GoldenBeeTours

I’ve just returned from a week in Belize with my 15 year old daughter Laura, who had time off school for Spring Break. And coming back from that tropical paradise to a cold and rainy New York was quite a shock… 

First of all, I would probably never have gone to Belize if it wasn’t for Laura. My younger daughter is one of those so called ‘green’ people, concerned about the environment, the indigenous populations, saving energy, the forests, the seas, the world – you get the picture. I do believe she will end up working in one of these fields in the future, and started to look for a place where she could explore her talents. I needed time off from my busy life in New York as well; little did I know that I was about to have such a great adventure. 

I had heard smart people taking about Belize before. Some scuba divers I know commented on its coral reefs being perfect for that sport, and they travel there religiosly. Magazines I like have been publishing articles on that small – but apparently very interesting - Central American country, and I had a feeling something was going on in Belize…  

Curious, I logged in The New York Times online, always a good start. In its Travel section, my favorite, I found a number of articles on many Belizean subjects: its preserved rain forest, Mayan population, Mayan ruins, snorkeling and scuba diving outfitters (a whole bunch) and so many positive traveler’s entries about a place called The Cotton Tree Lodge, in Southern Belize’s Toledo District, I just had to check it out.

I did look at their website cottontreelodge and I am glad I did. I was about to discover one real gem - a place so different from anything I had seen before, it took me few days there to start understanding what a great idea its American founders Chris Crowell and Jeff Pzena had had. Yes, the Cotton Tree Lodge – and Belize, for that matter – is one of those places we need to adjust to, before we start to ‘get it’.

But once we do, we’ll be hooked forever.

More tomorrow…