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Joined: Apr 2004
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Needless to say, we slept in this morning. We had been going for 3 days straight and needed a little rest. Today, I think we were up around 7am. Darren went and got coffee for himself and juice for me and we sat outside talking, watching the birds, and listening to the Macal River. Around 8:00am we headed down for breakfast. Today was the day Rogelio was leaving for Guatemala. His taxi was coming to pick him up around 8:15am. We had all become fast friends, so we wanted to make sure we saw him before he left. When Rogelio saw us he came right over and we chatted until it was time for him to leave.

Darren and Rogelio

Well wishes for he and his family were given and hugs (and a kiss for me laugh ) were exchanged. As Rogelio was getting ready to leave, Darren slipped him a tip for helping to make our stay at Black Rock a wonderful one. From the look on Rogelio's face, I don't think he was expecting that.

Darren had is usual pancakes, bacon, eggs, and orange juice for US $9, and I had another one of those yummy cheese omelets and orange juice for US $5. I wasn't really feeling well this morning. My throat and head were hurting and I had a really bad cough. I was already feeling a little sick before I left the states and I think being in the water all day the day before brought it back on. Luckily, I had brought some medicine just in case, so after breakfast I loaded up on it.

During breakfast we were treated to some impromptu birding. The birds were coming to the tree right in front of the dining area and Wim pointed them all out to us. We saw Toucans, Toucanettes, Hummingbirds, Black-headed Trogans, and some I can't remember.

Black-headed Trogan at Black Rock

Toucanette at Black Rock

What a wonderful day! Beautiful day, cool breeze, good food, great conversation, and beautiful scenery! It can't get any better than this! After breakfast, Darren and I try to decide what we're going to do today. Wim suggests hiking to the Summit behind Black Rock or going to Vaca Falls either by horseback or by hiking and tubing back. Wait! Don't I remember someone on the boards saying that some of the rapids can throw you out of your tube?!?!? And what about that waterfall right out front of the dining area?

Close up of waterfall outside of dining area

Sure the picture makes it look small because Darren zoomed in on it but those of you who've stayed at Black Rock know the one I'm talking about. I have no desire to go over that thing in a tube as I'm sure I'll get thrown out and drown. Now don't get me wrong, if I have to drown, this sure is a beautiful place for it to happen but I'm not quite ready for that yet. Wim tells us that there is a turn off before you get to that waterfall. We'll see a big sign on a rock that says "Black Rock" with an arrow pointing to the left and "Waterfall" with an arrow pointing to the right. Just get out of the water at that turnoff. Some people continue on so they can go over the waterfall and if we'd like we can�..NO THANK YOU! We'll head for the turnoff. Wim smiles and tells us a story about a lady of about 58 (?) who with about 5 of her friends tubed back down the Macal and decided they wanted to go over the big waterfall. Right before the waterfall she got caught in the "wash" to the right and kept going round and round and round in circles. She tried and tried to paddle herself out but she just couldn't. She was the only one who didn't make it over the falls so she was stuck going round and round and round. Soon she had a crowd up at the dining area who were looking down at her. Finally after about 20 minutes, her friends came back and saved her. They had to take a branch and push her out of the "wash". GRRRREEEAAT! Nice story Wim! Right before we head down in our tubes.

We walk out of the dining area and Wim points to The Summit. It looks a little daunting and Darren and I are a little tired so we opt for hiking up to Vaca Falls and tubing back even though Wim assures us it's only about an hour hike to the Summit. Still, no thank you, I'll deal with the rapids. Tubing back down the Macal River sounds nice and relaxing and the hike sounds refreshing as I'm looking forward to getting back into the jungle after our trek with Patrick yesterday. We head back to our cabana to don swimsuits while Wim readies the tubes for us. We decide to take our dry bag with our camera, bottled water, snacks, insect repellent, alcohol swabs, and band-aids.

