May 2013
San Ignacio, Belize
We arrived in San Ignacio via the Benque bus from Belmopan, had some delicious Belizean Stew Chicken at Lydia's across the street from the bus stop, then took a taxi up the hill to our hotel, Cahal Pech.
Now, this seems like an appropriate time to mention that I wanted to stay at Trek Stop. A popular backpacker spot, TS will only set you back around 15 bucks (pp) a night and is only a short ride into town. However, Hub wanted a pool. After imagining a sweltering all day trek up and down Mayan Ruins, it didn't take me long to give in to this request. Appear:
Cahal Pech Village Resort. "Look, they have these budget huts on the hill and still have a pool!" Too bad that
budget hut would set us back about $90 a night after taxes! But....it had a beautiful pool. Besides, it has the word resort in the name, I'm sure it will be nice.
Wrong.
We arrived at the hut to find hostel like conditions. Mind you, I am not opposed to hostels, I have stayed in several in South America and I feel comfortable using them. However, I am opposed to staying in a hostel and paying the price of a resort. Which is exactly what we did at Cahal Pech.
So, if you ever find yourself stuck in a bad room, I am sharing the measures we took to help us make our room less crappy. You never know, these may work for you someday as well!
#1: Do some laundry
It may seem like a chore, but clean clothes make everyone feel better. Besides, that hammock was too small to hold anyone that's not Mayan anyhow. It was crying out to be repurposed!
#2: Redecorate
When we discovered the full size mattress was resting on a twin size box spring, we were only slightly disappointed. However, when we saw a small a/c unit in a room that has no glass in the windows, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We moved the bed over and arranged some extra blankets with the curtains to create a unique "air distribution system" that blew the cold air directly onto our faces. BTW-when your mom used to say that cold air on your face will make you sick...she was wrong. Fact.
#3.
Steal Borrow from others
Our porch was empty, and with a dysfunctional hammock and weird bed situation, we needed a place to relax! Enter: the hut next door. They had some great looking patio furniture over there so under cover of darkness we stole it and set up house in our patio.
#4. Take a tour
Nothing can change your perspective better than natural beauty! We took a kayak 10 miles down the Macal River and spotted a few bat hangouts and several iguanas chilling by the water.
#5. Make some friends
The key to understanding a place is understanding the people who call it home. This man is a staple in town gathering restaurant leftovers for his farm. He spotted us from across a park and rode his horse across the entire park to come talk to us.
#6. Use Deet
Bugs in the jungle are okay. Bugs in town are okay. Bugs in the patio are okay. Bugs in the bed are NOT okay. After finding this centipede in the bed one morning, I sprayed the entire box spring, mattress, and my body with Deet each night. Hub wasn't real excited about going to bed with a greasy, smelly lady, but hey, a girl's gotta survive, am I right?
#7.Take a swim
Although our hut was bad, the pool was pretty awesome. We definitely made use of these two pools after our days of exploring.
#8. Go Shopping
San Ignacio is known for their beautiful market and it did not disappoint. We were able to pick up some fruit and snacks to keep in our room to help us avoid the "resort food" they were serving up in the dining area.
#9. Save Cash
Fruits and snacks weren't the only things we picked up in town. For the same price as one drink at the hotel bar, we were able to purchase our own drinks at a local market. We also bought a gallon of water after the restaurant staff sweated us a little for filling up our bottles.
#10. Enjoy the view.
Sometimes we get stuck in a place we're not happy with, but when traveling, it's important to find the silver lining. Here it was all about the view. The hotel overlooked the city of San Ignacio and beyond, and if we ignored all of the dry season fire smoke for a few minutes, we could sit and take in the beauty of the valley in front of us. And that is what it's all about.
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