The Joy of Traveling with my Son: Belize Edition
I recently traveled to Belize with my oldest son to celebrate his recent college graduation. It was a truly amazing trip that created so many memories for both of us.
We started the tradition of a mother-son trip when my son graduated from high school. The only restriction was travel within the United States. My eldest picked South Dakota (www.persimmonlife.com/on-being-a-momstepmom-1/thejoyoftravelingwithmyson) and my youngest Colorado (www.persimmonlife.com/on-being-a-momstepmom-1/travelingwithmyyoungestson). Our trips were filled with all the things we love to do and made for unforgettable one on one time, lots of laughs, and created memories.
For college we agreed the world was the limit. Matthew picked Belize for our trip which was exciting as Belize was also on my travel wish list. He had recently been to Costa Rica for a short school semester and greatly enjoyed traveling to Central America. I have only been to Mexico and only to the touristy spots. Since Belize is rated as very safe, we were able to really explore and immerse ourselves in the country which is what we both enjoy.
Planning the trip was more complicated than planning a trip in the US, mainly because I was also checking safety and frankly was totally unfamiliar with the country. I was able to plan out a detailed trip plan that included as much as we could do in a solid week’s time.
We flew from BWI to Belize City via Houston. Thankfully no issues on the way down except that the flight left at 6 AM so we were both exhausted arriving in Belize. We navigated customs and the small airport and immediately got in a taxi whose driver was chatty and helpful. He took us to the ferry dock so we could jump on the next ferry to San Pedro. I realized right away that all my Duolingo work the past months was useless as everything was written in English and the very friendly people all spoke better English than I hear some places at home.
SAN PEDRO on Ambergris Caye
The ferry was a 90-minute-high speed ride through the Caribbean. It was warm and sunny and the water was gorgeous. I was pleased with our hotel choice – La Casa de Paz – as it was only a very short walk from the ferry dock. The room was spare, but clean, had wonderfully strong air conditioning, and looked out onto the streets of San Pedro. Fun fact: San Pedro is the island Madonna sings about in “La Isla Bonita”.
The streets of San Pedro were not what I was expecting at all! They were colorful and lively and everyone drove golf carts with people, bikes, cats and dogs weaving in and out of the traffic. It was highly chaotic. From the shore you can see the waves breaking further out on, what we later learned, was the reef. I expected beaches, but instead there was sand which people used basically as sidewalks. It is a lovely place.
We had two full days on Ambergris Caye. The first we spent on an all-day snorkeling boat ride which exceeded our expectations. We are not normally a family that does excursions or tours so this was new to us. We usually like to explore on our own, but that is not an option here as the government regulates the visits to Hal Chan Marine Reserve to preserve the reef. I am all for nature preservation so this suited us just fine.
Matthew swimming with the nurse sharks - I jumped in after this picture!
Our tour took us to the Marine Reserve, Shark Alley, and a few other stops for snorkeling. We were able to swim with the sting rays, sea turtles, nurse sharks, and manatee! Along with seeing loads of colorful fish and coral, sea horses and tarpon. Great full day with just a touch of sunburn.
Our next day we explored on our own and walked and walked everywhere. We found an Iguana Eco-reserve where we saw loads of iguana of all sizes and colors. They are amazing creatures. We ate treats from a local bakery and empanadas from a street vendor. In the afternoon we rented one of the ever-present golf carts and Matthew skillfully drove us the 4 miles out to Secret Beach where we enjoyed a cocktail sitting in the water (which was 91 degrees!).
San Ignacio and Xunantunich
We caught the first ferry back to Belize City in the morning on Saturday, quickly got a shuttle back to the airport, and without issue got our rental car and were on our way! I wasn’t sure what to expect driving in Belize (you do not need an international license), but the main roads are very well kept with clear signage in English and no potholes. It was honestly better than lots of roads at home.
We drove several hours across the country taking in the scenery which alternately seemed like Florida or Africa. There was a quick stop in Belmopan for lunch and for Matthew to see the FIFA stadium and then we drove on to the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins which are only a few miles from the Guatemalan border. There was a hard press to book a tour but we opted to take the hand crank ferry in our rental car and visit on our own. This is not the tourist season, it’s the end of the dry season and beginning of the wet season and very, very, very hot and humid. This made for lots of sweating, but also meant we were almost totally alone in many places.
“El Castillo”
At the Mayan ruins we saw 4 other people which is truly an amazing way to see an archeological site. I overcame my fear of heights and made it to the top of El Castillo from which you could see both Guatemala and Mexico.
Seeing that we were so close to Guatemala we decided to check out the border with the idea that we might be able to cross quickly, get a drink, and head back. But when we got there, it was a bit more intimidating than a simple crossing and I realized it likely wasn’t a good idea to take a rental car into a foreign country. So, we had a quick view of the border crossing and headed back to San Ignacio for the night.
We stayed at Cahal Pech Village Resort which overlooked San Ignacio and provided beautiful views of the area. This is an all-inclusive resort that has a pool (91 degrees!), restaurant, and bar. Since we didn’t book the all-inclusive, we opted to eat in town a small neighborhood bar – entertaining and good, cheap, local food.
ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) cave tour
Since you cannot visit caves on your own in Belize, we booked this tour through our hotel which meant they picked us up and provided lunch. The cave is about 45 minutes from San Ignacio with the last 6 miles on a bumpy dirt road – we didn’t realize we would be spending lots of time on bumpy, dirt roads in the next few days!
