Temple of the Masonry Altars at Altun Ha

So, there we are in Belize, and such as was our wont for the day, Jacob and I decided that we would be remiss if we neglected to check-out the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha (Water of the Rock). Altun Ha is the site where one of Belize’s national treasures, a 10 pound elaborately carved jade sculpture in the form of the Mayan sun god, Kinich Ahua, was found.

About 31 miles north of Belize City (where we were docked), I figured it would be a bit longer than a half-hour to get there, we’d check it out for an hour, then come back, for a grand total of 2-3 hours. Wrong.

Altun Ha

Since I prefer having an English-speaking driver and air conditioning, we opted to get a private car. The car we got was a Toyota Tercel that had seen better days (if not decades); but our driver was friendly and we decided to go for it.

After a few zigs and zags through the rough-and-tumble streets of Belize City, we pulled-over to the side of the road, to pick-up the driver’s cousin, to give him a ride to his job at the airport. At this point, we were convinced we were about to be kidnapped and sold to a white slavery ring. For whatever reason, we also found this concept to be hysterical.

The Belize River

A few minutes later, the brother hopped out at the airport exit, and we continued on our way to Altun Ha. Then, after about 20 more minutes on the reasonably paved road known as the Northern Highway, we turned onto the amusingly quaint Old Northern Highway. A rickety road of one poorly-paved lane, the Old Northern Highway requires that cars pull-over to allow those traveling in the other direction to get by. We must have had the only polite driver in the whole country, because we were always pulling-over and letting everyone else cruise on by.

Jacob waving from atop the Temple of the Masonry Altars at Altun Ha

So, we get to Altun Ha, and it is hot and muggy, and (of course) I’ve made a very inopportune footwear selection. Not wanting to harsh on his mellow, I urged Jacob to climb to the top of the Temple of the Masonry Altars (at 54 feet, the highest structure in the compound).

It was a pretty neat place, and the architecture is very impressive. You’ve gotta give it up for a nice ziggurat, you know? (Or is it a stepped-temple? I can never keep the two straight.)

That's our driver - checking under the hood...

After perusing the tchotchkes for a bit, and replenishing our supply of water, we got back in the car and began the return trip to the port. Of course, being us, we knew that it had all been too easy.

Sure enough, just as we are applauding ourselves on the smoothness of our escapade, we realize that when we pulled over to the side of the road this past time, we never got back on. The car had died. For real.

Jacob pushing our car on the Old North Highway

I suggested phoning for help, which earned me a look of befuddlement from the driver, who decided it would be far more practical to stand in the middle of the road, and try to flag down an oncoming vehicle.

After almost getting run over a few times, he suggested we get out and push, to see if the battery might hop-to. So, he got back behind the wheel, Jacob pushed, and I grabbed my camera. And wouldn’t you know it – after 30 seconds of pushing, the car started right back up, again.

Our driver was apoplectic and on the verge of tears, until we assured him that this sort of thing happens to us, all the time; and it’s these sorts of occurrences that emblazon a memory into your brain.

A lovely roadside family cemetary

Sure, we could’ve seen another ruin in another humid country, but how many times is Jacob gonna be pushing someone else’s car along a deserted patch of “highway” in Central America? What's more, we also got to see a local cemetary on the side of the road, and Jacob swears he spotted a crocodile in the mangroves along the brackish waters of the river.

So, while I highly recommend checking-out the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha the next time you’re in Belize, I would urge you to give your mode of transport a quick once-over and maybe kick a tire or two.

The Ruins at Altun Ha
Belize

Get into it!