Moision Madness

Day 5 was really just the morning since we had to leave for the two hour drive to the airport pretty early. Ezra and Finn got in their last snuggle time with Jamma.

And we tried to take a family photo.

Finn was uncooperative. Ezra, on the other hand, was happy to oblige.

We had our last meal at the restaurant. The boys knew they would miss the special hot chocolate they got every morning. We were truly spoiled at Chaa Creek.

There are more pictures here and here.

On Day 4 we took a trip to Xunantanich to see the Mayan ruins. Bruce, Ezra and I had been there before, but it was new to Finn and Jamma. Because we were already so close, it was super easy and fast to get there this time. After a short ride (with our trusty guide Ricky in our trusty Chaa Creek van), we arrived at the new and improved but still hand-cranked ferry.

We crossed the river …

… and were soon on our way to the site.

El Castillo is tall, but the route to the top is stable and not too hard.

We all made it to the top. Here are some pictures along the way and views from the top.

I leaned over the edge for this one — or rather, stuck my arm out over the edge.

I don’t know what’s going on here, but this shot cracked me up.

We also got to see a bunch of howler monkeys in the trees.

And then our otherwise reasonable guide gave us some hoo-ha about the Mayans choosing their locations because of the energy, and tried to get us all to feel the energy through this stick. You can guess who was skeptical.

And who wasn’t.

And then Bruce got crowned the new King of the Mayans.

After heading back to the lodge and having a great lunch, we decided to take our complimentary horseback ride. Jamma, smartly, sat this one out.

I don’t have many pictures because it’s hard to hold a camera steady and ride a horse at the same time. But we took a long ride around the grounds — here are a few samples of the terrain. The boys are up front next to the guide and Bruce and I were the last two after a couple from Burbank on their honeymoon.

At what turned out to be the half-way point, the skies opened up and we got caught in a torrential downpour. We were soaked to the bone and had an interesting ride back on slippery slopes. But we survived and had a good laugh when it was over. And some Advil.

On Day 3 we decided to go on a canoeing expedition to Barton Creek Cave, a Mayan ceremonial cave. We headed out fairly early with our Chaa Creek guide, Ricky. We took perhaps the bumpiest dirt road on the planet for what seemed like a very long time. Somehow, Finn managed to fall asleep.

Our destination was well worth the kidney-jarring ride. Even before we got to the actual cave, the surrounding area was lush and beautiful.

Here’s our ride, one of the trusty Chaa Creek vans.

We geared up — head lamps, life vests, paddles — and headed to the canoes.

The boys wanted to ride with Bruce (surprise) so I went with Ricky and got to take all kinds of pictures from the front of the canoe.

Sadly, my photos from inside the cave don’t do it justice. The stalactite and stalagmite formations were amazing.

There were lots of bats and a couple of skulls and Mayan artifacts. At one point, we turned off all our lights and experienced the total darkness, which was really eerie. And then we turned around and headed back out.

The boys’ highlight came next — a rope swing over the river which they played on for at least an hour. Ezra had it down to a science.

Finn … not so much at first.

But he got better the more he tried.

Bruce got into the act, too. But the water was so shallow that he kept hitting his bum.

I think we did something else that afternoon, but I can’t remember what it was. I know Jamma came that day, and we probably went to the pool. This is what happens when I wait nearly two months to do a blog post.

On Day 2 we took advantage of some of the activities available at Chaa Creek — namely the canoes.

There are basically two options: arrange for someone from the lodge to pick us up in town after we paddle down river or paddle up river and then back down to the lodge. We chose the second option because we just wanted to explore a bit. The scenery was beautiful.

Bruce did a lot of paddling.

So did I.

We ran into several areas of “rapids” which I put in quotes because they looked harmless. But wow, were they difficult to pass! After a while we got tired of fighting them and turned around for home. I think next time I’d take option a.

After canoeing, we hit the lounge where the boys played a little chess.

I checked out the makeshift (and unofficial) Little Free Library book exchange and I think Bruce checked in with work. Later we went out on another trail for some further exploring.

We saw lots of these big guys around.

In the afternoon we went up to the Blue Morpho butterfly preserve they have there and got a tour of the area where they breed and study them.

Ezra tried his hand at catching some.

But our guide was an expert at it.

We also hit the pool that afternoon. I don’t have any pictures but they have a beautiful infinity pool that we took full advantage of!

That evening we had another lovely dinner here.

The boys were mesmerized because the staff was setting up for a private dinner for two over by the pool.

Not too long later, boys were fast asleep in their loft.

And I was not far behind them.

We quickly discovered that the Lodge at Chaa Creek is as the kids [probably don’t] say [anymore], “Off the hook.” Incredibly beautiful grounds, the nicest staff ever, and a gorgeous bungalow greeted us complete with these towel animals that the boys thought were the coolest things they’d ever seen.

Here are some other pictures of our home for the next five nights.

Staircase to the boys’ loft bedrooms upstairs.

The front porch area / living room area.

Ezra liked the decorative animals.

View from the loft.

View from the front porch.

There was no air conditioning and no need for it because the air circulation was perfect. The wifi didn’t work in the room either, which was a much-welcomed respite from always being connected.

That first afternoon we took things kind of slow and just went for a little walk down by the river.

The kids loved the giant bamboo.

And we got a sneak peek at the canoes we would take for a spin the next day.

I was particularly taken with the mango trees full of fruit.

