Take a little trip . . . with me, low riders, on “Rojo.”
Think of me as your free Belizean “park and stride” travel guide.
Mahogany Resort, Bullet Tree Village.
The weather Saturday and Sunday was picture perfect here in western Belize.
Saturday I mounted my trusty red steed “Rojo,” my red motorbike, over to the nearby river village of Bullet Tree, and tramped around for four or five miles taking pictures of the picture-perfect day.
Started at the Mahogany Hall Resort, which is a quiet and scenic little gem of a riverside hotel and bar.
Belize has a few of the super resorts that are always on the media lists of the world’s greatest–like the two eco-resorts owned by Francis Ford Coppolla and also the nearby Cha’a Creek Eco Lodge that I’ve featured a few times here because it’s so near and accessible to me.
But Belize has scores of much smaller, budget-friendly places like Mahogany Hall, partly owned by my Belizean friend the owner of “Mr. Greedy’s” but mostly owned by his mom.
Tubing in the Mopan River in front of the beautiful little Mahogany Resort, Bullet Tree Village, Belize
The terribly relaxing riverside lawn area at Mahogany Hall, below the little resort hotel and bar and restaurant and overlooking the Mopan.
The Rio Bar and Restaurant at Mahogany, which my Belizean friend Mr. Greedy of Mr. Greedy’s Pizzaria in San Ignacio sometimes refers to as “Greedy’s 2.” He owns a piece of the mahogany bar/eatery but his mom is the boss.
Of course I went and explored the lonely country road a couple of miles past the Mahogany Resort to follow some of the lonely roads and trails just to see where they go–exploring rural roads is either an obsession or a compulsion of mine. Always was. But there’s worse ways to spend a picture-perfect day.
These creatures are so skittish–didn’t mean to scare yaw off.
What the Belizeans call “a mercy seat.” Walking these roads and sitting on a mercy seat gives one a chance to catch one’s breath and get still a while.
Meanwhile, back at the village center.
Sunday I got my motor running and rode Rojo over to what is one of my favorite rural getaway areas around the cozy and popular little rustic resort at Clarissa Falls, not far from where I lived for six months in Succotz Village, near Guatemala.
Down from Clarissa Falls, not too shabby this lodging hard by the beautiful Mopan and a ways down from Clarissa Falls Resort.
What is that?
Oh, just another little riverside attraction in the odd little country of Belize.
Another humble Belizean House of God. No problem leaving the musical instruments and equipment exposed to all the world. No way to lock up all these open-air churches anyway.
Until next time . . .
when we wrap up our “Noon Wine” series on the poor and poverty . . . .
Happy Trails
Or . . .
Just looking at the photos gave me a moment of rest on a busy day.
Cool. Why ain’t you here for the free tour yet.
Beautiful pictures, Paul. I was even able to locate Bullet Tree on Google Maps!
I saw the Falls, Mahogany Hall Resort, and something called The Belize Social Investment Fund Bullet Tree Rudimentary Water System. What a mouthful! Perhaps I am seeing multiple things that run together on the map. Mean anything to you?
Typical mouthful of a bureaucratic name here.The Social Investment Fund is government program that funds everything from libraries and parks (with a lot of help from Rotary Club and other sources on those) to infrastructure projects like road and water and bridges. And there’s an enormous amount of private and public funding of infrastructure projects have gone up in year since I been here and lots more underway like a loop around San Ig area for trucks coming in and out of Guatemala with imports all day. They see all us baby boomers with those yankee dollars coming and they are getting ready. My landlord offered me 25 gorgeous acres with gorgeous view today for $75,000 U.S, and him giving me low financing. That’s a very tempting investment offer. I see yaw boomers coming too.
I am not sure about living there, Paul. That tropical climate is not to my liking. That is one of the things I missed while in Bangkok – SEASONAL CHANGE!!!!!