Mystic River Resort - San Ignacio 5/11/16- 5/15/16

Typical cabin at Mystic River Resort

Mystic River Resort is in the district of Cayo and about a 30 minute car ride from the BIG (sic) town of San Ignacio. There are a number of what is referred to as jungle resorts in Cayo, most of them seemingly offering similar experiences. With Katie's help and flipping a coin, I ended up at Mystic. I don't regret the choice.

Much of the car ride from San Ignacio was on unpaved and BUMPY roads. This is the jungle. I was invading on snakes (9 poisonous I think), iguanas, exotic birds, cats, monkeys and all sorts of critters. The resort consists of a handful of cabins. My cabin was at the end with a porch that overlooked the Mystic River. Nice view - an understatement.  It was a little disconcerting though. At times there was dead silence. I mean pin drop dead. Other times, the insects and birds ranted on and on. No humans though, yay. I spent 4 nights here and loved every moment.

Unfortunately, due to excessive traveling, the first day was mostly a waste. By the time I got to the resort, it was early afternoon and I was beat. But the rest of my time there (4 days/nights) was action packed. This was the most physically enduring vacation I have taken. But I also managed to get in lots of peace, star-gazing and socializing with other guests at the Palapa bar near the dining room - there was never more than 5 guests there at any time. Jeez, and I am Mr. Anti-Social! I did most of my socializing with the staff - from tour guides to dining room employees to the owner. It proved to be not only very educational but fun. Much of the staff seemed to congregate there after work hours. I exchanged contact info with two employees. Oh, and then there was the chair at the bar reserved, or so it seemed, for one of the funniest guys I've met. He was overseeing construction at the resort and lived there while working. He was a permanent fixture at the bar with a can of Belikin beer constantly in front of him. He was grouchy and rarely said anything, but when he did, it was always hilarious. He lives in Ambergis Caye, my next stop after Cayo. I would pick his brain about the island (after I overcame my fear of talking to him, haha).

I took tour guide Abi out to dinner in San Ignacio.  Abi was my tour guide the first day for zip-lining and cave tubing and we quickly bonded. I was eager to learn about life in Belize and he provided an in-depth and honest account. He was eager to learn about the US.

Abi with thumbs up before cave tubing

I took Katie's suggestion and we dined at Guava Limb Cafe in town. That was the only time I ate out for dinner in Cayo. It was too much of a hassle and expense to get to town and besides, I found the night life to be non-existent. However, it was Sunday night and I hear things pick up on weekends. The food was incredibly good. I had fresh snapper.

Guava Limb Cafe

I have two minor complaints about Mystic. You're basically a prisoner for breakfast and dinner. Prices were inflated. Internet service was available throughout the country but very slow. At Mystic, wi-fi was only available at the dining room or office and it was often down or very slow. However, much to my surprise, I found the lack of Internet access to be a welcome relief. There was no cell phone service available at or close to the resort, though I suppose they would let you use their land line if asked.