February 2, 2011 (The Winding Road to Hopkins)

Today- Wednesday- was destined to be an interesting travel and "business opportunity" day. As it turned out, it was also a day when the initial spark was ignited relative to a possible land purchase in Belize (which has continued to persist now for two months past the date of this blog entry. From the moment I first met Kirby-- on the main dock at Corozol Town waiting for an early morning water taxi to San Pedro-- he made it clear he was planning to visit an orange farm located along the Hummingbird Hightway which was listed for sale on the Internet. I had told him that I would love to tag along on his trip to the orange farm, and today was the day. The first leg of the journey was a "bargain bus ride" from San Ignacio Town to Belmopan. The cost of this ride was a whopping US$1.50. In Belmopan (the capital city of Belize) we switched to a different bus -- also costing US$1.50-- that would bring us along the Hummingbird Highway to the exit ("mile 25") at which Kirby had been told we had to get off the bus to drop in at the Orange Farm in question. Kirby had been told that the farm was only a short walking distance from the highway-- and just a block or two from the "mile 25" drop point. The plan after looking at the orange farm was to go back out on the highway and wait for the next bus-- which we hoped would not require too long of a wait.

When we arrived at the mile 25 point, we jumped off the bus, grabbed our luggage, and walked to the nearest house to ask about the whereabouts of the person Kirby had been told to see. We eventually found the man, who had been acting as caretaker of the place, and he gave us a guided tour of the 25 acre orange farm-- which Kirby had been told was on the market for a price of US$45,000.00.


Kirby and the Caretaker (Who We Nicknamed "Stretch")

The farm was located in a valley between two incredibly picturesque mountain ridges, one of which is shown in the following photograph:

The Orange Farm Kirby Was Interested Is on the Left

The surrounding area was breathtaking, but I think Kirby realized in about five minutes after talking briefly with the caretaker and the next door neighbor (also from Canada), that buying the farm would probably be a losing proposition for a number of reasons. First, everyone was saying there was no money in oranges as the pricing structure, supply and demand made it impossible to make a profit  Second, Kirby - who had grown up on a farm in Canada and had been a landscaper for the past 25 years- immediately saw that the trees and the soil were in terrible condition. Well- that didn't take long!  Both Kirby and I were wearing shorts and T-shirts--a definite no no in this part of Belize-- so after about one hundred bug bites each we were ready to get the hell out of here.

The Area Surrounding the Orange Farm

We walked back to the mile 25 pick up point, and thankfully the bus to Dangriga came by within about one half hour. We didn't intend to stay in Dangriga -- we wanted to somehow get to the nearby Town of Hopkins which we had heard really good things about -- so we traveled to the Dangriga bus station and caught a bus to Punta Gorda with the intent of jumping out in the middle of nowhere and flagging down a ride to Hopkins.. We were incredibly lucky that a van was waiting right at the drop off point when we jumped off the bus with several other people. We climbed in the van and were promptly shuttled to Hopkins by Elwin and Barbara-- who operate a Hopkins-based tour operation called Barb and El's Taxi and Charters-- who subsequently became our friends.  I will pick up our initial introduction to the magical Town of Hopkins in my next installment.

Some More of the Beautiful Scenery Along the Hummingbird Highway

February 1, 2011 (San Ignacio Town Day 7- Part 2) A Triple Header!

To make up for a weekend virtually devoid of adventure (for me, anyway), my Canadian pal Kirby and I made up for it today by winning the Triple Crown of Adventures by hitting three different awesome attractions-- all a short hop from our headquarters in San Ignacio Town. As per usual, our friend Manny came through for us BIG TIME. He not only set up and transported us to three different places nearby-- he also made it a threesome by bringing along Kitty--- an awesome young lady from Montana who had taken a vacation in Belize for a week by herself! Kitty was a real sweetheart -- pretty, smart, athletic, fun and energetic. In real life she was working as a physician's assistant in Portland, Oregon and seemed to really like her career. Unfortunately she was only 29 so I figured she was out of MY league (of course-- at that time I hadn't heard about Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansen).


Kitty Is to My Right (Wearing Red)

For the first of our adventures-- cave tubing - Manny drove the three of us plus our guide to the famous Caves Branch River area -- once again in the direction of the national capital in Belmopan. The area is famous for its rivers and amazing limestone caves. Shortly after arriving, we were set up with our inner tubes and we embarked on our "jungle trail hike". During the hike, our guide carefully pointed out number of plants and trees along the way, and gave us a great deal of interesting information about the local plants, herbs and roots once used by the ancient Maya. He also shared a considerable amount of his knowledge of ancient Maya history and customs. The hike took us about an hour up the river, and allowed us to strap on our headlamps and life vests, climb on our tubes and lazily float back to the Caves Branch River site where the expedition had begun. The temperature of the air and the water were perfect that day, so even in the darkest of the caves I never shivered a bit. As we slowly floated through the network of caves we were able to observe amazing crystalline formations lining the caves, stalactites AND stalagmites (if you can  still remember the difference between these two terms!). The limestone caves and the slowly moving river were incredible-- and the overall experience was as beautiful and relaxing as it was educational. And it was a whole lot more fun because the lovely Kitty was hangin' with us for the entire day.

