Has Anyone Been to Belize?/Which pyramid is better Tikal or Chichen Itza?

Thinking of going off in search of pyramids and the Jungle Lodges of Belieze receive great write-ups, like http://www.chaacreek.com/

Has anyone been?

Chichen Itza is a perfect pyramid, but I find the tourist strip of Cancun very similar to being in Santa Monica (Maybe it was the BMW dealership I saw arriving from the airport and then, not a fish taco to be had!)

Maybe I should just go to Egypt, but I have the feeling the prices would be exorbitant.

[ Edited by: christiki295 on 2004-07-27 17:19 ]

I was there 4 years ago, it is nothing like Mexico. Not much in tourism. It is great, everyone speaks English, the jungles are preety dense and tropical. The pyramids not as impressive but real. The people are real nice, I would go back anytime again. I stayed at one of the keys. not in the jungle.

Shelley and I honeymooned in Belize. we stayed on Ambergriss Key and dove most of the time. We visited Lamanai and Altun Ha, very nice. On the Yucatan I have seen Tulum and Pelinque. Tulum was my favorite, then Pelinque, then Lamanai. I hate to compare them, each was unique, full of power and Mystery. Lost civalizations, Howler monkeys, Pyramids lost in the Jungle, Belikan beer, planters punch, Belize has it all.
Mahalo,
Al

Hey christiki,
I've been to both chichenitza and tikal. Tikal is less touristy (because it's in guatemala) and absolutely amazing. (if you're a starwars geek like me, climb the pyramid and look out at the jungle and it may look just like the hidden rebel base on yavin 4...)
Both are amazing and (when I went in '92) allowed you climb just about anywhere.
Belize is a beautiful country, one that I will return to very soon. I stayed both in the jungle and in san pedro cay. the barrier reef is the secodn largest in the world and is an amazing diving/snorkling destination. The life in san pedro cay is relaxed, to say the least. Everyone is super friendly, the water is crystal clear and the food is excellent.
Al - those are some great ruins, I'd also recommend Uxmal in Mexico and Copan in Honduras. You have to love going to an archeological site where more than half of the ruins have not been excavated and look just like steep hills in the middle of a jungle...truly an amazing experience.
Go to Belize, christiki. It is a hidden paradise...
Enjoy

I was at Chichenitza about a year and a half ago. I got a fungal infection on my palm I kept for over a year! I kind of liked it. A little piece of Mexico. Lots of people at Chichenitza.

What I have heard of Belize is that the atolls are coral and you can't dive off of them, you have to get a boat to take you, and they are not reliable. Is that true?

What I have heard of Belize is that the atolls are coral and you can't dive off of them, you have to get a boat to take you, and they are not reliable. Is that true?

all atolls are coral/sand/eroded rock. You should never walk on coral either...not nice to the little polyps. :)
I'm not sure what you mean by "you can't dive off of them", but there are lots of places (reliable and individuals with private boats) who can take you out. Most of the good diving/snorkling is pretty far from shore, so a boat is a good idea. I had no problem with any of the places I went with. FUNFUNFUN

I vote for Tikal as well. As far as the diving goes there is a thing called a "Blue Hole" down there. Only one in the western Hemisphere I think. It's like a little atoll whose roof has caved in. It's sort of a thing to check off your dive list. You go to 150 feet for about 4 minutes, see some stalag(tites, mites...which ones are on the top?) and head back up. We had a drunk captaining the ship who almost got us killed on the way back, but that's half the adventure. There are also areas to dive with fairly friendly sharks and tons of fish to see.

I stayed at a little jungle camp (I'll look up the name and post later) that was pretty cool. You had to be careful on the way to the out house at night because the snakes are pretty poisonous. They call them two-steppers. Two steps and you're dead. They did a tour where you paddle an inner tube up a river and into a cave quite a ways and then float back out. The (Aztecs,Incas?) called their underworld Chibalba. That's where souls went. There's a tree with big roots and I think the roots were supposed to be the way to get there. the priests would go into the caves and get stoned and have visions. (These "facts" are only as reliable as my memory so grains of salt may be necessary)

I also stayed at a pretty fancy jungle lodge (Dutch name...I'll look it up) and as our summer is the off season the rates were pretty good. There weren't many people there either. Oh Yeah, Francis Ford Coppola has a place down there. (star wars trivia)

I'll dig up some pics and post them in a day or two.

What I mean is, if you stay on one of the atolls, you cannot simply dive from there because it'll tear you up. You need a boat to come get you and they cannot be counted on to do so.

We didn't stay on the atolls, so I don't know about the dive situation out there. We stayed on Ambergriss Key where the dive boats were plentiful and on time. We would put our tanks on the patio and the dive guides would load them in the boat, it was pretty plush. they took care of everything and it was a pleasure dealing with them.

In Belize you have to dive with a guide, they watch you to make sure you behave and don't damage the reef. the guides pointed out places where photographers would hold the coral to steady themselves for a shot and kill the coral. There were these hand shaped shadows of dead coral everywhere we dove. I didn't like the idea of diving with a guide, but, these guys were cool, fun loving island dudes and we had a good time with them. I recomend Belize, it's cool.
Mahalo,
Al

O.K. here are some pics:

This must be the Star Wars shot:

Mrs. Spy-tiki and I on top of one of the temples:

Just add dinosaurs:

A friend who adopted me in the jungle:

Thank you for all of the excellent ideas and Spy-tiki, love the photos!

At the end of the day, selected Carmen Del Playa & the Mayan Riviera and Chichen Itza, Tulum & Coba in order to stay at the beach, yet still have a great pyramid experiences.

Could not give up the beach by staying in one of the Jungle Lodges and going back & forth seemed too much trouble and time in transit.

Maybe a can find Mayan tiki (or the representation of the early man in a totemlike form).

[ Edited by: christiki295 on 2004-09-20 20:08 ]

[ Edited by: christiki295 on 2004-09-20 20:11 ]

[i]On 2004-09-20 20:03, christiki295 wrote:

Maybe a can find Mayan tiki (or the representation of the early man in a totemlike form).

Some already seem to have come up with their own theories:

Later I discovered something very strange. Tiki, as it turns out, derives from Kon Tiki, which is another name for the South American Quetzalcoatl figure, Wiracocha

http://www.swcp.com/~eltiki/homie_page/bio.html

Kon-Tiki : Across the Pacific by Raft
Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft
Bibliography Information and notes: "this book about sailing and ice and eating sharks and stuff, about the kon-tiki easter island incan mayan spaceship connection just plain rocks the boat. read it and weep! top ten for making pulp come true. we love you, thor!"
http://www.postpoppulp.org/book/display/267.html