You can read the introduction here, which lists everywhere we stayed in Belize and every service we used, with links, and can easily be used to put together your own itinerary.

Part one of the travelogue is about our arrival in Belize and first days in Hopkins.

Part two is about our motorcycle ride to San Ignacio and visits to St. Herman's Cave and the interior blue hole.

Part three is about our ride to Caracol by motorcycle and all about that incredible site.

Part four is about our trip to Flores and Tikal in Guatemala.

Part 5: Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, & Punta Gorda

Heading Back North

We got up early and loaded up the bikes, then headed downtown to the grocery and the bank with the ATM (a North American guy asked to take a photo of us. "I have friends who ride motorcycles who say they aren't sure they can ride here. I'm going to send them this!"). The town was bustling like we hadn't seen it: it was Monday, and there were lots of people everywhere, including a few Mennonites. But many of the restaurants remained closed - and looked like they had been for a while. I think we just ate a lot of cookies and maybe things we had bought the night before - who knows, without my notes, I have forgotten so much. 

As we walked from the grocery back to the bikes, I said "Good morning" to a white guy with a backpack, obviously a European tourist, and he frowned and looked away. Buddy, you are not going to get by in Belize. Why are you even here?

We headed out of town, back along the coast and then back around the curve, away from Punta Gorda, away from the ocean, and, surprise! Police check. And the police woman was not cutting anyone any breaks, including us. We pulled over, parked the bikes, got off the bikes, removed our gloves, and Stefan said to NOT use the key to open the tool case - he was afraid I'd break the key. He used something else to open the case. All this took a while, but I finally got what I needed, and as I walked towards the police woman, who had been giving me the stink eye the entire time, she immediately brightened right up even while I was still several feet from her - with just a glance at whatever I was holding in my hand, she said, "Go, go." Okay!

We had more than 300 kilometers (about 200 miles) to ride to our hotel near Lamanai, where we had a two-night reservation. It would be our longest day ride to date. On my KLR, 200 miles would be a normal day of riding, even with a site visit somewhere. But on the 150s, in this heat... it was going to be a challenge. But I was up for it. I knew Stefan really wanted to see Lamanai. Heck, I really wanted to see it! Everyone had said Northern Belize was boring, but here's the thing: I'm in Belize! I'm in a different country! I really wanted to see it all. Our hotel in the North would be the nicest we had stayed in, we could take our sweet time at Lamanai because we were staying at the hotel for two nights, Emma had okay'd our extra day with the motorcycles, we would probably get to stop at the Belize Central Prison Gift Shop in Hattieville on the way back and won't THAT be quite the story... it was all good.

We had suspected Sauce and Ice would be closed and not an option for breakfast and, indeed, we were right. The road stayed interesting to me - now I could again see the mountains of the West, and there were all these kids going to school and so we were being extra careful going through towns, the Mayan villages looked so interesting - I wasn't bored. And I was handling the heat okay. And I'd taken some imodium to make sure I'd get through the day just fine. But we were going to be super ready for a stop in Bella Vista once we got there.

Just as we came around a curve, about five kilometers outside of Bella Vista, my motorcycle engine started making the worst banging sound I have ever heard a motorcycle make. I pulled over to the side of the road. I told Stefan why I had stopped. He started up the motorcycle and heard it and stopped it immediately. We waited a while and he checked the oil. And it was dry as a bone. I told him I would go sit in the bushes to stay out of the sun, and he should go to Bella Vista and get oil. I assured him I would be fine - and I was absolutely FINE, truly. I wasn't worried at ALL. I'd been in this country long enough to know I was as safe as most anywhere.

After what didn't seem like very long, he was back with oil he had bought at a farm before he got to town. He checked the oil yet again on my bike, and his own, to make absolutely sure he was reading the dip stick right. His was fine but mine had NO oil. He filled up the bike but it didn't fix the problem, and if it hadn't had oil, and I had ridden it without oil, and that is an engine killer. There's no coming back.

