An Awesome Day - Just Awesome

Today was the mother of all vacation days. It started out totaly unexpected, and finished as planned. What a day. Informative, fun, active and very interesting. We got up for our breakfast, expecting to dine alone, but were joined by a British expat couple, Robin and Amy, who not only told us the story of the Lodge we are staying in, but had an interesting one of their own.

Jason and Catherine, the owners of the eco lodge, are from Taiwan originally. They came here on vacation 14 or so years ago, and Jason decided they would stay. Apparently Catherine was not too impressed at the time, but ebentually came around and now loves her adopted home. They bought 40 odd acres of land 30 minutes from Belize City, built an eco friendly home for themselves, and started building homes from imported kits, selling them mostly to Taiwanese expats. To help make the transition easier for these families, they built a school for the children, and other Taiwanese expats in the area. Now that China is on somewhat more favorable terms with Taiwan, and there is a strong business relationship between the two countries, many of the Tiwanes expats moved back. So two years ago as the need for the school dwindled, they converted it into a lodge, with an eco theme to suit the land.

Also two years back, Robin and Amy, looking to retire somewhere in the Caribbean from London, came over on a 28 day Belize familiarization stay at the lodge shortly after it opened. While here, they developed a close relationship with Jason and Katherine. There was a need for someone to help the Lodge develop, particularly someone with good english skills and computer savy ( websites, ebilling, etc). They worked a deal to stay rent free at the lodge, in return they provided the much needed support. After a year, Robin and Amy had decided to stay in Belize, and purchased one of the homes in the development.

It was such an interesting breakfast, we decided to go for a tour of their home. What a great place to live. It is a two storey, three bedroom home, with a large sundeck (and there is lots of sun) and a small tower on top for Robin's new high powered telescope. He says the stars light up the sky because there is so little light polution.

They also have a fantastic movie collection, and a library that makes mine look like a side table. We have very similar tastes in literature (and movies for that matter Sopranos, Lost,etc). I told Robin he was a man after my own heart. Living in the tropics, retired with lots to do, great books, great entertainment system, and he even has two guitars with an amp. They both sing in a choir that travels around Belize, and love their new life in the colonies. They have as well adopted two stray dogs. Now any one that would do that, two thumbs up from me.

Finally, Robin was full of ideas for the rest of the stay in Belize. In fact, he booked our hotels in three different cities (including one in Guatemala), contacted the tour operator for our cave walk tomorrow, compiled directions, AND, typed it all out in an itinerary. All this for someone you met an hour before. Top shelf people. We will see them again for breakfast tomorrow.

After all this, we headed 20 minutes down the Western Highway to something called Jajuar Run. Two big activities. The first being zip lining.

Had to work to get Louie convinced to try it, but she was a trooper. The cost of $ 45 US per person is a little steep but worth every penny. Four of us climbed the stairs, Mary Lou and I, and a guide for the front and rear. High quality equipment, strict safety procedures and knowledgeable guides. I did not have even one doubt over the entire run, and I am not partial to heights (too manly to say afraid of heights). The course is circutious, consisting of eight runs, varying in length from 100-250 feet, with the highest I'm guessing 100 feet. The longer runs really built up speed. The brake is your hand via a glove that has a saddle in the palm. I took my camera into the trees, and told the guides, if they could only save one thing, save the camera. If you ever get a chance, do it.

Next up was cave tubing. This was also a hoot. The first part consisted of a half hour walk through the jungle "broad leaf forest" as our guide called it. This was an interesting and informative walk. The reason this was not officially a rain forest is that it was previously cut, and had not had enough time to regrow to full height. When was it cut last, and by whom... the Maya almost four hundred years ago. Yep. It takes almost a thousand years for a rain forest to reach maturity.

At the end of the walk we hopped into a "refreshing" (code name for cold) stream that entered directly into a cave system. We floated on the tubes, with our miners headlights attached, for about an hour and a half.

The picture to the right was shot about three hundred feet into the cave back towards the opening. It does not do justice to the awe inspiring view as the colours could not be captured from that far away, but you look through a dark cave into a brilliant green foilage in full sunlight.

This particular section of cave was used by the Mayan's for religious ceremonies, and possibly sacrifices. There are hundreds of stalagtites and stalagmites that took the shape of everything from a jaguars head, to the smoke monster in Lost. Whatever is in your imagination can be seen in the caves. It is not hard to understand how some of the older civilizations could see gods, and omens and even stages of afterlife in these caves. Heck, some of our current beliefs don't sound a whole lot different when you think about it.

The stream had a steady current through the full length, but did get a little shallow for those of us with tubes that might not be big enough for their frame. I had to get up and walk a few times. You could also see many bats and their nests for the full length of the caves. There was one section part way through where the cave had colapsed hundreds of years ago, and the outside world made it into the underground. This particular spot was used in one scene from Mosquito Coast, starring Harrison Ford.

At the cave exit, we continued floating for another 20 minutes in the bright sunlight ending back at our starting point. Another circuitous route, another thoroughly enjoyable activity.

One thing that has struck me, is the lack of mosquitos in the jungle. I had always thought you couldn't hide from the little buggers, but they were next to non existance. Our guide says that during the rainy season there are a few, but because the area is well drained, with no swamps or stagnent water, there really are't a problem. He said in Beize City where there are many swamps, they can get bad. He was surprised when I told him that it was next to impossible to sit outside on your deck some nights back where I came from because of the number of biting insects.

We had to laugh at their perception of Canada. They all thought that it was sub zero year round, and constant three foot snow falls. I assured them that while it felt like that at times, we have a varied climate and in fact it reached the 90's in summer. They were duly impressed.

Any way. As I said, great day. We took a quick trip into Belize City to get some money. I was not impressed. Don't think we will take any time to explore that.

We did finish off the night watching this weeks episode of Lost. Only four more episodes left of the best series in TV history.

Tomorrow is another big day. We are doing something called ATK, the meaning which we will learn tomorrow, which consists of walking for 3.5 hours through another cave system in water that ranges fron ankle to chest deep. This one is special because there are hundreds of pieces of intact ancient pottery, and even a dozen or so crystalized bodies. They believe the bodies were from sacrifices to the sun goddess during an extended period of drought.

Time for bed. Going to be a long day. Don't know if I'll get a blog in tomorrow or not. Stay tuned.