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Lamanai / Blue Creek
We start our day by visiting the archeological site " Lamanai ".
This Mayan site’ name means "crocodile under water" and is one of the most important in Belize.
Its position gave it a strategic role in trade. Built in 1.500 BC it was abandoned at the end of the 18th century.
It houses remarkable buildings in the middle of lush vegetation where several groups of howler monkeys come to parade before us ... very nice show!
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A large part of the buildings has not yet been cleared of vegetation.
* The Masks temple: two large masks adorn this small temple
* The High Temple: it peaks at a height of 33 m
* The Jaguar Temple: evocation of a mythical character of the Mayan cosmovision, the jaguar.
We say goodbye to our one-night hosts to continue to "Blue Creek" another village of " Mennonite ".
We take again an unpaved road in the middle of a green landscape through a beautiful valley.
Today is sunday and the city looks like a ghost town
Shipyard / Lamanai
To reach Lamanai : two ways. Go up the river by boat or take the unpaved road.
We plan a boat trip for the next day.
In the meantime we reach the city of " Shipyard " where lives the largest community of " Mennonites ".
The origin of this not very well known religious minority dates back to 16th century Germany.
At that time, a Dutchman, " Menno Simonsz ", rose up against both corrupt Catholics and Lutherans who were not sufficiently reformed.
He advocated a radical return to the original purity of the Bible.
Pure protestants. They emigrated to Canada, the United States and Belize.
They live in relative self-sufficiency. Cut off from the world, they seem to come from another time and another planet: it’s forbidden to use a mobile phone or, for women, to smile!!
These are recognizable by their long black and red dresses, by a ragged lace on the hair and a little straw hat. Men wear black overalls, blue shirts and a straw straw hat.
They use small carts pulled by a horse ... welcome to " La Petite Maison dans la prairie ".
We pass through these extremely well maintained farms.
We are halfway to " Lamanai " so we decide to continue ... the last 5 kilometers will be very difficult.
The bivouac we have chosen is impossible to reach.
We take refuge at " Blanca and Antonio " who invite us to share the evening meal with the family.
Delicious evening during which we learn a lot about the origins and customs of Belize.
A great monent of pure happiness.
Corozal
We are leaving Mexico with regret.
We stayed there for about 7 months, whereas according to our plans we were to spend only 3 months.
Throughout this journey we met charming and welcoming inhabitants.
The discovery of regions, very different from each other, was a cocktail of museums, archaeological sites and civilizations.
We never felt insecure, despite the various alarmist warnings of the Americans and Canadians we met.
We cross the border with " Corinne and Thierry " pretty quickly. Within an hour, we get a 30-day visa and insurance for the camper.
It is prohibited to cross the border with fresh food, such as meat or vegetables ... Not thinking about going to "Belize" so quickly our fridge was full of forbidden food ... what to do? throw away or keep? we opt for the second solution ... " wait and see " ... no control!!!
We stop at " Corozal ", the first big city after the border, to withdraw Belizean dollars and buy a SIM card.
We follow our route to " Cerros " by an unpaved road where we pass a small river on a hand-towed ferry.
" Cerros " was a major centre of commerce during the Mayan era and there is only a small pyramid with two masks left.( Venus and the Sun God ).
The visit is a hell ... the site is invaded by mosquitoes that feast on our fresh flesh .... We do not finish the tour, return to the camper, running.
It is impossible to spend the night on the site; we go back to "Corozal".
ROAD BOOK 070
MAVROS ODYSSEE