One of the many great things about renting from Alternative Adventures is that Emma gives you a plastic case with a map and a cell phone, and the phone has a local pay-as-you-go sim card that is paid up and is pre-programmed with her number. Whew! She had me hold the phone up to the bike while Stefan started it - she was convinced the problem was something else and that her colleague could fix it on the road. Her idea was this: she would have him ride one of the Chinese 250s down from Hopkins (about 45 miles away), Stefan would take that bike, I would take Stefan's bike, and her colleague would fix the Honda 150 on the side of the road and ride it back. And we would STILL go to our hotel near Lamanai that night - I was absolutely up for the ride. We had enough time.

Eventually, there was our man on the 250. We exchanged bikes and I felt horrible leaving him there on the side of the road but he assured me he was absolutely fine. Off we went. The day was saved!

We were in middle of Bella Vista and I realized Stefan wasn't behind me. I turned around and found him there on the side of the road, engine running, not going anywhere. A guy on a bicycle stopped and immediately said, "The sprocket is spinning but not the wheel." A few things were tried. Nothing worked. The guy talked us into coming over to his friends place so we could call Emma and wait for help - his friends was just a few yards away, he'd just left there. So, that's what we did. His friend's place was a big area covered with a thatched room - it either is or used to be a restaurant. His friends, all young men, with very limited English, sat out under the roof, all noting that they could TOTALLY fix that bike. Stefan and I said, no, no, no... we knew Emma would kill anyone who messed with her bike. One guy was laid out in a long recliner - he rides motorcycles and had had a super nasty accident, probably showing off on the bike - he was very proud to show me videos of himself doing stunts on his motorcycle.

We called Emma and she was absolutely horrified and beyond apologetic. We switched to texting and she said she had a guy in Hopkins who she had "on call" for just such an emergency, a guy with a truck and ramps to put a motorcycle in. Her proposal was this: she sends him down with another Chinese 250. We exchange bikes with him. Then he goes on down the road to get her colleague, who has discovered he cannot fix the bike after all. We ride the bikes back to Hopkins, we cancel our hotel in Lamanai, we stay at her place for free that night, and we don't pay for our motorcycle rentals that day.

SOLD!

I tethered my smartphone to one of the guy's phones and texted our hotel near Lamanai, noting we were stranded on the side of the road and would never be able to make it. Luckily, we hadn't paid in advance (which you do normally) and the hotel was SUPER understanding and cancelled our two nights there. We already had reservations for our last three nights in Hopkins at a kind of luxury cabana. We would just have to come up with new day plans for the rest of our stay.

Our host was a super nice guy. His niece came home from school for lunch and was SO happy to see him - she rain into his arms like she hadn't seen him in years. I am going to put his name here and the name of the diving company he works for as soon as I find his card...

But there was a big downside to the day. STEFAN GOT BIT BY A DOG. He was walking towards the house, I don't remember why, and this little white dog that belonged to the family walked right up and BIT HIS LEG. If he hadn't been wearing motorcycle pants, it would have broken skin and there would have been blood, Even through the thick motorcycle pants, he had red marks from the teeth that day and for a few days after. That he did not kick that dog to Guatemala is extraordinary. I was horrified. The guys were nonchalant. "Oh, yeah, he bites. But not that hard." Jesus...

Anyway... Stefan put his broken down motorcycle out on the side of the road so our rescue guy could see it - it was really hard to explain to Emma where we were and how to find us otherwise. He did, indeed, find us. Stefan and he unloaded our latest replacement bike, and I recruited the guys to come help load Stefan's broken down bike into the back.

We headed back to Hopkins. And it was hot. Damn hot. By the time we got to Happy Ranch Belize in the tiny town of Santa Cruz, a restaurant I had somehow remembered from our trip going down to Punta Gorda, I was close to heat exhaustion. We parked and I went inside immediately to recover in the air conditioning. I was now NOT doing so great. I had drank water all morning, determined not to get dehydrated, and we were just about out. But I couldn't avoid the heat. Sitting on the motorcycle, you are at least getting air flow. But most of my morning had been sitting still, not going anywhere. I had kept a really great attitude, and I know that had helped, but now, I was breaking down.