That night we went for our first dinner in the restaurant and knew we were in for a super foodie good time!

On August 20th we said goodbye to the Caye and San Pedro Town and flew to the mainland. We’d been wanting to spend more time there and explore a bit, so we looked around for a place to stay. Thanks to Jamma’s reminder and San Pedro Scoop’s awesome blog posts, we discovered the Lodge at Chaa Creek. From the website, we were hooked (and it helped that Jamma hooked us up with Belizean prices on the accommodations).

So, we were off. Here we are on Tropic Air, once again.

And one obligatory shot from the air.

This year we got to experience the Perseid Meteor Shower (a little bit) and a full moon. I tried to take some pictures but without a tripod and my big camera it’s pretty hard.

At some point, the boys decided to add their own moons to the shot.

It’s even harder to get a clear shot when you’re laughing.

We had a new experience this year when Jamma arranged for her friend Eddie to take us to an uninhabited island for some exploring and snorkeling. Finally, a boat captain who’s not afraid to break the rules. Ezra was so happy.

We went down to the back side of the island, through the mangroves.

And out the other side. That’s our destination up ahead. (Finn and Eddie’s daughter Kristen make a cute pair here.)

Once we docked the boat, we walked through the island — which was mosquito central, we couldn’t get the bug spray on fast enough. But it was fun to see some of the plants and explore a bit.

Once we got around to the other side, it was warm, shallow water, perfect for swimming.

And snorkeling.

After a while of swimming and a quick snack break …

… we headed out to take a look at what had been an abandoned house when Jamma and Scott visited a while back. Turned out, not so much abandoned anymore! Trespassing alert!

On the way back, Eddie taught Finn how to drive the boat.

He was in heaven.

He drove the whole way back to town, navigating us even through the tricky parts!

Ezra was, of course, content to hang out at the front of the boat.

Super fun outing!

I tried to stay on my walking routine the best I could while we were away and was pretty successful. I got in some beautiful morning walks. Here are a few samples of the view.

I got a rainbow one day.

And this day I got caught when these clouds opened up.

Good thing I was carrying my poor man’s waterproof iPhone case.

We tried a new form of transportation this year — golf cart. We’d rented them before with Jamma but only for a couple of hours to run errands in town. This time we decided to get it for the week so we could explore a bit more of the island. Bruce did most of the driving, which was fun for me because I got to look around. The boys each got to drive, too. Ezra wasn’t a big fan, but Finn loved it.

Bruce even made him a Belizean driver’s license.

One day we drove the cart north on the road which proved to be incredibly bumpy. It was a good adventure though. We went to X’tan Ha resort for lunch and swimming.

We decided then that we wouldn’t try to go further north. The “road” is really unpleasant and you’re not allowed to drive on the beach. I think we’ll stick to boats.

But … it was a good thing we had it because it enabled us to get into town quickly when we discovered Ezra had a very painful ear infection and needed to see a doctor in town. The office was closing early so we high-tailed it to town. I didn’t take any pictures of the doctor’s office (seemed like bad form) but he was very nice and we got some meds for Ezra. I loved that the antibiotic came in the old school glass bottle.

His ear healed enough for him to enjoy the rest of the trip, although we did have to visit our own doc and get some drops for him after we got back.

Every year Bruce likes to rent a bike and this year I decided to get one too. We went to Bruce’s usual place, Joe’s Bikes.

Joe’s super nice and laid back. We got the bikes for a week and had a great time. We rode around town a little bit.

And did some shopping.

Then headed back to the house on the bumpy (and muddy) road.

We rode several times after that, but not as much as I would have liked. I’d forgotten how much fun bikes are.

There was a lot of snorkeling this year. Ezra has really taken to it and used his mask and snorkel every chance he could — mostly in the pool, but this year he snorkeled off the end of the dock, too. (So did Bruce.)

Finn’s not as big a fan of the snorkel, but he liked to wear his swim goggles and have a look around.

For our bigger snorkeling trip, we decided to go back to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. Ezra finally got to ride in an open boat, but our guide, Randy, wouldn’t let him ride on the top.

I don’t have any pictures of us actually snorkeling because I was snorkeling, too. But we had a great trip. Finn got a tow in the floaty ring from Randy and Ezra swam the whole way on his own. I can’t really tell how long we were out but probably 30-45 minutes. I was so proud of my boys! We saw some great sea life, including my favorite — a green sea turtle munching on some grass.

After the Hol Chan visit, we went over to Shark Ray Alley and Randy, of course, called the sharks over.

Bruce, Ezra and I got in the water first. Then I saw Finn jump in and swim over to the ring, little legs kicking as fast as he could. Even Jamma did some snorkeling!

We were pretty pooped after that. The boys enjoyed the usual pouches of water and we headed back, hitting a quick out-of-nowhere rainstorm on the way.

Great day! Perfect weather and a wonderful adventure for all of us.

We were lucky enough to embark on our fourth summer trip to Belize on August 9th. Here are a couple of shots from our travel day. First, the boys at LAX. Love those backpacks.

Ezra and me on the LAX to Houston flight.

Sleepy Finn on the Houston to Belize City leg.

Finally, the last flight — on the Tropic Air 12-seater to Ambergris Caye.

Jamma met us in town and we had a lovely dinner at Fido’s before heading out to the house.

As always, it was a long day of travel but other than a delay in Houston all went smoothly. It was time for some relaxation.