The Emerald Isle

We left for our trip to Ireland at the end of September the day after my final day at the USAID Staff Care Center where I worked for the past three years. While I have many thoughts about moving on from this position, the subject of this post will be our ten days in the Emerald Isle.

Two reasons.

I had long wanted to spend a week or so with my dad in some beautiful part of his homeland, which I assumed would land me in the Cotswalds or the Lake District. When we knew my parents were going to be in the UK for a month we began to make plans to try and join them for a week somewhere…but where? Long story short, we decided to fly into Dublin as it is much cheaper than flying into London and then my parents were kind and flexible enough to come meet us there for our time together. 

Flying into Dublin also made it easy to take the two hour bus ride up to Belfast to see my former dorm parents from the Philippines. If you know anything about my life, you probably know the profound influence that Alan and Hetty Dorman had on me during my last two years in high school when I lived in their dorm at Faith Academy.  Amazingly it had been 20+ years since I had last seen them!  Earlier this year, Hetty had been in NYC for a few days so I caught the bus up there to spend a few hours with her in Central Park. Almost immediately we began scheming how we might get Alan over to the US or Andrea and I over to visit them in Belfast. One thing led to another and before we knew it we were being picked up by Alan at the Belfast Bus Station and warmly welcomed with their Dorman hospitality. It was so good to be together again and to talk and talk and talk some more. Chrissy and Susan and their husbands came over that first evening for dinner so the reunion was complete.

 We spent the next four days together just hanging out and talking. We saw a few attractions including The Titanic Experience – did you know the Titanic was built in Belfast?, CS Lewis’s childhood neighborhood, Alan’s office, Giant’s Causeway – where I had been before on my only other trip to Belfast when I spent Christmas with the Dormans in 1991. On that trip they took me to several castles and sites including Giant’s Causeway and I swear we were the only ones there on that cold blustery winter’s day. This time it was a beautiful autumn day, warm and sunny with no wind but lots of other tourists. What a contrast! The other contrast at Giant’s Causeway is the very nice visitor center that now exists. Tip – if you are ever going you can park at the closest village for free and then be driven to the main entrance by bus – just a five minute ride – but you’ll get a discount on the entrance fee. You can also bushwhack your way to the Giant’s Causeway the back way, bypassing the visitor center and not pay anything!)

The BEST Picture ever!

Alan and Andrea enjoy delicious Fish and Chips

CS Lewis statue in his childhood neighborhood

The Dormans heard someone likes cheese!

Chocolate and Cheese...TOGETHER - who knew!?

Giant's Causeway

Belize, January 27- February 5

Belize City (starting point for all things Belize!)

We had been waiting and wanting to return to Belize since we spent three weeks there in 2004. On that trip, we wandered  throughout this unique country, enamored by its small size and population (300,000+), marveling at the beauty of ocean and jungle, loving being in a warm tropical land again – and yes, we DID see a jaguar – in broad daylight and not even while we were in the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve, but as we drove through an orange grove on a little moped.

Though there has been a fair bit of travel for the Wilsons in the past few years, there hasn’t really been a true do-nothing, sit on the beach vacation/holiday in quite some time. So to mark our six months here in DC and to celebrate Andrea’s graduation last year, after inaugurating a president on Monday, and then surviving sub freezing temperatures and snow showers all week, we were happy to head to the airport on Saturday January 26. We called our friend Deb from the airport to inform her we were going off the grid. Feeling somewhat witty, I simply said that I had four words to share: “Snow today, Belize tomorrow.”

Goodbye cold, brown, DC

Because we were using miles, we had to spend the night in Atlanta. Thankfully I have a former colleague from Tacoma who lives in Atlanta with her husband at the moment so this gave us a great reason to catch up with Amy and Michael, whose wedding we had attended in Nashville almost two years ago. We caught up and talked much before leaving early Sunday morning for our short flight to Belize City.

Amy starting our vacation off with a yummy dinner!

Hello Warm, Green and Blue Belize

Hello Warm, Green and Blue (Belize City)

Hello Warm, Green and Blue Belize (taken while kayaking)

In 2004 we had a little more time so we bused our way around the country. With only just over a week this time, we decided that we would splurge and fly with Tropic Air (highly recommended) from Belize City to Dangriga in the south and then continue on to our first stopping point, the village of Hopkins. This 20 minute flight would save us about 5-6 hours of travel time.  We expected that we would be on a small 8-10 seat plane, which was still plenty exciting, so we were very surprised when we walked out onto the runway and saw a small Cessna waiting for us. They sat me next to the pilot (literally in the co-pilot seat) and Andrea behind us. I haven’t seen Andrea have such a wide joyful smile in a long time. One of Andrea’s pre-diabetic dreams would have been to be a pilot – so it was a lot of fun to experience this small plane adventure. The female pilot immediately won some major points when she asked Andrea if she was a model as she was climbing in to the back seat. You can’t go wrong with that. Plus a female pilot – who was great and when we asked how long she had been flying, she responded, “By myself, just since September” which was cool…sort of. This short flight started our week off beautifully as we flew along the coast and came to a smooth landing in Dangriga. From there it was a bumpy taxi ride over unpaved roads to the Garifuna village of Hopkins to be reunited with Ingrid at All Seasons Guest House where we stayed 8 years ago.