The air conditioning was divine and the food was really good! But I couldn't finish even half of mine. We packed it up for later - or, I would feed it to street dogs. I drank two Cokes and a ton of water with my meal. I felt better, but not as good as I should.

We headed out, soon passing Mayan World destinations with its big, fake Mayan pyramid out front. We didn't stop there - but from what I see online, it looks like a good family destination. Just not for us. At last, we were back in Hopkins. It felt like coming home. I was so disappointed we would not see any of the Northern part of the country, but I was happy to be in Hopkins again. We told Emma that, this time, we were absolutely going to be using the air conditioning in our room at Crash Pad. And that's what we did. Stefan put my food in the fridge on the roof patio and I stripped off my clothes and took a nap - we were in the same room as last time, and that was fine by me.

After my nap, we talked about what to do on our remaining days. We didn't want to snorkel again - my tummy would never allow it. We weren't interested in visiting more islands, which mostly seemed places to just sit in a restaurant and look at the ocean and feel exclusive. So we talked with Emma about what do to on our last days, and of course she had great recommendations.

Unfortunately, the Nocturnal Bioluminescence Tour with Happy Go Lucky tours wasn't possible - the season started the day we left, and it was already booked.

I don't remember what we did for supper. We sat out later on the Crash Pad patio one last time, and I took this amazing photo. Magical!

The next day, Sunday, we were back to Kat's for breakfast. I had a smoothie rather than iced coffee, for what are probably obvious reasons at this point. We also walked down to the Hopkins pharmacy so I could get more Imodium. The pharmacy doesn't sell it by the box or bottle; you get as many pills as you want in a clear plastic baggy - which I am sure will not raise any alarms when we go through TSA in the USA. I also noticed that the pharmacy was completely out of pregnancy tests but still had an abundance of condoms. Um...

Then we headed on the motorcycles to Mayflower Bocawina National Park for zip lining. It's just a few miles from Hopkins. The road to the park entrance from the main highway is mostly dirt, some gravel, and enclosed by jungle. I'm not sure it's even 10 miles. It would have been more fun for me had it not rained for much of the night. It could have been SO much worse - by the time we were on it, a lot of dried out, but in the shady areas, it was muddy, some with some puddles. It is the muddiest ride I've ever done, and I had to stop a couple of times just to regroup mentally. I will say it yet again: never could have done it on the KLR.

Stefan was doing fine on the Chinese bike, the 250, but I asked him how he liked it, and he said, absolutely, he preferred the Honda 150.

We got to the entrance and bought our ticket to go in. There was another Emma bike there in the entrance parking lot - the Rent Me on the front is the giveaway. But we never met that person. We saw some women from somewhere in Europe who were very pale except for their completely burned front shins. If they were looking like that now, they were going to be really hurting tonight. Stefan said they must have been river tubing. I made a mental note to remember to lather up the sun screen on my legs if we went river tubing.

Because we were on motorcycles, we were allowed to ride farther into the park, all the way to where we would sign up for zip lining, right next to the restaurant. We passed some tourists who were walking back to the parking lot and Stefan said later that some did NOT look happy that we were getting to ride in where they had to walk. I didn't see them - I just saw the smiling faces of people who thought we were awesome. BECAUSE WE ARE TOTALLY AWESOME. Older women sometimes give me a thumbs up or a nod when they realize I'm a woman, and I always appreciate it.

The area around the parking lot is LOVELY. There are guest houses not too far away - yes, you can actually stay in the national park, and all of the rates include all your meals and onsite adventures - I think it would be an awesome thing for a family to do for a night or two. And this place offers a lot to do, including at night, and you can book directly yourself - you don't have to do it through a resort.

If there had already been resort guest there, with reservations, we would have had to wait for an opening - and that may never have come. But the groups we saw leaving were done for the day. A lovely Garifuna woman came walking out into the parking lot to greet us and guided us into the office, where we stashed our motorcycle gear and paid. Then we walked over to the zip lining gear shelter and got the first part of our briefing on how all of this was going to go and to get into our gear.

