LET’S GO TO LAMANAI, BELIZE
by Cecilia P. Eudave
This is not a lesson in history it’s a description of our journey via boat, bus, boat into the jungles of Belize to visit Lamanai (submerged crocodile) one of the oldest and longest known unbroken span of occupation in the Maya world.1
Alright, maybe a fraction of a history lesson, more like a hit and run dose of fact: Lamanai can be traced from 1500 B.C. earlier to perhaps A.D. 1700 or later2; and it’s name appears in 16th and 17th century documents as a Spanish rendering of a Maya name thought originally to be Laman’ayin3.
FIRST YOU GOTTA GET THERE
If you’re lodging at one of the Cayes in Belize expect a long outing to Lamanai; there are several tour groups that provide the expedition and we went with Searious Adventures. This particular trip is called the Lamanai Jungle River Adventure and it’s all day meaning they pick you up at 7am and drop you off at 5pm or close to that, usually later. Searious counts with comfortable boats and a knowledgeable staff; the bus however, was a different story. Described as being similar to the one in Romancing the Stone only without the pigs and chickens was a spot on description, I was fully expecting to find livestock roaming the aisles among us or tied up in neat little bundles only to be cooked up later at our barbeque lunch. But we were lucky on two counts: one, there were no animals on board and two, the bus itself was named Faith. I took that as a good sign. 
The rides on first the Belize River and then the New River were outstanding. With the wind and the spray of the water keeping you cool the miles and the hours fly by during these segments of the trip. With plenty to keep you visually engaged, orchids in bloom on either sides of the river(s), water lilies floating on the surface of the tea colored water, Jesus Birds walking gingerly among them, egrets, vultures and osprey overhead, families of bats snoozing in the trees, crocodiles and locals sharing the waterway, you wish this were a river adventure without end.
But it did end and it ended at a very small, size of a postage stamp town called Bomba, by the way, our guide Aron is from Bomba. Wood carvings is one of the main money generators in Bomba and everyone is encouraged to support the local economy. We did indeed buy a couple of items to take home. After a quick toilet break we boarded our bus, Faith and made the land journey towards the New River. The entire trip, except for maybe 5 minutes, is on bumpy dirt roads and what with no AC and all the windows down it was a mighty dusty and crusty crossing. At one point Aron pointed to the rear windows and shouted (you had to shout over that vintage engine roar) “Look, it’s a Belize snow storm!” You couldn’t see beyond the ten feet of solid white dust Faith was kicking up, at one point there had been another car behind us but now it was invisible and presumably engulfed in the dry, dusty snow flakes.
It was a relief to leave Faith behind as we reached the second dock that would take us up the New River directly to Lamanai; our narrating guide this time was Isidro who shared his knowledge regarding the New River and the Maya culture. We were treated to more river riding that sometimes reminded me of Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise, sans hippos and head hunters, and sometimes of Miami Vice’s intro when the speed boats are slicing through the water making big splashy waves that dance off the sides.
Docking in Lamanai the crew set up a nice lunch under a shady picnic area, I believe the temperature was easily in the low 90s at this point so the shade and the water were indeed welcome (tip: bring an extra bottle of water as only sodas were available during lunch).
ONTO THE TEMPLES
The first pyramid you see is called the Jaguar Temple, which is adorned on each base side by the face of a jaguar. 
It’s mind blowing to realize that these buildings have survived for centuries and that one can actually touch them, climb them and be inspired by them. If you’re in decent shape and the heat isn’t doing your head in go ahead and climb the Jaguar Temple but remember that the High temple is yet to come. 
If you decide to sit this one out you can explore the grounds on your own or hang out with your guide for more details of Lamanai. Make sure to ask him about the magical properties of the tapa culo pods, can you say 'nature's Imodium'?
Moving on you will come to several ruins that were used as dwellings and beyond that a Ball Court where, depending on the version of the rules you happen to hear, the winners/losers were sacrificed to the gods. Apparently, it was a great honor to be sacrificed but frankly I’d prefer a nice medal or trophy for my ball playing efforts.We continue to walk a little further into the jungle and through some trees to another clearing and suddenly there it is before you: the High Temple and it’s astounding. This is a must climb (there’s even a rope to help you up) because you’re in Belize at Lamanai by gods and because the view from the top is spectacular. Yes, it’s hot and humid but when are you going to be here again?
Pour some water down your shirt, under your hat, channel your inner archeologist and get to climbing, don’t forget to take loads of pictures of the surrounding jungle and the New River so you can prove that you scaled the High Temple. One of our tour mates made it to the top and then spent a good amount of time raising his arms and proclaiming, “I am the king!” He was definitely in touch with his inner Elvis explorer, that or heat stroke was setting in.
Moving on we made our way through a narrow path where we spotted some howler monkeys swinging in the tree canopy almost directly above us; I spied one of them making its move closer to us and I cautioned everyone not to walk under its trajectory because I suspected it was about to send down a not so pleasant greeting. Sure enough some howler monkey poop headed downwards followed by a launching of leaves and sticks, one woman gave out a small cry and ran forwards covering her head with her arms while the rest of us waited a couple of seconds for the debris to settle and then crossed to the other side. I guess the heat makes howler monkeys cranky, not to mention the never ending stream of tourists!
At the end of the path we came upon the Mask Temple. The temple has four masks, two flanking each side with one on top of the other but since they quickly began to deteriorate they were re-covered and only one has been left exposed. Due to people touching the mask and leaving traces of sunscreen the mask began to show signs of decay, now a barrier stands between the visitor and the mask. You can still feel the mystery of the mask but at a safe distance.
By mid afternoon it’s time to head back to the dock and begin the trip back on the New River to Bomba, Bomba to the Belize River and the Belize River to Amergris Caye. During each leg of the adventure back to the island we were treated to coconut cakes, beer, rum, water and Bob Marley karaoke, well the Bob Marley karaoke was on the bus trip - hey, anything to distract from that bumpy, dusty ride. At the end of the excursion my body was tired, my skin brown and crispy, my clothes dusty and damp, my heart grateful for having the opportunity at spending time in such a magical and ancient place. Lamanai is a definite stop for anyone with a taste for the archeological and a curiosity for one of the earliest civilizations of the world.
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photos by Cecilia and Rafael Eudave