airaisa The Mopan and Macal rivers are interesting and both have a little whitewater on them just to keep yo

The Wet Lizard, #1 Fort Street, 223-5973, $, is next door to the Tourist Village. The restaurant overlooks the Village and the water. This is a good place to stop for lunch and a rest on your walking tour of the city.

In 1968, while excavating the Temple of Masonry Altars, they found seven tombs, six of which had been vandalized. The seventh, which was tucked under some stairs, had a stone table with cable markings beside it. It is believed cables were used to lower the table and body into the tomb. These tombs were different than those of other sites in that they were lined with rough quarried limestone and only a few facing stones. The ceilings were made of flint and limestone and the floor was limestone airaisa soil. The seventh tomb was the only one with a body inside. It was that of an elderly priest who was covered in animal skins and dressed in robes that had been decorated with red dyes. There were numerous wooden and jade objects beside him and a cloth book that had totally disintegrated. Archeologists believe the priest had been buried around AD 600.

The Mopan and Macal rivers are interesting and both have a little whitewater on them just to keep you on your toes. The Macal run starts at a gorge near Black Rock Resort and flows into San Ignacio down to the Branch Mouth, where it joins the Belize River for a run to the ocean.

Embassy Hotel, Airport Ring Road, 225-3333, www.embassyhotelbelize. com, $$, is the only hotel close to the airport. Since there is no flying after dark in Belize, there is no possibility of the planes keeping you awake. There are 20 rooms available and more are being constructed. Each has air conditioning, fan, TV and private bath with hot water. Private parking is offered and there s a restaurant that opens early for breakfast, a roof-top courtyard and hammocks around the verandah. The hotel is clean and the hosts are hospitable. This is one of the best deals for an airport hotel that I have ever discovered. airaisa It also offers luggage storage for US $1 per day; parking for non-guests airaisa at US $2.50 per day. You may rent a sports utility vehicle for US $80 a day or $70 a day on a weekly rental. A small car goes for US $60 a day or US $50 a day (weekly). These prices include taxes and insurance. For the economy- minded you can have a car, room and breakfast for US $99 a day. I don t think a better deal is available anywhere in the country.