Back at the dining area, Wim has our tubes ready. This trip cost us US $26 plus taxes or fees or whatever it is that they add on. It would have been a little bit more if we had taken a guide but we didn't think we would need a guide. Wim shows us the map and tells us how to get to Vaca Falls. He also tells us that there is a place for us to leave our tubes while we go up to Vaca Falls since you don't actually tube all the way from Vaca Falls. Chantal walks up and tells us that at a certain point the trail is on private property so we may encounter some cows, so just be forewarned. Also, when we think we can't go any further, keep going. Ok, sounds good to us. We grab our tubes and we're off!

The hike to Vaca Falls is quite pleasant. We have to pass through 3 (?) gates. The gates are locked so you have to squeeze past the posts on the sides, hand your tubes over, and then the other person can squeeze through. At one point we notice a sandy area down by the river. We wonder if this is where we're supposed to leave our tubes. We finally decide that this isn't the place, so we trek on. After a while we come to a sign that says "Black Rock" with an arrow pointing back the way we had come and "Vaca Falls" with an arrow pointing straight ahead. The path ahead of us is barely visible and extremely tight, we decide that we should have left our tubes back at that sandy area as it doesn't appear that we can continue with them, so we lay our tubes down on the side of the path and continue on without them. Here it seems we really have entered the jungle. The bush closes in all around us. I take the lead and keep my eyes slightly ahead of me on the trail looking for snakes. Btw, check out that tan laugh . When I arrived in Belize I was paler than a baby seahorse. I only wished it were warmer back home so I could show it off once I got back. Oh well, I'll have to plan a summer trip!

Nikki on the trail to Vaca Falls

Darren lets me stay in the lead mostly because I'm the lady but also because he knows I grew up playing in the woods at my Grandparent's house and I somewhat know what to look for on the trails. The hike IS refreshing. We talk, laugh, and take in the scenery. After awhile the trail appears to go in two directions. One seems to go straight ahead and the other goes down a small hill and takes a sharp turn. Darren looks at me for help, the straight trail seems to lead into dense jungle. The second one also seems to lead into dense jungle but there's something about it that seems right and traveled. I settle on the second one and off we go. At the bend at the bottom of the hill we have to cross the cutest little stream ever!

Stream on the way to Vaca Falls

Darren at the stream on the way to Vaca Falls

Notice the dry bag strap around Darren's head. He saw Patrick doing it and decided he would try to be a bushman in training :rolleyes: .

Nikki at the stream on the way to Vaca Falls

And yes, I'm actually drinking the water, which, by the way, was some of the best water I've ever tasted.

Onward to Vaca Falls! The trail dumps us out into an open sandy area that appears to be the end of the trail. We look in all directions but can't seem to find where the trail continues, if it does at all. To the left, there seems to be a small trail but I'm not sure. Then I notice the cow tracks and how the branches on the trees are broken and I tell Darren I think it's a cow path to the river, i.e. "not for us". We spend about 5 minutes searching for a trail and then I notice horse hooves and dung. I tell Darren we should follow that. Since there is a horseback riding tour to Vaca Falls, it stands to reason that the tracks and dung will lead us back to the trail. Sure enough, we find the trail. Darren smiles and tells me he's amazed at me. He didn't know I had those kind of instincts. I think of Sherlock Holmes and tell him "Elementary my dear Darren." laugh Awhile later, I see the cows before Darren does and I instantly start to map out what we need to do should we run across "The Man" again. As I start to turn around to tell Darren this, he says "There are those damn cows!" I can tell from the expression on his face that he's not thrilled about running into them. I tell him not to worry and present him with our game plan should "The Man" present himself. As far as I can see there are only two medium sized cows and they are completely blocking the path. We keep walking toward them but they're not moving. Darren starts to get mad at them and calls them all kind of heifers laugh . After I stop laughing, I grab a stick and walk towards them hitting the ground with it and telling them "Move cow. Come on." Darren laughs at me and then stops. It actually worked! The cows move to the side of the path. I knew it worked for our cows back home but I didn't know it would work here! Cool! Finally we reach an area with a sign that says "Tubing back to Black Rock" or something like that. Darren and I look at each other and laugh. We shrug our shoulders and retrace our steps to go get our tubes. It didn't take long and about 15 minutes later we were back with our tubes. We dropped them off by the sign and kept hiking. Here the path became almost non-existent but we pushed on.