I was still pretty nervous after that challenging road. Also, while I have been zip lining before, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in happier times, I was then in a kind of seat and facing forward - just had to hold on, as though I was in a swing. And I had screamed the ENTIRE time I did that.

The web site says:

Glide like a bird through the pristine Rainforest Canopy on the longest zipline course in Belize with 14 platforms and 9 different lines. The complete course is 2.5 miles long and our last line finishes just steps away from the lodge and Wild Fig restaurant.

As for me, it's more like:

Glide like a middle aged woman who has never done a harness zip line and is scared of heights and can't freakin' believe she does this kind of stuff.

The hike to the first platform has some lovely views. There are several hikes you can take in the park, but in that heat, I just wasn't interested at all.  

Our guides were also comedians. I knew this as soon as one of them called the retrieval buoy the line of shame - it's the line sent out for people who get stuck before the platform and can't pull themselves back in, hand over hand. I was determined not to need the line of shame. I appreciated their patience as we hiked between platforms - I did not find the hike easy at all since I couldn't bring my stick (you can't zip line with a hiking stick) and I often had to stop just to catch my breath or give my legs and feet a break. As usual, I peppered them with questions: what type of person usually gets stuck, do people not listen to them and, when they don't, what happens, do they get many locals, etc. At one point early on, I finished a run and the guide on the other side said, "Don't panic, but there is a lizard on your head." Yeah, ha ha, comedian.

There was, in fact, a small lizard on my head. He was gently pushed off by my guide. He must have fallen onto my helmet during my run. I told the guide, okay, I'm okay, I'm just really glad it wasn't a spider.

So, then, the next time, after my run, he said, "There's a spider on your head."

And so I pushed the guide off the platform.

No, I didn't, but it gives you an idea of what these guys were like. Zip lining and entertainment!

Stefan and I THOROUGHLY enjoyed ourselves. It was a blast. If you do it: listen to the guides, do what they tell you, every time, and you won't get stuck out in the middle. Yes, I did get stuck twice a few feet away from the platform, because you are supposed to control your end speed with your gloved hand that's gripping behind you on the line, and sometimes I over did it. But both times, I managed to pull myself in the short distance. I did not need the line of shame.

We finished right back at the parking lot. What a perfect day! We headed to the restaurant for a light meal and delicious Coca Cola, the greatest thing ever shut up I love it. I was dreading the ride back out, but things had already dried up significantly. It is amazing how quickly moisture on the ground disappears in this country during the dry season.

Back to Emma's to retrieve our things, and on to our new accommodations, where we would stay for the remaining three nights. The cabana compound was just a few blocks away. I had thought earlier they were beach front, but it turned out not. Okay, that will be fine. All I wanted was to lay on the bed in air conditioning and cool off - I was on the verge of overheating again. It had been a great day but it was only about 3 p.m., and we were entering the hottest point of the day. I needed AC badly. We rode up to the cabanas, let ourselves in through the gate, brought the motorcycles inside the gate, figured out at last which of the six were ours, used the code for opening our front door, and brought in our stuff. The room was lovely! There was a huge beautiful bed, there was a little kitchenette, there was a little table the bathroom looked brand new - this was going to be wonderful! So I looked around for the AC. And I looked. And I looked. And slowly, the very ugly truth was hitting.

There was no air conditioning.

There was no beach front where ocean winds could cool us off, and there was no AC.

For the first time on this trip, I was about to start crying for all the wrong reasons.

I broke the news to Stefan. He was in disbelief. This could not be happening. This was the most expensive place we were staying. It had to have AC.

It had a ceiling fan and a stand up fan, both perfect for pushing around hot air throughout your room. That was it.

I closed all the windows and curtains. I made the room as dark as possible. There was a tiny pool in the middle of the cabanas, so we put on our bathing suits and went and stood in it, to bring out core body temperatures down. It was not the spiritual experience of St. Herman's Blue Hole, but it did keep me from dying.

There were no other options. We had prepaid three nights. We were stuck.

