Xunantunich

The bumper

On the way to the ruins a piece of the car started dragging on the road, a leftover from the wreck. We pulled over to duct-tape it up. A man ran out of his shop, gesturing since he didn't speak much English, grabbed some wire, and wired the piece back on in two places. It held for the rest of the trip.

He invited us into his shop afterward, and John bought a little wooden snail that comes apart in pieces, for Jude, and then a wooden butterfly on the way out. Forty dollars for things he'd probably have sold for five each, and gladly paid.

The ferry and the ruins

While we were pulled over, a young guy walked up and asked if we were headed to the ruins. He was a tour guide. We said yes, he hopped in, and we drove to the river, where you put your car on a small ferry that a man cranks across by hand.

Xunantunich is spectacular. The main structure, El Castillo, is about 130 feet tall, and it isn't even the largest site in Belize. There are other buildings and plazas all around it, and you can climb. Our guide, whose name we heard as Mazzikiel, was knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly loved the place. Like almost everyone we met, he was easy to like.