yes - i lost my focus over time and never finished days 6 through 8
day 7 was the best with snorkeling and swimming with sharks and rays...
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Day Five - FREE Day
It rained this day.
We spent the morning walking through the Belize Botanical Garden on the lodge property.
It was a nice way to spend the morning - even in the rain.
In the afternoon - we each had a massage in the tree house spa...
The thatch roof tree house leaked on my mom during her massage - so much for relaxation...
We spent the morning walking through the Belize Botanical Garden on the lodge property.
It was a nice way to spend the morning - even in the rain.
In the afternoon - we each had a massage in the tree house spa...
The thatch roof tree house leaked on my mom during her massage - so much for relaxation...
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Day Four - duPlooys Jungle Lodge
We turned right off the main highway at the toilet paper moggle's hacienda. Truly that is how our guide described the beautiful and large home that we saw a we turned off the highway. we proceeded down this very bumpy dirt road - further and further into the mountains and into the jungle. There were crops to our left - I forget what he told us they were - perhaps a bean. And even further passed the fields there were cows. And then on the horizon - these lush beautiful mountains. Very other worldly given my day to day travels were it is some woods and lots of shopping centers. I haven't looked out in the distance and seen that far off on the horizon in a really long time - maybe from the top of Stone Mountain or along the shore line in NJ. We twisted and turned further down the road and eventually came to the lodge.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Day Four - Xunantunich
Our new guide met us early at Jaguar Paw. That actually worked out well as we weren't too sure how to kill 3 hours until we checked out of there. As mentioned there was a nice pool and hot tub arrangement but it just wasn't warm enough to take advantage of. So instead, we ate an early lunch with our guide- our second day of stewed chicken, red beans and rice - and down the road we went. He seemed anxious to get on the road - wanting to get to Xunantunich sooner than later so we could see all there was to see. Good thing as it was a long ride to the western border of the country.
I let my mom ride in the front - it allowed her to chat with the guide and I could just take in the sites. We drove passed the turn to Belmopan - the capital of Belize. We took a detour road through San Ignacio and probably saw more of that city than anticipated. We drove on some more and eventually stopped at what looked like a mini road side flea market. Tourist trap is probably a better term for it. We needed to exit the van at that point so our guide could drive it onto the hand crank bridge. We noticed this man with a rather large riffle loitering about and he joined us on our journey across the river and up the mountain to the "park". We came to learn that he was with the special police in charge of things like drug and people trafficking. Ahhh - nice safe feeling swept over my mom and I - NOT! Thankfully he did not accompany us through the "park".
It was quite the hike from the car park to the actual park. We were given the background of the surroundings and then walked around the ruins. Not as breathtaking as Chichen Itza (it is one of my first loves) but pretty impressive none the less. We even meandered our way towards the top of El Castillo. My mom wasn't feeling all that adventuresome to go all the way to the top. I was but lost my nerve pretty early on on the last set of stairs to the top - they were short maybe just 10 inches deep and narrow at about 3 feet wide with no railing, wall etc. So I didn't get to the top either. The pics I took from my highest point don't do justice to how amazing it really was to see for that distance. You could see for miles!
It was a great excursion.
The sad news I learned on this day is that they no longer allow people to climb to the top of El Castillo at Chichen Itza. I have always wanted to go back and go back up those 80 some steps and look out for miles over the jungle. The first time around I didn't have my camera. Oh well.
We left the park and headed back towards out hotel for the next 2 nights.
I let my mom ride in the front - it allowed her to chat with the guide and I could just take in the sites. We drove passed the turn to Belmopan - the capital of Belize. We took a detour road through San Ignacio and probably saw more of that city than anticipated. We drove on some more and eventually stopped at what looked like a mini road side flea market. Tourist trap is probably a better term for it. We needed to exit the van at that point so our guide could drive it onto the hand crank bridge. We noticed this man with a rather large riffle loitering about and he joined us on our journey across the river and up the mountain to the "park". We came to learn that he was with the special police in charge of things like drug and people trafficking. Ahhh - nice safe feeling swept over my mom and I - NOT! Thankfully he did not accompany us through the "park".
