San Ignacio
Cahal Pech
After the kayaking trip, we flew from Dangriga to Belize City. As we were landing, we noticed that the airport looked different -- it was the municipal airport, not the international aiport where our next flight to Flores, Guatamala was supposed to leave from in half an hour. Once on the ground, we found out that the international airport was closed due to foggy weather. An hour or so later, we got back in the 12-seater plane to try again. The pilot got down to about five hundred feet before pulling up and returning to the municipal airport. The morning flight to Flores, Guatamala was cancelled.
When planning our trip, we definitely wanted to go to Tikal (near Flores), but had left 4 nights unplanned. At 10am, we decided we should get a bus to San Ignacio, a 2 hour drive, instead of waiting for the 2:30pm flight to Flores. There was lots to do around San Ignacio, and it's less than 10 miles from the Guatamala border. We shared a minivan with the other four passengers from the plane, and were at the Mayan ruins just outside town before the afternoon flight was scheduled to depart.
After getting a room (with hot water and air conditioning! luxury!) and lunch, we made plans to visit the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave the next day. Then we took a cab uphill to the Mayan ruins about a mile from the town, Cahal Pech. Cahal Pech means "Place of Ticks" in Mayan, so named for abundance of ticks present years ago when cattle herds grazed in the area.
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Belize City from the 12 seater Maya Island Air plane -- window seats for everyone
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This is the main intersection in San Ignacio. Right of way seemed to be determined by whoever is bravest and/or craziest.
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Kimberly in front of the main palace structure
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Paul is standing on the top.
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Cahal Pech was probably abandoned around 800 AD. Since then, the jungle has completely buried many of the structures. This is the side of the main palace.
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This is part of the path that led to the top of the main palace.
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This giant moth was inside an archway.
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