Darren on the trail to Vaca Falls

Can you see the trail? Neither could we. Finally the trail came to a point where you couldn't go any further as rocks blocked the path. I remembered Chantal saying, when you think you can't go any further, keep going. I started to climb over the rocks, Darren followed and there before us was Vaca Falls.

Vaca Falls

Darren at Vaca Falls

Nikki at Vaca Falls

It was beautiful! We climbed and climbed until we actually made our way over into the midst of the falls. There we sat for awhile and just took in the scenery. It was definitely worth the hike! From there we decided to climb over the rocks towards the back of the falls as far and as safely as we could. It seemed like we could have gone on for quite a ways but we decided to stop and take a seat. We both laid out on the rocks and listened to the falls. Hoping we would see some animals as they came down for a drink. We never did. After awhile we decided to head back to our tubes. The hike back was pretty uneventful. Once back at the tubes, Darren got me strapped into my life vest that Black Rock had provided. By the looks of it, I could probably do a better job saving myself without the life vest. The river looked wide AND deep. I was a little nervous but in I went. I kept telling myself that if I did fall out of the tube, the key was not to panic. As soon as I felt myself falling out of the tube I needed to hold my breath and try to get back to the top and if worse came to worse, lie on my back and float. Once in the water, we didn't seem to be moving at all. So we began to paddle ourselves but soon enough we were close enough to the middle that the current swept us away. This was EXCELLENT! Slow, leisurely float. This is my kind of thing! I began to relax to the point that I stretched out as best as I could on the float with my head hanging back in the water. Once Darren saw I had relaxed he began to relax as well. We laughed and floated. {sigh} I wish we could live life like this always. Then I heard the sound of coming rapids. I was ready for them though and as we approached I promptly got stuck on a rock. Great! Finally I was able to wiggle myself free and I was off. It was actually fun! And I didn't fall off the tube! Hey, this might be OK after all! As we float lazily down the Macal River, we scan the trees and bank for any signs of animals but none are to be seen, at least to our eyes. As we approach the second set of rapids, I'm actually looking forward to it. This one is a little bigger drop than the last but still loads of fun, until I turn around and see Darren's tube but no Darren. I start to panic. I can't see him anywhere. Then all of a sudden his head pops up close to me. He's a really good swimmer but there's concern in his eyes and he appears to be struggling against a really strong current. I instantly start to pray for strength and to know what I should do. I turn over on my stomach on my tube and paddle towards him as hard as I can. When I get close enough I reach out to him and pull him over to my tube so he can hang on to the side. I can tell he's exhausted from fighting the current but he hands me the dry bag with the camera (thank goodness for the dry bag) and swims for his tube. He finally catches up to it and gets back on. I catch up to him and right myself on my tube. I look at him and he smiles and tries to tell me he's OK but my fun time is over and all I want to do is get back on dry ground. We float for awhile as he holds my hand and tries to reassure me that he's OK. Finally I give in and start to relax again, until I hear the sound of more rapids ahead. These are actually more fun than any of the others. They're a series of rapids that kind of go on and on. No drops, just bouncing. We hit a few more rapids along the way and then I start to hear an enormous roar. I look around and realize that I can see cabanas and the landscape looks familiar. And THEN I realize we're all the way on the opposite side of the river. I began to paddle like mad to get to the other side. There's no way in HELL I'm going over that waterfall! If I have to get off this d*&*mn tube and SWIM to the other side I will. Darren is laughing so hard he can't even paddle. I start to get an attitude with him because he should be helping me get back to the other side. Then he points out that we haven't seen the sign yet so there's no need to panic. I point out, in an impatient tone, that the sign might not be as clearly marked as we think and maybe we've already passed it and I've already had one scare too many. All of a sudden the sign comes into view. I start to panic again because I'm in the middle of the river. WAY too far to make the turnoff. But then the river starts to gently sweep us towards the sign and into the rocks on the bank. We get out, get our tubes, and start looking for the path back to Black Rock. We can see our cabana and the dining area but no way to get there. So far during this whole trip I never worried about animals, but now I was concerned. The grass/reeds were high and the area was muddy and swampy with lots of dead/dying vegetation and logs. Prime area for snakes, poisonous ones. This is the one area where I think Black Rock could have done a better job. If this is an area where tubers are to exit the river and walk back to Black Rock, then a path should be cleared here. And maybe it normally is but while we were there it wasn't. I tell Darren we have to be extremely careful and we start to make our way through. I can barely see my feet through the grass. Finally we reach a gate and are able to squeeze through. Here the path opens up a little bit more. Just when we think we must have passed the path leading up to Black Rock, we see stairs in the distance that lead up a hill to the dining area. At the top of the stairs there is an area where you can wash off the mud and dirt. We put our tubes down and head for the dining area to see if we've missed lunch or not. Of course, we've missed it again but Chantal says they can whip us up something if we'd like. We decline as we're the ones who are late and we don't want to put the staff through any extra trouble since this isn't actual lunch time. We sit down to have a couple of Belikins and to look at our pictures when a few minutes later Chantal comes out with the most scrumptious lemon cake I have ever tasted. She sits one in front of each of us and says "On the house." and winks at us. Yummy! As we eat our cake, we learn from Chantal that the other guests (Robert, Jeff, and Mary) are unhappy with the quality of their meals and Robert has confronted the chef to let him know it and that they prefer to eat elsewhere. The chef is now concerned that we aren't enjoying our meals either and wants to know what he can do better. We ask to see the chef and assure him that we are happy with the quality of our meals and that everything has been absolutely delicious. I am being completely honest when I say this. IMHO the meals at Black Rock were great. The only qualm I had with the meals is that they didn't consist of any local dishes. It had absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the meals. He is really happy and tells us he has a special treat for us tonight (the other guests have opted not to have dinner at Black Rock so we will be the only ones). Now I'm really excited! We decide we're going to head back to the cabana to dry off and relax a little. On the way back to our cabana we bump into Wim and tell him we had a great time except for when Darren fell out of the tube. We chat for awhile and then head on. Back in the cabana, as I'm getting dry clothes out of my backpack, I see a rather large spider on the wall RIGHT in front of me. I back away slowly and ask Darren to get it. I've seen so many spiders on this trip that I'm becoming desensitized to them, although I still don't want them on me eek . Believe it or not, we actually lie down for a nap.

