A Most Magical Adventure in the Belize Jungle
Linda Heyde
Chippewa Falls, WI
Cuba Small Group Specialist
My first trip to Cuba was not a vacation...it was so much more, an experience really. There are the classic cars of course, and rum and cigars, but that just scratches the surface.
From the moment I looked over the city of Havana there was a...
My first trip to Cuba was not a vacation...it was so much more, an experience really. There are the classic cars of course, and rum and cigars, but that just scratches the surface.
From the moment I looked over the city of Havana there was a sense of wonder and I couldn't wait to explore! I have the honor of having excellent English speaking Cuban guides who are proud and excited to introduce you to their beautiful country and culture.
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20 people with very different lives and backgrounds but who have one common thread came together and became fast friends in the Jungle in Belize. How could that happen? It took 3 days, a very special place with horses and incredibly gracious hosts.
We arrived in Belize City only to pile in to two vans to take us on an hour and a half dusty jaunt into the jungles of Belize. Now go figure, we ended up in the van with the owner of the ranch, A wonderful man named John Carr and doesn't he have a connection to one of the ladies riding with us! I was soon to learn that he is such a giving man that every time you turned around you found someone or something he had touched.
Bouncing along in the old van I Worried about what I had gotten us into, we arrived safely and with a little juggling found our rooms, each one different and unique. Most had air conditioning but a couple of us shared a 2 bedroom, one bath floor to ceiling Screened in "hut" While scorching hot during the day it did get a tad chilly at night. Combine that with howler monkeys calling to each other after dark, we for sure we had found Jurassic park... and loved it.
We all took off like kids at camp checking on each others digs all so unique and spread out in different buildings. Finding the Cantina for cold beers, pool, horses grazing in the yard, aviary and rescue Jaguar Tinkatoo. This is right out of a movie! Our hosts John and Carolyn took us to their private quarters to show us Carolyn"s art studio (we soon recognized her work all over the compound) and Johns artefact's and memorabilia from his years on the property.
Meals are served family style, we were joined by a mission group and another couple. Amazing from scratch food, fresh squeezed juice and kind service. We are getting to know each other now. We are not in a luxury resort and definitely are not in our element anymore but it feel amazingly right.
So many tours to pick from. Some went in search of ancient Mayan Ruins, some of us went cave tubing and zip lining. Everyone came back feeling like they had thee best tour! We all enjoyed a horseback ride of the property including a stop "in" the river.
At night we gathered for an outdoor feast and had the special fortune to have the cowboys show us their work with the horses. The owner "horse whisperer" John has a special way with all of the horses and ranch hands. You could tell they were all well loved!
After dinner, we mounted up and took a night ride through the very dark jungle. Our sense of sound and smell were truly awakened! You should have seen the stars! After a most extraordinary adventure we were greeted back at the ranch with a huge bonfire, marshmallows and adult beverages.
John and his ranch hands and lodge employees took us to the airport for our puddle jumper ride to our next adventure in Belize. The beaches of Ambergris Caye and our friend international singer/songwriter Roger Jokela were waiting!
It was so hard to say goodbye and leave, vowing to come back to this magical place again.