I can't believe that it's taken me this long to do a post about our vacation {although, in my defense, we have had a lot going on the past couple of weeks!}, but our trip to Belize was wonderful.
We flew out of Austin early Sunday morning. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed, which caused us to just about miss our connecting flight in Houston. We literally had to sprint {on the moving sidewalk!} from one gate to the next, but thankfully, we were able to catch our second plane in time, and we landed in Belize City about 2.5 hours later.
After we landed and got through immigration and customs, we stopped at Jet's Bar for lunch.
I'm not sure if it was just because we were starving, but the hot dogs were amazing, and the beer and rum punch weren't too shabby either. According to AOL Travel News {and a poster hanging on the bar wall}, Jet's Bar just so happens to be one of the World's Top 10 Airport Bars.
While eating our hot dogs, we met a really nice British guy named Tim who was from Toronto {and was ironically wearing a Mellow Johnny's t-shirt}. He was on his way back home after looking for real estate in Belize. He was quite a bit older than us and was telling us all about the places that he had traveled. Towards the end of our conversation, I mentioned how much Ben loves to work and how I sometimes have a hard time getting him to take time off for vacation, and his response was, "You've got to keep working in order to live because
this is living". So true, Tim. So true. Before boarding our next plane, we stopped for a quick picture.
The plane that took us from Belize City to Dangriga was the smallest one that I've ever ridden in.
And it felt even smaller once we got inside.
The view outside my window was beautiful though.
And 20 minutes later, we landed in Dangriga.
A driver picked us up and drove us around Dangriga a little bit. Dangriga is located on the Caribbean coast at the mouth of Stann Creek and is a very poor town -- as is most of Belize. Most of the homes had windows with no glass and curtains for doors, and many of the kids walking the streets were without shoes.
It was kind of a sobering way to start the trip but also a reminder to count our blessings. We don't even know how good we have it. After driving around for a little bit, we boarded the boat that took us out to the island that we were staying on.
We rode out of the mouth of Stann Creek...
And into the beautiful Caribbean Sea.
We were on the boat for about 20 minutes and then finally arrived at our final destination -- Coco Plum Island Resort.
Coco Plum Island Resort is the only resort located on a 16-acre island about 8 miles off the coast of Dangriga.
It is an all-inclusive resort, but it has only 10 cabanas, so as their website suggests, the small number of guests make it feel as though you have the whole island to yourself.
As soon as we arrived, the resort manager Andrew met us out on the pier, took us to the outdoor dining room for a late pizza lunch, and then took us to our cabana. All of the cabanas are painted bright, tropical colors and are named after something that has to do with Belize. We stayed in the red "Stingray" cabana, and it was perfect. They pulled the matching lounge chairs out from under our cabana each morning and put them away each night.
We even had a hammock on our front porch.
And we were so close to the water, too.
The inside of our cabana was beautiful.
And so was the view out of our window that faced the water.
After taking showers to wash off all of the airplane germs {you're welcome, Kyle}, our vacation officially began. Coco Plum Island was a beautiful place to relax, and there was so much to do, too. Everyday started early with breakfast at 7 am.
As most of you know, we definitely like our sleep, but the food was so good, that we didn't want to miss it! Plus, as soon as breakfast was over, we either went snorkeling or on an excursion, so there really wasn't any point in trying to sleep in. As far as food goes, everything was delicious! We had breakfast at 7, lunch at 12, and dinner at 7 -- plus we had a snack at 10 in the morning and another snack at 4 in the afternoon. Talk about being spoiled! My favorite lunch was the Shepard's pie, my favorite dinner was the fresh lobster, and my favorite snack was definitely the conch ceviche with homemade tortilla chips. It was SO good that I actually went into the kitchen to ask Ms. Sue for a third helping! Most of the evenings, we got cleaned up and ate dinner in the indoor dining area where Renee and Shamir {our two wonderful waitresses} had decorated a beautiful Christmas tree.