When we wake up we decide to head down to the bar for a couple of drinks before dinner. Tomorrow is our last day at Black Rock and we need to touch base with Chantal as she hasn't been able to get in touch with her friend to take us to Tikal. Chantal's friend, Roberto, will only take us to the border where we can catch a collectivo to Tikal. We had mentioned to Patrick during our tour yesterday that we were going to Tikal and he offered to pick us up from Black Rock and take us all the way to Tikal AND give us a tour. We really REALLY wanted Patrick to take us but also thought it unfair to Roberto and once Patrick found out about Roberto he agreed. He did say that since Roberto would only take us to the border, he (Patrick) could meet us at the border and take us the rest of the way. He gave us his card and told us to give him a call if we needed him. We order a few drinks and ask Chantal about Roberto. She still hasn't been able to get in touch with him and she's terribly upset and sorry about it. She says she will call a taxi for us that will take us to the border. We ask if she wouldn't mind calling Patrick for us (since we didn't have a phone) and she says "No problem!" Unfortunately we weren't able to get in touch with Patrick. I was SO disappointed. Chantal went ahead and set up a taxi for us though so we were good to go. A little before dinner Chantal tells us that we have another couple coming in. They have rented a car and are driving to Black Rock...at night. They have just left San Ignacio. We tell her we don't mind waiting a little while for dinner if they are on their way. So we sit and talk about how much we've all enjoyed each other's company. About an hour later the new couple arrives. I think the guy's name was Matt. I can't remember the lady's name. They apologize over and over again for making us wait on them and we tell them that we chose to wait so it's no big deal. This is Darren's first contact with the outside world so all he wants to know is if the Philadelphia Eagles won their game on Sunday and did the Steelers beat the Pats. When we find out the Eagles are still undefeated, the Eagles chant is given and we head for the tables.