But that's not all, folks! After our cabe tube experience was completed, we headed over to the adjoining zipline area. Here, they have set up a breathtaking system of cables and towers criss-crossing above the rainforest canopy. For a very reasonable fee of US$45.00 we got to do a series of seven different "zips"-- some from platforms over 100 feet high and some as long as 400 feet! The guides who carefully strapped us in each "zip" and helped stop us at the other end were professional and friendly, and the view of the jungle below was absolutely fabulous. This is something that I have always wanted to do -- and I know that many folks who do it consider it one of the experiences of a lifetime. Check out these photos to get some idea how cool ziplining above the jungle canopy in Belize is!

This Is Ronaldo Coming In for a Landing!

Kitty Is Having a Great Time!

After completing our seven "zips" we loaded back into Manny's waiting van and headed back to San Ignacio town for our final adventure of the day. We visited the natural iguana project/exhibit at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel only minutes from the hotel we were staying at. It is a really famous and classy place-- apparently the Queen of England stayed there back in the day-- and the iguana project is a really cool thing to see (and experience) as you can see in the photos (below):

Kitty with Two of Her New Friends

Ronaldo Models the Latest Fashion in Caps: The Iguana Special

February 1, 2011 (San Ignacio Town Day 7) All About the Belikin!

Before I tell you about one of my very best days of the "Big Adventure" up to this point -- I am going to take a few minutes to explain one of the truly amazing phenomenon of Belize-- the ubiquity of Belikin beer! You will notice very quickly when you visit the country that EVERYONE seems to be drinking the same brand of beer. And-- if you are like me -- you may have never even heard of this Belikin beer. You will try it and you, too, will like it. But what is the story?  Well -- I found it to be a very interesting story-- and I hope you enjoy it as well. So here goes--

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a businessman named Barry Bowen thought that his country should produce its own beer. So-- being a very smart guy, Bowen brought an expert from Germany to Belize to set up the operation and make German-quality in Belize. Today, Belikin is the leading domestically produced beer brand in Belize -- and has the benefit of having a virtual monopoly (as explained below). Whether you are patronizing a local bar, restaurant or anyplace else you go in Belize --- you will be amazed by the market penetration this company has achieved. And the tourists from the US, Canada, Europe and other places seem to wholeheartedly support the status quo. I never heard anyone complain - although I was initially mystified as to why the beers I was drinking seemed to disappear so quickly. Then one night -- out of curiousity -- I used the Internet to find that 284 ml is only 9.6 fluid ounces! The glass used in the bottles is extra thick-- so the beers have a similar appearance to America's standard 12 fluid ounce bottles. Nonetheless-- when you visit Belize you quickly realize that the beer is ubiquitous in this country. Belize is Belikin-- and Belikin is Belize! The most fascinating way this has all come about will be detailed in this article-- and is largely the story of am amazing man named Barry Bowen (who incidently died-- at the age of 64 -- in a freak airplane crash just before landing at the San Pedro airport shortly after the date of this blog-- which was published "after the fact"). Belikin beer is brewed by the Belize Brewing Company, Ltd. -- which is owned by the Bowen family. The Belikin beer brand name was first marketed (according to differing sources) in the late 1960s or in 1971. Its tagline is "The Only Beer Worth Drinking".The name "Belikin" comes from the Maya language and means "Road to the East" (this is a term which some have also suggested is the origin of the name of "Belize" - although the most accepted derivation says the name comes from the Belize River (meaning "muddy")).The standard Belikin label features a drawing of a famous Pre-Columbian Maya Temple-pyramid at Altun Ha, but they have some other labels as shown below:

This is NOT the Standard Label I Have Been Seeing-- but You Get the Idea

The Belikin factory in Ladyville (near Belize City in Belize District currently exports its products to the USA via a distributor in Los Angeles.The distributor ships the products to select high end liquor stores throughout the USA.The products marketed by Belikin include the following:

                 Belikin Beer (green cap-- 4.8% alcohol content)
                 Belikin stout (blue cap -- 6.5% alcohol content)\
                 Belikin Premium
                 Guiness (Belikin is the local bottler and distributor)
                 Lighthouse lager (4.2% alcohol and marketed for the ladies)
Belikin Galaxy (Currently only available on tap at The Riverside Tavern in Belize City-- owned the Bowen family -- see infra).A Little Discussion about the Art of Brewing Beer
The ancient Egyptians knew how to brew beer. Two thousand years ago African tribesmen brewed their own. In the U.S.-- in the 1930's and ’40's -- people commonly made batches of beer in their cellars (that was supposed to be used for home consumption only, of course). Today, micro-breweries are springing up as small businesses and in homes all over the world as people log on to the Internet for the wealth of information on the subject of making home-made beer. Beer has been a part of nearly every culture in the world --but that doesn’t mean local beer always tastes good. In Belize, the beer does taste good, thanks to the efforts of Barry Bowen and the Belize Brewing Company, Ltd.

Belikin History
The grounds of the Belize Brewing Company’s modern plant in Ladyville also house Belize’s Coca Cola bottling plant and the Crystal Water bottling facility. Barry Bowen's father started Crystal Bottling Works and Barry began brewing Belikin beer in 1971. To make sure he was getting a quality product, Barry hired a brewmaster from Germany to set up the operation. All of the equipment came from Germany as well. Reinhard Häpp-- the current brewmaster at Belize Brewing Company-- now oversees a scientific process designed to make sure that Belikin beer is consistently good; each batch as good as those that preceded it. His domain is that of gleaming copper and stainless steel vats used to process the unique beer of Belize. Although beer is relatively easy to make, the many steps in the brewing process allow for changes in taste that reflect the society that makes it. In Asia, the malt is made from rice, while in other parts of the world ginger roots and even spruce pine are used. Since Beliken is made like beers from Germany, all of the ingredients are imported except for the sugar and the water.