And one of the nights, we had our own private dinner with a complimentary bottle of wine {as did all of the other couples on the island}. They gave us a choice as to where we wanted to eat, and we chose the pier. Unfortunately though, it ended up raining that evening, so they had to move our dinner into the covered bar area, but it was still really nice and romantic.
After dinner, we either went back to our hotel room and passed out from exhaustion {lame, I know} or went to the bar to hang out with Irvin and Leo {our amazing bartenders} and all of the other couples.
Two of the nights we were there, the staff brought out the karaoke machine, and on the second night, one of the other guests was actually able to talk me into singing a duet with her -- mostly because it was our last night there, and I knew that I would never see any of those people ever again. We sang "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick, and everybody said that we did the best. In all honesty though, everybody else was pretty horrible, so we really didn't have to do that well to be the best. ;)
Two of the days that we were there, we went on excursions -- one of them being to the rainforest, or more specifically, to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. The boat took us up Sittee River, and then we got in a van that took us the rest of the way.
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Southern Belize and covers an area of about 150 square miles of tropical forest. It's the world's only jaguar reserve and is home to a variety of wildlife including the jaguar, ocelots, jaruarundis, scarlet macaw parrots, and the Baird's tapir {Belize's national animal}. Unfortunately, it was raining while we were there {after all, it is the
rainforest}, so I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked to {for fear of taking the camera outside of the ziploc bag and getting it wet}. Although we didn't see a jaguar while we were there {apparently it's pretty rare that anyone does}, we saw plenty of jaguar paw prints in the mud. And after doing a little bit of hiking in what looked to me like the scenery from Jurassic Park, we floated down South Stann Creek. The water was cold, but we had a lot of fun looking at birds and all of the amazing vegetation around us.
After floating for about an hour or so, we got back out of the water and hiked to a waterfall near Ben's Bluff.
It wasn't the biggest waterfall that I've ever seen, but it was really pretty.
Especially with all the vegetation around it. This is a picture looking up.
As pretty as it was, the water felt even better. So clean and refreshing!
After our excursion and on the way back to Coco Plum, we stopped at Belizean Dreams {Coco Plum's sister resort}, which is located in Hopkins Village, for a delicious red snapper lunch. Belizean Dreams is a beautiful resort. Their villas are huge.
Their infinity pool looked so welcoming.
And their beach was practically empty.
We both agreed that we liked our island resort better, but spending the afternoon there definitely wasn't rough.
The other excursion that we went on was to the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich, which is located just a few miles from Belize's western border. Therefore, the ride in the van was a long one {2 hours to be exact}, but it was a beautiful drive.
Everything was so incredibly green.
And because citrus is one of Belize's major exports, there were orange trees everywhere.
Most of the land on our drive was undeveloped, and most of the homes looked very similar to what we saw in Dangriga.
When we got about a mile away from the ruins, we had get out of the van in order to cross the Mopan River on a hand-cranked ferry.
I can't even imagine how strong of a handshake this guy has.
The Mopan River runs through both Guatemala and Belize.
And meets up with the Macal River to form the Belize River, which runs into the Caribbean Sea.
When we got to Xunantunich and out of the van, we could hear a bunch of Howler Monkeys making all sorts of noise in the distance. They sounded like they were so close, but our tour guide Bernard told us that they were at least 1 mile away. Another guide told us that there were some other monkeys in the trees nearby, but unfortunately, they were sleeping and pretty high up in the trees, so you can't see them as well in the pictures as we could in person. The only one that you can really see in the picture below is the black spot on the right side of the picture.
After looking at the monkeys, we started up the road that led to the ruins, and as we walked, our tour guide Bernard, who is Mayan himself, told us all about the history of the ruins and the Mayan culture.
It is believed that part of the road that leads to the ruins follows the original one that led to the ancient city of Xunantunich, which means maiden of the rock or stone woman.
The Mayans believed that the numbers 3, 9, and 13 were important.
The number 3 meant “welcome”, so the first building that we came to had 3 doorways to welcome visitors to the city.