Sometime during the day, Wim and the kitchen staff find out that Darren LOVES spicy food even though he has the worst stomach ever known to man confused so they give him the tiniest little pepper I have ever seen. I can't remember the name of it but they said it really packs a punch. The little thing was about the size of a fingernail and Darren eats it and proclaims that it does pack a punch but nothing he can't handle :rolleyes: . Another one is given to him and he eats this one as well but I notice he's sucking on Belikins like they're going out of style so the little pepper must be hot, he just doesn't want to let on how hot it is. Then a huge red habanero pepper is brought out and a gentlemen's bet is on as to whether Darren can handle the whole pepper. Darren accepts the challenge and the pepper is taken back into the kitchen to be prepared and presented to Darren at dinner. My memory of exactly what we had for dinner this night is a little fuzzy (hence, the name fuzzy_navel) as I consumed a few too many Belikins along with a Margarita, my first Panty Ripper, and a shot of One Barrel Rum. I was on a roll tonight! I can't remember what the soup or salad or dessert was, but I do remember it was really good. The main course was some type of smothered pork chop with mashed potatoes and some of the yummiest veggies ever. Man, that pork chop was good! We all raved about it! Seconds of everything were brought out and offered to everyone. And then Darren's pepper was brought out on its own little plate. Everyone is watching him and even the staff comes out to watch this. Darren takes a bite, chews, smiles, and then takes another bite. He pretty much eats the whole pepper and applause is given all around. I don't have my camera but Wim takes a picture of Darren and what's left of the pepper and promises to send me a copy. Darren admits that it is REALLY hot and I have a feeling that I'm going to be up all night with him. Matt and his lady turn in early as they've had a really long day. Darren and I decide to spend some time with Wim and Chantal since this will be our last night together. We talk, laugh, drink, and have a great time. Finally we decide to turn in for the night. We packed earlier before our nap but we still need to get to bed to sleep off all the liquor we just drank.

Right as I'm getting ready to get into bed, I notice a large spidery shadow on the wall but I can't determine where it's coming from. Finally I spot this nice little fellow on the window slat right above the head of the bed.