It was quite the hike from the car park to the actual park. We were given the background of the surroundings and then walked around the ruins. Not as breathtaking as Chichen Itza (it is one of my first loves) but pretty impressive none the less. We even meandered our way towards the top of El Castillo. My mom wasn't feeling all that adventuresome to go all the way to the top. I was but lost my nerve pretty early on on the last set of stairs to the top - they were short maybe just 10 inches deep and narrow at about 3 feet wide with no railing, wall etc. So I didn't get to the top either. The pics I took from my highest point don't do justice to how amazing it really was to see for that distance. You could see for miles!
It was a great excursion.
The sad news I learned on this day is that they no longer allow people to climb to the top of El Castillo at Chichen Itza. I have always wanted to go back and go back up those 80 some steps and look out for miles over the jungle. The first time around I didn't have my camera. Oh well.
We left the park and headed back towards out hotel for the next 2 nights.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Day Four - Ziplining
The next day we got up early again to avoid the cruise crowds. I must admit sleep was a bit evasive this trip. I didn't sleep well the night before - I woke up and all I could smell was musty, bad ventilation tropics. I should be used to it - heck I lived on an island for over a year.... but it's been a while and I only had 3 Claritin with me - eerrr....
We trekked our way to the zipline center to start our day. As with everything on this trip- we lucked out with a private expedition on the zipline. Our guides - Cesar and Byron (go figure) helped us with our helmets and harnesses. My mom - her stomache was all topsy turvy in anticipation of this venture. We took a few picutres (this is about when we realised my camera was acting up) and down the trail we went. I had done some research before the trip to assure my mom (OK - mostly myself) that there wouldn't be some crazy rope ladder to the starting point of the zipline. I had done a ropes course a little over two years ago and one of the hardest parts was the rope ladder at the beginning. This stated pretty clearly - walk up to starting platform. What it didn't expand upon was the "up" part... I think it was some 80 steps - at least that's what I thought I heard them say. You can imagine the effect on the blood flow, heart rate, and stomache that had.
We trekked our way to the zipline center to start our day. As with everything on this trip- we lucked out with a private expedition on the zipline. Our guides - Cesar and Byron (go figure) helped us with our helmets and harnesses. My mom - her stomache was all topsy turvy in anticipation of this venture. We took a few picutres (this is about when we realised my camera was acting up) and down the trail we went. I had done some research before the trip to assure my mom (OK - mostly myself) that there wouldn't be some crazy rope ladder to the starting point of the zipline. I had done a ropes course a little over two years ago and one of the hardest parts was the rope ladder at the beginning. This stated pretty clearly - walk up to starting platform. What it didn't expand upon was the "up" part... I think it was some 80 steps - at least that's what I thought I heard them say. You can imagine the effect on the blood flow, heart rate, and stomache that had.
We had a lesson as to how the multiple safety lines work, where to place the right hand, the left hand, etc... And off we went. OK - Cesar went first. He would be the one to catch us at the other end. Poor guy - my stopping technigue was pretty non-existent. Most of the pictures I look intense as I know I am not slowing down any time soon and that poor guy is my buffer. I went first and my mom followed. She on the toher hand had no problem stopping. Her problem was keeping the momentum and not stopping in the middle of the line. She did stop on the longest highest line about 3 to 5 feet out. She claimed the gloves were too big and she couldn't feel that her hand was dragging - aaahhh too much going on in the brain.....
I hate to say that I was so concentrated on the zipping and the broken camera that I didn't do much looking out over the tree tops. OK you really don't see over the tree tops - we were in line with the tree tops. Most of my focus was just zipping. It was a blast! I would have climbed the hill a few times over to go a few more times....
