TURNEFF ATOLL

I Picturesque Spot in the Middle of the Sea.

I went to Belize to participate in a bottlenose dolphin research project. Arriving at Blackbird Caye on Turneffe Atoll I thought I had found paradise. The lush remote island was surrounded by clear turquoise water. The warm Belizean sun bathed deserted sandy beaches. The serenity of the unspoiled natural beauty was awesome.

My cabana, being a triple, was a bit larger than some of the others. All had thatched roofs, a complete bath, and a nice little veranda furnished with chairs and a hammock. Cool ocean breezes kept the buildings comfortable. Large screened windows had a drop down shutter for rainy or stormy days. Without the cool sea breezes it would have been very hot. It had was such a South Seas atmosphere.

Turneffe, 32 miles from Belize City, is the largest of the three atolls and contains 4000 acres of jungle. The resort has a generator to produce all its own electricity and reverse osmosis machinery to produce its water supply. All the water from the faucets is drinkable.

Clearing the jungle for the resort must have been quite a job in the beginning as there was no power for tools at the start.

All of our meals were taken in a unique dining /recreation building. At dinner it was explained, “The front part of this building is round showing an African influence and the back of the building, the kitchen area, is square, indicative of Mayan culture.”

In the center of the large room stood a multi-sided (sexton) serving table. Looking up at the ceiling, the thatched roof resembled the underside of an umbrella. The floor was made of narrow strips of different native woods and the contrast of the boards was striking.

All of our food was prepared by native cooks and included native dishes. The food was good and I had absolutely no complaints. The fresh produce was wonderful. Besides citrus we ate papayas the size of small watermelons and mangos the size of cantaloupes. Never had I seen fruit so big in those varieties and they were so sweet, juicy, and flavorful. Delicious!

One afternoon my roommate and I decided to walk into the jungle to see what we could see. We tucked in pants bottoms in socks and tales of our long sleeved shirts into our waist band. After dousing hands, face and clothing in bug juice we were off. The swarms of mosquitoes were so numerous that we didn’t get very far before deciding our curiosity could remain just that. It was a relief to get back to our cleared bug-free resort.

I enjoyed a couple of wonderful weeks on the atoll and there is a lot more to share---another day.