We stayed in the pool until the water wasn't cool anymore, then went inside and laid on the bed naked, the fans on full blast. I was thinking of how we were going to manage the next two full days in Belize in order to still enjoy ourselves and stay cool from 3 to 5 every day - and to try to sleep at night.

We had Internet access, just like everywhere in Belize, so I went on Trip Advisor and left a very bad review for where we were staying. It was all the more mean when I realized that not only does this place NOT make it absolutely clear that there is NO air conditioning (that is what I resented - if they had made that clear, we never would have stayed there), but that also, for the same price, for all the same things, plus both a beach front AND air conditioning, we could have stayed at the White Horse Guest House, which we had seen but assumed was far out of our price range, without checking. 

Because I don't have my notes, I don't know where we had supper. I do remember the night was not at all pleasant. Once the sun set, we opened all of the curtains and screen windows, hoping the room would cool off enough to sleep. We sat out on the front porch instead of inside - it was cooler on the front porch.

After night fell, we went inside where it was slightly cooler now. We laid on the bed, me with a wet wash cloth on my head or neck or stomach. We slept off and on. At one point, Stefan couldn't sleep because the stand up fan was blowing directly on him, so we switched places - I loved the fan. I needed that fan.

Pro tip: put the wet wash cloth on a plate and in the fridge every time you leave the room. Retrieve it when you return and need to cool down. It was the only way I could survive the stifling heat of the cabana.

Just Two Full Days Left

We woke up grumpy, but not seething. We were resigning ourselves to our fate. We had breakfast at Peer's, near the Catholic Church and with terrific views of the ocean. I had so much food left that we put it in to go boxes - we would have it for supper or breakfast later. It was Monday, and the little Hopkins community library was open, full of school children coming in and out.

It was our last day with the motorcycles - they had to be returned PROMPTLY before 5. We'd already paid everything - it was just a matter of riding up and handing over the keys on the last day. We were going to make the most of this last day. We headed to Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary. Right at the start of the road to the sanctuary, by the highway, there is a gift shop for the Maya Center Women’s Group. That's where you buy your ticket to get into the Sanctuary. If you are going to the sanctuary, you have to stop there, but if you are not going to the sanctuary, please make a point of visiting the gift shop - it's not at all far from Hopkins. Many Mayan families gave up ranching and farming so the sanctuary can exist and be protected, and part of the agreement for that to happen is that these Mayan villagers are given other opportunities to earn income. The welcome center inside the sanctuary itself has the story of how difficult this transition was for the local people. The women who staff the center out at the main road are some of the folk artisans who make the items in the gift shop, and there is an excellent selection of items.

I had been wanting to buy something to commemorate seeing a jaguar on the way back from Caracol, but everything I had wanted was too big or heavy. I was thrilled to find several different jaguar faces made out of coconut shells at the Maya Center Women’s Group. Here is the one I bought. I spoke to the women a bit about their work and they gave me a brochure, and I was happy to write about them on my professional blog and share info about them on all my social media channels.

We didn't stop at Che’il Mayan Chocolate, the Mayan chocolatier that is also right there at the turn off for the Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary. There was just no way to carry chocolate in any way that it wouldn't end up a melted mess, and neither of us were in the mood to eat any chocolate - it was really hot and, unfortunately, Stefan was not feeling very well.

The road into the sanctuary was a LOT of fun because it hadn't rained that day. It's only about seven miles, all dirt and gravel, a few little hills, and goes through a Mayan village. I thoroughly enjoyed it. At the end of the road, we parked and went into the main office. I talked a bit with the staff, all from the Belize Audubon Society - as usual, terrifically friendly people who seemed genuinely happy we were there. They knew who John James Audubon was, but did not know he was a rather bad man, enslaving people, treating them horribly and passionately defending slavery.

We walked a bit down the trail where people walk down to the river to glide along on large inner tubes, but it turned out to be farther than we thought, and Stefan was not doing so great. So a river float was out for us (but it looked like a really fun thing to do!). We sat outside the Welcome Center and drank cokes and talked about all we'd done and what we might do the next day. We also took some goofy photos. And I took this photo of a painting of a jaguar, because it looks most like what I saw outside of jaguar in terms of coloring. and while I toured the welcome center, Stefan went back to the office to see if they had anything he could try to further temporarily fix his boots, which were about to become a pile of pieces. Duct tape to the rescue!