Our little plane (on the right) 

Little plane, BIG smile

For the real flight enthusiasts, here are three videos, of takeoff, in-flight and landing. (Landing being the most interesting!)

I have mentioned All Seasons Guest House previously on the blog as one of my favorite places to stay.  On that trip Ingrid and the room she put us in provided some much needed redemption as we had a “rough” first night in the village staying in another local house with no screens, lots of mosquitoes, and a solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling before we stumbled upon All Seasons the next day. Also on that trip the sea was stormy and the sand fleas/flies intense. At one point we counted and Andrea ended up with over 200 bites! Why we wanted to return then must have reflected greatly on Ingrid’s care and hospitality…and the possibility of seeing a jaguar again!

Ingrid already thinks we are the luckiest people around for seeing that jaguar as she has been there now 12 years and has never seen one – she immediately brought this up and added that in all her flying back and forth to Belize City over the years, she has rarely flown in the two passenger Cessna, so we truly must be lucky AND to top it all off, we had brought good sunny weather with us as it had been raining for the previous two weeks. Last time we stayed in her main guest house, this time we stayed in our own beautiful wood cabana, surrounded by coconut trees, right on the beach  further south of the village (For full Trip Advisor review, please go here. )

Hopkins Cabana

View from the cabana

Cabana bedroom

All Seasons Guest House

 We spent the next three days swimming in and watching the ocean, walking along the beach, reading…everything you want in a do nothing vacation. We also went kayaking up the Sittee River (which was just down the road from us) and into a lagoon, looking for manatees (which though more abundant than jaguars, have been more elusive to the wandering Wilsons) and although we didn’t see any, we did see lots of great birds including this juvenile Bare Throated Tiger Heron.

Bare throated Tiger Heron

Kayaking

Looking for Manatees

Given our “luck” at getting the two seater plan flying down to Dangriga, we decided to fly back to Belize City that same way. We weren’t so lucky this time but still enjoyed another great flight, although no longer on a “private” flight! After a quick taxi ride (by someone  bearing a really strong resemblance to TeilaTuli who plays Kamekona on the current  Hawaii 5-0) and a yummy plate of Rice and Beans and Stewed Chicken and plantains, we were on a boat for the short 40 minute ride to the island Caye Caulker.

We had also stayed on Caye Caulker 8 years ago and loved it. It’s a very small island, no cars (8 years ago, just a few golf carts) and not too many people. Time has brought many many more golf carts, and more tourists (and long term gringos) which seems to have increased the sense of hustle on the island as well the number of men hustling one thing or another.  Andrea experienced this first hand one night when I wasn’t feeling so well and she went out to buy dinner, meeting many suitors as well as one of the island’s resident drug dealers along the way! They always say single women will be hassled more and it was really true and unfortunate as it lessens the appeal in a big way. But not enough that we didn’t enjoy ourselves in another beautiful cabana (see review here) right on the water found through Caye Caulker Rentals. The weather was more rainy but there was enough sun to keep us warm and enough wind blowing to keep us cool. I went snorkeling on a tour (always highly recommended) including the stop at Shark Ray Alley where as your boat pulls up, the sharks (nurse sharks – but still sharks as big as me) and manta rays come crowding in hoping for some food. Instead swimmers hop out and they swim all around you. When we first experienced this eight years ago I didn’t jump in right away. I thought I would let someone else go first - just in case.

Caye Caulker Cabana view

One other highlight from Caye Caulker (and another reason we wanted to return to Belize in general) is the fresh squeezed orange juice – which we experienced every morning at Glenda’s, our favorite breakfast spot along with fresh cinnamon rolls. (We also squeezed our own OJ!) There are plenty of “tourist” places to eat on Caulker – our style is to find the more local owned and run and support these – and generally the food is better and cheaper too. So in addition to Glenda’s, Syd’s and the Little Kitchen are highly recommended!

Breakfast at Glenda's

Fresh Squeezed!

Yummy papaya and coconut (cut down and cut open by  yours truly)

So all in all, a wonderful nine days away from the cold, just enough time to get some flip flop tan lines back on my feet and give us some rest and relaxation. Belize is still highly recommended in our books. Since we first went we have been responsible for three couples honey mooning there and another friend’s whole extended  family went on vacation there also – we should be getting a commission!

