new year's on the new river

we spent new year's eve cruising down the new river on our way to the maya site of lamanai. the original maya name lama’an ayin translates to “submerged crocodile,” quite a fitting name given its isolated jungle location on the new river lagoon. lamanai was continuously occupied from around 1500 BC until the sixteenth century, and consists of more than seven hundred structures. the majority of these structures are still buried and seven are open to the public. the most impressive of these structures is the 33 meter tall “high temple” which was the largest structure in the maya world when it was built around 100 BC. the view from the top was absolutely astounding.

high temple

view from the top

elias and ashley perched on the top of the structure

don’t look down, denise!

other structures we visited were the jaguar temple, mask temple, ball court, royal residences, and a pyramid displaying a stela of lord smoking shell.

at the mask temple

stela 9 shows lord smoking shell participating in a ceremony-probably his ascension

jaguar temple

lamanai itself was amazing, and the trip there only added to the allure and mystique of this ancient maya site. we spent the morning traveling down the new river on a speedboat, spotting crocodiles, spiny tailed iguanas, kingfishers, great blue herons, jaribou stork, and spider monkeys. it was like being on safari…only practically in our backyard. i was amazed at the wildlife we spotted within the boundary of orange walk town. three crocodiles in a five minute time frame…that’s enough incentive for me to stay out of the river!

crocodile in the new river, just within orange walk town

ashley and nenette at the front of the boat

spider monkeys get up close and personal in exchange for bananas

it was such an impressive experience that i must put in a well deserved endorsement here:

jungle river tours (302-2293) is the only tour operator (of approximately 10 which embark on this excursion) to start the boat trip from the center of orange walk town. from town until the river passes beneath the northern highway, we were the only boat on the river. we saw an abundance of wildlife in this short stretch of river. unfortunately due to the heavy tour boat traffic, for the rest of the trip we did not spot another crocodile. our guide was laid back and informative, with a great sense of humor. and best of all, they offered a peace corps discount!

it was wonderful doing something out of the ordinary and exploring a bit of this magnificent country.