We checked into the Casa Blanca Guesthouse, and although it was just after lunch, our room was ready and we were able to check in. We noticed this trend throughout Belize - checking into our rooms earlier in the day always seemed possible, so sometimes we would 'check in' at 12 noon or early afternoon, unlike having to wait until a later 'check in' time like you might in North America.
The Casa Blanca Guesthouse was our favorite accommodation on the whole trip. It was just a 2 minute walk from the bus station and main square of town, and there were a couple shops/grocery store nearby without being loud. Our room with two double beds with A/C and fan, and the only hot water shower we had on the whole trip. The whole place was very clean and the service was excellent. It felt like a typical hotel in North America except that the shared kitchen area also included a nice reading area, balcony and Christmas tree. We could leave some of our food in the communal fridge, and we made several dinners and breakfasts without any other company.
Iguana sanctuary
We walked from our hotel up a short hill heading out of town to a fancier hotel, where we paid to tour the iguana sanctuary. We walked through the hotel garden and jungle forest with a guide, and into a large caged area housing many iguanas. We learned all about males vs. females, mating rituals, and then we were able to feed and briefly hold an iguana. It wasn't easy to hold them - we each got a few scratches! We also saw a rodent in the woods nearby that we think was a peccary.
Swimming in the river
We went down to the river beside town and decided to go for a swim. The river was full of weeds in most spots, but it was deep enough swim above them. There were tadpoles swimming around and a few other local kids in the water. It was refreshing.
We put on bug spray like crazy after some serious warnings at the travel clinic before we left, and we each got many bites. It was probably good that we took malaria pills for the entire trip. The girls each had a really hard time learning to swallow their pediatric size pills... we ended up coming up with a deal that we could hide the pills each morning inside something yummy (like a snickers chocolate bar) after breakfast and chew it down, which ended up going well. The girls thought it was pretty awesome to get a treat every morning, but it seemed like the only way we could figure out how to get those pills down their throats!
Food
Our first dinner out the girls had pizza and Jason and I each had Indian food. Other meals included fryjacks (fried dough, which you could get plain or you could have them stuffed with beans/cheese), tacos, nachos, burritos, quesedillas, papusa (similar to a quesedilla with thicker bread like naan instead of tortilla), tostados, rice and beans, beans with rice, plantains, fish, conch, lobster, beef, chicken. I was so thankful we didn't have any dietary restrictions and so thankful that our girls were always able to find something they enjoyed.
Market
The San Ignacio market was lovely. We missed the big Saturday market but we still enjoyed getting fresh bananas, pineapple and other produce as well as food described above or ice cream!
Xanantunich
We took one morning to visit the nearby ruins. It was about 20 min in a taxi to get to the ferry crossing. From there we got out of the taxi, walked on to a small hand-cranked ferry boat, and then re-boarded the taxi on the other side so we could get a ride up the hill to the visitor center and entrance area. We had our taxi drop us off there and we explored on our own for a couple of hours.
It was a beautiful sunny day and these ruins were fabulous. We enjoyed being able to climb up many structures, including the Castillo, which offered views all over the area from the top. We saw bats, iguanas, and howler monkeys before we had a picnic lunch that we had packed and walked down the hill to cross the ferry. From the main road we waited for a local bus and then caught it back to San Ignacio.
While on the bus, Jason noticed a lost wallet on the floor. We turned it into the driver and hoped it would find its way back to the right owner.
Branch Mouth and the Swing Bridge
After spending the morning at the ruins, we decided to go to Branch Mouth, which is where 2 rivers meet up under a small 'swing bridge'. It's about 3 km out of town and a good place to go swimming. We weren't quite sure how to best get there and back. We failed to figure out how to rent bikes and ended up catching a one-way taxi, hoping we would figure out something for the the way home. The area around the water has some trash here and there, and it seems like people congregate there to party... but we had the place to ourselves for most of our visit...
Ava and Rachel went in the water while Jason and I were still navigating the slimy / mucky / weedy entrance into the water, but Jason hurried up to save Ava from being whisked away by the strong current. As he got her to safety, an iguana jumped in the water from an overhead tree and swam beside them for a moment! We spent the rest of our swimming adventure working around the strong current but enjoying the cleaner / deeper / more refreshing water than the shallower water right in town.
At the end of our swim, we decided to walk back into town, since there was no traffic around to offer us a ride. The girls started walking down in bathing suits and bare feet, and Jason and I sauntered behind them as we gathered up our things. After a few minutes, a taxi did drive by and offer us a ride, so we got in the car (girls still only in suits, bare feet, and towels) and off we went. When we arrived back in town and out of the car, we realized that we had no clothes or shoes for Ava - we had left her things back by the river's edge. We sent Jason for a run to gather her things, which were still there, and bring them back. Thanks Daddy!
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