We arrived in Belize City in the late morning. The country is protected by the largest coral reef in the western hemisphere, second largest in the world. We needed a local pilot to get the ship to within a few miles of the port, and from there we took tenders to the docks.
Belize notes:
- As a formal British colony (former name was “British Honduras”), they speak English – the only country in Central America to do so
- Their money is pegged to the US dollar at 2-to-1
- Charles Lindbergh landed the “Spirit of St Louis” in Belize City as part of the post-cross-Atlantic goodwill tour
Years ago, my sister dived in Belize and told me stories about young jaguars stealing her food and spiders large enough to saddle and ride. Since everything my sister says is true, I aimed a bit more in-land and visited the Mayan site Altun Ha, which was about an hour’s bus ride to the north.
After visiting the outer temples we approached the Sun temple.
It was here where a large jade head was discovered. It’s considered a national icon and stored within the vaults of the national bank. There is no local source of jade in Belize, so the large amount of jade found at this site is considered evidence of a large trading network.