Shanah

8/12/05- Arrive to Crystal Paradise resort- had them pick us up from the airport. Saw the coolest fan palms- later found out they are called money trees because they sell them to the US for making ink and money. Had a great home made pizza dinner, planned activities and had the great Belikin beer.

8/13- Wake up early have breakfast and head to Carocol ruins. There was 7 of us in the blue van- David (our belizian guide), an italian couple in the front, another couple on their honeymoon in the center, and my husband and I in the back. It's about a 3 hour drive- we had the belizian music playing looking out the windows at the beautiful scenery, made a stop at the mical river to stretch our legs and take some photos. Feeling great, enjoying this jungle scene- suddenly as we go around a bend about 7 Guatemalan men jump from the bushes with machine guns, hand guns and a few with machetes pointing at us. What a crazy, surreal scene (can't explain the terror feeling). They motion us to pull off onto a dirt turn off far into the jungle- one gets in the car waving his weapon around. the guide spoke spanish and would translate- he said to cooperate please and give them whatever they wanted. The were pointing the gun at us we gave them all the cash we had and they made us get out of the car and sit on a bunch of rocks in the jungle. We watched them pull our backpacks out and go through them taking our digital cameras, binoculars and any valuables in the packs. The the one guy with the machete came to each of us taking the jewelry, watches he wanted- he comes to me points with his machete at my wedding band and engagement ring- I struggle to quickly remove it (my fingers must of swelled from the humidity) I thought he was gonna chop my hand off so I gave my hand to my husband who quickly yanked it off and gave it to him. So then, we were held there for 4 hours, they said there were others with guns surrounding us in the jungle as well (I doubt it though). Now its actually funny but I had to go into the jungle to go to the bathroom, pretty crazy. As we sat they had one guy watch us as the others went to the edge of the road to wait for more cars. Our guide was talking a lot to this guy so got a lot of info. And the guide was not in on this - you could see the terror on his face initially and they took his stuff as well. They had waited there since about 2-am the night before- we even saw the hut they had been staying in to the left of us. They were waiting for a big tour bus they could rob- they were going to take over all Carocol but didn't have enough men. Apparently they have a boss that wanted them to come back with 2000 cash, then they get paid 400 each. He also told about the marijuana plantations they have on Belize land- which they shoot anyone who comes across it and hide when police come. Well I think they realized the bus wasn't coming so they decided on getting some of the little tours/ cars. We watched them rob two other cars- one a belizian family (father, mother and little girl) and another family of tourists. They finally left- had us stay for 1/2 hour before we left. Our guide rushed to Carocol since it was about 10 minutes away now, he said there are guards there. There were none at this time. He called the police. Then we had police and military escort us back. In the time we waited for the military we did manage to climb to the top of Carocol- no pictures, but definitely a wonderful feeling to be alive at the top hearing the howler monkeys!! and saw a grey fox. Then we went to San Ignacio police station- which was really bad- we seemed to be an annoyance for them- it took forever to get our reports which they couldn't get right. Depending on who you talk to this happens quite a bit. They also come over and steal the money trees (Chatteras?). we got back to CPR at about 9pm starving (since they did eat all our sandwiches and drinks) and the one thing CPR did do for us was hold our dinner . As much as I wanted to see more ruins and caves- we just were a bit jumpy and didn't feel safe. The next day we left for Ambergris Caye which was not supposed to happen until the 16th. The honeymoon couple became our best friends and travel buddies- they were going to go back to the states, it was their 1st day as well, but then decided to follow us. The rest is all good stuff- Ill make it brief. Just wanted to warn everyone- wish I would have known about how common this is. Yeah, maybe we shouldn't have worn jewelry, brought good cameras, had cash on us- but maybe they would have killed or harmed us if we didn't have anything to give- who knows. I here usually they burn the car, strip everyone and will rape and can be very violent. We are lucky!

8/14-We took a water taxi to Ambergris Caye. Stayed at Banana Beach in an oceanfront room (130 a night) Very nice place. walked to the Blue water grill and had the best Mojito ever!! also great coconut shrimp. Dinner was great to at the restaurant at Banana Beach (El Divenos?) good red snapper!!