If you tour the Belikin plant you will probably began in the malt room -- where the grist of imported grain is mixed with water and fed into the "mash tun". Enzymes begin to convert the starches of the grain to sugar before the mixture goes to the "lauter tun", a huge filter that separates the grain from the liquid. The liquid then goes to the kettle where the hops are added and the heat kills the enzymes-- stopping their reactions with the starches. The liquid is then cooled with both regular water and chilled water and goes into fermentation tanks where it is held at 50 degrees Fahrenheit for about a week. What is now “green beer” is then stored in the aging room for two to three weeks before going to a filtering room where it is filtered once again. At this stage the beer is sent to the “bright beer” tanks. It then enters the bottling process after being filtered once again and having carbonation added.

Belikin beer’s recycled bottles (they have value so don't toss them) have an average life of ten fillings. It’s little wonder that their life span is short. After a separation and inspection process, the bottles and the kegs for the draft beer are washed with a caustic soda solution that guarantees that each container is spotless. The bottles speed along a conveyor system where they are filled, capped, inspected and then date coded as they come off the line. As a last step of the brewing process, the bottles are then heated to pasteurize the beer and give it a longer shelf life. Coca Cola is also bottled in Belize - primarily in returnable bottles rather than in cans. In the soft drink sector, only Coke products are sold in Belize as Pepsi has somehow been squeezed out of the picture. Both Coke and Belikin have a virtual monopoly on the beverage market in Belize.

More Belikin History
In 1978, shortly before Belize received its independence, Barry Bowen bought the Bowen & Bowen Company from his father. Barry Bowen moved quickly to develop and exploit the opportunities he saw in the backwater of Belize. He developed the Coca-Cola franchise and turned Belikin-- first brewed in the late 1960s-- into the national drink of Belize. Until Belikin came along, Belizeans mostly drank imported Heineken and Guinness stout. With a local beer now available, the PUP raised taxes on imports, and most Belizeans turned to Belikin.
In the early 1970s, a challenger to Belikin came along. Two brothers, Arturo and Orlando Matus, whose ancestors came to Belize as refugees from the Caste War in the Yucatan, started Charger beer. Many Belizeans seemed to think that Charger tasted even better than Belikin. The Matus brothers and Charger did well for a while, but then, as the story goes, Bowen and Bowen started buying up the empty Charger bottles. In Belize at that time all glass containers were imported into the country, at considerable cost. So bottling companies used only returnable bottles and paid for their return. Bowen paid a premium for the bottles and stored them in a warehouse. This eventually broke Charger because the company had to keep importing expensive bottles and found it difficult to sustain a prifitable enterprise. The Mayus brothers' bank eventually foreclosed on the company's loans, and Charger went out of business, leaving Belikin as the only beer in Belize.

While parts of the sad Charger story may be apocryphal, and a similar story is told about how Bowen put the local Pepsi distributor out of business, it is undoubtedly true that Barry Bowen and his managers were skilled beer marketers and operators. They created a nationwide distribution system of wholesale outlets and delivery trucks and barges that made sure beer was delivered to every bar and store in the nation. They advertised freely, became actively involved in community programs and developed popular merchandising efforts like the Belikin calendar, which annually features some of the most beautiful women of Belize.Today-- thanks in part to the virtual monopoly status granted by the Belize government to Bowen Brewing-- Belikin controls nearly the entire beer market in Belize. The popular beers of neighboring Guatemala and Mexico cannot be imported into Belize, and only limited U.S. and foreign beers can be brought into the country. Although under recently imposed CARICOM rules beers such as Jamaica's Red Stripe and Heineken brewed in St. Kitts must be allowed into the Belize market, they are making little headway against the solidly entrenched Belikin and related Bowen brands.

January 31, 2011 (San Ignacio Day 6)

Today,  Monday, January 31, I had absolutely no plans when I awoke at about 7:00 AM but I expected my Canadian friend Kirby to arrive sometime during the day. We planned to leave San Ignacio this week and check out a couple other towns -- and perhaps even a couple additional cayes -- before Kirby had to start his journey back to Cancun. In the morning-- after another breakfast across the street at Serendib-- I started a hunt for a sturdy box and some bubble wrap to use for shipping my six slate Maya calendar pieces back to the USA. It took forever to find an empty box, but the bubble wrap was pretty easy to find at one of the local stores. I carefully wrapped each piece and brought the box to a nearby travel agency that was also the local agent for Federal Express. I was shocked to see that shipping my treasures back home was going to cost me about as much as I paid for them-- about US$250.00 (and the box wasn't THAT heavy or large, either). If I wasn't moving around so much, a smarter option would have been to bring a second suitcase-- even though the airline charges for a second bag would have probably ended up costing almost the same amount.

Kirby returned from Flores at abouit 3:30 PM, so we grabbed a beer at a nearby spot and downloaded each other about our respective adventures since we had parted ways. Kirby said that Flores was beautiful, but that there was not much "adventuring" to do there. It would be a shopper's paradise-- as the Guatemalans have a number of amazing markets in Flores and the prices for local merchandise are out of this world. But who needs more "stuff" anyway-- especially when you have to lug it around? AND -- the Danielle (the cute young basketball player from Canada) saga continued! During his visit to Flores Kirby once again ran into Danielle!



