Day Dreaming on Sunday Morning

A welcome break is upon us at the Belize Jungle Dome after a fairly hectic new year with lots of guests, plus the impending birth of our son. Simone thought he was going to arrive early but he seems to have made himself very comfortable for now. Our days are now spent lazing around waiting for the birth.

Lucas is hanging out with the local Mayan kids, climbing trees, chasing chickens and dogs and destroying my carefully planted garden. If it isn't Leaf Cutter Ants eating the plants and flowers then it’s our version of the "Red Hand Gang" trampling over the flora and fauna.

Our 2 new rooms at the Jungle Dome are coming along nicely. We have been moving doors around to change the entrances and exits. Plus orders have gone in with the local Carpentry Company for new Mahogany Doors, Stairs and Rails to make our new balcony. Each of the 2 new rooms will have a king size bed, fold out futon, T/V, Wireless Internet and Private Balcony. One will have a Private Terrace overlooking the Swimming Pool and the other will have its Terrace facing the Landscaped Gardens on the other side of the Jungle Dome.

We anticipate completing the 4th Room by end of March and the 5th Room by end of April, which will enable us to accommodate up to 20 people in very comfortable surroundings in the Belize Jungle. We are already filling our rooms but with the addition of these rooms we should be able to take Groups who are interested in Adventure Trips, Archaeology, Horse Riding, Yoga Groups and any other people interested in exploring Central America.

Me and Simone have also been contemplating the idea of expanding and we are looking for more land. We have a great team here at the Dome, including our Local Belizean and Mayan Chefs and Housekeepers (Tella, Nora and Wani), Karen, our Yoga expert, Fitness instructor and Pilates Teacher, our construction team and groundsmen. Plus we have our 2 New Partners moving down soon so we will have quite a team of people here to develop the Lodge.

The Landscaped Gardens are really coming on well. We have planted a lot over the last year and the garden is starting to take shape. Once everything starts to come into bloom we should start attracting a lot more of the local wildlife including Hummingbirds and Butterflies. We have also started to feed the Toucans, Woodpeckers and other birdlife in the Garden encouraging them to pay regular visits to our Pool-Side.

Many of our guests have expressed an interest in buying pieces of land in Belize and have also been excited by the idea of something around the Belize Jungle Dome. We would like to expand on what we have with the addition of Tennis Courts and a Gym. This would supplement our existing facilities of Swimming Pool, Restaurant and Bar.

We will keep looking around for land and hopefully something will pop up to allow us to continue our ideas. I have been mulling over the prospect of the Belize Jungle Dome Sports and Adventure Resort. It has a nice ring to it and if we can continue to add facilities then over the next few years we could attract a lot of people to this region. And lets face it who wouldn’t want to spend some time in this Tropical Paradise, soaking up the sun, exploring the Mayan Sites, Caving, Horseback Riding, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling and swimming with Sharks and enjoying many of the other attractions of this beautiful country.

Another idea for our place would be to add a Soccer Training Camp. This would be a great place to bring a Team for Pre-season training, even a professional side. Its quiet and away from the distractions of city life, which would enable a club to focus on the training required and fitness programmes needed to get the players in shape. And with many other activities on and off site it could be the perfect training ground.

Its good to dream about the future and on a lazy Sunday sitting around the Jungle Dome i am inspired to do just that, until the sound of the Belize "Red Hand Gang" breaks the silence.