The ATM was a Mayan ceremonial cave which means there are relics and human bones in the cave, so entrance is restricted to licensed guides. We hiked for about 45 minutes into the rainforest, walking through several rivers where the water was low due to the time of year. The entrance to the cave is beautiful and has an underground river running from it which meant it was super cold when we jumped in to swim into the cave wearing helmets with headlamps.
I have been on many cave tours from the very touristy in Luray, Virginia to Mammoth Cave, KY to Wind and Jewels caves in South Dakota. They have been varying degrees of difficulty, but I have never been on such an amazing cave tour before – there is no way they would let you do this in the US. We swam, waded through the underground river, slid through tiny spaces, climbed up rocks and onto ledges and viewed Mayan ceremonial pots and the bones of their sacrifices to the rain gods. No pictures are permitted but our guide sent us some later for memories. We both thoroughly enjoyed this tour.
Matthew and me after the ATM cave tour
No pictures are permitted in the cave but our guide sent us some later for memories. We both thoroughly enjoyed this tour.
TREES and Belizean Rainforest
We then headed down the Hummingbird Highway through the central part of the country which brought us into the mountains and rainforest. The mountains are more lumps covered in greenery, so it was a very different landscape for us, but all the greenery was lovely.
We stayed at TREES (Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society) which is a research facility and similar to a hostel-type environment. TREES is set up with a café, a general gathering area, and then colorful cabins around a green. We had our own cabin which had a bathroom and small kitchen, and no air conditioning. The food was delicious! I was finding there were not many vegetables served in Belize, lots of fresh fruit, but not vegetables, so I was very happy to get a salad and vegetarian tacos. The people were friendly and thankfully it poured most of the night which cooled the air down until the sun came up. We tried some hiking around the facility, but the trails were not very well kept so we ended up doing some bushwhacking which is always fun. One thing I learned is that once you are out of the more populated areas, you cannot flush any toilet paper in the toilet. This was an adjustment.
Our cabin on the edge of the rainforest at TREES
We next headed further down Hummingbird Highway to the Mayflower Bocawina National Park which is a large national park and the location of Bocawina Rainforest Resort. The drive to the park involved a bumpy, dusty drive for 3 miles down a dirt road which we discovered was similar to most of the non-main roads in Belize. We discovered the term “resort” is used very loosely. Our cabana and room were lovely, but again without ac which was expected, but we hoped for a small refrigerator or access to cold water. We got used to drinking lots and lots of tepid water!
We immediately set out for what has become one of my all-time favorite hikes up to Antelope Falls. The hike was on a well-kept path through dense rainforest which was lush and simply beautiful. We only saw a handful of other people in the park at all and only a few on this hike which made it even more special. When we reached the waterfall, it was lovely, but even better there was a path to the top. This was a tough hike up since it involved climbing up rocks and roots, in some places using the ropes provided, but it was well worth it when we saw the view all the way to the Caribbean Sea. Plus, on the way back we were able to see Howler monkeys eating fruit in a one of the large trees – definitely a highlight. There were also loads of Leaf cutter ants which make these amazing “highways” through the jungle to transport the leaves they cut. They were all over and we carefully stepped over them.
The bottom of Antelope Falls in Mayflower Bocawina National park
The resort only offered a prix-fixe menu of which I am never a fan, so we decided to drive out and visit the nearby town of Hopkins which is on the Caribbean for dinner. This was a great decision as we ate local food, drank local beer at a lovely place open to the breeze from the water, and home to several cats that visited the table.
Our next and last full day in Belize we drove down to Maya Center which is the entrance to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaquar Preserve. We were both of course hoping to see a jaguar or at least pawprints but were told the likelihood was 17,000 to 1. Needless to say, we didn’t see any during our trip, but it was still an amazing experience. We hiked up Ben’s Bluff Trail which went through deep rainforest and even got caught in a tremendous thunderstorm. Thunder was cracking right over head, and we got drenched until we found an overhang to wait it out. We finished out the hike in what felt like a sauna. Even our good, solid hiking clothes had no way to dry out. Once the rain passed the sun immediately came out and everything started steaming. While it was super uncomfortable and hot, it was fascinating to see the rainforest respond to the start of the rainy season. The view was worth the hike, and we were able to see the tallest peaks in Belize.
The last hike of our trip was short but was an excellent way to finish out the trip. The hike was completely flat but took us into some of the deepest rainforest I have seen. It was dark and cooler with lush green everywhere you looked. One of my favorite things is to be outside surrounded by green and this certainly satisfied that “forest bath” feeling. Dinner was in Hopkins again overlooking the Caribbean Sea.
The next day we drove several hours back to Belize City to return the car (it was covered in dust, so I had to wipe it down!). Our flight was delayed which made for a mad scramble that included a full out sprint through the Houston airport to barely catch our flight. I think the airport is one of the only places you can sprint in public, and no one looks at you funny – people even cheered us on!
Memories
While travelling through Belize was amazing, my favorite part of the trip was all the time alone with my son. Matthew will be moving to North Carolina in August to start his PhD program and UNC. I am so proud of him, but I feel like part of my heart is moving away. This trip meant so much more to me because of that.
We spent countless hours together discussing nothing and everything. We talked about politics, the exports of Belize, what kinds of beers we like and don’t like, and everything in between. We made lists of things to research when we got back to our hotel/cabin/cabana and then discussed what we found out about the flora and fauna of Belize. We talked about the future and the past. And we made a whole bunch of new memories that I will cherish forever.
At the end of the trip, I asked my son if he would be willing to continue to travel with me in the future and got a typical Matthew response, that as long as I’m paying, he’s willing to go.
Guess what, this mama will take it!
