Our first vacation day started with the alarm going off. Wtf? But it was for a good reason – today’s adventure was zip lining and cave tubing which meant a long drive into the jungle. We grabbed breakfast and had our briefing then it was off in the van with Simon our driver, two newly weds from Connecticut (they got married at the resort on Saturday) and a young couple from South Dakota. About two hours and one obligatory “bathroom” (read: souvenir) stop later, we arrived at the Nohoch Che’en site where the adventure awaited.
We got our helmets and harnesses fitted and then it was off to hike up through the jungle to the first platform. The “baby” run is first and we did the short line quite easily. Then the climbing began. We ran through 6 lines including one more than 1000 feet long across the Caves Branch river. (Pictures forthcoming) It was amazing, spectacular, and so much fun. Even the part where I apparently braked too soon and had to haul myself up to the final platform backwards. Of course that was where the photographer was situated. So I don’t have evidence of the 5 perfect landings I made just the one where I look like an idiot. Such is life. 😑
Then it was on to the next adventure- cave tubing. This required a 25 hike through the jungle to the beginning of the cave system where the river had tunneled through the limestone to form amazing caverns and stone formations. We spent the better part of a an hour floating through cool darkness before emerging into the sunshine for a final float to where lunch was waiting for us ![](https://cannonfamilytravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/img_0224.jpg?w=500)
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Barbecue chicken, cole slaw and Belizean rice and beans hit the spot. So far I have had no trouble finding GF options. The resort staff have been fantastic. Because it’s so small, they go out of their way to get to know everyone and greet them by name. Sandier generally serves us at the restaurant ( no buffet here) and makes sure that everything I order is okay for me to eat. And they sent snacks on the tour with us: everyone else got cookies and I had a big container of fresh fruit. Yum.
Then back to the van for the long ride home. Simon treated us to a running monologue of Belizean history and culture: independence from Britain and the change from British Honduras, how Belmopan became the capital after Belize City was repeated devastated by hurricanes, the four main ethnicities found in Belize, a primer on their educational system, etc.
we arrived back in time for a few drinks (caiperismo is now my fave) and a walk on the beach before showering for dinner. Tonight’s delight was steak and garlic potatoes for me and curried shrimp for Frank. We brought a bottle of wine with us so we had some Anthony Road Cab Franc-Lemberger blend with dinner. One interesting thing about this resort is that local drinks are included but imports you need to pay for separately. There doesn’t seem to be any local wine so we brought some and bought a couple of bottles at the duty free in the airport. Good thing too because the local shop is charging $35BZD ($17.50USD) for Gato Negro which we get at Lisa’s Liquor Barn in Penfield for $2 a bottle after rebate.
We picked a few lounge chairs and gazed up at the amazing display of stars for a while. Orion was very visible as were several other constellations. A few games of cards and then off to bed. Another plus for us about this place: no rocking nightlife. It has never been our thing and it’s really nice to be somewhere with a chill “it’s okay to go to bed early” vibe. Not that we need to rest up for anything as tomorrow’s plan is do nothing on the beach all day.