Soon after that, we were standing on the main plaza.
The
number 9 referred to the underworld, and because it was believed the ruler was part of the underworld, his personal residence had 9 doorways.
While standing on the top of this pyramid, Bernard asked if any of us believed in the
2012 “end of the world” Mayan theory. Although no one admitted to believing in it, Bernard shared his beliefs. He said that the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 but that the Mayans never indicated anything about earthquakes, catastrophes, or any other end of world theories. They believed that at the end of the existing calendar, they would experience a rebirth, which would be an improvement on their existing life. Whether that meant that they would die and be reborn or whether their life would just experience major changes, things would be better for them. According to Bernard, the apocalypse beliefs are simply not true. The calendar is just going to start over, so if any of you were worried, you can stop now. ;)
El Castillo {The Castle} is the largest of all the temples at Xunantunich. It stands 130 feet tall and is the second tallest man-made structure in Belize.
The
number 13 referred to the heavens, and therefore, El Castillo had 13 doorways. It was believed the ruler had the ability to change to a God and that he would leave his personal residence, enter the large temple, take a secret staircase to a room where he could change his clothing, and emerge at the top of the temple as the God.
Bernard pointed out the different symbols and their meaning in the frieze that is located on the east side of El Castillo.
And then we climbed up its many, many steps.
It was quite the hike up, but we eventually made it to the top.
And the view up there was so beautiful.
We were so high up that you could even see Guatemala {just beyond the grassier area in the top left corner of the picture below}.
It was also pretty windy at the top, which actually felt great since it was so warm that day.
So green and so beautiful.
Looking down on the ruins from the top of El Castillo.
The only picture of the whole vacation that was Ben's idea -- a part of the frieze on the west side of El Castillo. He thought it looked like a Lego man. Those Mayans were way ahead of the game. ;)
After leaving the ruins, we had a late lunch at Benny's Kitchen in a nearby village --
San Jose Succotz.
Benny's Kitchen is an open-air restaurant that serves authentic Mayan dishes, and their food was delicious. I had the onion soup with chicken and rice, and Ben had chicken, rice, and beans.
After saying "goodbye" to the parrots on our way out, we took the 2 hour van ride and 20 minute boat ride back to our island. The Xunantunich excursion definitely made for a long day that left us exhausted that evening, but we are so glad that we did it.
Another fun thing that we did while in Belize was go fishing out on the boat with Crispin and Francisco. First, they showed us how they caught bait near the mangrove trees, and then we drove out into the open water.
We were out there for about four hours, and we had a great time. All four of us fished, and we all did really well. Ben and I used poles, but both Crispin and Francisco used just a handline, and we all caught about 10-15 fish each {although I only took a few pictures}. The ones that were too small to keep, we either threw back in the water or up in the air to the bird flying above us.
All of the fish that we caught were so pretty and colorful.
Triggerfish...
Strawberry Hind...
Red Snapper...
Yellowtail Snapper...
Grouper...
And another Red Snapper...
The red snapper that I caught was definitely the biggest fish that we caught that day. Ms. Sue pan fried it for us for dinner that night, and it was delicious! Definitely the freshest fish I've ever eaten.
Overall, I'd say the fishing trip was a success. We had a great time, we caught enough fish for both us and the staff to eat for dinner that night, and I never even had to bait my own hook or take any of the fish off. Definitely my kind of fishing!
Another one of our favorite parts of our vacation was the snorkeling that we did along the Belize Barrier Reef. We went three of the mornings that we were there and would have loved to have gone even more. Unfortunately, we didn't bring an underwater camera with us {mostly because I didn't think any picture would be able to capture how beautiful it really was down there}, but thankfully, Nadia and Maciek {our new friends from Canada} offered to take a picture of us with their camera and emailed it to us when they got home. I have to admit -- as soon as I opened the picture that she emailed me, I busted out laughing. I don't know if it's because the picture is of our entire bodies as opposed to just our heads or if it's because the water is so clear that we look as if we're almost suspended in the air as opposed to being underwater, but it looks hilarious!