Another Danielle Sighting: This Time in Guatemala!

I guess she will EVENTUALLY make it to Nicaragua! Kirby and I met Manny at his "office" along Burns Avenue early in the evening and he told us he was taking several people on a cave tubing and zip lining adventure at the famous Caves Branch area about 45 minutes from town (in the direction of Belmopan). Manny told us he would get us a "special price"- so we told him it sounded great and we would see him back at his office at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning. Kirby and I had dinner with our British friend Sue at the South Indian restaurant again and we made it an early night so we would be ready and raring to go tomorrow morning for the big adventure! 

January 30, 2011 (San Ignacio Day 5)

Today -- Sunday, January 30, 2011, marked my fifth day in San Ignacio Town in the Cayo District. I had no great "adventures" planned for the day, so it was an opportunity to get in a good morning run and catch up on some things during the day (such as trying to get caught up on my blog entries!). Looking back at my five days in the Cayo, three of them had been dedicated to exploring Maya ruins sites which had become one of my absolute favorite new hobbies. One of the locals suggested that I run out to a gravel road a mile or so from my hotel where I would encounter a minimum of automobile traffic and feel like I was out in the country. He forgot to mention that this route also leads to an incredibly beautiful spot where the Mopan and Macal Rivers merge to form the Belize River. When you reach the river you can also run (if you are fearless) or walk across a (very) rickedy bridge and keep running as far as you like on the other side. Although I think this spot could be promoted and "prettied up" a great deal as a tourist attraction, it was also kind of nice to just experience it the way it was. After my five mile run I was famished, so I splurged on a big breakfast at Eve's and pumped Nettie about the other places in Belize she recommended I visit. Her two strongest recommendations were for Tobacco Caye and Hopkins -- both of which have starring roles later in this blog (so keep tuned).

Here Is Nettie: My Official Belize Consultant

Since I did not partake of any fabulous Belize outings today, I thought this might be a good time to summarize the list I have put together after spending almost a month in Belize. Several of my loyal readers have asked me what is so great about Belize. At this point, since I have not visited any of the other "contenders" yet for my top spot to perhaps settle in some day (being close to the USA, more affordable than the USA, with better weather and MORE FUN (for me anyway) than Minnesota), I do not have any other places to compare Belize to yet. But my hunch is that these other countries are going to have a tough time beating out the former British Honduras for the following ten reasons:

1.  BEER:  EVERYBODY in Belize drinks Belikin, and only Belikin. AND it is a great beer. As can be said for a great spouse or significant other, why in the world does anyone need more than one?

2. PROXIMITY: Belize is only a couple hours by air from the USA. It as easy to reach as Los Angeles is from New York. This is not a huge factor for everyone, but in my situation it is critical. I want it to be quick and relatively inexpensive to visit my children back in the USA-- and to invite them to my place on a regular basis as well.

3. PEOPLE: The people in Belize are- for the most part- incredibly friendly and awesome. I had always thought that America is a "melting pot"-- but for such a small country you will be AMAZED by the diversity of the native Belizeans. Each group that has ended up in Belize -- the largest of which are of mixed race or "Mestizos" (about 50% of the population), native Maya Indians (about 10%), Creole (about 25%), Mennonites (about 10%) and Garifuna (about 6%) has its own fascinating historical and cultural story, traditions and lifestyle.

Manny Will "Hook You Up" in San Ignacio Town!

4. LANGUAGE:  For Americans, Canadians and British visitors, it is a nice surprise to find out that English is the "official" language and almost everyone there speaks and understands English pretty well. It is still a great idea to keep taking the Spanish lessons, however, because Belize is literally surrounded by Spanish speaking countries and many locals prefer speaking their native language.

5. STABILITY:  In the 1840's, Great Britain claimed Belize as its colony and called it "British Honduras". By the early 1900's, the colony had grown in size to almost 40,000 inhabitants. In the 1930's, a horrific hurricane and a terrible economy led to a popular local movement pushing for independence. In 1973, the colony's name was changed to "Belize", and in 1981 the country received its independence from Britain. Since that time, although the economy in Belize has been virtually nonexistent, the politics have been stable-- a real unusual scenario for Central America!

6. WORLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL EPICENTER: Because Belize is located on the Yucatan peninsula-- what was the epicenter of the fabulous Maya civilization -- it is an absolute hotbed of archaeological magnificence. In addition to being home to many of the nearby sixty nine recognized Maya ruins sites, Belize is also close to the famous spot where one of the largest meteors in history struck the earth many years ago which some experts believe may have caused the demise of the dinosaurs.

Ronaldo Is the King of Tikal in This Photo!

7. AFFORDABLE:  Belize is ranked as one of the top destinations in the world for Americans looking for a place to retire that not only has a great climate and great natural attractions (as mentioned above and below) but also has a cost of living significantly lower that most cities in the U.S.

8. THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: Belize is blessed by having the world's second longest barrrier reef (only Australiia's is larger) to protect its entire coastline from the brute force of the Caribbean. UNESCO has awarded World Heritage Status to the entire reef system, and the marine attractions are as amazing and diverse as the natural coral and other formations that make up the 185 mile reef. In addition, over 400 islands (called "Cayes") and three of the Caribbean's four atoll formations are part of Belize. It is ridiculous-- and it is literally in our backyard.

