It’s Decided

Drum roll please…

My extended vacation later this year will include 15 days in BELIZE!!!!!

My plan so far is to drive to Meeker to visit my grandparents.  My parents have agreed to meet me there which will be nice.  After a few days, my parents and I will head back to Phoenix.  They’ll get me off on my plane and then take my car and Kinley back home with them to Yuma.

Midas Tropical Resort Cabanas
Midas Tropical Resort Cabanas

I’ve already arranged for the place I’m staying at to pick me up at the airport, so I don’t have to hang out in Belize City since I hear there really isn’t much touristy stuff to see and crime is high.  I’m staying at the Midas Tropical Resort in San Ignacio for seven nights.  Get this…I will have my own private cabana with porch and hammock for $64 (+ taxes and service fee) a night.  Here is a picture of one of their cabanas.

I plan to visit several Mayan ruins while I’m there…Tikal (in Guatemula), Cahal Pech, and Xunantunich.  I also plan on going cave tubing, hiking, and whatever other jungle type activities jump out at me.

Mara's Place (Caye Caulker)
Mara's Place (Caye Caulker)

After San Ignacio, I’m headed straight for Mara’s Place in Caye (pronounced Key) Caulker.  I’ll be staying there another seven nights before heading back to Phoenix.  Here I’m only paying $42.50 a night.  I’ve requested an upper unit with what I think we’ll be the best view (red box around it in picture below).  I chose Mara’s place because it’s right on the Split which is really the only swimming area on the island.  While Belize has beautiful blue water, it also has lots of sea grass (I’m definitely bringing water shoes).  Mara’s also has a private dock with hammocks and lounge chairs for their guests and it has an outdoor kitchen in case you want to cook up your own meal.  From Caye Caulker I plan to use Chocolate (his real name) to go see the manatees and Ragamuffin Tours for some snorkeling (maybe even diving).  One of the snorkeling venues is called Shark Ray Alley where you can swim with nurse sharks and manta rays.  The claim is that they are harmless, but it scares me a bit.  I’m also considering a 3-day sailboat trip which includes snorkeling at least twice a day and bonfires on the beach at night.

Chocolate
Chocolate

Here are a couple little things to note when booking a place to stay in Belize…

  1. Check whether they have air conditioning or just fans.  One of the places I’m staying doesn’t have air conditioning and I’m ok with that…I think.
  2. Make sure their listing says they have hot and cold water.  Both of my places explicitly call it out, but apparently no all locations include hot water.  One thing I’m a bit uncertain about is Mara’s may only have salt water showers.  I hope that isn’t true, but if it is I will make it work…I have before in Mexico…I just might be a bit sticky when I come home.

I’m not concerned about either of these things since I’m really not a high maintenance traveler.  I just thought it was interesting to note.

When I return from Belize, Mom and Dad will pick me up at the Phoenix airport and we’ll head to the Grand Canyon for a couple of days.  After that, we’ll head ‘home’ to Yuma for a couple of days and then next we are off to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) Mexico for a few days, then back ‘home’ again, and then Tucson to visit some friends for a day.  Finally, after being back in Yuma for a day or so I begin my journey north towards home.  I’ll make a brief stop in Sacramento to visit my best friend before heading home.  My plan is to be home at least one day before I have to go back to work.

Here is the clincher; so far I only have the Belize portion of my trip approved.  My other part is pending getting someone on board at work that can cover for me.  I’m taking a leap of faith and assuming that will happen, but my fingers are still going to be crossed until I know for sure.

This is all for now, but I will definitely be including more updates before, during, and after my trip.  I cannot express how excited I am.