8/15- Took golf carts to town- Great stewed chicken at Elvi's kitchen. We explored the area and North part of the Caye- the Palapas bar looked fun but was closed on Monday. Our new friends cooked us a great spicy dinner in the kitchenettes at BB- the Greenhouse has some huge avocados and there is a supermarket in town.

8/16- Took the tour to Shark/Rey alley (hol chan) This was my favorite!! Our guide was amazing- I would highly recommend trying to go with him. Alphonz- we booked it through BB (monkey business store). He pointed out everything in the water then would pop up and talk about it as we were snorkeling- so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I even got to hold a shark there! After that we checked into Victoria House - what a classy place, we loved it- stayed in Casita number 1. They have bikes to use so we took some muddy rides in the rain. Coconut Caribbean hotel- not so good for food and drinks. Dinner at the VH restaurant - (the BEST) grilled lobster- yum and molten chocolate cake and Caprinnas at the bar (a limey drink- very refreshing)

8/17- Biking more. Monkey bites- okay for breakfast, pretty cheep. Orange is a really cool store. We found out while at Fidos courtyard there was a murder- they killed a security guard then robbed the hotel safe. These robbers were young belizians. Then as we start to feel unsafe again (it always came in waves) it started to rain- my bike broke- VH was great and picked us up. Back to VH for pina coladas in the pool. Oh and the best dessert ever- Banana quesadillas at VH- Im glad we lived long enough to have one of those!

8/18- hamocking, relaxing- went to Calientes for dinner- good banana daiquiris and mexican food.

8/19- Took a tour to Goffs Caye to snorkel, have a beach BBQ with rum punch, check out Caye Cauker, see sea horses (very neat), manatees, and then more snorkeling at shark rey alley. Blue water grill again- good place. Another highlight was seeing a the cool creatures that come out at night- like lizards that walk on there hind feet and wave their arms in the air.

8/20- Lots of lounging, reading, getting a massage in the room, watching storms come and go, swimming- living the hard life. Took a water taxi at night between storms (that was exciting) to The Capricorn- had the most spicy lobster ever and some good rum chocolate cake- stuffed!

8/21- Back to Cali!

kauai_aka

shanah

you seem so calm and casual about the whole ordeal. i envy you. i'm glad everyone in your party made it okay. are you going to keep in touch with the couple you met? did they find the robbers? did your tourguide quit? there's so many questions i have but can't formulate at the moment. thanks for your report.

Graziella5b

I am sorry to hear what happened although you were lucky loosing only material things. Unfortunatelly I agree it is a good thing that they could take some money + avoiding been frustrated...
Sorry for my ignorance, but where exactly is this Carocol , etc. Is it in Guatemala and if so where. ? Far from Antigua...? I would love to know. TKs.

faithie

I am a bit confused as well.....

Jayneann

Shanah,
How absolutely frightening for all of you!!! Thankfully you're OK and had the courage to continue your vacation. How desperate these men must be to feel they have to terrorize the tourists!!

Thanks for posting this and reminding us that even in paradise bad things can happen!!

dfarmer

I had read of this incident on another board, I believe Lan Sluder reported it. Good to hear that all of you got out ok, except for a terrible fright, just can't imagine.

Thanks for the report on the rest of your trip and the tips on so many restaurants. Planning a trip in Feb, and had actually decided to drop Caracol due to this incident. Hate to miss it since it is supposed to be quite impressive.

Caracol is in what I believe is called the Mountain Pine Ridge area, and yes is very near the Guatemalan border.

faithie

I understand now ..... Actually happened in Belize . Must have been horrible . Thank You for telling us your story .

Pausanias

You certainly kept your cool.

Hope the authorities get cracking -- I plan to visit Caracol on our next trip to Belize.

Glad you were not hurt.

Shanah

We will definitely keep in touch with the couple- they actually live in northern CA, we live in Southern Ca. The guide does this trip to Caracol 6 times a wk and said he doesn't know if he can continue anymore. I found the story on the news- here it is, surprisingly pretty close description.

Click the link below to view news story:
http://new.channel5belize.com/archiv...story_id=14581

missypie

I don't think I could have gone on with my vacation.

