{"id":8919,"date":"2014-08-11T10:32:10","date_gmt":"2014-08-11T15:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsdavedoing.com\/?p=8919"},"modified":"2014-08-11T10:32:10","modified_gmt":"2014-08-11T15:32:10","slug":"hot-sweaty-san-ignacio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsdavedoing.com\/hot-sweaty-san-ignacio\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Hot and Sweaty in San Ignacio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After the bloody introduction we\u2019d had to Belize<\/a>, I figured our time in this small Central American country could only improve. We\u2019d marked out a vague itinerary for our two weeks, allowing plenty of time to not do very much \u2013 to ward off exhaustion, we\u2019d finally learned to reign in the ambition when it came to exploring somewhere new in a hurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sticker shock had made itself known even before we arrived, however \u2013 a quick glance at accommodation prices told us that Belize wasn\u2019t going to be cheap. A decent double room, often without air-conditioning, typically ran upwards of $40\/night — without even the benefit of breakfast to take a little of the sting out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food, too, was expensive \u2013 maybe we\u2019d just been spoiled by six months in Mexico, but cheap and delicious street eats seemed in short supply. Public transport, however? That, at least, was a bargain \u2013 the rickety old Bluebird buses bounced and rocked their way all over the country for a couple of bucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After half a day on one such bus from Belize City, we arrived in San Ignacio sleepy, grimy and with stomachs complaining loudly. A jerk chicken restaurant near the bus stop dealt with the intestinal cacophony, and when we finally tracked down our hotel, a shower removed most of the travel stink as well. Sleep, however, was going to have to wait. We had rocks to look at.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s Mexico that gets much of the attention when it comes to ruins, the Mayan kingdom stretched over a wide area that includes modern-day Belize and parts of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala as well. We\u2019d expected to quickly tire of pyramids and ball courts, but if six weeks in the Yucatan hadn\u2019t managed it<\/a>, an extra few days further south wasn\u2019t likely to either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Xunatunich<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite having a name that looks like a cat walked over the keyboard, it wasn\u2019t hard to find our way to the starting point for the Xunantunich ruins. Buses dawdled west out of town towards Benque on a vaguely-regular basis, and after about 10km there was a nice big sign on the side of the road that even I couldn\u2019t miss. A little wooden barge shuttled passengers and the occasional car or scooter across the river whenever the operator felt like it, before a final 15 minute walk through the forest had us dripping with sweat long before we saw the ticket office. I\u2019d suggest arriving early, just like we didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Somewhat surprisingly, the site was almost devoid of other visitors. Well, devoid of human<\/em> visitors, at least. Shortly after arrival, mayhem erupted in the nearby trees, with noises quite unlike anything I\u2019d ever heard before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello, howler monkeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n