PS - speaking of jaguars and all things Belize, though we didn't see any large cats on this trip we did meet an incredible photographer named Chris Smith (who also happens to be a TCK) who had spent two weeks on a walk about in Belize. Check out his fantastic photos here (including many of the fabled big cat that so many go looking for. His jaguar pictures were taken at the Belize Zoo - which we highly recommend if you ever get a chance to go (and you should definitely go!))

Duncan

Best Secluded Hotel/Get-away Alternatives

One of the most beautiful, peaceful places where I know I will always be able to relax and be refreshed is the forested property of some good friends on the shores of Hood Canal in Washington State. Over the years I have been blessed to spend many days in various cabins that are nestled into the sloping hillside, just being still and listening to the waves lap the shore. There's not another neighbor in sight and it's far away from the hectic pace of much of the world. But if you don't have friends or family with such property what can you do to truly get away and be still?

Bing recently published a list of secluded hotels around the world - for those wanting to get away from everything- and while all their suggestions look fabulous, many of them cost so much money, which is all well and good if you have thousands of dollars to spend. So here is a short list (by no means comprehensive) of recommended places that came to mind in response to the Bing list. None will cost a fortune (you may have to pay to get there) and once there, you will never want to leave.

Lopez Farm Cottages - Lopez Island, Washington State



Easy and convenient for those in Seattle. Immaculate, cozy and clean "Northwest Scandinavian"cottages where all you will hear and see are rabbits, deer and sheep grazing. No kids under 14 and no Recreational Vehicles. This review gives a good summary. Tent Camping is also available - cheaper but obviously you will be with a few more people then!





All Seasons Guest House, Hopkins, Belize

We have only stayed here once, but have been wanting to return ever since and based on the website and reviews, it keeps getting better and better over the years. Located on the beach of the Caribbean Sea, All Seasons Guest House, Beach Apartments and Cabana is located in Hopkins, a small laid back fishing village. If you read Trip Advisor, you won't find a bad review - and it's true, the owner, Ingrid, is awesome. Check out their beautiful website which actually does begin to capture the essence of this place.

All Seasons is close to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Reserve the first Jaguar reserve ever established. They say the odds of seeing a Jaguar there are 17,000 to one but...Andrea and I were riding our rented moped from Ingrid through an orange grove one afternoon and there to our right, coming out of the jungle into the grove was a very big cat! So they are there - and was Ingrid ever jealous that night when we returned and told her as she had never seen one even after living there many years. It remains one of the highlights of our travels.

Amber Lagoon, Near Route 62, between Oudtshoorn and Calitzdorp, South Africa


I wrote about Amber Lagoon here, when we stayed there on our round the world trip in 2008-2009 and like All Seasons Guest House above, I can't wait to return. Similar to All Seasons the owners continue to make this property and their website even more beautiful. Lonely Planet writes “there's something magical about the vast arid Karoo. Maybe it's the wide open spaces that make you feel so tiny, or maybe it's the towns, which make you feel you've been suspended in time. The population is sparse, and off the main highways you can drive for hours without seeing another car.”




Sani Top Chalet, On the border (literally) between South Africa and Lesotho

Ok, confession, we haven't stayed here, but if you are looking for a stark, desolate, beautiful location, this is the place to come - but perhaps not in the winter. Although their upscale Rondavels all have fireplaces and ensuite bathrooms, water can freeze in the winter months. Check out their website. We stopped in here for a drink on our way up Sani Pass into Lesotho. You can read about our experience here. Remote and beautiful, the views are never ending.







And finally two general locations close to my heart...

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

The Cameron Highlands remains one of the most amazing and magical places I have lived. It is a nature lover's paradise, high in the hills, surrounded by jungle, tea estates, waterfalls, orchids and Monkey Cups (pitcher plants). It is much cooler than many places in SE Asia and thus used to be the mountain getaway for the British back in the colonial days. Although there has been much development and growth around the towns of Brinchang and Tanah Rata, once you leave the towns and start a hike into the jungle you'll be surrounded by noone - just deep jungle. There are more than enough hotels and guest houses to stay in (too many in fact), so don't linger in the towns, the jungle beckons...start hiking and exploring!

Maehongson, Thailand

Growing up in Maehongson province in the far northwest of Thailand, I have often said that if a celebrity really wanted to escape the paparazzi, I could bring them here and help them vanish. (Knowing friends in many villages and towns helps!) Though "civilization" has arrived here, I can still find many places to get away in this former Thai "outpost." Rugged mountains, steep valleys, jungle and forest, farms and rice fields in the valleys fed by clear cold rivers and streams, this in many ways is home to me.

Many travellers choose to rent a motorcycle and do the 600km loop from Chiang Mai to Maehongson and back again.


Do you have a favorite get away place that truly gets you away that you can recommend?

Duncan