Which Mayan Ruin in Belize?

[hpjmom]

I think there were 34 people on the tour with us. We filled the bus & took 2 boats down the river--one with 9 passengers & one with 26. I didn't think there were too many people. We enjoyed talking to others who were with us.

 

The tour was late. We got back into Belize City at 4:10 & the last tender was supposed to leave at 4:30. There was a long line for the tender at that time & they ended up taking an extra tender back to the ship at about 4:45 (we got on the 4:30 one, but saw the last tender get to the ship). I would recommend doing this tour from the ship. I'd really worry about getting back to the ship on time. If you had ANY type of problem, you'd miss the tender.

[mcgraiha]

that's very helpful, thanks!

 

at the ruins, did you stay in a group or wander around on your own?

[hpjmom]

I just reread my post. Not that it matters but I meant to type "8", not "9" (9 + 26 = 35, not 34).

 

We didn't wander the ruins. There is a short walk through the jungle to each of the ruins. They are NOT grouped together. The guide gave information on some of the fauna in the jungle & many of the trees were labelled so we knew what it was. We did have the opportunity to climb the second temple, so we stayed at that particular site for a while, to let anyone who wanted to climb & take pics. Plus that's where the howler monkeys were & we watched them for a while. At the other sites, the guide gave us a brief history. New Mayan rulers would build on top of existing temples & the guide had pics of what the temples looked like at different stages of history. Each part of the trip was fun: the boat ride, the lunch, the jungle and the ruins.

 

It's really a great excursion!

[vmom]

Thanks, I feel better knowing that there's a rope. How socially acceptable is it to go down on my butt if I freak out? Lol.

 

I have a feeling that this will be one of those experiences that scares me in the moment but is totally worth it at the end!

 

I've been to 2 Mayan ruins, and both times I climbed down on my "butt" so to speak. The stairs are very steep, much steeper than regular stairs. For those of us with short legs I think its a safer way down and easier on the knees.

 

I wasn't embarrassed at all and I noticed that as soon as I started going down on my butt, several other ladies did also. They later said they had thought about it, but were too embarassed untill they saw me going down that way.

 

My theory is it is better to arrive at the bottom in one piece. It's also better to experience the ruins rather than just staying on the ground and looking up.

[driftwood]

Whatever makes you feel comfortable is what you should do!--People will be more amazed at your temerity in attempting the climb and in your returning in one piece to Earth afterward than in anything having to do with your technique. From the top it looks like everyone on the way down is clinging like a monkey in defiance of the laws of gravity, and starting back down is usually the hardest part. From the bottom everyone is wishing they were as brave as you are. When I was at Nohoch Mul in Coba one time, two teenaged Mayan girls scampered to the top--it is a pretty steep climb, and VERY hard to scamper--astonishing even our Mayan guide, who wasn't planning a climb himself that day--but we noticed they were both a lot longer at making their way down!

 

The rise is higher than the "step" is wide, so on Nohoch Mul there is not much space for your foot, much less . . . .

 

Many of the Mayan ruins are what architects in Western Civilization would call "prohibitive architecture," intended primarily to impress and difficult to scamper upon. Structures at Muyil in Quintana Roo are so steep that I suspect they used ladders or some other method (elevators? escalators?) when the tallest buildings were in use. But it is probably safe to say that once they had been built, they were pretty much left alone by those not paid to be there! :D