Recently, my husband, Jerry, and I were invited by our friends Kyle and Wannetta Beck to join them on a trip to Belize, and, eager for a new experience, we said yes. I thought Belize would be similar to Mexico, which it borders, but it isn’ t as touristy, the locals are friendly, and it seemed safe.

We stayed at a beach condo near Placencia, a coastal town at the end of a narrow peninsula. Although the population is mostly Mayan and Afro- Caribbean, the official language is English. There are Creole restaurants and tons of places serving plentiful, fresh seafood. Lobster is in season from June until February, so we had our own little Lobsterfest. We also found the best authentic Italian restaurant called La Dolce Vita. Francis Ford Coppola owns a fabulous beach resort in the area called the Turtle Inn, and we were frequent guests at its eateries. I’ ll admit, we ate our weight in Belize.

We traveled in November, before high season, enduring rain daily except for the last two days. The weather didn’ t hold us back, though, as our gang was ready to explore. We took a river trip on a tiny ship on a three-hour tour … just kidding; the weather didn’ t get rough,

Something fishy’ s going on in this shot of me and my husband on a and Gilligan wasn’ t part of the crew. As recent trip to Belize. we cruised along the Monkey River, we spotted an enormous crocodile and large black iguana. Then we hiked in the woods, where we saw howler monkeys roosting in the treetops. The next day, we rented ATVs. I had the largest one and kept forgetting to hit the brakes, causing me to run into the high, grassy fields. Not wanting to hold up the group, I jumped on the back of one of our guide’ s ATVs, and we split off so that my husband could get his need for speed. We raced up the mountain to the Maya King Waterfalls, where Jerry took a cool swim.

We also took a tour of a Mayan cocoa farm, where we participated in the ancient tradition of processing cocoa into mostly dark chocolate. It was educational, and, of course, we all tried the sweets. Jerry went spearfishing, bringing home fresh fish and lobster, which we promptly cooked up. For me, though, the best experience was a sunset horseback-riding trip on the beach. Because I was the most experienced rider, the guide saddled me on a lively paint stallion, while the others had mild-mannered horses. We rode into the surf up to our knees, enjoying this peaceful place. On the return, a big dog jumped out and spooked my horse, who bucked a few times, then jerked his head down. I tumbled off, landing with my head right at the horse’ s front hoofs. The fantastic part is, I sprang up and jumped right back on the horse, feeling 16 again!

If you enjoyed reading about my Belize adventure, be sure to check out our Wanderlust column( page 14), which will take you on a tour of Türkiye, or read about the exploits of Paul O’ Mara( page 12), who used to be a photographer for the Navy’ s Blue Angels acrobatic flying squadron. This issue marks our sixteenth anniversary, and there’ s lots more for you to enjoy.

4 | NW GEORGIA LIVING JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

JAN / FEB 2026 Volume 17 | Issue 1

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Belize is a Trip