Our final night in Mexico we spent in Chetumal. Before crossing the border, we had some preparations. We restocked our food supplies, Balios had oil changed. Finally, around 4 pm we were on the border with Belize. Mandatory fumigation 10 USD, entry fee 15 USD, parking another 10 USD, insurance 28 USD and we were free to go. Long after sunset, we reached the village of Indian Church near the Lamanai ruins. We were allowed to spend a night near one of the family-run country restaurants. In the middle of the night, while sleeping on the roof of our Jeep, we were awakened by a terrifying howl. People cannot make such sounds. It was a real horror outside; I simply waited for a huge monster to hit our car at any moment. Howling screams went on and on. After some time we realized that, this was our first encounter with Howling Monkeys.

The first Maya ruins in Belize was Lamanai for us. Most of the visitors come here by boat traveling New River, but on that day, we were the only people who came overland here. Lamanai can be distinguished due to several aspects, preserved stucco masks and use of metal objects. This place has been inhabited for many centuries and earliest structures date back to 100 BC. Unlike many others, the city was not abandoned at the end of Classic Period and continued to be occupied until the 17^th century. Excavation in Lamanai uncovered a significant number of copper artifacts. For Maya metal objects had only ritual and decorative use. They displayed such items during social gatherings and ritual ceremonies. Even in the early Colonial era, Maya continued producing their own metal ornaments.

We planned to spend next night in San Ignacio. Western Highway is the main road to go there, but we wanted to see some wilderness. The alternative route leads through the Rio Bravo Conservation Area. We knew that entry might require a permit. However, it was not clear to me how to get the permit in advance so I was just hoping for a good luck. From Lamanai we traveled between farmlands until we encountered closed barrier. It was our path, so we bypassed the barrier by pushing away a large stone lying on the side. Next, we arrived at Hill Bank Field Station. A man at the gate did not want let us in. “Do you have a permit, the road from here is not passable” he said, “Do you want to drive around?” That gave us some hope. He contacted another gate and after long conversation, he assured us that we could go there and we would be admitted. We did what he told us. An hour later, we were standing at La Milpa Filed Station. “We were expecting you” a security guard greeted us. In the blink of an eye, the barrier opened and we happily continued our journey until we reached another closed barrier. This time another special permit was required. I thought about Chan Chich Lodge down this road. If they let us to spend a night in their property, we might be lucky to be let in. There is no cell coverage there. The security man contacted the lodge by CB radio. Lodge refused to give us entry permission unless we pay 500 USD for a night. It was way too much for a privilege to enter. We had to turn back.