Munda Maya – Lamanai, Belize

My travel in Belize has taken me 53 miles north of Belize City, to the town of Orange Walk.  Orange Walk Town has a population in the vicinity of 13,400.  The people are a mix of Mestizo, Kriol, Mennonite, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian and people from other Central American countries.
 

The economy here is fueled by the sugar cane industry.  This is evident this time of year (January), as the cane fields are burned and the cane is cut following the burn. The raw cane is loaded into wagons and hauled by  tractors to the Tower Hill Sugar Factory, that processes all the sugar cane in the country. Orange Walk Town comes by it’ s nickname “Sugar City` honestly.

 

The District of Orange Walk is home to the Pre-classic culture of the Maya and the site of the submerged crocodile, properly named Lamanai. Lamanai was inhabited as early as 1500 BC through Post-classic times of 950 – 1544 AD, and continuing through the Spanish Colonial times of AD 1544-1700.

 

My trek to Lamanai started from Orange Walk Town, with a boat ride up the New River. The voyage was 26 miles via a forty foot launch, pushed by two, 200 h.p. motors on the back. The jaunt was like an amusement park ride, gliding at what seem like high speeds around the frequent twists and turns of the river. It was sooo smooth, and I was at the back so I could get my hands wet from the spray. I could also watch the 34 year old driver, who was very skilled at seeing wildlife and not bad to look at.  The ride was frequently interrupted by sightings of varieties of egrets, herons, kingfishers, vultures and more.  Photo-ops abounded of crocodiles patiently waiting with their mouths open for hours, for the moment a bird would come to pick his teeth.  The highlight for some was the sighting of a large spider monkey, who is lured down to the boat by offering it a banana. That monkey has a steady food source.

The Mayan guide told us the history of present day Orange Walk District as we passed by the  Sugar Cane Factory and the large Mennonite community of Shipyard.   Continuing on,  we entered New River Lagoon   and sped across it to the site of Lamanai.
 

First things first..lunch is served:  stewed chicken, coconut rice and beans, potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon, ice cold Coca-Cola and hot peppers, if you dare. I saw more than one tourist sweating upon consumption.  Following lunch we were invited to visit the on-site museum explaining the history of the site and to view ancient artifacts housed there. 

Our guide led us to three of the major structures at Lamanai: Mask Temple, Jaguar Temple and High Temple. Visitors can climb the temples and at 33 metres, High Temple provides panoramic views of the surrounding savanna, lagoon and far beyond.  The steps are especially steep, however a rope is provided for support. The site also includes a small ball court.

  Our tour ended with some browsing through on-site gift shops, a glass of rum punch and a speedy 26 mile ride back to Orange Walk Town.

 

Eating Purple!

Over  the past month I have been discovering fruits and vegetables I have never seen, heard of or tasted before. A trip to the local markets prompts all kinds of questions. …What’s that? What does it taste like? How do you prepare it?

The other day I met a Mayan man, along the Placencia sidewalk, selling fruits and vegetables out of a 5 gallon pail.  He had peppers, potatoes and something called yampi. The Mayan man told me that yampi  is like a potato and is very good. It cost a little more than the potatoes I wanted but I thought I would give it a try. The man told me to prepare it just like potatoes.

As I began preparing the yampi for my dinner one night I thought I would look it up on the internet to learn a bit more. I had already peeled the yampi, which was purple inside and somewhat slimy, when I read to wear gloves or cover your hands in oil before peeling. …Too late. Yampi contains a toxic compound that causes irritation to the skin and cannot be eaten raw.  So I washed my hands and hoped for the best.  

I boiled the yampi well and then mashed it up with butter. It is one of the most colourful vegetables I have ever eaten.  While it is considered a yam, it was not sweet like the orange flesh yams I am accustomed. It tasted like a white potato but even better, if that makes sense.

As for my hands, they did get a little red and tingly but no lasting effects.

What I learned today!

Make sure you know a little bit about a new food you are preparing before you cut into it or ingest it. Accessing WiFi and Google is a great opportunity to learn more and understand the new experiences one encounters when travelling.

Encountering "Firsts"

One of the great things about travelling to new destinations is that every day contains "firsts".  It is like being a kid again, especially if one can break out of their adult fears, expectations and judgments.  The trick is to open up to the world and approach it like a child: curious, fearless and nonjudgmental. If one can do this when encountering all the "firsts" while travelling, it leads to greater acceptance of the world around us, filling one with excitement, joy and wonderful surprises at every turn.

Trying the local food and cuisine is an experience of many “firsts”.  One of the delightful little surprises I discovered on my last trip to Belize was stewed coco plums. Coco plums, or Chrysobalanus icaco, grows near the sea along beaches of the Caribbean. It grows either as a shrub or a tree, up to 20 feet. The fruit of the coastal coco plum forms in clusters, bearing round, 5 cm diameter, yellow to dark purple fruit.

Belizeans stew the fruits with sugar and spices and serve them cold out of the refrigerator. When you put the coco plum in your mouth, you suck the sweet jelly-like fruit off the seed inside. Then when the seed is clean, you crack the seed and inside you find an exquisite little nut. Eating the nut after the sweet fruit makes a wonderful combination that keeps you coming back for more. Bet you can’t eat just one.