And the only hard part was the second or third platform. You entered on one level and had to take steps/ladder down about 4 or 5 feet to another platform. The steps were narrow and steep - I attempted to go down them facing forward - all the safety line and ropes fastening me to the tree made it difficult to turn around and go down backwards. But in retrospect that probably would have been easier. THEN when you are on the lower platform you need to climb up onto this table about 3 feet high to start the next line. OH and to fasten the main safety line to the zipline I found myself standing on tiptoes - a test of ones balance - to get started. This was the longest and highest run. It was GREAT once I got started.... And again - stopping is a continual problem.
And my mom? She did great. She eventually went ahead of me a few times. And then we got to repel out of the tree. A great little adventure for a Tuesday morning.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Day Three - Gumbo
Throughout the day we kept seeing this little black monkey. First at breakfast. Then when we came back from the cave tubing. And again when we left for the jungle hike. We learned his name was Gumbo and he is a 6 month old howler monkey that resides at the resort. There were lots of animals residing at the resort - mostly dogs - but there was Gumbo and some _____ too.
So it was turning out to be a chilly, overcast, buggy day. That's how we ended up at the bar. The room was chill and damp - no need to hang out there and stare at each other or the ceiling. At least we may see some other people if we hung out at the bar/restaurant/lobby. So far we hadn't seen very many other people - well except that cruise ship tour. And we were in luck... My mom was keen on trying the beer of Belize - Lighthouse. Well Belikin is actually the beer of Belize but Lighthouse is their lighter version. I wanted to try the rum. Being the Goslings fan that I am I felt it important to expand my horizons. So here is the critique.
Lighthouse - it was a good lighter beer. I don't think it was a light beer - just lighter. And it came in a tinier bottle.
Belikin - the locals claim it is like Heineken - I beg to differ. This is heavier and less bitter. Maybe somewhere between a Harp and a Newcastle. I liked it.
Travellers Barrell One - tasted like maple syrup. But since we all know rum is made from molasses I would say it tastes closer to brown sugar than the molaases of Black Seal. Maybe a little sweeter than Gosling's Gold? I will be sticking with Black Seal.
This is when we met Elizabeth and Rick. Rick was very taken by Gumbo and Elizabeth followed suit. We figured we may as well join in on the fun. And fun it was - although oddly intimidating at times. I used to sit on my shoulder when he was little in an effort to get as close as possible to me. But Gumbo as a monkey has perfected getting as close as possible.
So it was turning out to be a chilly, overcast, buggy day. That's how we ended up at the bar. The room was chill and damp - no need to hang out there and stare at each other or the ceiling. At least we may see some other people if we hung out at the bar/restaurant/lobby. So far we hadn't seen very many other people - well except that cruise ship tour. And we were in luck... My mom was keen on trying the beer of Belize - Lighthouse. Well Belikin is actually the beer of Belize but Lighthouse is their lighter version. I wanted to try the rum. Being the Goslings fan that I am I felt it important to expand my horizons. So here is the critique.
Lighthouse - it was a good lighter beer. I don't think it was a light beer - just lighter. And it came in a tinier bottle.
Belikin - the locals claim it is like Heineken - I beg to differ. This is heavier and less bitter. Maybe somewhere between a Harp and a Newcastle. I liked it.
Travellers Barrell One - tasted like maple syrup. But since we all know rum is made from molasses I would say it tastes closer to brown sugar than the molaases of Black Seal. Maybe a little sweeter than Gosling's Gold? I will be sticking with Black Seal.
This is when we met Elizabeth and Rick. Rick was very taken by Gumbo and Elizabeth followed suit. We figured we may as well join in on the fun. And fun it was - although oddly intimidating at times. I used to sit on my shoulder when he was little in an effort to get as close as possible to me. But Gumbo as a monkey has perfected getting as close as possible.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Day Three - CAVE TUBING
So this was the location of our biggest adventures - cave tubing and zipling.