Crispin was the staff member who took us snorkeling each day {while Francisco and/or Rojo drove the boat}, and he was such a good guide. He would point out so many things that I would not have even noticed had he not been there, and he also told us the names of everything that we saw. Here are some of the ones that I remember {and was able to find pictures of online once we got home}.
Barracuda...
Blue Parrotfish...
Bull Shark {the one we saw was about 3 feet long but didn't pay any attention to us as he was following an eagleray}...
Damselfish...
Eagleray...
Four-Eye Butterflyfish...
French Angelfish...
Green Eel...
Green Parrotfish...
Lionfish...
Lobster...
Midnight Parrotfish...
Needlefish {or Ballyhoo}...
Permit fish...
Pufferfish...
Queen Angelfish...
Seargant Major...
Squirrelfish...
Stingray...
Tarpon...
Yellowtail Snapper...
On the last day that we went snorkeling, Crispin took Ben and Maciek hunting for conch shells so that Nadia and I could each have one. He took us to a grassy area where they dove down pretty deep, and they found tons of them! Crispin let me pick out which one I wanted to keep and even cleaned it up for me to take home.
On our way back to the island after snorkeling, we would always stop by Bird Island, which is home to both frigatebirds and yellow footed boobies.
There were so many birds, which apparently freaked some people out, but I thought it was pretty cool.
I especially like the picture that I got of the island underneath a beautiful rainbow.
While on vacation, we also did quite a bit of relaxing.
Before cleaning up for dinner, we would usually get a drink from the bar and then sit in the deck chairs to enjoy the view.
We would watch the stingrays come up out of the water and the pelicans dive down into the water.
And the water was so clear that we could see all kinds of fish.
We could even see the mainland in the far-off distance, too.
We only had one day that was cloudy and cold. I had a little bit too much to drink the night before, so it was probably for the best.
We also had a good time walking around and exploring the island.
The water was so crystal clear.
And there were even rainbows to add to the beauty.
The evenings were so beautiful.
And the sunsets were absolutely amazing.
One side of the island is undeveloped, so Ben and I spent one afternoon exploring that area, too.
One of the nearby islands {Thatch Caye} was within swimming distance of our island.
And because the water was so shallow between the two islands, you could actually walk to it.
Thatch Caye served as a beautiful backdrop for many of our pictures, but we didn't actually get a chance to walk over to it till the morning of the last day that we were there.
It was pretty cloudy that morning, and the water wasn't as calm as I would have liked, but we made it over to the other island fairly easily.
A view of Coco Plum from Thatch Caye.
We went inside to order a drink at their bar and then walked around and explored the island.
The resort on that island was pretty and very unique {I especially loved the dolphins that were carved out of wood}, but we both agreed that we liked the resort on Coco Plum much better.
Irvin {one of our bartenders} had told us that Thatch Caye is owned by Steven Spielberg and that several of the guests at Coco Plum had met him on the island. We weren't really sure if he was telling us the truth of not, but while we were walking around, we met a guy named Steve that sure did look like him. He was a really nice guy. He welcomed us to the island and told us to feel free to look around, but of course, I was too nervous to ask if he was really Steven Spielberg, so I guess we'll never really know.
When it came time for us to leave Coco Plum on Saturday afternoon, I was pretty bummed. We packed our bags, ate lunch, and took a couple more pictures in front of the beautiful water.
Then we boarded the boat, and I took one last picture of Coco Plum as we left for Dangriga.
The plane that took us from Dangriga to Belize City was even smaller than the one that we rode in the week before.
But again, the view was beautiful.
Needless to say, our vacation to Belize was AMAZING. Coco Plum Island Resort was beautiful, the staff were wonderful, and Ben and I had a great time hanging out 24/7 -- just the two of us.
Island life really is as wonderful as it sounds, and if it weren't for all the mosquito and sand fly bites that would mysteriously pop up all over the place, we might have just stayed there forever. ;)
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