Finally got to Belize!

 

What a great trip to Belize!!!!

Day 1: Saturday May 7

We woke up at 3am (Mac was up to Peloton one more time before we left) and headed to the airport. The kids had a great attitude through this early morning flight and we connected through Houston for an easy flight to Belize City. The kids did great through the flights, but customs was a bit hard. It was a hot, crowded room and everyone was running on end. We made it through, however, and were picked up by a drive from Ian's Cave Branch resort for a ~1hr drive there. The kids CRASHED and the adults CRASHED in an air conditioned and comfortable car.

We arrived at the resort and checked in, welcomed by rum punch and fruit juice. We grabbed a quick shower and hit the pool! Surprisingly we were upgraded to a canopy house and this was an AMAZING upgrade for us. We were in a two floor house up a hill that was at the level of the jungle canopy. There was an outdoor shower and an outdoor jacuzzi / deck (more on that later). The kids were troopers through this all and had so much fun as we got right into the pool. We had dinner at an outside dining room (delicious) and planned our next day with the concierge. We then fell asleep to the sound of monkeys in the trees and cicadas chirping. Welcome to Belize!

Day 2: Sunday May 8

We were again up early to the sounds of cicadas and frogs in the jungle canopy. One of the perks of the canopy house was Tea Service!!! At 6:30 a server arrived at our room with fruit, coffee and sweet bread! We ate it on the roof top porch of the canopy house and was an lovely introduction to Belize. We had "real" breakfast a while later - burritos, pancakes, eggs and fruit. We then gathered things up for our excursion for the day.

The plan was to visit Xunantunich maya ruins, this was about a 90 minute drive with Pedro (our driver and guide) and included a hand cranked ferry ride. The whole complex was VERY impressive. We don't know all that much about the Maya, but the more and more we learn, the more and more impressed we are. The pyramids were GIGANTIC and the city was shockingly huge. We got to climb to the top of the big pyramid, peer into Guatemala and see a ball court and some howler monkeys. It was ludicrously hot and five non-heat adapted Oregonians were struggling at the end. We stopped on the way home for lunch San Ignacio. We were at a low key place with delicious quesadillas and soursop juice and a small playground. We also ran into a number of mennonites and apparently Belize has a sizeable mennonite community - unexpected.

As a final stop on the way home, we stoped at a local chocolate factory. The heat and the drive was a bit much for Wes, but he rallied and had a good time. We learned about the steps in chocolate production and got to make our own! It was a bit cooler in the shade and the ice cream / iced coffee helped. Afterwards it was back to the resort for pool time and a dinner of tostadas, carrot ginger soup, chicken and fish and flan. Happy kids!!!!! We went on a frog hunt after dinner and, again, fell asleep to the sounds of the monkeys in the canopy.

Day 3: Monday May 9

Morning again to cicadas and frogs with tea service on the porch (we ordered more coffee this time)! After a quick breakfast, Fiona joined up with a babysitter named Letty to go "mono" spotting while Crystal, Mac, Elliot and Wes headed out to the caves!!

We met our two guides, Alexander and Hector, and climbed into a 1950s era British military truck. This was a big old 1/2 ton truck and Wes even got to sit in the front with Mac during part of the drive. We pulled up to the trailhead and embarked on a 15 minute hike through the woods to the mouth of the cave. Elliot was chatting up a storm the whole time and we got to see all kinds of jungle wildlife, including a plant that had hollow thorns for ants to live in!

We arrived at the cave entrance, got a safety briefing and suited up. The first part was dry and low, fruit and insect bats, lots of stalagmites and stalactites. Then a really low section on hands and knees and opened into a HUGE room, probably 200 feet tall. The mouth of the cave was so large that the light barely made it to the top of the roof. There were several dry chambers well above us that you could climb too - including one that held mayan sacrifices. It was a bit much for the kids, however, and so we left that for a future trip.

By this point a medium size stream was running through the cave and a lot of the climbing was up through the stream. There was even a section (mayb 5' for so) where you had to go completely underwater to get under a low rock roof. It was a small journey, but pretty intimidating. The kids had life jackets on and were LOVING it!! WE kept climbing through the cave (this was a limestone cave eroded in the center of a mountain from rainwater so it actually sloped up from the mouth, not down). WE eventually had to put on a climbing harness for a series of 5-6 water falls. The biggest was probably 15-20 feet high and required at least several moves to climb. The kids did AMAZING!!! They were having fun, encouraging each other and loving the adventure. We were supported with climbing rope and belay, so it was at least reasonably safe. Once we got all the way to the "top" (as far as we were going) - then we got to jump down the waterfalls!! The pools at the bottom were probably 15-20 feet deep and so you could jump all the way off and land without incident. The kids jumped too and LOVED IT!!! Lunch was candlelight on a large rock and then all the way out and then back for swimming and pick up Fiona, who had a blast!