9. AMAZING CLIMATE: It sounds hard to believe, but on several of the islands and spots  along the coast the annual temperature ranges from a LOW of about 70 degrees F. to a HIGH of about 80 degrees F. I have lived in Minnesota all my live and I still can't believe this!  In addition, Belize does not have a long "rainy" season like some its Central American neighbors. Summers get considerably hotter-- and winters cooler-- as you move inland from the coast. But you get the basic idea.

10. INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY OF ATTRACTIONS: Belize is not for everyone. There is presently only one crappy golf course. Only one or two movie theaters. No opera house, art museums or great theater. No Starbucks (yet). If you dream of Manhattan or Broadway, you probably wouldn't want to live in Belize permanently. But remember that Belize has everything from mountains to rain forests to white sand beaches. And if you fantasize about having weather like Hawaii at a fraction of the price and think you would enjoy some of the following things, you owe it to yourself to check it out-- 

a. Fishing (hundreds of different variations);
b. Snorkeling;
c. Scuba diving;
d. Cave tubing;
e. Zip lining;
f. Belize zoo;
g. Horseback riding;
h. Jungle adventures;
i. Hiking;
j. Climbing;
k. Sailing;
l. Kayaking;
m. African drumming;
n. Swimming;
o. Exploring archaeological sites;
p. Drinking Belikin beer.

Ronaldo's Big Adventure: January 29, 2011 (Part 5) Returning from Tikal

Ronaldo's Big Adventure: January 29, 2011 (Part 5) Returning from Tikal: "My visit to Tikal had been wonderful with the exception that I did not allow myself enough time to explore it thoroughly. My transport TO th..."

January 29, 2011 (Part 5) Returning from Tikal

My visit to Tikal had been wonderful with the exception that I did not allow myself enough time to explore it thoroughly. My transport TO the site had been economical and like clockwork (with the exception of a little stress at the border crossing after finding that I had been in Belize illegally!). The problem came with my return to San Ignacio. I had been told earlier to look for a white van in a particular place in the parking lot at 2:30 PM. I made it a point to be there at 2:30 PM but was somewhat distressed to find no van waiting at the spot. After waiting patiently for about 20 minutes I decided to try to fend for myself. I chased down a couple of local taxi drivers but was told that they would have to charge me a lot to drive me all the way back to the border (like about US$100). I kept trying, however, and eventually hooked up with two other American guys who were sharing a cab back to Flores. The cabbie said I could join them and split the fare to "the crus" where the road forks to either Flores or "la frontera". My portion of the taxi to "the crus" ended up being only 50 Quetzales (about US$7.00), and I was dropped on the highway with assurances that the "bus" to la frontera would come by shortly. I waited out in the middle of nowhere in Guatemala looking for some kind of bus when the strangest thing happened. What appeared to be an old recycled American school bus painted army green pulled up right across the road from where I was waiting and about 17 young Guatemalan soldiers carrying machine guns piled out of the bus. The soldiers headed toward the house on the corner - only about 100 feet from where I was sitting along the street - and proceeded to scurry about the back yard doing who knows what. I was seriously worried that a drug bust might be going down and I would end up in the middle of a machine gun battle!

Army Bus I Encountered in Guatemala Waiting for the Chicken Bus

I was DYING to whip out my trusty camera and take a couple photos of this craziness-- but I worried that someone might see me and they might confiscate my camera. So I waited about 20 minutes until they got back on the bus and took off to take a photo. My photo of the bus is above-- and remember that about 17 young soldiers (with machine guns) are on this bus. I never did find out what the soldiers were doing at this house. I am just glad that no gun battles broke while I was waiting for the bus.

Shortly after the army bus left a large van came flying by "the crus" and stopped for me. "Climb in" the driver hollered.  I followed his instructions - even though the van was already full. I think I crushed three young girls climbing into the van. For the next 20 miles or so the van stopped and started dozens of times as locals climbed off and on in turn. I was definitely the only tourist on the bus, and it was actually a pretty cool experience. It took a while to get to the border, but the price was certainly right. The fare collected by the 12 year old conductor was only 20 Quetzales (about US$2.50!). Not bad for a once in a lifetime experience! I was a LITTE disappointed, however, that there weren't any chickens strapped to the roof of the van. The chicken bus dropped me near the customs building at the border, and I quickly made it through Passport control and customs. On the other side I had no trouble finding a Belizean cab driver to bring me back to my "home away from home" in San Ignacio. This ride cost some big bucks -- a little over US$10.00 for another half hour taxi ride.

Ronaldo's Big Adventure: January 29, 2011 (Part 4) TIKAL, Part One

Ronaldo's Big Adventure: January 29, 2011 (Part 4) TIKAL, Part One: "My plan for Saturday, January 29 was to possibly meet my Canadian friend Kirby at the greatest of all excavated Maya sites-- Tikal. To get ..."

