Belize - Caves Branch - Day 1

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We are met at the airport by our driver Enrique. He greets us with a warm smile and a friendly handshake. Enrique is taking us to “Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Adventure Co. and Jungle Lodge” where we will be spending the next three days. Caves Branch offers nearly 30 different adventure excursions from basic stuff like jungle hikes, mountain biking, and kayaking to more unique adventures like cave tubing, waterfall climbs, and the famous “Black Hole Drop” where you hike up the side of a mountain and repel 300ft down into a natural sinkhole at the top. They even offer week-long jungle treks called “Ian’s Bad-Ass Expeditions” where you learn survival skills, build your own shelters, and live off the land. The website for Caves Branch boasts “Be prepared for a one of a kind adventure vacation in the heart of the Belize jungle - Adventures that must be experienced to be believed!”.

As we’re loading our bags into the back of the van it really begins sinking in. Karin and I have talked about traveling to Belize for nearly five years, and I’ve spent countless hours over the past months researching, planning, and day-dreaming about this trip. It’s been a whirlwind of activities leading up to this moment and I want to absorb as much as possible over the next eight days.

English is the primary language spoken in Belize (though almost everyone speaks 2-3 languages) so there are no issues with communication. Enrique is very knowledgeable and easy to talk with. Karin immediately comments on how nice the roads are compared to Costa Rica. He explains that this is because there are only 4 major highways in Belize (conveniently named the North, South, East and West Highways) and they are all paved and well maintained.

As we drive, Enrique tells us about the various villages we pass along the way, and the people who live in them. It’s fascinating to learn that people from all over the globe have come to start a life in Belize. The Amish have come to Belize because they can own their own land, live their own lives, and police their own communities; from livestock to vegetables, they provide nearly all of the agriculture for the entire country. The Mennonites came to Belize and discovered oil. They now live in villages near the oil fields, and all day long trucks can be seen traveling back and forth filled with crude oil being shipped to refineries in the U.S. The Chinese have a large village near the capital city of Belmopan. They operate nearly all of the convenience stores, grocery markets, and restaurants in Belize. The Americans and Europeans own most of the resorts and hotels. Finally, there are also lots of people who emigrated from Guatemala (including Enrique) and Honduras during the 70’s and 80’s looking to get away from civil strife and find a more stable home for their families. One thing they all share in common though, is that life is very basic in Belize. A whole family will live in a house the size of the average American living-room.

Karin and I are enjoying the history lesson when we begin hearing snoring from the back of the van. We turn around to see both Rylee and Paige twisted and contorted into uncomfortable positions, yet sleeping soundly in the backseat. They’ve been up since 4:00am and for them, it’s already been a long day. We give them their blankets they take a much needed nap. An hour later we turn down a dirt road heading straight into the jungle. “Welcome to Caves Branch!” Enrique exclaims proudly. The girls awaken refreshed and slightly dazed, and we all head down to the lodge for check-in.

The jungle grounds are spectacular. Trees, plants and flowers explode with color. Insects vibrate and buzz all around us. Birds are singing their songs with great enthusiasm. It’s hot and humid and the air has a unique odor. It smells like a combination of freshly sprouting plants and decaying organic matter being reclaimed by the earth. We head down a beautifully manicured path and cross a bridge over a swimming pool still under construction to enter the reception area. The lodge is grand. The high vaulted wooden ceilings with exposed beams look like something out of a movie. There is a bar, a seating area with hand carved benches, and large tables with chairs. The whole place is constructed from intricately designed and smoothly polished wood. Surrounding the dining area is a colorful rolling garden that leads to down to the river. This place is absolutely amazing and a stark contrast from the villages we traveled through to get here.

A young man with braces and a round, boyish face comes to greet us from behind the bar. He hands us a stack of forms, a pen, and a glass of rum-punch. “Please sign your life away” he says with a smile. The marketing hook for Caves Branch is that they are NOT your typical resort. On the website they warn “this place isn’t for the faint of heart”, and the “accommodations are not sanitized from the jungle… they are part of it.” This theme is certainly carried over into the waiver forms where in big bold letters it says “DEATH MAY OCCUR”. I nudge Karin and point to this particular section of the form with a grin, she isn’t amused.

After completing the forms, our host takes us down to our Jungle Cabana and it is, without a doubt, the coolest place we’ve ever stayed. It’s basically a raised thatch hut sitting in the middle of the jungle. While the appearance is rustic, the cabana is actually built from a very comfortable combination of natural and man-made materials. The bottom halves of the walls are bamboo while the top halves are screened-in allowing you to feel like you are in the jungle without all the bugs. A huge roof of palm fronds covers the entire structure, including the wraparound porch and traditional Belizean hammock. Inside there are hardwood floors, a ceiling fan suspended from a natural wood beam, dressers, and beds with four white towels and washcloths formed into the shapes of elephants (the girls love this). It has a small separate bathroom with a toilet and a sink. There are no electric lights. The young man with braces once again cracks a big smile, points to the screened wall facing the river and says “For the next three days, THIS is your big screen TV”.

