Days 13 & 14 - Corozal, Belize

Day 13 January 23, 2010 Chicanna to Corozal, Belize (Henry’s Caribbean Hotel & RV Park)
Our day started on a sad note with the news the Tailgunners, Richard and Maria, were turning back due to family concerns….. they will be sorely missed!
Today we left Mexico and entered Belize. Everyone scurried around, emptying their cupboards and refrigerators of dairy, meats, vegetables, fruit and booze because the customs here inspect. The staff paved our way and we sailed through…only one rig got checked and they didn’t really look into any cupboards…… The winner of the “Border Crossings Pool” was Lyndsay at 2 hours+. Rita Smith was closest by a minute but she was over. It was the shortest crossing that anyone could remember!
Tonight we are in a real campground! Most of us have either water or electric and we all have sewer available. It’s very nice….cool breezes and we are across the street from the gulf. I’m sure everyone had fun finding all their hidden goodies and chatting about the experience.
Our social tonight celebrated Kathy’s (rig 6) birthday. And we discussed water, Agua, and ice, hielo, and purification.
Pam and Fran Rig13

Henry’s Caribbean Village Resort


At 6:00 AM the dogs and chickens announced the beginning of a gloriously 90 degree sunny day for this our first full day in Corozal, Belize.

At 8:30 we boarded three minivans and were driven to Reyes and Sons tours of the New River and the Lamanai Mayan ruins. In route to the river the most noticeable site were the several (60 to 70) trucks full of sugar cane waiting their turn at the sugar refinery.

When we arrived at the Reyes and Sons landing we boarded two motorized skiffs and began looking for wild life along the river which included several different species of birds, some spider monkeys and even an alligator. We enjoyed a good narrative of the area and the wildlife along this section of the 90 mile long New River. Of particular interest along the way of our nearly two hour boat trip was the Mexican Ambassador to Belize home, a drug and alcohol rehab center sponsored by a Texan ironically located next door to a rum distillery, there was also a Mennonite settlement of 3,000 who were granted permission to immigrate from Mexico by the British in the 1950. We were given the statistic that there are 7 ethnic groups speaking 10 languages in Belize and our guide felt that the average Belizean spoke at least 3 languages; interesting of Belize’s 300,000 inhabitants today 10% are Mennonite.

We arrived at the Lamanai Ruins dock just in time for lunch of chicken with beans and rice and potato salad prepared by our campground hostess which we had brought with us. Finished with lunch we toured the 6 ruins that have been uncovered in this one very significant Mayan settlement. Lamani ruins are one of very few Mayan sites that were located on a lake and primarily because of its proximity to the lake this particular settlement of 700 structures sustained itself for 3,000 years vs. the normal 1,000 years for most of the very prosperous Mayan settlements. The tour of the ruins also included an exceptional lesson regarding the botany in the area and the Mayan’s ability to utilize many of the plants and trees for food and medicine.

After a short stop at the museum and the gift shops we were back on the boat cooling off from the breeze with a fast 1 hour trip back to the Reyes dock followed by a minivan trip to the RV Park with a stop at a local market for some much needed items i.e. cold beer. It was then time for our 5:00 social under a large shade tree enjoying the breeze coming off of the Bay of Chetamul as the wagon master gave his travel briefing for tomorrow when we leave Corozal for San Ignacio, Belize..

Rig 14, Barbara and Ron