This was a great day and everyone had so much fun. Dinner and bed and, again, falling asleep to the sounds of the canopy.

Day 4 Tuesday May 10:

This was our last day at the resort and again started with Tea service. Was and Fiona played in the tub while Elliot journaled. This was Elliot's 7th birthday and the resort included a breakfast cupcake with a candle!! Mac, Wes and Fiona then swam while Elliot and Crystal went on a horseback ride to celebrate her birthday. AFter a bit more swimming, we changed and packed and ate a delicious lunch of quesadillas prior to a van ride to the water taxi in Belize city (about 90 minutes).

Everyone slept on this ride, and the water taxi terminal was a bit hot, but once the boat got going - it was a blast. As is the theme of this trip, the kids did great! The ride was 60 minutes to Caye Caulker and then 30 more min to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. From there it was a 20 minute taxi ride to the bungalow and wow!!!!! The bungalow was right on the Pacific ocean with an unobstructed view. We had hired a chef and Elliot's birthday dinner was waiting and Elliot had a happy birthday. It was a delicious mix of chicken and fish tacos with quesadillas for the kids and a SUPER key lime pie. Night time walk around the beach and dock followed by reading dragon masters and bed.

Day 5: Wednesday May 11

We woke up to the morning sun on the beach and had a relaxed coffee in the morning sunlight. Wes and Fiona enjoyed the sand naked, digging and playing and exploring. After breakfast we met Johnny and Victor for snorkeling. We took a fast motor boat out to Chan cut where all three kids went snorkeling. On the way out - two dolphins joined the boat and swam in front of us as we went. Wes and Fiona were ok (Fiona not so much) - but Elliot was LOVING it!!! We saw dolphins, nurse sharks, moray eels, sea turtles, tons of fish, really amazing and the kids were so brave. After that it was off to shark alley - Wes and Fiona got to chum the water with fish heads while Mac, Crystal and Elliot swam with the sharks and rays. There was a TORNADO of sharks in the water (all nurse sharks and harmless) but it was wild to swim in. Elliot was loving it. Then home for lunch and our golf cart arrived!!!

While Fiona napped and Crystal took some relaxing time - Mac, Elliot and Weston went to the "Truck Stop" for some ice cream. We then picked up Fiona and Crystal for a trip to Secret Beach and a dinner right on the ocean. This was a broad, flat, shallow beach and the tables were actually out in the water (mayb 18-24 inches) and you got to watch fish swim around you as you ate dinner. Smoothies, drinks and a setting sun made for a memorable dinner. Then a relaxing drive back in the golf cart and bed!

Day 6: Thursday May 12

We were all up early (again) and had breakfast and made sand castles in front of the house. We were able to find a few hermit crabs and look at them as they walked around and tried out their shells. We then hopped back into the golf cart for a full day at Secret Beach. We started at a bar right by the ocean that included a floating bouncy castle!! The kids and parents loved running around and trying to run the obstacle course while occasionally falling into the water. We also stopped by the Swing Bar which, as you might suspect, has swings out in the water and the kids LOVED IT!!! Swinging and food out in the water with fancy adult drinks. Then naps and "Truck Stop" for dinner - with pizza, ice cream and live music in a cool food truck / outdoor bar environment.

Day 7: Friday May 14

Again up early with yogurt and sand castles / hermit crabs / lizard spotting in the morning. We had an early morning swim in the resort pool and then a nurse came to our condo for COVID test - negative!!! We then took the resort kayaks out into the ocean and were able to see rays, fish and a few dolphins in the distance. The water was beautiful and there was swimming and jumping and joy! More pool swimming and sunscreen and then naps and then into San Pedro

We first started in a sunny playground and then explored the city. We ate ice cream at a delicious ice cream place (though the rides inside ate our coins) and found a DELICIOUS Paleta (fruity / creamy / popsicle) place. We then drove around for 15 minutes looking for a jerk chicken place that was RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the paleta place (head smack). It was a small local joint and the food was delicious. The kids weren't loving it so we got pizza and then stopped for smoothies on the way back to our hotel as the sun set (Mac got stung by red ants) and bed.

Day 8: Saturday May 15

Well - as was the pattern, up early again and pool swimming. We then caught a water taxi to the San Pedro airport where we hopped a CEssna Caravan (small single engine prop plane) to the Belize City airport. While in line to check in, a woman had a seizure and Crystal responded as the physician closest. We then caught our flight home and Fiona fell asleep on the first flight. We had to hustle through immigration and customs in Denver to catch our plane, which was all for naught as the AC broke on the Denver => PDX plane and we were delayed in Denver for 2 hours. Kids watched ice age so that worked out ok and eventually Wes and Fiona fell asleep on the flight PDX. The kids did AMAZING on the trip home and we had such an amazing time.