Next he takes us down a path to an outdoor shower. There’s just something about an outdoor shower that I absolutely love. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of the beach. Once again, this is the coolest outdoor shower I’ve ever seen. It looks like a miniature version of our cabana except that it appears to be made almost entirely of natural materials. Inside there is a small dressing area with shelves and a bench and a bucket hanging from a hook on a stick. When you turn the handle, warm water is pumped into the bucket and rains out through holes cut in the bottom. If I were ever going to build an outdoor shower, this is exactly how I would want it to look. The girls look at us with curious, excited smiles and Rylee asks “are we REALLY going to take showers in here?!”.

Once settled, we head out to explore the grounds. There is a path that winds through the entire Caves Branch compound and we eventually find our way to an amazing garden. An older man welcomes us and introduces himself as the head groundskeeper for Caves Branch. He explains that he has over 500 known species of orchids in this garden, but there could be more because they can only be positively identified when they bloom. There are two-foot sections of bamboo hanging everywhere with small orchid plants hand-grafted to them. Each one has a card attached with the exact species meticulously labeled. Only about 25 or so were flowering at the time. He shows us the smaller blooms first, carefully sounding out the exact species name of each. They are less impressive visually, but incredibly fragrant. Next he shows us the larger ones and explains that they are hybrids. “While bigger and more colorful” he says, “they have almost no smell”. It was obvious this man possessed incredible knowledge on the local plants and had spent his whole life learning. We both immediately imagine Paul spending hours talking to him, and in a way, I feel bad that we were too ignorant on the subject to truly appreciate everything that he has going on here.

By now the girls were getting hot so we checked with someone to make sure there were no crocs or piranha in the river, grabbed a Belikin (local beer of choice), and headed down to cool off. We splashed and swam, explored around, and skipped rocks across to the other side. We saw and heard birds unlike anything you ever see at home. After an hour or so the sun was going down and the heat subsided so we headed back to clean up for dinner. As we reach our cabana, Karin spots something high above and points excitedly. There, in a tree less than 10 yards from us, was a group of 5 monkeys foraging for food. We laughed and watched in amazement as they would swing from branch to branch stripping leaves. No doubt about it, I thought to myself, this is going to be one cool vacation.

We signed up for the three night all-inclusive package at Caves Branch which includes food, drinks, and two adventures. Chips and salsa start at 6:00pm. Dinner is at 6:30pm. We all head up to the lodge around 5:00pm for happy hour while the girls do their homework (write in their journals). The upper dining terrace sits just above a patio full of lounge chairs which overlooks a garden. The garden is bristling with activity as birds, bugs, and butterflies are constantly coming and going. People slowly start filling the patio eager to watch. The girls easily fill several pages of their journals without lifting their heads. They both love to write and draw, and its fun to see exactly what has made an impression on them during our first day in Belize.

A man named Abel introduces himself as a guide and sits down with us to discuss our tomorrow’s adventure. Abel is short, wiry, and athletic. I’d guess he is in his low 30’s. He has a pencil thin beard which follows his sharply cut jaw line. There is intensity in his eyes and a serious tone to his voice. Something about him reminds of me of Sayid from the TV show “Lost”. I knew from my research that many of the adventures would be too strenuous and dangerous for the girls, so we asked for his advice. He suggests River Cave Tubing and I couldn’t be more thrilled as this is the exact adventure that originally lured me to Caves Branch.

The meals at Caves Branch are served family style to encourage socializing at dinner. We grab an empty table at the end and wonder if anyone will want to sit with us (Rylee and Paige are the only children at the lodge). A few minutes later we are pleased when two couples who were staying together asked if they could join us. The one man was a dentist and the other a family doctor, both couples appeared to be in their late 50’s to early 60’s. They were spending an entire week at Caves Branch and planned to try nearly all of the adventures. Today they had done the “Black Hole Drop”. We listened intently as they told us about their trip and the one woman even showed us her war wound, a gash behind her ear, which she received when she lost control repelling.

The conversation eventually drifted away from the day’s adventures and on to other topics. The dentist looked at the girls inquisitively and then back to us before asking “So, why not Disney World?”. I had to laugh. Karin and I have had this discussion numerous times. Everyone has their own ideas about what a vacation is, but to me a week at Disney is for the unadventurous and unimaginative. It’s like having a premeasured dose of entertainment wrapped up in a pretty package and spoon-fed to you at precise intervals throughout the day so you are never bored and never have to think about what to do next. I would never say this out loud though as I realize that most of the U.S. population considers it the quintessential family trip. “We’ve just always wanted to come to Belize” I finally replied hoping to avoid offending anyone. The fact is, I’m sure the girls would like Disney just fine, but I’m confident they’re going to love the next eight days even more. I know I will.

It’s dark by the time desert is served and the girls are ready for bed. We excuse ourselves and head back to the cabana. Sometime between coming up for dinner and the sun going down, all of the tiki-torches lining the path which winds through Caves Branch had been lit. Once again, the place looks like something from a movie. Everyone is exhausted. All four of us are sharing a single room lit by only a kerosene lamp. It’s not even 9:00pm, and as I drift to sleep, I have a feeling this will be the first of many early nights for us here at Caves Branch.

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