This was our second stop on the Best Friend Cruise 2016.For our excursion, we did a river tour that stopped at a local restaurant for us to have lunch, and then took us on to Altun Ha. Altun Ha is the location of several Mayan ruins.At the beginning of the tour, we actually had to get a boat from the ship to the port because the large ships can disrupt the ecosystem and the water gets shallow.
Then we got on a tour boat that took us around the bay and up the Belize River.Below are the pics from this river tour. We saw many animals including manatees, monkeys, and alligators. The animals aren’t easy to see.I also have to mention that the native language in Belize is Creole. Since Michelle lives in Louisiana and I was living there at the time, it was really cool to hear the guides talk. It was like being at home. We were some of the few that understood them when they talked to each other.
We didn’t get pictures of our lunch, but it included chicken and a rice dish that was similar to dirty rice that you get in New Orleans.We then got on a bus that took us the rest of the way to Altun Ha. I fell asleep on the bus. Anyone that knows me knows that I can actually sleep any where.The ruins were breathtaking, literally. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it up those steps. Then afterwards, I wasn’t exactly sure if I was going to make it down. In summary, you can get to the top if you aren’t in shape, but it would hurt a lot less if you hit the gym a few months before. There was something awe inspiring about being in such an ancient place. To hear about the market activities and sports that went on there was truly special.
I chose to feature the following picture separate because if you look closely, you can see Michelle and me at the top. I am standing with my arms up in victory. Y’all, I’m not kidding. There was a point I thought I might be getting real close with Jesus that day.Once we got back to the boat pick up area, we shopped a bit. At the last minute, I remembered that we didn’t get our passports stamped. So I took both of the passports while Michelle kept our place in line for the boat. People were nice and pointed me to the passport office. It looked a little sketch though. It was behind the shops in a shed type of building and there was no one around. I will admit that I was a little scared. But the guy was nice and stamped both passports for me and I made it safely to Michelle just in time to get on the boat.