We made our reservations for early in the day (9:30am) to avoid the cruise ship crowds. Our guide - Pedro in his red Polo baseball cap and Tupak tshirt - met us outside the lobby. He helped us pick out some inner tubes down the trail we went - in our water shoes, bathing suits, UV long sleeve shirts, deet, and water camera. To get to the main trail we had to wade through the river of our destination to the other side and then up stairs and finally the main trail. It wasn't too bad - Pedro had mentioned a 200ft climb but so far it seemed OK. We passed a large group on the way. Learned about a bunch of poisonous plants. And then we turned off the beaten path.... We were no longer on the curise ship trail - we were on the private resort course trail to head of the caves and the river. And there was that 200ft climb. Oh joy! I thought I had taken pics with the water camera but they didn't turn out. You just have to take my word for it that it was some hike on a narrow path with an inner tube in hand, poisonous plants and mosquitoes all around and a Belizean version of fire ants (called leaf cutters) at our feet. It was literally breathtaking and worth every bit of effort on our part when came to the break in the jungle and the mouth of cave.
Not liking to get into unfamiliar bodies of water first or by myself - I let my mom get in her tube first. I followed and it was cold. Thankfully she suggested we link our tubes and float down the river together. That first cave was amazing - just the three of us with head lamps in this body of water in a large dark cave. In the distance you could hear water running - and the mind wanders again... "Dead men tell no tales..." Disney has nothing on this. It was amazing!
At the first cave opening was the cruise crowd entrance and quickly vanished the mystique of being the only 3 people out on the river. Thankfully it wasn't a large crowd and didn't deter too much from the excursion. Pedro told us that on some days there are so many people that the caves don't even seem dark and they get so loud. I am glad we did not get that experience. We also learned that when the river runs high it runs faster and you run closer to the ceiling. And at points it runs so high the caves flood and the eco-tours cease until the rainy season passes. It was a great experience. And I would definitely do it again.
That afternoon we did a tiny jungle hike before the mosquitoes got the best of all of us - even Pedro. We checked out the grounds some more - the butterfly house, the bird house, the pool and hot tub - how I wish it was warm enough to swim it had great atmosphere - the various paths and hidden fountains. And then we ended up at the bar.
We made our reservations for early in the day (9:30am) to avoid the cruise ship crowds. Our guide - Pedro in his red Polo baseball cap and Tupak tshirt - met us outside the lobby. He helped us pick out some inner tubes down the trail we went - in our water shoes, bathing suits, UV long sleeve shirts, deet, and water camera. To get to the main trail we had to wade through the river of our destination to the other side and then up stairs and finally the main trail. It wasn't too bad - Pedro had mentioned a 200ft climb but so far it seemed OK. We passed a large group on the way. Learned about a bunch of poisonous plants. And then we turned off the beaten path.... We were no longer on the curise ship trail - we were on the private resort course trail to head of the caves and the river. And there was that 200ft climb. Oh joy! I thought I had taken pics with the water camera but they didn't turn out. You just have to take my word for it that it was some hike on a narrow path with an inner tube in hand, poisonous plants and mosquitoes all around and a Belizean version of fire ants (called leaf cutters) at our feet. It was literally breathtaking and worth every bit of effort on our part when came to the break in the jungle and the mouth of cave.
Not liking to get into unfamiliar bodies of water first or by myself - I let my mom get in her tube first. I followed and it was cold. Thankfully she suggested we link our tubes and float down the river together. That first cave was amazing - just the three of us with head lamps in this body of water in a large dark cave. In the distance you could hear water running - and the mind wanders again... "Dead men tell no tales..." Disney has nothing on this. It was amazing!
At the first cave opening was the cruise crowd entrance and quickly vanished the mystique of being the only 3 people out on the river. Thankfully it wasn't a large crowd and didn't deter too much from the excursion. Pedro told us that on some days there are so many people that the caves don't even seem dark and they get so loud. I am glad we did not get that experience. We also learned that when the river runs high it runs faster and you run closer to the ceiling. And at points it runs so high the caves flood and the eco-tours cease until the rainy season passes. It was a great experience. And I would definitely do it again.
