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Published: December 19th 2011
Horseback Riding
Donna, Terreance (our guide) and myself.Today is Monday, December 19th.............a day of rest. I'm going to back up a couple of days to Saturday when Jim, Donna, Dave and I left for the mainland. We took a short, easy flight from San Pedro to Belize City, where we were met by our guide, Jovan Pascascio from Belize Jungle Trek, (
www.belizejungletrek.com). We found Jovan through his website, and highly recommend his tour services to anyone coming to Belize. Our itinerary included horsebacking riding through the jungle for the girls and an ATV ride through the jungle for the guys. We travelled by van from Belize City aproximately and hour and a half to the center of Belize. Jovan kept us informed of our surroundings the entire way, which made the trip seem so fast and easy. Here I must apologize to our horseback riding guide Terrance, as we didn't get the name of the stable, but I will say it was such an enjoyable and informative ride as Terrance kept us up to date on the local flora and fauna, and it's healing properties. I think I could get lost in the jungle (for a little while) and be able to survive, knowing what is and isn't
Cave Branch River Grill
Were we had the most delicious Belizian lunch. edible and what to use for burises, cuts, burns etc. My horse Goldie was fast and alert, Donna's not so much. Blondie it seems didn't want to be ridden that day, and all but laid down once or twice. Nonetheless, it was a very fun time. As promised Jovan and the guys were waiting when we returned, to take us to our next adventure Cave Tubing at the Cave Branch River. However, before tubing Jovan treated us to a buffet lunch of local Belizean food. I don't know if we were that hungry or the food was just that good, but we all ate our fill. It was delicious! We were met by Jovan's partner Dion (Rasta-Man) for this part of the tour. What an amazing guy! He seemed to take a personal interest in each one of us, and quickly learned our strengths and weaknesses, always there to lend a hand. So begin our mile walk through jungle and caves to begin our tubing journey. During the walk, Jovan kept us informed of our surroundings, and took us to points of interest along the way. We went inside caves, saw bats in the ceiling, took pictures, and of course
Dion (Rasta-Man)
There will never be a dull moment on any tour when Rasta Man is there to help. Informative, funny and caring. were entertained by Rasta-Man's colorful personality. The end of our trail brought us to an easy staircase down to a landing, where we literally plunked into our tubes. Jungle Trek Tours doesn't have your run of the mill truck/tire tubes. Jovan has purchased large, strong, durable tubes that keep all but your butt cheeks out of the water. Butts up! is a familiar cry when the river is low, insuring you don't scrape your butt on the bottom. However with the high profile tubes, we only had to Butt's Up! a couple of times. The trip down the river was relaxing, fun, and most of all amazingly beautiful. We had such a great time and I cannot say enough about our guides. We did absolutely nothing, but sit back and relax. Dion paddled and steered, Jovan kept us all together, pointed out things to see, and made sure we got safely in and out of the water. It was one of many of the highpoints of our trip thus far. Jovan then drove us back to Belmopan where we stayed at the Bull Frog Inn (again part of the tour) for the night, and he and Dion picked us up
Jovan Pascascio
Owner of Jungle Trek Tours, and probably one of the kindest, smartest young men we have every met. He truly cares about his customers and treats you like a friend. at 7:30 the next morning for the tour of Xunantunich (pronounced shoe-nan-tunich) Ruins. First they treated us to breakfast from one of the local street vendors. By far it was the best breakfast burrito any of us had ever had, and the orange juice was like crack cocaine. You wanted more and more. Fresh squeezed, and so sweet and delicious, we could have drank a gallon each. The trip to Xunantunich was about an hour, through absolutely beautiful countryside. In no time we arrived at the twin towns of St. Ignacio and St. Elana, which are approximately 6 miles from the village of San Jose De Succotz and the hand cranked ferry that takes you to the ruins. When I say hand crancked, I mean a man turns a crank that operates a pulley system that brings you and your vehicle across the Mopan River. We met another of Jovan's associates Dino on the other side of the river and he was our guide through the ruins. Dino is a Maya descendant and is like a walking encylopedia of anything Maya. I could write for days about the ruins, but honestly it is something you must feel and experience for
Patty and Dion
There were sticks and rocks in the ceiling of the caves, evidence of recent flooding. yourself. It is a surreal feeling to visit a "village" where an entire civilizati on lived from approximately 400 B.C. to 1,100 A.D. and must be done with reverance and respect. Dino and Dion took Donna, Jim and myself to the top of the El Castillo temple which is the main pyramid at the ruins. It is 130' from the bottom to the top, the second largest pyramid in Belize. I cannot lie, it is a steep climb to the top, but each level offers a exciting new look of the countryside as well as the ruins below. From the top, you can see the border between Guatamala and Belize, which is only a few miles from the ruins. If the going up was tough, Donna will attest to the fact that the going down was harder. Afraid of heights, Dion was a lifeline for her downward trek. I did better than I expected too as I'm not fond of heights either, and Jim went up and down like a mountain goat. All too soon our time with Dino was over, probably not for him as I think I asked a million questions, but soon we were on our way
Trekking up the Trail
On our way to the caves. back to Belize City. On the way back we stopped just out side St. Ignacio for a delicious lunch again of local cuisine. When I say local cuisine, the Belizian's eat a lot of chicken, rice and beans, plantains, etc. It is very, very good and a diet that would be easy to be on! We made our way back to the city 2:30 after Jovan took us by the only prison in Belize. Someplace you really don't want to do the time for the crime. The prisoners get two meals a day, Monday-Friday both consisting of bread, water and a piece of cheese. On Sunday they get a little meat with rice and beans. Interstingly enough he didn't say what Saturday's menu consisted of, and I'm not sure I want to know. The facility is delapitated at best, with a fence separating the mens quarters from the womens. Every inmate must work in the fields where they tend the vegetables and fruits that grow on the property. I think Jovan took us by there because I had such an interest and so many questions regarding their judicial system. But here I digress....... All too soon, we were saying goodbye
The "Beginning"
The landing where we plunked into our tubes, butt first. to Dave and Donna who had a 4:45 flight out of Belize back to Tacoma. Jovan and Dion then took Jim and I to the municipal airport to catch our 15 minute flight back to Ambergris. We arrived home tired, but totally thrilled with our experience on the mainland. Again, we credit the entire trip to Jovan, Dion, Dino and Jungle Trek Tours, and thank them from the bottom of our hearts for showing us such a wonderful time.
**Be sure to click on the Photo's tab below to view all the pictures from our Jungle Trek Tours Adventure. wwww.belizejungletrek.com
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