The two nights staying at Bill and Cathy’s helped to forget the bone shaking experience on the road down, though I can’t say that I was looking forward to the drive-up journey. Particularly the one hair raising bit of it. But I guess the rest, good company, walks and chill helps John too to relax about the drive so that morning after a good night sleep, fresh as a daisy we made it back swiftly on to the main road with no problem and sooner than I remembered the way down.
Road condition to Barton Creek
November 2013
Spanish Lookout is a main Mennonite town, a hard working, no-shop-front, high quality, agricultural epicentre of the Mennonite productions throughout the country. It is still a small town with their own one brand (but great quality, organic food) supermarket. It did feel very tidy mid East US, strangely. It is also more modern than the countryside farmers, in terms of general living and dressing -they drive cars and agriculture machines, they wear T-shirts and jeans, they even eat hamburgers! We rolled up here in the hope to find a mechanic or a shop where we could get our issue addressed. After a little scooting around town we got the name of the guy we needed. It was the end of the day so we went to find a place to stay.
Because these people are honest, they are trusting so it wasn’t an issue to find a place. It took a little chatting to Tim, a timber merchant, to get ourselves a nightspot behind his shop. We watched the nice little kids, photocopies of each other, playing and climbing on top of the big truck next to us. Then, as they told us earlier the town shuts down after 5, we had an early night.
Spanish Lookout
November 2013
The following day, we learned, was bank holiday but we went to see the guy anyway. Although the shop wasn’t open for business that day he kindly had a look at the problem in question. He told us to come back the next day by 7AM. He let us stay at his shop, which was a bonus for us.
Spanish Lookout
November 2013
The following morning Cornie and his right-hand man were there spot on 6.50 ready to start the job that involved lifting the back of the box, some serious MIG and TIG welding (John could tell you all about it), laser cutting and all. I thought I leave the boys to play and found myself a nice little cafe with wifi. The rest is history. 5 hours later John found me and told me that it was all done, perfectly and that he was very impressed with everything Cornie’s done. After celebrating with a nice little buffet lunch at the cafe we moved on.
We knew one RV park (Inglewood) on the Western Highway but we found it unreasonably pricey so left. In a few miles we saw a turn off to a dirt road with signs of three different resorts, even an airstrip. Usually airfields, resorts/hotels are a good bet for park-ups but these weren’t. They were far too posh and weren’t interested in an RV parking up on their 300 acres land for a night so we had to leave. As we were driving back to the paved highway we were thinking that our only option (considering the time) was now to go back to the pricey Inglewwod RV park.
Just half a mile on our turnout we spotted a sign for Clarissa Falls “Food & Room” 1 mile. So off we went. We arrived to a nice green park with a river, trees, cabanas, farm animals (+ two of the cutest puppies I’ve ever seen!), a little restaurant and a sweet lady, Chena who welcomed us to Clarissa Falls, let us know the price and that we can help ourselves to the fridge for any drinks just put it down in the book and pay later so we stayed. And we stayed for 5 days.
Clarissa Falls Campsite
BELIZE
2013
Clarissa Falls Campsite
BELIZE
2013
Clarissa Falls Campsite
BELIZE
2013
Clarissa Falls Campsite
BELIZE
2013
It was really lovely being there so day after day we decided to stay one more. Went to visit the Xunantunich ruin (3 miles from here) one day which happened to be the same day when Scott and Angela from Placencia went as well with friends, so we met them there. Clarissa Falls is a very friendly, family run place with toucans coming to the feeder, excellent cooking (best Christmas cake), entertaining farm animals (turkeys, geese, ducks, Guinea chickens, horses, kittens, puppies) They hung out around our vehicle keeping us amused. All together, we meant to stay here for a night but instead we stayed 5 days. It was lovely and had a chance to get ourselves ready for the board crossing.
Next, Guatemala border crossing and Tikal.