Say Hello To My Little Friend

Darren gets a glass and a piece of paper and goes after it. I'm thoroughly freaked out now. Seeing a spider right above where I have to lay my head has done a job on me. I know there were probably many more in the cabana but I didn't SEE them. I SAW this one and it was right above where my head would have been, meaning that it had easy jumping access to my face. When Darren catches it in the glass I venture a look at it. Have I seen my first tarantula? We decide to take it back up to Wim to find out what it is. Halfway up the path, we meet Wim and he has the most serious of looks on his face. We're all excited and tell him we were just coming to see him. He looks at us and says he was just on his way to our cabana. We had received a call on the radio. Someone asking me to call my Dad. The smile fades, the stomach cramps, and my whole world seems to crash and burn right before me. I'm looking at Wim but I can hear Darren on the side of me saying "Please God, no." over and over gain. I'm the calm and rational one in our relationship and I realize I need to take control of this situation no matter what I'm feeling right now. I tell Darren to calm down, there's no need of jumping to conclusions until we know what's going on but inside I'm all tore up. I want to cry already but I know that's premature. The only thing I can think of is my Mom. I love the rest of my family dearly and it would definitely hurt if something happened to them but my Mom and I are joined at the hip, heart, lungs, and everything else. We've been through a lot together, good and bad we've always toughed it out together, and if something has happened to her I don't know what I'll do. Wim says the person on the phone was a lady and that he could hear a man's voice in the background. The lady asked to speak with the people in cabana #12. Wim explained to her that there weren't any phones at the lodge and asked if they could call back in about 5 minutes and they would go get us. So we hustle back to the bar area all the while trying to come up with who it could be that was calling us and why. At the bar area Chantal is waiting and she looks at us with sympathy, not knowing what to say. She and Wim sit close to us with the most worried looks on their faces. I tell them not to worry we'll find out what's going on soon enough and if someone has passed away there's nothing we can do about it. I try to sound brave in order to calm everyone else down. We wait for what seems like forever and during this time we're able to rule out that it's my Mom because my Dad (or stepdad even though I call him Dad) wouldn't know how to call international so he would have had to get his daughter to call us and she would NEVER tell me to call MY Dad. She would say to call HER Dad back. So something being wrong with my Mom is ruled out. That leaves my biological Dad. He wouldn't know how to call international either and would have to have one of my sisters call, which would explain the "call your Dad" part and the lady on the phone with a man in the background. The only thing I can think of now is my Grandmother, she will be 92 in December and has been having some problems with her legs. Finally the radio comes on and Wim and Chantal usher us into the kitchen and tell us how to use the radio and that we only have 3 minutes because it's a radio. A lady's voice comes on that I don't recognize and asks to speak with the people in cabana #12, a Nikki. I tell her this is Nikki and I hear her say hold on. I can see Wim and Chantal silently leaving the kitchen area to give us our privacy. My Dad, biological, comes on and says "Hello?" "Hi Dad. We only have 3 minutes because there aren't any phones here in the jungle and we're on a radio line. What's going on (cautiously)?" "Nothing. How are ya'll doin' lil' un?" "DAD! I THOUGHT SOMEONE WAS DEAD! (angry and exasperated)" "Awwwwwww Naw! I meant to call you all before you left Charlotte but I didn't get a chance. Ya'll made it safely? How's Darren doing?" At this point I'm redder and hotter than that habanero pepper. Darren throws his arm around me in relief and tells me to calm down, he doesn't know any better. Darren chats with him for a second while I collect myself. My Dad says he just wanted to know we made it safely and for us to give him a call when we return. We hang up. I look at Darren and start to laugh and cry at the same time. Too many pent up emotions on top of all that liquor I had earlier. It only lasts a few seconds and then Wim and Chantal are back. They look at us worriedly as I'm crying. We explain to them what just happened and they look back at us shocked and then we all start laughing. Darren and I apologize over and over again and try to explain that my family are just small town people who've never really been anywhere other than Georgia and Florida and they don't know how things work other places. Wim actually hugs me as I think they're relieved as well and says "Drinks on the house!" We sit at the bar and laugh about the whole matter. "Can I speak to the people in cabana #12?" Like they can just hit a button and transfer the call. I'm sure we'll be the topic of conversation around the Black Rock dinner table for many years to come "Remember that time....", but they're my family and I love them. I'm pretty well lit by now and am in need of some major sleep so we head in. I had forgotten about the spider until we returned to the cabana. I asked Darren to pull the bed further away from the window towards the middle of the room, but I still didn't sleep good that night. Actually the first night I DIDN'T have a good nights sleep. Too much drama!

