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Belize Please
Tucked among green hills in the rainforest of Belize lies a destination where the rooms lack electric lights, televisions, phones, and even glass in the windows. It is also one of the most luxurious experiences imaginable.
Mountain Retreat
From the moment we arrived in Belize, we were liberated both from the worries of the everyday and the headaches that usually accompany travel. We were met at the Belize City airport by Rolando, a full Mayan Indian who speaks two of the Mayan languages. He took our luggage and drove us out to Mountain Equestrian Trails (MET), a tour operator located in Belize's Cayo district. Belize is about the size of Connecticut, but with only a fraction of Connecticut's population, so the mileage is never terribly far, but the roads do leave something to be desired on occasion (namely, pavement). The ride to MET takes about two hours, and passes through a variety of scenic vistas, ranging from urban areas near Belize City, to the flood plains by the bright green Belize river, to hills covered in orange groves, to tropical palm trees and strangler figs, and finally into the piney mountains themselves. My head was spinning with excitement by the time we arrived - we had seen so much already, could there possibly be more for us to see?The ride from Belize City already made this trip worthwhile. Could there be more to awe us? YES!! There was so much to experience and enjoy here I don't know where to begin! The romantic cabanas! The size of the plants and the color of the birds! The views of the rainforest while horseback riding! The delicious food! The trips to nearby Mayan ruins! Can we go back to Belize now? Please!!
Our lodging was a dream. The cabanas have no electricity, but they do have running hot and cold water for showers, large comfortable beds, mosquito netting, thatch roofs and kerosene lamps. Opening the wooden shutters and looking out the glass-less windows, one is surrounded by jungle, and the sounds fill the ears. Nothing had prepared me for this adventure of sleeping under the mosquito net and watching banana trees and birds right outside my window, except perhaps reading Graham Greene and Paul Thoreaux. It was that good, that real.
Dinner was at eight, at the Cantina. The Cantina is the central building at MET, a large open structure with beautiful wooden floors and beams and a high thatch roof above. Surrounded by the light from kerosene lamps, we enjoyed all of our breakfasts and dinners there. Everything we had was wonderful: big mugs of the most incredible Guatemalan coffee; big trays of sliced fresh fruit, including some apples and bananas grown a few feet away; tasty scrambled eggs with fried jacks, a local fried dough served with honey, and delicious international dishes such as great stir fry one night, and spaghetti another.
Hitting the Trails
The next day we were riding the horses. The instruction was brief and to the point - sit in the saddle as straight as you can, keep your feet in the stirrups, and hold onto the reins. Although I could count on one hand the number of times I'd been on a horse in the past two decades, I had no trouble, and felt extremely comfortable and confident in Nicky, my horse.And so we rode! Out and away from the ranch, into the jungle and onto the barely noticeable paths. Up steep inclines and down quick descents, all the while being informed and entertained by our guide, Melvin. Melvin rode in front, wielding his machete, chopping low-hanging branches away with ease. "That is the poisonwood tree," he said, slashing his machete into the bark, and watching as white sap dripped out. He told us that the sap would irritate the skin badly, causing pain and itching, until the antidote was applied. The antidote, he said, was another tree nearby, the Tourist Tree. The ride was great fun, and we visited a limestone cave and swam and had lunch beside a waterfall.
Melvin showed us the Water Vine, which looks like a thick branch dangling down from the trees, and which will provide cool, clear water for the thirsty. He hacked a portion of the vine off, and passed it around, allowing us all to have our fill.
There is more than just horseback riding, though. Trips are available to nearby Mayan ruins, which rise out of the jungle where archaeologists are still working to uncover them. We took a trip to nearby Caracol, the largest Mayan site in Belize. Spectacular pyramids, over 100 feet high, can be ascended, and the chambers of the rulers of the Mayan cities examined at leisure. In addition to Caracol, we also visited two smaller sites: Xunantunich and Cahal Pech. The ruins are, for the most part, open and accessible to whatever extent one dares, and while there are other people there, it would be foolish to say that the sites are in any way crowded.
Whatever your day's activity, afterward it was wonderful to return to the Cantina and have a cool drink, whether it was a cocktail, some fresh-squeezed juice, or some of the local beer, Belikin.
Tranquil Evenings
After dinner, with darkness all around, it is back to the Cabana, where the kerosene lights have been lit. Tired yet filled with excitement from the day, it was a great pleasure just to lay down beneath the mosquito netting and listen to the cicadas scream loudly in the night.MET offers something for everyone who visits, with an impressive array of birds frequenting the area, a butterfly ranch located just across the street from the MET entrance, as well as the general opportunity to get completely away from the phone calls, urgent e-mails, and other annoyances of life at home.
We spent the last two days of our trip at Ambergris Cay (pronounced "key") in the village of San Pedro. The blue Caribbean waters make this spot a favorite for scuba diving and snorkeling, especially along the coral reef and around the famed Blue Hole. We stayed at the Sea Breeze Hotel, which was located literally next to the airport. The airport in San Pedro is very, very, small. When we landed there, we saw two children riding bicycles on the runway. We walked right across the runway to get to our hotel. The hotel seemed lavish, with electric lights, televisions, and air-conditioning, but we still felt that the true luxury of the trip had been the entire experience at MET.
Learn more about MET at their website, www.metbelize.com In addition to the Cabanas, MET offers low-cost accommodations in tents, complete with beds and amenities. Trips can be as long or as short as one desires, and the activities can be tailored to one's wishes. As we rode the plane back, we could only talk of how soon it would be possible for us to return. Need I say more?