January 29, 2011 (Part 4) TIKAL, Part One

My plan for Saturday, January 29 was to possibly meet my Canadian friend Kirby at the greatest of all excavated Maya sites-- Tikal. To get to the site from Belize you need to travel from San Ignacio to the border town of Benque Viejo del Carmen. Here you need to clear customs and have your Passport stamped (and it is here that I discovered that my Passport had never been stamped when I entered Belize!). From the border Tikal is about another hour by automobile or van. I had arranged for transportation that morning by van with a San Ignacio travel hustler named "Max". I only had to pay US$25.00 for transportation to the border (about 40 minutes) and the rest of the way to Tikal. I left my return "open" because I thought I might run into Kirby and wanted to remain flexible. The entry fee for admission to the national park was US$20.00 (so I needed to trade some Belize dollars for Guatemalan "quetzales"). I never ended up finding Kirby at Tikal (as hings turned out he visited Tikal the following day) but I really enjoyed my visit. The park was quite crowded but the structures and other attractions were amazing. Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the Tikal was the capital of a conquest state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya. Though monumental architecture at the site dates back as far as the 4th century BC, Tikal reached its apogee during the Classic Period (200 to 900 AD). During this time, the city dominated much of the Maya region politically, economically, and militarily, while interacting with areas throughout Mesoamerica such as the great metropolis of Teotihuacan in the distant Valley of Mexico. There is evidence that Tikal was conquered by Teotihuacan in the 4th century AD. Following the end of the Late Classic Period, no new major monuments were built at Tikal and there is evidence that elite palaces were burned. These events were coupled with a gradual population decline, culminating with the site’s abandonment by the end of the 10th century. One of the Five Great Pyramids at Tikal (Temple VI) pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Peten Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. The site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tikal is probably the best understood of any of the large lowland Maya cities, with a long dynastic ruler list, the discovery of the tombs of many of the rulers on this list and the investigation of their monuments, temples and palaces. In this remote area, one of the greatest civilizations of its time established a city that endured for centuries. Set in the jungle canopy, the site today consists of over 3,000 structures extending over six square miles including temples, palaces, ceremonial platforms, ball courts, terraces, avenues and plazas.

Experts believe the Maya began building Tikal around 600 B.C. At its peak-- some 1,500 years ago --Tikal was a wealthy metropolis, home to an estimated 100,000 Mayans, as well as an important religious, scientific, and political center. The “Great Plaza” of Tikal is surrounded by stelae and sculpted altars, ceremonial buildings, residential and administrative palaces, and a ball court. At each end of the Great Plaza loom the two great temples erected in about 700 A.D. by order of As is the case with all Mayan sites, the origins of Tikal are only barely discernible.　 Findings of pottery dating from a few hundred years before Christ give evidence that Tikal was inhabited then. By the time of Christ, the Great Plaza had already taken its basic form, with platforms and stairways on the north side.

 Tikal is an amazing place to behold—not only for the engineering accomplishments of the Maya, but also for the jungle splendors of the Petén region in Guatemala. The site of Tikal is a national park-- where the native flora and fauna still flourish relatively undisturbed.　 In addition to its numerous well-excavated temples and pyramids, Tikal presents an excellent opportunity for animal and bird-watching. Roaring howler monkeys and squawking parrots provide nature's soundtrack and along the paths, spider monkeys, gray foxes, coatis-mundis, dear, and peccary are visible to the visitor.You can can sit atop a huge pyramid that is over a thousand years old, gazing down at the Great Plaza and roof-combs rising up from the sea of jungle and imagine the times more than a thousand years ago when the plaza was alive with activity and the city was surround by cultivated fields dotted with houses. Jasaw Chan K'awiil I and his heir Yik'in Chan K'awiil.

 · The Temple of the Great Jaguar (150 feet in height); and

Tikal has five great pyramids in all, which give this ceremonial centre a majestic grandeur unique among Maya cities. The height of the temples, crowned with tremendous roof combs; the complicated assemblage of the palace structures of the central Acropolis; and the complexity of the chronology of the North Acropolis are staggering to anyone visiting Tikal for the first time. Among the many highlights are several colossal pyramids, including:

.

· Temple II (120 feet in height).

There is no coherent history of Tikal and there may never be one. Bits and pieces of information are picked up from drawings on pottery and bone, tools, similarities in artistic styles between Tikal and other Mayan and Non-Mayan centers, and the few glyphs that have been deciphered up to now. Tikal attracts archeologists from all around the globe and the wild-life surrounding the ruins, make Tikal a naturalist's dream. This combination of archaeological remains and the natural environment of the Petén, makes Tikal the only place in the world which has been declared by UNESCO as both a Natural & World Cultural Heritage site. My visit to Tikal was fabulous-- but I made a huge mistake in not allowing sufficient time to take it all in. Tikal requires a ful day-- maybe even more if you can manage it. Due to my transportation issues (to be detailed in my next blog) I had to try to explore the site in only about four hours-- which is ridiculous. Nevertheless I did see a great deal of the site, and I climbed the 100 step wooden platform to behold the panoramic view from the upper platform of the amazing Temple V. It was a great workout, and the view of the surrounding jungle countryside was breathtaking.

January 29, 2011 (Part 3) [Maya Calendar Basics]

The Maya calendar system uses three different dating systems in parallel: The Long Count, the Tzolkin (divine calendar), and the Haab (civil calendar). Of the three systems, only the Haab has a direct relationship to the length of the year. A typical Mayan date looks like this: 12.18.16.2.6, 3 Cimi 4 Zotz.

12.18.16.2.6 is the “Long Count” date.

3 Cimi is the Tzolkin date.

4 Zotz is the Haab date.

1. The Tzolkin (260 Day) Calendar § a numbered week of 13 days, in which the days were numbered from 1 to 13
The Tzolkin calendar is the sacred calendar of the Maya. The Tzolkin date is a combination of two "week" lengths. While the calendar used in most of the world today uses a single week of seven days, the Tzolkin calendar used two different lengths of week:



§ a named week of 20 days, in which the names of the days were as follows:

0. Ahau	1. Imix	2. Ik	3. Akbal	4. Kan
5. Chicchan	6. Cimi	7. Manik	8. Lamat	9. Muluc
10. Oc (ok)	11. Chuen	12. Eb	13. Ben	14. Ix
15. Men	16. Cib	17. Caban	18. Etznab	19. Caunac

In addition to the names of the days, each day was also associated with a “glyph” or "logogram" as shown in the carved art below:

The glyphs for each day are shown above

2. Haab' 365 Day Calendar (18 months/20 days each + five days)
The Haab was the civil calendar of the Mayas. It consisted of 18 "months" of 20 days each, followed by 5 extra days, known as Uayeb. This gives a year length of 365 days.

