Day Two

Saturday aka Day Two started out with a quick breakfast at the Le Petit Cafe at the hotel. I was shocked at the prices. Two Ham & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches (small), a HUGE Cinnamon Roll (which I never did eat), a Large Frozen Cappuccino, a Hot Cappuccino, & a bottle of juice all for USD$10.Funny, I'm still getting used to the fact that everything is in BZE$ so when I see the prices I freak because they are so high...then I realize they are BZE and do the math to USD$ which is 1/2 price!

At 8:30 www.cave-tubing.com was scheduled to pick us up at the hotel for our Cave Tubing and ATV Jungle Ride excursion. Our guide, Miles, was waiting for us when we walked out of the front lobby. He picked us up in an air-conditioned SUV.  Because it isn't the peak of tourist season and there wasn't a Cruise Ship in port, we were the only people booked for the morning so We received the VIP tour. It was AWESOME! He gave us a talking tour as we left the city and headed west. The drive to the ATV site took about 45 minutes through the countryside. We saw some beautiful country and larger homes.

Miles

The ATV adventure was so much fun. Because we are both experienced riders (Lincoln more experienced of course), I think they may have taken us on a more difficult trail than had we been novices. Miles had 2 young men as helpers who were there to assist us if necessary. It wasn't an easy course...there were many obstacles along the beautiful jungle track. Because of the recent rains there were lots of huge puddles, actually mini lakes, that we maneuvered through, rutted trails, wood pole bridges etc. We had a blast and moved at a much faster pace than the "cruise ship" novice folks probably do. We were on the trails for about 40 minutes and were spotted in mud when we were done. It was my first experience on an ATV...a few times I would try to twist the grip like it was a throttle (like on an motorcycle) instead of using the thumb throttle...but I'd quickly switch over and gun it! WOO HOO! One of the young men saw a turtle on the side of the trail and we stopped to move it out of the way and get a photo!

After some photos we said goodbye to the boys, loaded back into the SUV and drove about 15 minutes to the National Park to do the Cave Tubing. Caves...not something a person with Claustrophobia tends to go in. Fortunately these caves were on the larger side...it was a bit spooky but it was an adventure and that's what I focused on! We had a short walk from the parking lot to the tour's building where we picked up our life jackets and tubes (which Miles was nice enough to carry for us the entire VIP trip).

From there it was another short walk to the Sauban river. There Miles and I walked across the River while Lincoln did a front flip off a rock (video available on youtube http://youtu.be/u0nlU9fixfI) and then swam across a deeper portion of the river. We hung out for a bit and swam to cool off. The water was a perfect temperature and very clear. From there we walked about 35 minutes through the jungle, while Miles told us interesting things about the flora & fauna. There were lots of birds and other sounds. We saw some interesting rock formations too.  We walked through a few small caves and saw fruit bats sleeping on the ceiling (YUCK!). Miles kept reminding us that whenever we looked up in a cave to make sure we kept our mouths closed (double YUCK!)

We arrived at our destination, the place where the Cave Tubing would begin. Again, we hung out for a bit and swam to cool off. There was no rush, since there was just the two of us. The only other folks on the water was a couple from NE Tennessee visiting a gal & her daughter who were Missionaries in Belize. This is unheard of to have so few folks on the river. We were very fortunate. If you come to Belize, I totally recommend booking excursions on NON Cruise Ship days!

The water was much cooler than the last location and I could see small fish swimming around me. Because the level of the river was the lowest it could be, life vests were optional...I of course, wore mine. Miles hooked Linc's and my tubes together and off we went. Miles has big 'guns'...and his gym is the river. He gets a daily workout by swimming the river and towing his guests through the caves (his foot hooked through a life vest that was connected to our tubes). Normally its 8 guests to 1 guide...today it was just the two of us to 1.

His tour company's mantra is BUTTS UP! The river can get as shallow as 6 inches so there are times when he'll say BUTTS UP...if you don't get your butt up, it'll scrape along the rocks!

In the middle of the caves you can hear water rushing...like a waterfall is coming up, which is kind of scary. It is a waterfall, but not one that you'd fall down, rather a large one going over a bunch of rocks. The water is very cold, refreshing really. Miles brought us close to the rock formation so that we could get off our tubes and get "into the waterfall"...it was really cool! We continued on seeing neat formations as well as bat holes in the ceiling. I forgot to ask Miles how long we were in the cave but it was at least 30 minutes or more. On the way out there were baby bats all along the ceiling...neat and spooky at the same time!

                                           Standing in the waterfall

Once out of the cave we floated down the river all the way back to the very beginning. I was thrilled we wouldn't be doing the 30 minute walk back! Floating through the jungle was much more fun! Miles pointed out the different types of trees. We saw Cashew trees, Banana trees, and others that I can't remember now.

This is a really cool outing and I'm so happy we did it. There aren't many places in the world you can do cave tubing I'm told. I think Miles as the guide made it extra special. The VIP treatment we received didn't hurt a bit either! His knowledge of the caves and the surroundings was amazing. He's been doing tours for 10 years. He is very friendly and just an amazing guy! He made me feel safe and special!

When we got back to the parking lot we stopped at the gift stand of a tiny, beautiful Mayan woman. Her items were neat. I bought a small basket. We loaded up the SUV. Miles was done for the day so we headed to a local place, Amigos, for lunch. It was nice to sit and talk to him about the country, his life, etc.