If you work in international development or in public lands, the welcome center at this sanctuary is a must stop - you need to read about how it came to be and how local partnerships and building local trust was at the heart of the sanctuary's creation. This is the kind of display that needs to be in many places all around the world.

Fantastic bathrooms at the sanctuary - I bring that up because I know so many people worry about such. The older I get, the more I do as well. 

We waited a bit for a van with tourists to head back on the road, so we wouldn't have to follow them or try to pass them. At last, we headed out and, not too far, we saw the van going slowly in front of us. And then it stopped. As we approached, the people started getting out and I knew immediately what was happening: they were looking at animals. So we got close and stopped and we also got to enjoy the family of black howler monkeys in the tree canopy! The driver had seen them. I thanked him profusely for being so sharp. And I have to say: guides in Belize are AMAZING. They see stuff long before you might. If you tour everything only on your own you will miss some things. You don't need guides always, every time, but for some sites, definitely, get a driver/hire a guide.

It was wonderful watching the monkeys. There were at least five, including babies and the male leader. I would have been fine staying there even longer than we did. But shortly after the van left, we decided we would too. We skipped going to see the plane crash that is there in the sanctuary just off the road - we never saw the turnoff for it, and it was probably for the best, since Stefan was a little wonky. Regarding the plane crash: it was back in the 1980s and the three passengers all survived the crash of the single engine plane, which remains there in the jungle.

Stefan was feeling well enough to ride, just not to hike, and we wanted to get every possible hour we could on our last day on the motorcycles, so we rode around the Sittee River area, which was terrific: seeing the ranches and plantations and little rural homesteads along the river in the jungle landscape, as well as the extraordinarily expensive mega mansions along one section of the river (many, if not most, can be rented).

We headed back to Hopkins but we didn't go back to our stifling hot cabana - we went to Nice Cream, an ice cream shop with a gorgeous beach front access in the back. The ice cream and that cool breeze off the ocean was a perfect way to cool down - something we couldn't do in our un-airconditioned cabana (yes, I was still pissed off about it). And I have to say it: THE STAFF WAS SO NICE. Hopkins Nice - it's a thing. And I love it.

It was time to return the motorcycles at long last. No more motorcycles. We went back to the cabana and took off all our bike gear - we would ride the motorcycles back to Crash Pad in t-shirts and our light long pants. We wouldn't even wear helmets. It was just three blocks away. I FELT NAKED. The only proper gear I had on was my boots. I didn't even have my gloves on. It was 4 and we had already paid up. So we dawdled, saying our goodbyes and finding out that my first Honda 150 did, indeed, run out of oil - but it was a complete mystery as to why.

Somehow Stefan had already gotten my suitcase back to the cabana - I didn't remember him doing that at all. We walked back to the cabana on the back dirt road and put on our bathing suits and went into the pool to wait for sunset, when we could start the arduous process of opening windows and aiming fans so we could cool our room down somewhat.

We had a new neighbor: a horse. She was small and tied up to a tree near the fence that separated the field from the cabana compound. I saw that her rope was tangled on a log, inhibiting her from walking very far. So we went over and got her untangled - she was SO grateful because she'd eaten all the grass she could reach, and I guess she hadn't eaten most of the day, since she was tangled. I kept an eye on her for the rest of our days there, going over and leading her around a tree or what not so she didn't get so tangled again.

We decided to just eat something out of cans or jars that night. We stopped by the Grumpy Grocery and bought a jar of spaghetti sauce and some pasta - too much pasta. I'm not sure we ate even half of it. We drank Belikin beer and sat out on the front patio and just enjoyed the evening's somewhat cooler temperature, playing on our phones.

