Steve & Karen

The day Valerie and Jack left, Steve and Karen from the UK came in to stay with us for a few days. Tom picked them up at the International Airport, and their flight was early enough that they had time for a stop for cave tubing. Although they were married a few months ago, this was their honeymoon trip because with their jobs, this was the best time for them to travel.


They spent their first full day here horseback riding with Joe. They toured Joe’s caves, and then made the trek to Big Rock, which they really enjoyed. The horses were good, the weather was good, and they had a great day. They came back here to a party, because Gonzo had taken Lauren and two other guests from San Ignacio to Offering Cave, so there were nine of us for dinner. This gave us time to plan the next day for Steve and Karen, when they were scheduled for kayaking.

But things never seem to work quite according to plan, although everything always works out. Steve and Karen had asked for details on what they were doing that day, and we’d said we couldn’t really say, because things don’t always happen according to schedule. And, because Gonzo had arrived back in San Ignacio so late after having dinner here, he didn’t know until the next morning that the kayaking plans had changed, and what was going to be a kayak trip in the Mopan with Link turned into a full day canoe trip in the Macal with Tony, with a stop at the Chaa Creek Butterfly Farm. That, however, was fine with Steve and Karen, and they got to see a few things they wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Steve also took an unexpected swim as he leaned out of the canoe for a look at some wildlife, but nothing that could be ruined by water got wet, so all was well. Tom had to work in Belize City that day so he took Becky to the airport, and that evening Gonzo and Lenny brought Steve and Karen back to the farm and stayed for dinner again. Our guests this week found that although we only have two rooms and you might expect small, intimate dinners under the palapa, it’s not unusual for people to show up around dinner time, and mixing with the locals and finding out what it’s like to grow up in Belize isn’t difficult to do here!

For their final full day, Karen and Steve went on a hike with Melvin to the base of an 800 foot waterfall. They had the same tour of the farms behind 7 Miles as Al and Kathleen, and they made it all the way to the waterfall. They also made really good time on the hike, and were back here by mid-afternoon, in time to have a beer with Melvin.

The next day I dropped them at the Guatemala border so they could spend a few days in Tikal before heading to the cayes to snorkel and dive. I had arranged for them to be transferred to Tikal by Hugo, with a stop along the way at the Yax Ha archeological site. Hugo met us on the Belize side of the border, grabbed Karen’s bag, and took them off to get through immigration and customs between Belize and Guatemala.