, as the Viking Star prepared to set sail for the Coxen Hole passenger terminal in one of the two cruise ports of Roatán, Honduras (131 nautical miles).

At 6 pm, we went to the Restaurant (Deck 2) for dinner we had ordered in advance (no ginger and low salt).

MT ‏‎6:10 PM - Viking Star: MT and Don toasting in Restaurant.

After dinner, we watched the Port Talk for Roatán, Honduras on the TV in our stateroom.

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