Turneffe Flats, Belize Trip
May ~ 2017
Our trip to Belize began on May 13th with a non-eventful American Airlines flight to Belize City, where we were promptly met by a van that took us to the docking area. Although the boat was waiting for us, we had to postpone our 1-1/2 hour boat ride to the flats until all the passengers for the week arrived on other flights. Once all were accounted for we began our cruise to Turneffe Flats Lodge. We arrived to find our air conditioned cabins in good order, unpacked and enjoyed a friendly dinner with our hosts, Craig & Karen Hayes. Throughout the week our hosts and staff were extremely pleasant and friendly. Logistically it’s not easy to provide all the food and necessary items from such an out of the way place but the meals were delicious, the service was exceptional and the the accommodations were first class. There were 18 guests staying the week with us; 16 fisherman and 2 divers. I was a little apprehensive about this trip, having had a heart attack during the Super Bowl, but eleven of the fishing guests present were doctors making me feel safe and secure. We began fishing the next day 
with our guide for the week, Willie Dyer. It turns out that Willie has been fishing these waters for 40 years and started guiding at Turneffe Flats when it first opened 35 years ago. We found him to be experienced and very knowledgeable. He put us on bonefish that very first morning. We spent a lot of time fishing for permit and tarpon during the week. They turned out to be elusive as ever. We never did catch a tarpon and only saw one the whole trip but we managed to land plenty of bonefish up to 5-6 pounds. My fishing buddy, Dave was spin fishing and caught 4 permit and on the last day, I finally got mine on the fly. Although we never got a Grand Slam I know of at least three fisherman that did accomplish that feat during our six day stay. After 
returning to Belize City we decided to stay a few extra days and get to know Belize. I hate visiting a country and never experiencing some of its treasures. First we spent a few extra hours touring Belize City, which isn’t all that impressive. The following day we took a one hour ride and went zip lining through the tropical forests and cave tubing in limestone caverns. Our guide, Greg from Greg’s Taxi & Tour Service was a lot of fun. I’d recommend him for any travel plans you might have in and around Belize City. On the final day we drove to Xunantunich, a Maya archaeological site in western Belize located on a hill above the Mopan River close to the Guatemala border. This time our guide was Kendis Ferguson who owns foolish Dreamzzz, a tour guiding company. Kendis taught high school for eighteen 
years and is very knowledgeable about all Belize. What a magnificent view from the top of the ruins. The entire experience was well worth the travel time. All in all, this entire excursion was well worth the effort. We met so many wonderful people. If I didn’t had so many other adventures on my bucket list I’d be back again next year.
