Sunday

We got the news that Team 1 arrived home safely..even a little early. We were all up pretty early this morning. Scott, Kathy, Joyce, Clara and Beth had signed up for a trip to Lamanai; Bob, Ginny, Jean, John and Lynn were going to relax; Peter was going to rent a bike and head up north and Jim was going to fish.

After we said farewell to the adventurers, most of the rest of us headed to Estel's for breakfast. What to have? Here's the menu..

Too many choices...and if you want something else, they'll fix it too.

Following a nice leisurely breakfast, the rest of us just had a nice relaxing day. Lynn did alot of adventuring around San Pedro, Jim fished off the cement pier until it got too hot (no catch today...maybe next time) and Peter got his bike and had a wonderful ride up north. The rest of us just grabbed a book and had a great time.

Bob reading and Ginny working Suduko puzzles.

Lynn joined Jean and John for lunch and a little computer time and the rest of the day was just relaxing and waiting for the adventurer's to return.
Here's the Lamanai story...(this same story for Jim and Lynn on Saturday)..
They took the boat around the island and across the river to a mainland town called Bomba. They make a lot of handcrafts here and have a market where you can shop. They caught a bus from here and had a bumpy ride to the Tower Hill toll Bridge on the New River where they caught the tour boat to Lamanai. The ride up the New River is wonderful because there is a tremendous amount of wildlife and activity along the way.

Pretty good sized Croc
A spider monkey at the Spider Monkey Sanctuary along the way.
They're pretty tame...will even climb on the boat.

Lots of birds both in the trees and in the shallows.

Native fishermen out with their nets
and Mennonite fishermen with their poles.

There is a fairly good sized Mennonite community along the New River. They are tremendous farmers and chicken producers and provide most of the eggs and chicken consumed in Belize. Most came from Switzerland, Germany and Russia beginning in 1958 and there are about 10,000 currently. They wear very traditional dress with women in long skirts with aprons and hats and the men in blue pants, blue check shirts and straw hats.

Bats in the tree.

Then on to Lamanai, a large Mayan ruin that dates back to 1500 BC. It's the best archeological site in Belize and one of the best in Mexico/Central America. After a delicious lunch the tour guides shared the history and information on the different building still standing. Then it was time to climb the big Temple, for those who chose to do so.

There are a lot of steps up, but the view is beautiful...you can basically see forever.

Beth gives a thumbs up from the top

and those who chose to watch or had been up prior years.

The going up is easier than the coming down!

Storage Rooms at the base of the Temple

The Mask Temple, one of the best preserved Mayan Ruins.

There are alot of Howler Monkeys and Spider Monkeys in the trees in and around Lamanai.

They are well named as they make alot of racket. You always know when they are around. After a delightful visit it was back on the tour boat, the bus and onto the San Pedro boat. A little liquid refreshment made the bumps easier to handle.
Once they got back we all headed to the Red Ginger for Tapas and Sangria. After lots of great conversation and wonderful food, we dropped by DandE's for ice cream and then headed home to a welcome nights sleep.