So our plane landed 15 minutes early. A 3 hour direct flight to be on the ground in Central America. You can't beat that. It's quicker to get to Belize than Vegas or LA?
We got into the airport which was only slightly bigger than the Costa Rican airport, but much nicer in my opinion. Like Raul told us, we were on the other side of customs in about 15 minutes. We walked out and no one was jumping all over us to grab a ride. Instead there were a few drivers with signs. One of them being ours! Raul grabbed a bag and we hopped into his van.
Now, I must admit that I was a little worried whether or not this van would get us to and from the zoo without breaking down. The inside ceiling fabric was being held up with push pins. The van itself made a big of a grinding noise and vibrated a bit while we drove. Oh well. As we were getting in the van Raul asked if we wanted water. A soda? A beer? Josh lit up at the sound of beer now that we were in Belize. Raul told us to let him get off airport property and we would get us one. Sure enough a minute later he pulled off the shoulder and hopped out. He had a stocked cooler in the back. Screwdriver in hand he opened a bottle for Josh and explained all about the Beliken beers and family.
Apparently, the Owner of Beliken beer died on Friday. He was 64 years old. One of the richest men in the country. After being here you understand why. They ONLY beer they brew in Belize. The brewery is right next to the airport. His estate was some sort of amazing property a bit north of the city. He would fly back and forth everyday. He had been flying 40 years and was a very experienced pilot. Something went wrong during his flight on Friday and he crashed. Things started making sense because there were some obviously affluent people on our flight saying they were coming down for a funeral. It was his close friends and family. Very sad.
After that very depressing story we were on our way to the zoo. Raul filled the hour drive with every piece of Belize history you can imagine. We learned all about the different ethnic groups. Did you know the cheapest place to buy beer is the Chinese grocery store. There is one in every village. We learned about the plants. How they address the environment. So much stuff. I was exhausted when we reached the zoo.
The zoo is definitely not we would consider a zoo. Imagine taking some chicken wire into the jungle and wrapping it into areas. There you have your zoo. The animals were most certainly in their natural environment. We were just invited in. I've never been that close to such beautiful cats. They were hard to photograph because they moved so fast. We avoided getting peed on by the tapir.
Raul was hysterical. He knew all sorts of animal sounds and would call the animals. I'm not sure they came, but they definitely woke up and acknowledged the sounds. One of his sons is a tour guide and told him a story about the local monkey man. Apparently, he could go anywhere and call the monkeys and they would come out of nowhere. They would eat out of his hands. He passed away last year and during his burial hundreds of monkeys came out of the jungle. They all started howling at once. The people attending the funeral said it was so loud everyone had to leave. I don't know if it is true but animals are so amazing.
We loved the zoo but I was getting nervous about time. We were also starving. I didn't think we had time but Raul assured me we were fine. We headed to Amigos and had an awesome lunch. Stewed chicken, rice and beans and coleslaw washed down with fresh squeezed limeade. The sauce on the chicken and rice was delicious. If this is what Belizean food is like, I'm a fan.
As we drove back and forth to Belize I would compare it to a cross between Costa Rica and Jamaica. Definitely some very very poor sections we drove through. The culture seems to match that description too. The best part (which we didn't get to take a photo of) was the Central Prison Gift Shop located on the side of the road next to the prison we passed. I was dying to go in there.
As Raul promised, we got back to the airport in plenty of time. We checked in (you don't pay for your flight until you check in) and found Becky and Randy. They made it! They said it had been close.
We walked outside to grab our flight and I was a little shocked. I was expecting a little plane but not like this. It seated maybe 10? Josh could have grabbed this pilot if he wanted to. Becky and I are convinced that the pilot was on a date and invited her to co-pilot. She looked about 12 and had her own joystick and headset. It was an amazing 45 minute flight. We flew along the coast during sunset. It was a very very smooth flight. I was even more suprised when we landed and the aiport was a building about 15 by 15 feet? Oh my. I guess we don't need to arrive very early for departure.
The Cotton Tree folks were waiting right there for us. The four of us and one other couple jumped in the van and took off for the lodge. It wasn't a bad drive. 40 minutes or so. Half on paved roads and half on gravel to get back into the jungle. The gravel was more like the pavement in Costa Rica. Much better roads here.
It was dark when we arrived but it's so peaceful that way. We made our way along the raised walkways and ended up in the lodge. The timing was perfect because we had time to check in, go to our rooms and get cleaned up right before dinner. For those who have followed our past trips. I would describe the cabana as a cross between our honeymoon villa and the rustic treehouses we stayed in on our first trip to CR. Rustic luxury would be my description. Very comfortable and roomy but still rustic. Mosquito nets over the beds. They do have electricity but they run off-the-grid so they ask yoiu to conserve.
Dinner was a bit of blur. We were all so exhausted. It was four courses: (Happy Hour appetizer was spinach dip and feta chips) Tomato Basil soup, Caesar Salad, Pork Chops with some sort of yummy glazing, purple mashed potates, vegetables and Cookie Cheesecake. I was in a food coma. We stayed up for about another half an hour and then all went to bed. Can't wait to see this place in the light!
The shirts.... We joked about making group T-shirts. So the night before we left, my Mom and I did. Here is a sort of picture of mine. The picture of all four of us is on Becky's camera. This will have to work for now.