Our last full day in Belize
 
We began the day getting the horse untangled again. Then to Kat's one last time for breakfast and to see if we could rent bicycles. And, indeed, bikes were available! The bike seat was adjusted for me and we rode off, first back to the cabana to get our bathing suits and water and then off to tour the area by bicycle, taking back roads rather than the main road so we could see more of the town.

I had a plan: someone had told us that we could get beach access at the Belizean Dreams Resort, and we were going to give it a try. There is plenty of beach access in Hopkins, but I'm sad to say that, if the beach isn't cleaned a few times a day, then the beachfront is lined with a mix of seaweed and trash. A LOT of trash. I wanted to go somewhere where the beachfront was cleaned at least daily.

We rode towards the resort, first stopping at the GariMaya Gift Shop. I didn't find anything I wanted, and I really didn't have any room to bring anything else back. We pushed on to the the Belizean Dreams Resort and I asked at the reception area if we could, indeed, sit at their beachfront - and they said yes (reminding me that the pool is for guests only and that the restaurant was already fully booked for lunch). Wahoo!

We locked up the bikes and walked through the lovely grounds, got some soft drinks at the beach side bar, sat in shaded beach chairs right next to the water and for almost an hour, just sat and people watched. After watching people really enjoying the water, we decided we would too (we changed in the restaurant bathrooms). I'm not much for the beach. But for our last day, it was a perfect morning. It was a way to reflect on all we had done while still in the moment. We finished swimming and sat again on the chairs in the shade for a bit longer, just being quiet and enjoying the scene. 

We changed out of our wet swim suits, got back on the bicycles and headed further away from Hopkins. My goal was to find the wood fired pizza restaurant I had seen a sign for the day before as we toured this area by motorcycle. We found Don Tonito's restaurant at the Lodge at Jaguar Reef and parked inside the privacy wall. The super friendly waiter told us that it was international pizza day and we would get the second pizza for half price. I was feeling really hungry and ordered garlic bread as well as pizza - which we of course did not need. Leftovers!

The Lodge at Jaguar Reef is SO nice. Way out of our price range. It's gorgeous. The people staying there are gorgeous. And then there was me in my UNICEF dress. Which is as classy as I dress when on vacation.

I loved that there were no hotels in this area that were like the horrible hotels of Florida or the Carolina coasts - multiple floors and hideous building after hideous building, hiding the beachfront from anyone but hotel guests. Granted, the nicer resorts in Hopkins had walls along the road, but that felt more like privacy for the guests than something to block your view of the ocean.

We rode back to downtown Hopkins, to the other side of town, for ice cream at Nice Cream again. We were so happy. The ocean breeze felt incredible. We walked out near the water and took some final photos. I loved my curly hair. I wish it was always that curly.

We went back to the cabana and went through our ritual to cool it down. I didn't swim that night - I just enjoyed the feeling of the fan on my skin. We had enough leftovers for supper and for some breakfast the next day.

We would leave the next morning. Emma had booked our driver. We knew we scheduling to leave too early, but I'm always so paranoid about getting to a flight in plenty of time. 

Stefan put his boots on top of the trash can outside. I talked to the horse, telling her we were leaving and I had really loved her being our neighbor.

Interesting side note: Prince William and Kate Middleton were in Belize in March 2022. We saw nothing at all about their trip here - no photos of them up at places they visited that we visited too. I did find a video online of them dancing in Hopkins, and I was jealous - we never did get to see Garifuna drumming and dancing. They visited Caracol too - but they arrived by helicopter, of course (wimps). And they had to cancel their trip to tour a cacao farm in Southern Belize, near Punta Gorda, after locals staged a protest about their arrival. Not sure if it was about tensions between villagers and a conservation group that lists Prince William as a patron, or if it was really anger that their helicopter was going to land on their football pitch.

No one protested us, as far as I know.

Leaving Belize

It was Friday, February 10. I missed Lucinda, absolutely - but a part of me really did not want to go back to Oregon. It was the best vacation I have EVER been on. It was the perfect mix of motorcycle riding, hiking, history, beautiful vistas, wildlife viewing, new activities (zip lining and snorkeling), relaxing and absolutely the most friendly people anywhere. I loved hearing "Good morning" and "Good evening." I loved feeling welcomed. I didn't want to go back to the place where I feel none of that.

