Belize

Getting to Belize is more difficult that we thought. We had to jump on a 'chicken bus' (so-called because of the likelihood of a passenger bringing their chickens, dogs, budgies, 100 children along for the ride) but we arrived unscathed at our first stop, Orange Walk.

Orange Walk is a small town with one big attraction: Lamanai Mayan ruins. One of the special things about Lamanai is that it was continually inhabited for nearly 3300 years (until the Spanish turned up). Although the ruins are spectacular in themselves, emerging from the jungle in a manner reminiscent of Palenque, the true highlight was the boat trip to get there. We spotted crocodiles, turtles, bats and many different birds - including the magnificent Jabiru Stork. We also met some very nice people who enhanced the whole experience.

The temples at Lamanai were impressive - although rather limited. Only 1% of the site has been excavated so only a few buildings are recognisable as such. There are a few temples and a ball court as well as a couple of smaller tombs and residences. It's often surprising how little work has been done on such historic sites, but as our guide explained, they have to spend a lot of money to get the job done right. They can't just let anyone walk up with a shovel and start digging. Apparently, before the government realised the value of the tourist market, they'd let anyone go and have a dig around - which resulted in abuses like stolen treasures and dynamited tombs. So unfortunately, I had brought my pick-axe in vain.

Whilst roaming around the site, we did encounter some Howler monkeys playing around in the trees. Having missed them at Palenque, it was nice to encounter wildlife roaming the ruins at will.

So we're now in Belize city which is an eye-opening experience so far - but more on that later...