Katie_Valk

Shanah, So sorry this occured while you were visiting and grateful no one was hurt. We've been having problems with Guatemalans crossing the border to collect a plant called Xate (the money tree), which is used by florists. At best, these xateros are depleting our supply and the wildlife they hunt. It seems as if this same gang is responsible for one other isolated incident in the area a few months back. National Security chief will position more Belize Defense Force (our military) with radio communications along the road to and at the attractions in the area and are in the bush now to flush these guys out. This is far from being a usual occurrance and in fact, might be the first time this happened in the area and unfortunatey so, on your trip. Tourism and forestry concerns met with Natl Security and will institute measures, including monitoring the border, to prevent these banditos from entering Belize and keep the sites safe from any criminal activity,foreign or local, for any visitor, foreign or local. Again, I apologize that your trip was marred by this frightening event. I was only a few miles away from there that day and last weekend and we all want to make sure this area is as secure and safe as possible for all.

kauai_aka

shanah,

just read the article you provided. thanks.

i applaud you for finishing the tour. you probably figured you’ll be damned for not seeing the ruins after making it this far. and then filing your report which kept you hostage just as long...it really wasn't for nothing...BRAVO!!!

kv – thanks for your input. you say, this is a rare occurrence or is this problem getting out of hand? how can your patrols protect future guided tours by placing them at the border. shanah’s van went through a jungle and the men jumped out. aren’t the tour guides equipped with radios? my guess is no. also, i didn’t see anything mentioned in her report or news article about xate. these criminals sound like they were just after money and valuables. am I missing something?

i maybe totally misinformed here. please let me know...

Shanah

This is what I understand about the the Xate (sounds like Shatte)and why it's relevant- It has been known that the Guatamalans have been coming over to steal this plant. The belizian police have caught these people, put them in jail and punished them. When they get out of jail they want revenge, so they go after tourists. This is one of the theories anyway. I doubt it will happen in the exact same spot they probably will pick another area to hit next time that isn't expected. They have got away with it so far perfectly. I think it will be pretty tough to have guards lining all the roads, there wasn't even one guard at Caracol that day.

Treesa

Shanah: I commend you for your calm and collected attitude towards this horrible incident. Just think of the stories you'll tell your grandkids. I'm doubly horrified since we just returned from Belize (8/9 thru 8/19), did a lot of driving and never felt unsafe or threatened.

Will your home insurance cover your losses? Thank God none of you were harmed.

Best wishes to you from a fellow So. Californian.

travelgirlatl

What a horrible thing to have to go through. I am so sorry you had to go through this ordeal, but cannot tell you how impressed I am that you didn't let it ruin the rest of your trip! Your review (barring the robbery) was great and so positive--just astounding to me considering how the trip started. So glad that you had fun overall and that you were uninjured during the robbery.

Best wishes, and may your future trips be just as fun, but less eventful!

Caroline

kauai_aka

shanah

i see...

thanks

LA_FadeAway

I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you!! I had heard similar things before our recent trip to Belize/Guat, so we actually left ALL our jewelry home, wedding bands included. I figured it just wasn't worth tempting them with anything. I think it's wise to keep enough cash handy to give them though, as you stated, to avoid violent retaliation. It's a shame it's come down to this!

mc6mari

hi Shanah!
i can't bilieve it!
I'm Marina and i'm the italian girl that was with you that horrible day!
I was looking for news from belize and I have found your message. I'm at home now ..and i feel safe! I'm glad that you and your husband have continued your vacation in Belize, 'cause i think that is a wanderful place.
my boyfriend and i was been in caye caulker and after in Isla Mujeres, 8 days on the beach in total relax!
But i'm very sad that my vacation in the jungle is finished so early!
For your next holiday i suggest you ITALY...and i.... hope to come in U.S.A.
I wish you a beautiful life with your friendly husband.
Ciao Marina

PS. Sorry for my english...

Shanah

Hey Marina!! Im glad your home safe. You and Valerio are welcome to come visit us in the US anytime. The best part of that day was when Matthew and Valerio played soccer in the ruins. Hope you guys had a good time in Mexico.
Here is my email: [email protected]