Coming soon: Tuesday, November 2nd - Day 5: Journey To Tikal

Link To All Pictures From Day 4

My humble thoughts on our stay at Black Rock: I know you all have heard me say that next time I want to stay in San Ignacio. Please don't think that means I don't want to stay at Black Rock again! In fact, I would like to stay a couple of days in town and then a couple of days at Black Rock. Black Rock is an unbelievably rustic, quaint, little place with loads of charm, and Wim, Chantal and the staff only serve to enhance that charm. Staying at Black Rock is like being in your own little section of heaven. Darren and I discussed if we would like the place better or less if there were more people there. We finally decided there were pros and cons to both. During our stay there, we were the only ones other than Robert, Jeff, and Mary and at the end Matt and his lady and we really enjoyed the time we spent with the staff at Black Rock. Then again with more people staying there you could split the cost of the tours and you would have more people to hang out with at the bar although Wim and Chantal were always more than willing to join us at the bar. The accommodations could be as rustic as you wanted them to be or just a little rustic if you couldn't quite go all the way. Our cabana was meticulously clean and tidy. The food, to us, was great. The tours and some of the drinks were a little pricey to us. If I remember correctly, the Belikins were US $2.50 a bottle and drinks such as Pina Coladas, Margaritas, and Panty Rippers were between US $5-$6. There was no need to carry around cash or credit cards. A tab was kept and then everything totaled up at the end of your stay. Also just a heads up for those that don't care for dogs, there are dogs on the property at Black Rock and they are free to come and go as they please. I think there are 3 German Shepards and a Sheep Dog, Brock. Wim and Chantal told us they do occasionally get guests who don't really care for dogs so I thought I would throw that in just in case. Darren is really picky about the places he stays in. He doesn't mind if it's rustic but it must be clean and he had no problems at ALL with Black Rock. In fact, he said he LOVED it. On our next trip we decided we would definitely rent a phone at the airport as there were times we really wanted to get in touch with Patrick and didn't want to ask Wim or Chantal to radio him for us and there was one time we needed to check on our transportation to our hotel on AC (more on that later). Also we decided we would definitely rent a car next time. We didn't rent a car this time because we sit in traffic at home all the time and didn't want to be bothered with a car on vacation. Now we wished we had for many reasons: (1) To do some of the tours on our own and (2) so we could have seen more of the country. I see what everyone meant now when they said you're REALLY limited without a car.

Joined: Feb 2004
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Once again, I've enjoyed every line and photo in your report....MEMORIES!!

Joined: Apr 2000
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I agree.... your trip reports are really great. It seems half your trip was note-taking. laugh

I bet you could submit your trip report to a travel mag and get it published. eek

Joined: Oct 2003
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Enjoying every moment of your report. One question, though...where's da rest? frown Have the holidays got you tied up? wink

Joined: Apr 2004
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Yeah, the holidays slowed me down a little. If I wasn't so long winded I'd have this whole trip wrapped up by now. Or maybe I'm just purposely trying to stretch it out so I don't have to give up the dream just yet. laugh

Joined: Oct 2003
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You just keep on being long winded! It's a great way to relive the trip but I'll warn ya...writing the last day is hard. laugh Streeetttchh and live the dream! wink

Joined: Nov 2004
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Fuzzy navel, I too am really enjoying your trip. My husband and I are headed to the cayo the beginning of January. We have rented a car and were worried we would not be able to explore safely without a guide but your adventures have kind of given us a heads up on where to venture alone and where not. We plan to visit every place you have seen. They all sound great. One thing, how would we get in touch with Patrick?
We want to go to Tikal (can't wait for that report, could you get on with it?) and the caves and would love to have him as our guide. Again, can't wait for your report on Tikal! SuzyQ

Joined: May 2000
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You can book Patrick through me (for no extra charge) or you can call him directly 011-501-606-7714. You can email him as well at [email protected] but he hardly ever replies. if you email him, best to follow up with a call a few days later. I know he is already booked for 8-12 January.

Joined: Apr 2004
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SuzyQ - I'm glad you're enjoying the reports. I put a "Rush" on the Tikal report just for you wink . I would definitely feel safe renting a car and doing the tours on my own in Belize. Not Tikal though. I wouldn't want the hassle or responsibility of a car going there. And only certain rental companies allow their cars to be taken into Guatemala and then I think you have to have your own insurance or something like that. Too much for vacation! I really hope Patrick isn't booked. He is a blast!


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