Travel Tuesdays...Belize

Have you ever been somewhere that you loved and hated all at the same time?  Belize is like that for me.  We've visited twice, and both times I had this underlying sense of being a very privileged white girl that didn't really get how blessed she is, but also fell in love with the country and the people.  It's a love/hate thing.  Who really wants to look in the face of their seriously blessed life and realize that you didn't realize just how good you have it?  Yeah.  No one.  And on the other hand, that same blessed white girl had the opportunity to talk to people who make me see the world differently.  That's how Belize affected me and probably why I haven't written about it sooner.

The main temple and worship courtyard.

Anyway, if you want to see some COOL Mayan ruins,  cruise the River Wallace, or see some majorly large cashew farms in Central America...Belize is the place!  Oh yeah, it's in the Caribbean, so they have pretty water and beaches, too.  As a bonus on those beaches, the second largest barrier reef in the world runs along the Belize coast.  National Geographic can NOT do it justice.  You really have to see it.  (the largest is, of course, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia)  Belize is essentially a scuba freaks small heaven.  Can I tell you that being underwater creeps me out? I like being at the top of the food chain, so when I'm potentially not, like in the ocean, I get postal.  Seriously.

There's rum in the Caribbean.  Yeah, I know. You're shocked.  Belize carries that tradition by having their 1st annual Sugar City Rum Festival in October of this year.  So, if you're looking to have a Mardi Gras in the Caribbean, here's your chance, people. 

The only warning about Belize, which is more likely overkill if you know anything about this region:  it's poor.  I mean, really poor.  The people don't have fancy anything and some of them do beg for your dollars.  For the most part, we found Belizeans to be our cup of tea. They are SO friendly and welcoming.  You're their largest income as a tourist, so get out there and meet them.  They WANT to please you and they WANT to talk to you.  Frankly, we enjoyed Belizean people as much as we enjoyed Belize.  We talked to some other privileged white folks and you'd think that anyone who isn't American is going to shoot you in the head.  Don't believe it.  They're just people who live in a 3rd world country.  It's not a disease, people.  It's just their circumstances.

We loved their joy, their beauty and their very unique culture that's a combination of Creole (I think they spell it Kriole), African, Spanish and European.  Queen Elizabeth is actually the "Queen of Belize", but the Prime Minister of Belize is the executive authority.  (there's your little history lesson for the day!!)

The pics:

The opening of the River Wallace. This tour is about 2 hours long, but ends at a restaurant called the Black Orchid. The BEST jerk chicken and beans and rice...EVER. 

Look at those root systems on those trees!!  Life will always find a way, huh?!

Altun Ha Mayan ruins

Altun Ha means "Water of the Rock". 

Possibly a sacrifice alter across from the King's home in the middle of the ruins.  Could also be a tribute to his dead wife.  The irony wasn't lost on me.

See those people on top of the alter?  Those are my people waving down at me!! It was 93 degrees in the middle of the jungle with 100% humidity...in JANUARY.  I was a total weenie and sat it out.  No regrets.  My kids thought it was the coolest thing ever that they could climb on these ruins, though.  It is, literally, surrounded by nothing but jungle.  It takes over an hour from the coast to reach this location.  It's worth it.

We plan to revisit Belize to see more historical sites, Caulker's Caye, cashew farms (did you know that the cashew is surrounded by a plant so poisonous that the fumes kill you?!), go cave tubing(this is on my bucket list!!) and their Amish. (yeah, they have Amish there, too!)  This is a place that pulls at your heart and affects you.  Belize has culture, history, political strife and people who are open and willing to really talk to you.  We love Belize and appreciate it deeply.  Go with an open heart and an open mind and you'll find that the world is huge and small...all at the same time.  Go live, people!! 

Travel Tuesdays....Jacksonville, Fla.

My typical destination of choice is more exotic than the locale we're visiting today, but Jacksonville made an impression on me and I wanted to share it with you.  We've visited this rather unexpected city many times, and each time I'm more and more impressed.  I'm not a fan of large(ish) cities and I'm not a fan of the hustle and bustle that accompany them.  Frankly, the average American city rarely impresses me as somewhere I'd encourage people to travel if they want to really discover new experiences, but Jacksonville just surprised me.  I hope she surprises you, as well.

The layout of this sea side town is extremely efficient and I am a fan of all things efficient.  The roads make sense, which always surprises me in a city larger than a thimble. If you don't understand what I mean, I encourage you to visit Washington D.C..  This is a city who's labyrinth of streets are as twisted as a single wide trailer caught in a Southern tornado of mammoth proportions. I digress.  Jacksonville has well laid out roads that are simple to understand and follow, and this is important!  We didn't get lost.  Not once.  For me, this created the initial opportunity to really enjoy the city and all it offers.  How much does Jacksonville offer?  Much, much more than you'd probably expect.

 Jacksonville Main Street is the center of a 44 square block area that has been undergoing a sort of rehab and preservation since 1999. Within this preservation of the history of Jacksonville, there's an active nightlife, the Landing, museums, an exceptional zoo and much more that we really felt offers something for everyone.  There's also the Main Street Bridge, also known as the John T. Alsop, Jr. Bridge, that creates spectacular night views from almost every downtown location. There's just something about a good view, isn't there?

There's a very laid back feel to Jacksonville that also impressed me.  The people weren't friendly in the way that many Southerners are friendly, but they have a vibe that gives the city a relaxed, easy feeling.  We enjoyed that and I think that you may, as well.

