June 27, 2000
view from the co-pilot's seat
We wake up early and stuff all of our bags with clothes and the loot we've accumulated. Morgan comes in to help, but isn't much help laying in an open suitcase. Then we catch breakfast: the usual french toast for Noga and my last piece of fruit, a mango. Then we sign Marlon's guest/comment book and hang out poolside. To pass some time, we take out a sit-on-top kayak and paddle around for 45 minutes. We say our goodbyes to everyone and head to San Pedro. At the dock, Jesus is waiting to take us and our bags to the airport. Once there, we check in and hop aboard a Cessna Saravan 1. I get to sit in the co-pilot's seat, with my hands firmly planted in my lap. I know that we traveled at 200 degrees at 160 knots, until we passed over a shrimp farm, then we took a slow turn to port, to 80 degrees at 100 knots, and we were lined up with the runway. A soft landing, short taxi, and we're back at Belize International Airport. Noga and I get our luggage and look for our contact from Maruba Jungle Spa and Resort. We finally find Richard, and are off to Maruba. We drive through Ladyville and Sand Hill, then turn onto the Old Highway (the original Pan-American Highway - parts of which are paved, all of which is one lane), and go through villages like Boston, Cow Head, Lucky Strike, and Maskall. Maruba Jungle Resort and Spa is somewhere near the village of Maskall, quite remote from manything. It's been lauded as one of the top ten spas in the world - a perfect place to unwind at the end of an adventure. The resort is beautiful. Michelle greeted us and showed us around. The grounds are stunning. Gravel, palm and bromelaide lined walkways cut a maze through to the main pavillion, dining area, pools, Japanese mineral bath, and our cabana - a thatched roof hut with tile mosaic floors, rough white stucco walls, mahogany/zercote/and other exotic local wood furniture, a down-mattress bed with lots of pillows, and rich silks printed with primal animal patterns. Everywhere there are red hibuscus flowers. The room key is attached to a coconut - surely someone would want to lose the key. Lunch was taco soup with a garden salad, potato salad with rice and grilled Armadillo (tastes like chicken), with a couple rum punches - all with a red hibiscus blossom for decoration. After lunch and a brief rain shower... (continued)
a hut at Maruba
our room
Noga having Armadillo - yum!