That afternoon we did a tiny jungle hike before the mosquitoes got the best of all of us - even Pedro. We checked out the grounds some more - the butterfly house, the bird house, the pool and hot tub - how I wish it was warm enough to swim it had great atmosphere - the various paths and hidden fountains. And then we ended up at the bar.
Day Two - Jaguar Paw
Late that afternoon we arrived at our next lodging for the week - Jaguar Paw. There are lots of pics of the resort but I think their web-site does it better justice than mine.
After traveling down a major Belizean highway and then down a very bumpy dirt road into the jungle, up and down some hills - we arrived at the entrance. Majestic comes to mind, especially with the Mayan murals. This definitely is not the Hampton Inn of all my business travels. We checked in and were escorted down a dimly lit stone path to our building/room. It was a neat little room and for some reason - perhaps the moon and stars motif or the masks - it reminded me of my friend Lesley.
We got settled - which pretty much translates I took a hot shower to wash off all the ATV dirt and deet. Had dinner and went to bed in excitement for our next big adventure.
After traveling down a major Belizean highway and then down a very bumpy dirt road into the jungle, up and down some hills - we arrived at the entrance. Majestic comes to mind, especially with the Mayan murals. This definitely is not the Hampton Inn of all my business travels. We checked in and were escorted down a dimly lit stone path to our building/room. It was a neat little room and for some reason - perhaps the moon and stars motif or the masks - it reminded me of my friend Lesley.
We got settled - which pretty much translates I took a hot shower to wash off all the ATV dirt and deet. Had dinner and went to bed in excitement for our next big adventure.
Day Two - ATV Ride
Our detour on the way to Jaguar Paw was Peccary Park. There is not much written on-line about Peccary Park. Nothing in the Frommer's bnook either. Bottom line - it is a recently established national park. This is where my mom and I went to ride the ATVs. Now I am all about riding a scooter but I have never been on an ATV. My dad rode one at The Ponderosa a few years back but I never tried it.
This is also where we became all too aware of the mosquitoes. We found our long sleeves, long pants and deet (the first day I used the 15% deet and discovered its potency when the ink from my water bottle stained my arm when it came in contact with the deet). And off into the jungle we went. According to our guide - this was the end of the rainy season but man oh man was it muddy out there! My mom proceeded to get stuck in the mud a few times. Me? I flooded the engine in a body of water... I ended up playing musical ATVs with two of the guides while my mom proceeded with the other guide through the jungle. Bummer of it all - SHE was the only one to see a LARGE cat in the wild while we were out there. It was either a jaguar or an ocelot - from the size of the paw prints left behind it wasn't a tiny cat.In the middle of the ride we stopped at a cave. I wish I had the forethought to have taken a picture of the cave opening but the gazzillion (slight exageration) steps we needed to take to the top had me distracted. We pretty much shimmied into the cave - we were kind of standing, kind of leaning sideways on our stomaches, the opening wasn't that wide as I needed to take off my back pack to shimy in there. But once we got inside it was wide open and amazing! There were some old Mayan pots in the cave.
And during hurricanes our ATV guide's family uses it as a hurricane shelter. Go figure.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Check them out
OK so the text is coming along. Faster than my attempt at editing the pictures. And it took over an hour to load them all on to my Kodak Gallery. So I will edit more but EVERYONE kept asking.... so....
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Day Two - Northern Lagoon
Well I must admit I did not sleep all that well the first night. The adrenalin rush of finally being there to the inability to regulate the temperature of the room and the climate change effect on my sinuses...
We had a continental breakfast at the hotel - there were some British military men at breakfast as well. I saw some RAF at the airport the day before when we arrived. It appears they still have a presence here.
From there we waited and waited for our guide to arrive. Aahhh - island time (well I know we weren't on an island...). Our guide, Mario, arrived at the back of the hotel. Unbeknownst to us we were going by water from the hotel pier to our excursion for the day - and boy was it a tiny boat. When they say a 4 man speedboat on the itinerary they weren't kidding!