Miles gave us a tour through a different part of the city on our way back to the hotel which was nice. We had a fun filled day and were back at the hotel by about 2pm.

I highly recommend www.cave-tubing.com and be sure to ask for Miles. ***Update 2015 - Butts up www.cave-tubing.com is no longer on our "Recommended" list for ATVing. Also, Miles has started his own Cave Tubing business but unfortunately we don't know the name of it.*** I forgot to mention that we got to meet Yoni (spelling?) the owner. He was a very friendly and funny man -- full of energy and spunk! You could tell that he and all his staff really enjoyed what they were doing which made the experience a good one for their guests!

When we got back to the hotel it was hot, so we relaxed in the room for a bit and then went down to the pool so I could practice with my new mask & snorkel. We bought our ticket for the water taxi to Caye Caulker in the morning. USD$10 per person one way.

We had a nice dinner at the Hotel. Our waiter was a young man named....Lincoln. Linc asked him if he had ever met any other Lincoln's...he laughed and said "My Father!"...and just 4 days ago another hotel guest came to dinner and was named Lincoln. Funny!! We need to leave the hotel at 7am for the water taxi so we are going to bed early! Goodnight!

PS- Sorry for the delay in the postings! It takes me longer than I though it would to type it all up, add the pictures and then get it uploaded. Now that we are on CC (its really Monday now) the Internet connection is a bit slower....

I have some videos but they won't load. 

Day One - Belize City

We made it! Flight was a little late but we're here! YAY!


Lincoln and I didn't get to sit together. Our trips weren't booked on the same itinerary because of my Business trip to Boston. As we were boarding the plane we realized we were no longer assigned seats next to each other.  No biggie, we were going to spend the next 14 days 24/7 together.

We made reservations to stay at the Radisson in Belize City for the first two nights. We did this for two reasons. First, the airport is a about a 35 minute drive from Belize City. We didn't want to be at the mercy of a random Taxi Driver, so choosing a hotel would get us a shuttle ($13.50 US PP)from the Airport. Our second reason was that we wanted to go to a Mayan Ruin and go on a Cave Tubing/Jungle ATV excursion outside of Belize City and figured it would be easier to that using a hotel in Belize City as "home base".

I had emailed the Radisson to request the shuttle pick us up, as their website was very clear that you had to pre-arrange the pick up. I never received a reply. I figured we would land and have to negotiate with a Taxi driver. We were pleasantly surprised when we saw Israel from the Radisson holding a sign at the curb!

The Radisson Fort George Hotel & Marina is right on the Caribbean Sea. We are in an ocean front room on the 6th (Top) floor of the "Club Tower". We wandered around the hotel and checked out the pool with a bar attached and the restaurants.

Because we always like to eat "LOCAL", we asked one of the gals that worked in the hotel where they would eat for lunch and they suggested "Nerie's", she said it was close but that we should take a taxi. Probably because its so hot! The taxi ride was less than a mile and cost BZE$10 or USD$5.

 I got out as Lincoln paid the driver. We walked in the restaurant which as empty. It was after the "normal" lunch hour. We sat at a table and looked at the menu which was written on a chalk board.

 While everyone speaks English here, some are a bit harder to understand than others. The server was a tad hard to understand. She said something about fresh fruit...Cantaloupe, Lime and Watermelon. I chose Watermelon and Lincoln said Cantaloupe. We then asked for Soda's to drink. Here they have non-American Coke & Fanta...meaning it contains Cane Sugar, NOT High Fructose Corn syrup. She smiled and a moment later came back with two large glasses of fruit juice...pure fruit juice, fresh from fruit. What a concept. It was FANTASTIC!

 I chose the Crab Soup & Lincoln had the Lobster Stew. A few moments later she returned with our food. WOW, great flavors! For dessert I had Bread Pudding and Linc had Cassava Pie...both not our favorites. We asked for a Lime juice (so we could use it as mix in Margaritas in our room) to go, she gave it to us in a large soup container that you'd get at a Chinese restaurant in the US. All this at a cost of only BZE$34 or USD$17.

We decided to walk back since there wasn't a Taxi in sight. It was SO hot...we probably only walked for about 10 minutes though it seemed like MUCH longer.

When we got back to the hotel we rested/cooled off in the room for awhile. Then changed into our swimsuits and went to the pool.

The water in the unheated pool was as warm as bath water. We stayed in for a bit and when we got out I was the coolest I had been all day. Happy Hour was in full swing at the pool side Tiki bar so we grabbed a bar stool and placed our order. Gilbert the bartender was very nice and made a killer Pina Colada with some great Belizean Rum. When we tipped him using some of the $2 bills we brought, his eyes lit up and he said "I REALLY appreciate these!". That was really cool. My neighbor, who works at a Credit Union, always takes the unique $2 with her to Vegas...to use as tips. She said the people LOVE them and she and her husband are treated extra special because of them.


Its been a fun first day here in Belize. We have a wild day of Cave Tubing and ATV Jungle riding scheduled for tomorrow. The forecast is a High of 87 and a Low of 80....who knows what the humidity will be...but its usually more than 80%! Woo hoo!

June 18, 2012

We leave in 11 days. I'm excited and plan on writing a blog to document our trip. I decided today I should figure out where and how to set up a blog...so here it is. Stay tuned!