We had so many surprises in Jacksonville that I doubt I can cover them all, but here's a few highlights that you may be interested in:

1.  The Museum of Science and History in downtown Jacksonville.  This is an interactive museum that is referred to as the MOSH.  Our kids went wild for this place!  It's a hand-on dream of a museum with everything from anatomy, astronomy (with a planetarium!!), dinosaurs and fun physics lessons that are completely interactive!  They're open 7 days a week and the cost is 10 dollars for adults and only 8 dollars for kids.  You really can't beat this place for a fun, educational day.

2.  The zoo.  The Jacksonville Zoo is spectacular.  It's clean, well laid out and easily accessible.  All good things!  The silver back gorilla made me sad, but I'm still glad I went.  He's above spectacular, by the way.  He's regal and gorgeous.

3.  The Landing.  This place is the hot spot for all nightlife in Jacksonville.  You cannot see or do it all here in one night.  Here's another neat thing:  Jacksonville doesn't just have well laid out roads.  There's a water taxi that will take you from one location to another up and down the Main Street area.  Our hotel happened to be right on the waterway, so we would walk out to the Riverwalk that lines the area, hop on the water taxi and go just about any area we wanted to go to find active nightlife. 

4.  The Riverwalk.  While the riverwalk was a very easy way to hop the water taxi, it's also a great place to run in the mornings, which many people did, or walk it for a spectacular night view of St. John's River and the Landing.  This is completely free!

5.  Kingsley Plantation.  This is FREE, educational and interesting.  You don't find that much, do ya?

6.  San Marco Square. This is located about 5 miles from downtown Jacksonville and here is where the upscale shoppers will be happy.  The square is loaded with quaint little boutiques to satisfy every shoppers whim.  It's lovely and packed with charm.

7. Riverside/Five Points.  This area is at the heart of the funky arts district that Jacksonville quietly excels at.  There's jewelry and handmade works from all over the world to be found here.  We really had a spectacular time just window shopping and seeing all the unique offerings, but there's certainly plenty to buy if that's your bag.  There's also some great little coffee/tea shops here, as well.  Sit a while and take in the vintage clothing stores that sit alongside the edgy and trendy.  It's encouraged here. There is a mesh of old and new here that will interest anyone who cares to slow down and look.

A few pics to encourage you:

The Jacksonville skyline and Main Street Bridge.  The Landing is almost directly under this bridge.

Us strolling the Riverwalk that runs on both sides of the river.  We really utilized this.

The Museum of Science and History located downtown.

Yep...a possum.  He lives at the MOSH.

The cleanest zoo...ever. 

The cruises that leave from Jacksonville pass directly under this bridge.  They miss hitting it by a mere few feet!

A Jacksonville beach sunset. Because yes...there's also tons of beaches here, too.  

If you find yourself with a free day while in Jacksonville, you've also got the option of hitting lots of local beaches, or taking in a Jaguars game, or heading about an hour away to St. Augustine, which is absolutely beautiful and fun all by itself, or visiting any number of local parks.  We found Jacksonville to be one of the most surprising places we've ever visited. It flat out delivered more than we were expecting.  So, if money is an issue, or you simply don't have the time to go anywhere else with your busy schedule, we think you'll be surprised to find that everyone will find something that interests them here.  Get out there and live!

Travel Tuesdays...

I have completely ignored this blog for the vast majority of the summer and as much as I'm sure I should be slightly more concerned since I'd gotten up to a pretty regular number of readers, I find I just can't muster up the emotions to actually say I'm sorry.  But, I do have a great reason and you get to benefit from it!  We travel....a lot.  I love it more than I love chocolate and that's really saying something because I think chocolate is worth it's weight in gold.  Not even kidding.  I digress...

So, what I've decided to do is to start something called travel Tuesdays.  I've decided to share some of our travels with you and give some advice on the good, the great and the so great I thought I'd die just from being there places.  I think this will also give me super incentive to really stretch out and see more, do more and experience more.  All of which are basically the reason to live, in my opinion.  So here's where I'll start:

Tortola, British Virgin Islands:

We visited Tortola in December of 2011 and I've not been able to get it off my mind since then...well, actually we hopped a ferry in Tortola and visited Virgin Gorda.  We started off in Tortola, but I'd so desperately wanted to see one thing and that was the Baths of Virgin Gorda.  Virgin Gorda is a tiny little island just above Tortola that is a total of eight and 1/2 miles long.  When in Tortola, you hop Speedy's ferry  and in less than 30 minutes you'll be stepping onto the white sands of Virgin Gorda.

There are many beaches, restaurants and local resorts to attract you to this small island, but it's the people that drew me in like a moth to flame.  The people are friendly and welcoming in a way that really defines so many of the small islands in the Caribbean.  The warmth comes from a slow lifestyle that doesn't stem from poverty, although there is much poverty to be found on Virgin Gorda.  Their lifestyle stems from an understanding of true importance in a life that can only be lived once.  Perhaps with views of crystal clear turquoise waters and some of the worlds only boulder formations like the Baths, life simply takes on a different view of priorities.  I don't know for sure, but I do know that you can physically feel the pleasure that flows from the people of Virgin Gorda as they simply live and, I suppose, even live simply, as corny as that may sound. 

If shopping is your thing, Virgin Gorda isn't the place for you.  It's filled with sights, smells, sounds and feelings.  Not so many boutiques and touristy traps (not a Diamonds International to be found)...thank you, God!  If you'd like a longer stay, there are some outstanding resorts located on Virgin Gorda, some only accessible by boat. 

Our destination for the day was The Baths.  Here's why:

One of the many areas inside the baths that are a small paradise.

Looking out...

Devil's Bay on the far side of the boulders.

So very sad to leave.  This sign is located at the pier.