Month Names and Approximate Meanings
Pohp	Mat	Yax	Green
Wo	??	Zak	White
Sip	??	Keh	Red
Sotz'	Bat	Mak	??
Sek	??	K'ank'in	??
Xul	Dog	Muwan	Owl
Yaxk'in	New Sun	Pax	??
Mol	Water	K'ayab	Turtle
Ch'en	Black ??	Kumk'u	??

　
To the eighteen regular months the Maya appended a special five-day month called Wayeb composed of 5 days which were considered unnamed and unlucky. Thus the days were counted: One Imix, Zero Pohp, Two Ik, One Pohp. When the thirteenth day was reached the next day was Thirteen Ben, Twelve Pohp; then One Ix, Thirteen Pohp, Two Men, Fourteen Pohp. After Seven Ahaw, Nineteen Pohp, the next day was Eight Imix, Zero Wo. The names of the months in the Haab’ calendar were as follows:

1. Pop	7. Yaxkin	13. Mac
2. Uo	8. Mol	14. Kankin
3. Zip	9. Chen	15. Muan
4. Zotz	10. Yax	16. Pax
5. Tzec	11. Zac	17. Kayab
6. Xul	12. Ceh	18. Cumku

In contrast to the Tzolkin dates, the Haab month names changed every 20 days instead of daily; so the day after 4 Zotz would be 5 Zotz, followed by 6 Zotz ... up to 19 Zotz, which is followed by 0 Tzec.The Haab’ days of the month were numbered from 0 to 19. This use of a 0th day of the month in a civil calendar is unique to the Maya system; it is believed that the Mayas discovered the number zero, and the uses to which it could be put, centuries before it was discovered in Europe or Asia. The Uayeb days acquired a very derogatory reputation for bad luck; known as "days without names" or "days without souls," and were observed as days of prayer and mourning. Fires were extinguished and the population refrained from eating hot food. Anyone born on those days was "doomed to a miserable life."

3. Calendar Round
Neither the Tzolk'in nor the Haab' system numbered the years. The combination of a Tzolk'in date and a Haab' date was enough to identify a date to most people's satisfaction, as such a combination did not occur again for another 52 years, above general life expectancy.
Because the two calendars were based on 260 days and 365 days respectively, the whole cycle would repeat itself every 52 Haab' years exactly. This period was known as a "Calendar Round". The end of the Calendar Round was a period of unrest and bad luck among the Maya, as they waited in expectation to see if the gods would grant them another cycle of 52 years.

4. The Long Count Calendar
The Maya also used special glyphs to indicate time periods. The "kin" represented one day. "Winals" are periods of 20-days which we now call a month. The "Tun" was a year of 360 days and the "K'atun" was a time period of 20 years of 360 days each. The K'atun ending was a special time period celebrated by the Maya. It has its parallel in the modern world-- the period of time which we call a decade. The Maya also counted 400-year periods called "Baktuns". The Maya used these time periods in a special day count which is now called the "Long Count". Today,  a typical long count date is written thus: 9.14.12.2.17. This represents 9 baktuns, 14 k'atuns, 12 tuns, 2 winals and 17 k'ins. [Special note: All names given here are in the new orthography developed by native Maya of Guatemala. Their system is being accepted by many various organizations of Maya and similar forms of this orthography are being adopted by other Maya groups. In reality, this system probably makes it easier for English speakers to pronounce the actual words. Given the Maya propensity for words and language it is only a natural development.]
Since Calendar Round dates can only distinguish in 18,980 days (equivalent to around 52 solar years) -- the cycle repeats roughly once each lifetime, and thus, a more refined method of dating was needed if history was to be recorded accurately. To measure dates, therefore, over periods longer than 52 years, Mesoamericans devised the Long Count calendar. The Maya name for a day was k'in. Twenty of these k'ins are known as a winal or uinal. Eighteen winals make one tun. Twenty tuns are known as a k'atun. Twenty k'atuns make a b'ak'tun.

How the Three Systems Work Together
As the named week is 20 days -- and the smallest Long Count digit is 20 days, there is synchrony between the two. If, for example, the last digit of today’s Long Count is 0, today must be Ahau; if it is 6, it must be Cimi. Since the numbered and the named week were both "weeks," each of their name/number change daily; therefore, the day after 3 Cimi is not 4 Cimi, but 4 Manik, and the day after that, 5 Lamat. The next time Cimi rolls associations connected with each day, and for this reason, it became known as the "divinatory yeararound".  20 days later, it will be 10 Cimi instead of 3 Cimi. The next 3 Cimi will not occur until 260 (or 13 x 20) days have passed. This 260-day cycle also had good-luck or bad-luck associations. Note that for most of these glyphs, several different forms are recorded; the ones shown above are typical of carved monumental inscriptions. The "years" of the Tzolkin calendar are not counted. The word tzolk'in means the "count of days". The various names of this calendar as used by precolumbian Maya peoples are still debated by scholars.  The tzolk'in calendar combines twenty day names with the thirteen numbers of the trecena cycle to produce 260 unique days. It is used to determine the time of religious and ceremonial events and for divination. Each successive day is numbered from 1 up to 13 and then starting again at 1. Separately from this, every day is given a name in sequence from a list of 20 day namesThe Maya also tracked a vague solar year in which they counted 365 days per year. Because they could not use fractions, the "quarter" day left over every year caused their calendar to drift with regard to the actual solar year. The 365-day year contained months were also given names. numbers 0-19 before they changed, so that the count goes Zero Pohp to 19 Pohp, then continues with Zero Wo.

