Dreaming in Belize

I am on the vacation countdown. It's still several weeks away, but since we started paying for this trip almost a year ago, it feels like it's just around the corner. We are returning to Belize, the same wonderful place we went last year. We loved it so much, we can't wait to do it again.

The destination: Cocoplum Caye located off the coast of Belize, a 20-25 minute boat ride across the Caribbean sea. The island is about 15 acres and has ten private cabanas, a dining area, a bar and on one side of the island, the staff's quarters. It is a little slice of paradise. Each cabana has its own porch with a hammock where you can lounge and read a book all morning. The water is a dozen shades of blue and is shallow enough that you can walk to the other surrounding islands.

Last year I spent my week at Cocoplum reading "What is the What" by Dave Eggers, the story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the lost boys of Sudan. It was a pretty serious read for vacation, but put me in such a deeply mindful place of the diversity of experience and perspective in our world, it ultimately enhanced my memories of that week in paradise.

This is a week without television, computers, cell phones. It is a week of warm, salty air, conversation, quiet, interacting with this beautiful Earth, its ocean and those mysterious life forms within it. Nirvana.