We headed south past the hotel, past the tiny lighthouse, towards the cruise ship port (OK the curise ships anchor further out than any other island I have been to before) to the mouth of the river that runs between the north and south of Belize City.
We saw much of the city along the river, including a swing bridge and eventually entered the mangrove. Not too far into the mangroves with all the vegetation around us, the small boat our tour guide a stranger and no other boats in sight --- Joseph Conrad and Heart of Darkness came to mind - and we all know that leads me to Martin Sheen and Apocalypse Now but I digress. It was just that solitary. Of course my mom pipes in - hey this is like The Jungle Cruise at Walt Disney World - slightly different trains of thought there. Anyways - there were lots of birds (although by the end of the week I will admit I am NOT a bird watcher), some crocodiles, bats, and HUGE palm trees. We tried to see some manatees but it was too windy and choppy that day and were not out in the open where they normally plan. Overall we spent close to 4 hours out on the water. My mom and I shared most of the drive time.
We had a continental breakfast at the hotel - there were some British military men at breakfast as well. I saw some RAF at the airport the day before when we arrived. It appears they still have a presence here.
From there we waited and waited for our guide to arrive. Aahhh - island time (well I know we weren't on an island...). Our guide, Mario, arrived at the back of the hotel. Unbeknownst to us we were going by water from the hotel pier to our excursion for the day - and boy was it a tiny boat. When they say a 4 man speedboat on the itinerary they weren't kidding!
We headed south past the hotel, past the tiny lighthouse, towards the cruise ship port (OK the curise ships anchor further out than any other island I have been to before) to the mouth of the river that runs between the north and south of Belize City.
We saw much of the city along the river, including a swing bridge and eventually entered the mangrove. Not too far into the mangroves with all the vegetation around us, the small boat our tour guide a stranger and no other boats in sight --- Joseph Conrad and Heart of Darkness came to mind - and we all know that leads me to Martin Sheen and Apocalypse Now but I digress. It was just that solitary. Of course my mom pipes in - hey this is like The Jungle Cruise at Walt Disney World - slightly different trains of thought there. Anyways - there were lots of birds (although by the end of the week I will admit I am NOT a bird watcher), some crocodiles, bats, and HUGE palm trees. We tried to see some manatees but it was too windy and choppy that day and were not out in the open where they normally plan. Overall we spent close to 4 hours out on the water. My mom and I shared most of the drive time.
During one part of the trip I was driving at full throttle through this narrow canal passage - my mind being not as literary at that point - Miami Vice and Sonny Crocket came to mind. Oh come on you gotta laugh at that! At the end of the day our guide informed us that in all of his years of giving tours we were the first group to drive all the way out and back. He could have been making that up but that's OK.
After the boat ride and lunch we headed into the jungle for our next destination - Jaguar Paw.
After the boat ride and lunch we headed into the jungle for our next destination - Jaguar Paw.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Day One - The Arrival
The flight out - there isn't much to talk about there. It was a plane ride. And once I realised we were close to Belize I had already missed the view of Cancun and Cozumel. According to my mom, on her side of the plane they could see the Keys and Cuba.
We were met promptly at the airport by our driver, Pedro. He brought us to the office of Discovery Belize so we could get our itinerary and vouchers. I have to say in those first few minutes I was a little hesitant at what we had gotten ourselves into.
From there we went to the Radisson. The drive along the way ws shocking at times - the poverty level in prevalent at every turn. Upon arriving at the hotel Pedro explained to us where our restaurant for the evening was located and noted that we should not go walking around after dark. At that he left us to check in, get settled, and prepare to get going on our tour the next day.
We were FAMISHED! So after checking in - lunch was top priority. After lunch we walked around the area a bit. Not too much to see. But it was warm and the smell of the salt air in fron the marina was enough to get the holiday off to a good start.
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