January 29, 2011 (Part 2) [Did the Maya Predict the World Would End in 2012?]

With the apocryphal date of December 21, 2012 fast approaching, the intricate Maya calendar system has become a popular topic for thousands of curious citizens of the world to ponder. Publishers and filmmakers alike are helping their fans gear up and count down to this special date that ancient Mayan societies were anticipating thousands of years ago. In 2007, three books on the subject arrived in mainstream bookstores. A fourth was due later that year. Each book arrived in the wake of the 2006 success of 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, which sold thousands of copies every month since its release in May, 2006. These books built on the popular interest in the Maya fueled in part by Mel Gibson's December 2006 film about Mayan civilization, Apocalypto.

The authors of these books disagree about what humankind should expect on December 21, 2012, when the Maya's "Long Count" calendar marks the end of a 5,126-year era. This historic day marks the day the long count calendar will complete a “great cycle” of thirteen b’ak’tuns—each b’ak’tun consisting of a period of 144,000 days—since the mythical creation date of the calendar’s current era (supposedly August 11, 3114 BC). Journalist Lawrence Joseph forecast widespread catastrophe in Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization's End. Spiritual healer Andrew Smith predicted a restoration of a "true balance between Divine Feminine and Masculine" in The Revolution of 2012: Vol. 1, The Preparation. In 2012, Daniel Pinchbeck anticipated a "change in the nature of consciousness," assisted by indigenous insights and psychedelic drug use.

The buildup to 2012 echoes excitement and fear expressed on the eve of the new millennium-- popularly known as Y2K-- though on a smaller scale, says Lynn Garrett, senior religion editor at Publishers Weekly. She says publishers seem to be courting readers who believe humanity is creating its own ecological disasters and desperately needs ancient indigenous wisdom. "The convergence I see here is the apocalyptic expectations, if you will, along with the fact that the environment is in the front of many people's minds these days," Garrett says. "Part of the appeal of these earth religions is that notion that we need to reconnect with the Earth in order to save ourselves." But many scholars are bristling at attempts to link the ancient Maya with trends in contemporary spirituality. Maya civilization, known for advanced writing, mathematics and astronomy, flourished for centuries in Mesoamerica, especially between A.D. 300 and 900. Its Long Count calendar, which was discontinued under Spanish colonization, tracks more than 5,000 years, then resets at year zero.

"For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble, executive director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies in Crystal River, Fla. To render Dec. 21, 2012, as a doomsday or moment of cosmic shifting, she says, is "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in." Part of the 2012 mystique stems from the stars. On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that "whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 PM Universal Time," according to Lawrence Joseph.
But most scholars doubt the ancient Maya extrapolated great meaning from anticipating the alignment — if they were even aware of what the configuration would be. Astronomers generally agree that "it would be impossible the Maya themselves would have known" about the alignment," says Susan Milbrath, a Maya archaeoastronomer and a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History. What's more, she says, "we have no record or knowledge that they would think the world would come to an end at that point." University of Florida anthropologist Susan Gillespie says the 2012 phenomenon comes "from media and from other people making use of the Maya past to fulfill agendas that are really their own."

January 29, 2011 (Part 1)

Today was a very special day for me-- it was the day I had arranged to visit perhaps the greatest of all excavated Maya sites-- TIKAL. But before I talk about my incredible trip to Tikal, I want to "go back two spaces" to January 27, 2011-- the day I visited both Xunantunich and Cahal Pech". During my visit to Xunantunich I met a young Maya gentleman named "Elmer" near the spot where visitors take the hand-drawn ferry across the river. Elmer was selling hand-carved slate pieces on which he had carefully etched both versions of the Maya calendar -- "glyphs" and all --along with a special drawing in the middle (such as a Maya medicine man or a map of Belize). Elmer had created the slate pieces with only screwdrivers and chisels, and he explained how he had learned his craft from his father. I was sufficiently impressed with these items that, after completing my tour of the Maya site I purchased six pieces from Elmer. He finished a couple pieces he had underway and delivered all six pieces to my hotel in San Ignacio the next day. I have inserted a photo of several of the pieces I purchased below:

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Medicine Man)

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Map of Belize)

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Medicine Man)

Haab' calendar on the outer ring, Tzolk'in calendar on inner ring (Maya Temple)

A couple comments about these awesome art works carved from slate by hand by a young native of the region:  1.) It cost me just as much to ship them back to the USA as I paid for them (but at least they arrived back home undamaged!);  2.) All these interesting glyphs and numbers -- and all the recent talk about the "end of the world" supposedly forecast by the Maya and detailed in a number of recent books and moviesmade me very curious about the history of the history and the science behind the various Maya calendar systems. I never knew the calendar could be so amazing!  My next couple blogs will provide some background for anyone else who is curious about this.