7 Things to do in and around San Ignacio, Belize – gateway to jungle, caves and Maya temples

Back when we spend five weeks weeding on the Stardust Sanctuary Farm, 3 kilometres out of the nearest small village, San Ignacio was our go-to metropolis. Don’t get me wrong, San Ignacio is in no way a big city. Coupled with twin Santa Elena, the city barely has 20.000 inhabitants. Despite its small size, visitors will not be bored. Here are 7 things we really enjoyed in San Ignacio. Continue Reading →

Rum punch vs michelada: 24 hours in Belize, a day out of Guatemala

Reggae is dull music, made by dull people for dull people. If you’ve ever wondered why all reggae sounds the same, here’s the answer: because the musicians were high and forgot that they already wrote the song. Just to say that I hate reggae with a passion.

But on 21 September 2018, I loved reggae. Loved it to bits. Continue Reading →

What the fall?! Here are the 8 most beautiful waterfalls in Belize and Guatemala

During the four months of our trip, I have seen more waterfalls than in my whole life. All of a sudden waterfalls were everywhere. They were in national parks and in cloud forests. Some were separate destinations, others we encountered on the way to somewhere else. They came in all sizes and forms, from small falls to powerful cataracts, from ice cold mountain showers to hot cascades. Continue Reading →

Chocolate in Belize: the Land of Melted Snickers

San Ignacio in Belize is a sweaty and hot town. It was also the town closest to the Stardust Sanctuary FarmBut only seldom we drove all the way there to enjoy the place itself. Usually, we were sitting in the local bus station, waiting for a bus that would take us somewhere more interesting, or back home. If we had time until our bus, we sipped freshly squeezed juices in a nearby restaurant. In San Ignacio, we were always waiting. Until all the waiting came to an end.

When our time in farm came to an end, we realised there were still a ton of things to do in San Ignacio. One afternoon, we decided to check out what the chocolate tour at AJAW was all about. Apparently, the Mayas made great chocolate.

I couldn’t find any evidence of that in the local shops. The best dessert in Belize was a dreamy yellow lemon pie that I could never get enough of. But chocolate? All I remembered was a lonely Snickers bar in the shop shelf which melted between my fingers even before I could lift it up. No, I didn’t consume any chocolate in Belize.

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ATM Cave in Belize: descend into the Mayan human slaughterhouse

Nine people are trapped in a cave. They are hungry, soaking wet, scared and would offer an arm to be able to go to the toilet comfortably.

Sounds familiar?

No, dear reader, I’m not talking about the Thai football team that got stuck in a cave. Instead, this is a summary of our excursion to Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM Cave, a descent into the deep innards of a cave which the ancient Maya used for their blood sacrifices.

Are you shivering yet? Continue Reading →