We got into the airport which was only slightly bigger than the Costa Rican airport, but much nicer in my opinion. Like Raul told us, we were on the other side of customs in about 15 minutes. We walked out and no one was jumping all over us to grab a ride. Instead there were a few drivers with signs. One of them being ours! Raul grabbed a bag and we hopped into his van.
Now, I must admit that I was a little worried whether or not this van would get us to and from the zoo without breaking down. The inside ceiling fabric was being held up with push pins. The van itself made a big of a grinding noise and vibrated a bit while we drove. Oh well. As we were getting in the van Raul asked if we wanted water. A soda? A beer? Josh lit up at the sound of beer now that we were in Belize. Raul told us to let him get off airport property and we would get us one. Sure enough a minute later he pulled off the shoulder and hopped out. He had a stocked cooler in the back. Screwdriver in hand he opened a bottle for Josh and explained all about the Beliken beers and family.
Apparently, the Owner of Beliken beer died on Friday. He was 64 years old. One of the richest men in the country. After being here you understand why. They ONLY beer they brew in Belize. The brewery is right next to the airport. His estate was some sort of amazing property a bit north of the city. He would fly back and forth everyday. He had been flying 40 years and was a very experienced pilot. Something went wrong during his flight on Friday and he crashed. Things started making sense because there were some obviously affluent people on our flight saying they were coming down for a funeral. It was his close friends and family. Very sad.
After that very depressing story we were on our way to the zoo. Raul filled the hour drive with every piece of Belize history you can imagine. We learned all about the different ethnic groups. Did you know the cheapest place to buy beer is the Chinese grocery store. There is one in every village. We learned about the plants. How they address the environment. So much stuff. I was exhausted when we reached the zoo.
The zoo is definitely not we would consider a zoo. Imagine taking some chicken wire into the jungle and wrapping it into areas. There you have your zoo. The animals were most certainly in their natural environment. We were just invited in. I've never been that close to such beautiful cats. They were hard to photograph because they moved so fast. We avoided getting peed on by the tapir.
Raul was hysterical. He knew all sorts of animal sounds and would call the animals. I'm not sure they came, but they definitely woke up and acknowledged the sounds. One of his sons is a tour guide and told him a story about the local monkey man. Apparently, he could go anywhere and call the monkeys and they would come out of nowhere. They would eat out of his hands. He passed away last year and during his burial hundreds of monkeys came out of the jungle. They all started howling at once. The people attending the funeral said it was so loud everyone had to leave. I don't know if it is true but animals are so amazing.
We loved the zoo but I was getting nervous about time. We were also starving. I didn't think we had time but Raul assured me we were fine. We headed to Amigos and had an awesome lunch. Stewed chicken, rice and beans and coleslaw washed down with fresh squeezed limeade. The sauce on the chicken and rice was delicious. If this is what Belizean food is like, I'm a fan.
As we drove back and forth to Belize I would compare it to a cross between Costa Rica and Jamaica. Definitely some very very poor sections we drove through. The culture seems to match that description too. The best part (which we didn't get to take a photo of) was the Central Prison Gift Shop located on the side of the road next to the prison we passed. I was dying to go in there.
As Raul promised, we got back to the airport in plenty of time. We checked in (you don't pay for your flight until you check in) and found Becky and Randy. They made it! They said it had been close.
We walked outside to grab our flight and I was a little shocked. I was expecting a little plane but not like this. It seated maybe 10? Josh could have grabbed this pilot if he wanted to. Becky and I are convinced that the pilot was on a date and invited her to co-pilot. She looked about 12 and had her own joystick and headset. It was an amazing 45 minute flight. We flew along the coast during sunset. It was a very very smooth flight. I was even more suprised when we landed and the aiport was a building about 15 by 15 feet? Oh my. I guess we don't need to arrive very early for departure.
The Cotton Tree folks were waiting right there for us. The four of us and one other couple jumped in the van and took off for the lodge. It wasn't a bad drive. 40 minutes or so. Half on paved roads and half on gravel to get back into the jungle. The gravel was more like the pavement in Costa Rica. Much better roads here.
It was dark when we arrived but it's so peaceful that way. We made our way along the raised walkways and ended up in the lodge. The timing was perfect because we had time to check in, go to our rooms and get cleaned up right before dinner. For those who have followed our past trips. I would describe the cabana as a cross between our honeymoon villa and the rustic treehouses we stayed in on our first trip to CR. Rustic luxury would be my description. Very comfortable and roomy but still rustic. Mosquito nets over the beds. They do have electricity but they run off-the-grid so they ask yoiu to conserve.
Dinner was a bit of blur. We were all so exhausted. It was four courses: (Happy Hour appetizer was spinach dip and feta chips) Tomato Basil soup, Caesar Salad, Pork Chops with some sort of yummy glazing, purple mashed potates, vegetables and Cookie Cheesecake. I was in a food coma. We stayed up for about another half an hour and then all went to bed. Can't wait to see this place in the light!
The shirts.... We joked about making group T-shirts. So the night before we left, my Mom and I did. Here is a sort of picture of mine. The picture of all four of us is on Becky's camera. This will have to work for now.
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