From the City to the Jungle
After our first night in Ladyville near the airport, it was time to meet up with our hosts from Lucky Dreamer Lodge. Jeff drove in from Cristo Rey to pick us up at our Airbnb. The first stop was a grocery store in Belize City for some sour cream. If you are looking for name-brand foods, sometimes you can only get them in the large markets. So today, since he was running into town to pick Lilli and me up, it made sense to swing in for a few items. It is always fun to see what grocery stores look like in different countries. We didn’t need anything at this point, so we just looked around at the overpriced US brands like Lays, Oreos, and Crystal Farms.
Time to Hit the Road
We loaded back into the truck to start the two-hour trek into the heart of Belize to Lucky Dreamer Lodge. At first, the landscape was flat and lowland. I asked Jeff if most of Belize is flat, but he said just wait until we get inland, and boy was he right. We ventured through Belmopan, which is the capital of Belize, as well as Santa Elena, before making it to the small village of Cristo Rey. Cristo Rey has a population of just over 700, making it a great place to walk around and experience the local offerings.
We made it to Lucky Dreamer Lodge, where we picked up Cheryl to grab some lunch from what would soon become our favorite local spot, Carms. If you aren’t familiar with Belizean cuisine, their traditional meal consists of rice and beans along with chicken, usually stewed, and fresh juices. But we also learned about another local favorite called Fry Jacks, there will be more on those soon. Both Lilli and I decided to get the fried jack sandwich, which was more like an open-faced tostada with beans, cheese, and meat with all fresh ingredients. I paired mine with some fresh sorrel juice, which is made from the hibiscus flower. What a great way to get introduced to a new village. After lunch, it was time for a few more sights before settling in at our Jungle Bungalow.
An Afternoon of Adventuring near Cristo Rey
Jeff, Cheryl, Lilli, and I took a drive to the neighboring village of San Antonio to a little produce shop. Lilli and I both like to cook, so we got some fresh fruit, veggies, and local honey to take back with us. After the produce shop, we stopped off at Oxmul Coffee to hear a bit about how local coffee is made and pick up a bag of fire-roasted beans to bring back to the US with us. It was great getting to see some of the local area right when we arrived. One advantage of staying in Ladyville the first night was we were well rested by the time we made it to Cristo Rey.
After our afternoon adventures, it was time to settle in and get situated. Interested to know where in the world Seeking Discovery currently is? Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on all the exploring. Stay tuned for our next update, where we take you inside our first bungalow at Lucky Dreamer Lodge.