You Better Belize It! : Day 14: Xunatunich

I'm back to blogging! I had one of the most incredible weekends of my life and I was so excited to share every moment with you, but my computer charger broke...hence the delay. This week I learned that being in a small, rural town in another country is not conducive to owning Apple products. Yesterday, I walked to every computer and office supply store in town (9 to be exact!), asking if they carried Apple chargers or a generic knock-off. I was either met with blank stares or snickers, because NO ONE carries Apple. There ain't no Best Buy in Belize! My last hope was a TV repair shop in the far side of town; the kind gentleman said he would try his best to fix the electrical short...it worked...and my computer didn't burst into flames! Now my phone charger is on the verge of going kaput, but I'll deal with that later.haha Next time I'm bringing extras!

Anyhow, my weekend begins with a bilingual church service at the Santa Elena Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. Several of my co-workers (and Gia!) have invited me and I don't really have plans, so why not?! Belize consists of several religions, with only about 15% claiming no religious affiliation at all--nearly 9% of the population is SDA, with 3 churches just minutes from the hospital.

The church is a simple structure and the main entrance is open to the breeze; you can hear the congregation singing old-school hymns from quite a distance. Everyone turns around and smiles at me as I walk in, wearing my most conservative sundress and cardigan. I didn't really bring church attire, but I make sure my shoulders are covered! The people are so kind and inviting--it reminded me of the small congregations my dad used to pastor growing up. The song leader is belting at the top of her lungs and is having a difficult time staying on pitch; the accompaniment is pre-recorded, with a keyboardist and guitar player jumping in every now and then, as they attempt to figure out what chords to play. I just can't stop smiling! They are very adamant about giving offering to help support the local church and school--there are 5 different "offering" calls throughout the service. I am trying my best to support, but when the third offering plate comes around, I realize I am going to run out of cab money! The service goes from 8:45-12:15, with no breaks in between....I am getting pretty antsy towards the end, the wooden pews aren't really built with comfort in mind and I had skipped breakfast. But the pastor is very charismatic, making it nearly impossible to zone out.

I return back to the hospital for lunch, and talk with Maggie (the other cook), for quite some time. She is a short, garifuna lady with a thick creole accent; she has the friendliest smile and her laugh, its just amazing! I don't really have plans for the afternoon and contemplate just taking a nap...but I tell myself not to be LAME and go explore something, anything! I get on my computer and look up the distances to Cahal Pech and Xunatunich; both are Maya ruins I have been wanting to visit. I put on my adventure clothes, lather up in sunscreen, and grab my camera. I only have $60 bze on me and I need to find out where it can get me. I flag down a taxi driver (I usually let several pass, until I see one that doesn't look very creepy) and ask him the prices to each; we agree on $50 bze to drive me the 8 miles to the ferry, up the steep hill to the entrance of Xunatunich, and a return trip back to town. Seems like a pretty good deal, considering most of the tour groups charge $90 US (180 bze)--and even though it DOES contain the tallest Maya ruin in Belize, I don't think I need a full day.

Xunatunich is located atop a ridge above the Mopan river--you can see the Guatemala border, just 0.6 miles to the west. The center consists of four major architectural groups, the most prominent being "El Castillo", which stands 132 ft tall. This massive structure served as the dwelling, shrine and administrative hub for the elite rulers.

Xunatunich means "Maiden of the Rock". Local legend holds that around 1890, a gentlemen went hunting near the site; he was awestruck by the appearance of a beautiful, statuesque Maya maiden, dressed in traditional clothing and dazzling in the rays of the sun. Startled, the man threw his gun aside and ran downhill to the village, leading the native priest back to the site...but the stone maiden had disappeared. To this day, locals claim that the women has appeared to several others, but no-one has been able to follow her into the cavern at the base of Castillo.

I love learning about the Mayas, its so fascinating! Belize is just bursting with history, culture, and adventure...I can't believe I almost considered NOT coming!

After my self-tour, Gil (my cab driver) and I head back to town--I'm craving ice cream, as usual, and so I treat us both. It's only $2.50 for a double scoop, why not make someone else's day! And besides, Gil is pretty awesome. Afterwards, I decide to hang out on the patio at Eva’s restaurant; it seems like the local and tourist hot spot. Large groups are seated outside, enjoying freshly squeezed cocktails with Belizian rum or appetizers of ceviche and nachos. Street vendors stop buy, offering samples of freshly roasted nuts or homemade tamales. As I’m sitting at a table all by myself, I’m realizing this is the challenging part of traveling alone--you feel as though people are looking at you, even though they barely notice you. Is this when I’m supposed to just approach a random table and start up a conversation? Do I just sit here, trying not to look out of place? I try to put my thoughts at ease and just smile—apparently that's all you need to do...at least for the Belizian boys. Armadour, a local boy with long black hair and a chipped front tooth, approaches me and invites me to join his group of friends. It's a very diverse group--Michelle is from Indiana and has lived in Belize for over 20 years; she is married to Carlos, from Cuba. Then you have Zaheed from Argentinia, Jon from Guatemala, Giselle from Peru, and a couple other Belizians that drop by. We sit there for hours, chatting and listening to music….as the night wears on, people start to dance and an even larger crowd forms.

Michelle invites me to join her and some friends for dinner at her log cabin…she says it’s not far from town and she can give me a ride back to my place later. I politely decline, telling her that I have big plans tomorrow and need to rest up, but she insists. Soon I find myself at her charming home in the countryside....fast forward a couple hours.

On our way back to the hospital we run out of gas in the middle of nowhere, in the pitch dark. None of their friends are answering their phones; the few cab numbers we have, go straight to voicemail; the spare gallon canister of gas in the trunk is empty. Well, this is no bueno! Zaheed looks at me and says, "Melissa, how do you feel about walking?". We begin the 8 mile trek back to town in the pitch dark, without flashlights, and our empty gas canister in hand. We're hopeful that some kind soul will stop, but only a few lone cars pass by...I'm sure they are far too paranoid to stop for strangers! We walk for about 1.5 miles and I finally see some sort of civilization, the Ka'ana Resort, one of the nicest resorts in Belize. I suggest that we try to see if there is a receptionist in the lobby who could help us; we walk up the long narrow pathway, only to find more darkness and locked doors. Just as we're about to leave, I see a large flashlight shine towards us--its the security guard!! We say a friendly hello as we walk towards his light and explain our predicament. After several phone calls, he locates a gentleman who is willing to give us a lift for $20 bze. Done! At this point, I would pay $100 bze!!! I make it back home safely and exhausted....I'm already dreading my early morning alarm.