Mayan ruins, food, and other things

One evening in Belize City, we decided to take a stroll in some back streets (despite the nice things I'm about to tell, I wouldn't generally recommend it). Drawn by the sound of beating drums, we saw a bunch of young people dancing in front of a porch party and making them laugh. They wore noisy seashell kneepads and masks made with what looked like panty hose. It was actually really entertaining!

The host of the party told us that they were traditional Garifuna dancers, and they were making rounds in the neighbourhood to find spectators willing to pay. The guy gave them $10 for the show. Some googling later, I found out it's called the Waranagua tradition. From what I understand, it's the Belizian version of Christmas carolling. 

Some more exploring later, we found this awesome little food cart that sold yummy cheap food. We tried garnaches ($0.25 for a tortilla topped with beans, cheese, and ketchup), tostadas ($0.50 for a tortilla topped with chicken, cheese, lettuce, and hot sauce), and tamales ($1.50 for polenta stuffed with chicken wrapped in a plantain leaf - supposedly Mayan food). A "shilling" would get you a little bag of cold water to wash it down.

To my greatest amusement, dad lost his sunglasses and had to wear a pair my mom found somewhere and had brought to give away. This is probably my favouritest photo of him ever. 

Belikin Beer is THE beer to drink in Belize. The logo is based on the Altun Ha Mayan ruins, which we eventually visited once we made friends with an Albertan couple and got a ride with them. 

You know the game where there's two teams playing ball and they're supposed to shoot it through a hoop using only their hips and elbows? Apparently it's the winning team that gets sacrificed because it's an honour to die for your gods. I always thought it was the other way around... thanks for being historically inaccurate, Road to El Dorado. The other thing I learned is that every step of the pyramids represents a dead ruler. I was thinking about death up there, specifically of falling off the steep steps rather than of whoever was buried beneath them.

I don't know where the heck this little boy found a baby crocodile amidst the ruins, but I paid him a dollar to hold it. 

Our Albertan friends dropped us off at the car rental place so that we could get our own vehicle and drive all the way to San Ignacio, where the bigger ruins are. It turns out that the car rental owner had a huge collection of antiques right next to the office. He had old glass bottles that pirates used to drink rum, wine, or tonic from and then throw them overboard into the Belize river. The country can't afford to take in all the artifacts, so whenever locals finds something old, they bring it to the car rental guy and he buys it all. He had Mayan spears and flint, British medicine and ink bottles, a Spanish marionette, pistols, hollow glass buoys from before plastic was invented... you name it! 

To make a long story short, Belize City has its drawbacks with a history of violence and scary stories; a hold-up at the Tourism Board two days after we had been and 8 wounded in the park next to our hotel two weeks prior our stay being the prime examples. However, it is a worthwhile destination for the variety its cultural experiences. It all depends on what you're looking for.