We ate some leftovers for breakfast, then rode the bicycles back to Kat's. I dropped off my hiking boots there as well; a foreign woman the day before now living in Belize had told me the day before that she would take them to a local charity. The boots are in perfect shape, if a bit dusty. But there was just no reason to bring them back - they are too small for me. I hope someone wanted them.

We walked back to our cabana one last time on the dirt road. We were all packed up - there was noting to do but wait. We'd managed to put our motorcycle pants into our bags - we just didn't want to wear them anymore, not on the plane as we had when we came down. And we were in summer shoes. We had decided to book a driver from the airport, so we wouldn't be freezing on the Max train in our summer clothes on the way back.

We left the cabana in pristine order except for one thing: the fridge was full of leftover food. We had paid a HEFTY cleaning fee - we paid for them to deal with that. As we waited, the owner of the horse showed up. I told him the horse was sweet and how I knew.

The driver came and we headed out of Hopkins. I stared out the window just as I had on the way there. I didn't want to miss anything. I wanted to remember everything.

We were early at Dangriga, and apparently the people who were supposed to be on the plane about to leave weren't there, so they put us on. The guy helping us on said there had to be "three females in the back." No idea why that was, since I weigh more that at least two men on the plane. That was fine - I still had a window seat. But not the co-pilot's seat - I didn't know that was an option!

Because we'd gotten an earlier flight, we had a long layover at the Belize airport. We even encountered our first grumpy Belizean, a woman working passport control. She was a very angry, frustrated young woman. She would fit in in Oregon so much better than Belize.

Other than almost heading towards the wrong plane, because American Airlines boarded two planes side-by-side at the same time, just a few feet from each other, it was an uneventful flight out of Belize to Dallas. I re-watched the first three episodes of Ted Lasso. And other than a gate change in Dallas that caused us to have to ride that SkyLink train on the longest route possible TWICE, it was an uneventful flight back to Portland - I listened to Pride and Prejudice read by Jenny Agutter, both because I found it relaxing and because the guy next to me was annoying (he apparently hadn't flown in years, and didn't know that there was no alcohol served on board and that you had to load the airlines' app on your phone in order to have any entertainment access).
 
Final thoughts

It's been three years since our motorcycle tour through Baja California, Mexico. It's been three years of COVID. And COVID isn't over. I had taken a box of two COVID tests with us for this trip and had dreaded either of us getting sick - it would have killed our trip. That's a reality that we have to face for any trip now: if one of us gets COVID, the trip is over. And for the only time I had COVID, it took me more than two months to recover - I was so tired day after day, and even a little walk destroyed me. It's something I thought about a lot on our trip. I'm so grateful it didn't happen.

I don't know why I feel that I need to get out of the USA sometimes, but I do. Which is just such a privileged thing to say. But getting out of the USA and going somewhere different is, for me, going home. It cleanses my soul. I feel renewed - and Belize was a complete renewal, top to bottom, through and through. But I also felt a renewed hunger for travel - and for something else I can't define. And I still feel that longing. It's making me restless. 

How in the world will we ever equal this trip? Ya'll, this was one of the greatest trips of my LIFE!

As always, I hope this travelogue has allowed you to enjoy our trip "with" us, inspired you to travel, inspired you to go to Belize!, and been helpful if you are planning a trip of your own. You don't have to travel how we did. Maybe you want to stay at much nicer hotels. Maybe you want to stay at more budget places. Maybe you want to travel by the chicken buses. Maybe Mayan sites aren't your jam but more beach time is. Maybe you don't know what you would like. Just please get out there and try things. And remember that, most times, as "bad" day makes an interesting story later.

And I hope more women out there will get their motorcycle endorsement.

You can see my favorite photos from our trip here (there are about 500 and most are taken by me or feature ME). You can see Stefan's favorite photos from the trip here (there are about 800 and most are taken by him or feature him).

Return to the main page for our Belize and Guatemala 2023 Adventure.   

 
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