Belize Was Not What We Expected

Belize is usually sold as turquoise water and beach days.

But this trip starts the opposite way.

We land in Belize City, rent a car, and head inland, into jungle roads, ancient Mayan ruins, river caves, and waterfalls that feel like they belong in a different country. Somewhere in the middle, we slow down long enough to make chocolate from scratch… and it ends up being one of our favorite surprises of the entire trip.

And then we make our way back to the coast, expecting one thing, finding something else.

Video filmed in Belize (Mountain Pine Ridge + Hopkins)

Where we stayed:
Hidden Valley Wilderness Lodge – https://www.hiddenvalleyinn.com/
Hopkins Bay Resort – https://www.hopkinsbaybelize.com/

#adventuretravel #longformvlog #travelvlog #outdooradventure #couplestravel

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00:00:00 Belize… but not the version we pictured
00:00:41 First Mayan ruins (getting up close)
00:14:42 Arriving at our jungle lodge
00:18:00 Jungle waterfall
00:22:47 Inside our room (it’s incredible)
00:26:24 Dinner at the lodge
00:43:31 Morning at the lodge
00:51:02 Big Rock Falls
00:56:30 Barton Creek Cave
01:15:46 Arriving at the coast
01:18:37 Hopkins area first impressions
01:22:07 Making chocolate from scratch
01:47:09 What we did instead (surrounding adventures / food / exploring)
01:53:32 Final thoughts: the real Belize we found

36 Comments

  1. Nice video. I've never seen your channel before. This video popped up and I decided to watch. I've been to belize before and really enjoyed it but didn't get to do and see a lot of what you experienced. It all looked great. You both seem like good people. I like how respectful you were to everyone. I'll definitely watch more of your videos.

  2. I wasn't born in Belize but lived there for many years before moving to the USA. You two sure do a great job showcasing the beauty of Belize! Thank you for sharing. I never actually visited many places you visited . Keep it up guys! Kudos!!

  3. Never seen or heard of you two before but am looking for a safe and interesting place to vacation. Nothing like staying outside of tourist hot spots and get a taste of how people live and eat. Thank you so much! Now I will research how to get to Belize and places to stay.

  4. If you enjoyed this adventure in Belize, wait until you see what happened when we explored the swamps of New Orleans… our next video drops soon.

  5. This was one of the most enjoyable vicarious travel experiences I have seen. Learned a lot and so fun! Thank you for sharing your trip to Belize!

  6. It looks like you didn't tip that young woman who took you to your room. That would be rude, imo. I hope you tipped everyone since you're basically ambassadors for American tourists.

  7. 26 years ago we went to Belize for our honeymoon. Saw many of these sites before they were on everyone’s radar. It sure was fun to watch your adventure and reminisce.

  8. Just watched. Great video! I've always wanted to go to Belize and have friends there. Now, I want to go visit them. Thank you both so much❤

  9. you intentionally stayed on the lighter side of belize….thank God I know its 80 percent afro-latino where the people are sincere and GENUINELY kind from the soul-not the little rehearsed lines you can tell theyve used on everyone out of routine…to not show Any brown afro ppl means you INTENTIONALLY avoided the countrys biggest realest population and origins ..your kind is already obsolete..you want the african looking beads…the arrowhead necklace-but youd never show-or care to know that indigenous natives are reddish with mestizo or incan/aztec beginnings in darker melanated afro people….I bet you tried dredds before but you gave up on it when you saw how silly it looked in comparison….you probably use terms like "fair skinned"…as if being darker isnt fair…or you have NO problem with their definition of "flesh toned"…meaning human flesh is caucasian tone-lacking deep rich color…as if darker skin isnt to be considered 'human' when the very Word human means 'man of hue' = man of color…not even Needing confirmation in how Creator took Genesis 2:7-13 dark rich earth-soil to craft Adams flesh suit from- many versions mention that region as ethiopia..some versions call it "cush"..just another word to describe east africa ..have you ever even Questioned these things?..well I offer you this…to ease the tension of your false reality so a bigger truth might free you= "Dr Joy Degruey Leary-post traumatic slave disorder" posted by Terrance CARNEY….then "Stephen Darby-Who are we"…and "Stephen Darby-they jacked us" for historical…genealogical…scientific…biologically proven-shucks-even Biblical proof of hidden truths come to light …dont be scared to rip the bandaidd off..look the dragon right in the eye to get free of its teeth. let the truth free you instead of being captive to its discomfort. grow beyond your great grandfathers lies…then join us in Honest humanity….its your only hope in the eyes of a God that demands justice..honesty and Rightness…your comfort level can NO longer be your god…leave it with the ruins you are allowed to witness in the ruins mistakenly dedicated to those Other false (lowercase) gods.

  10. Diet & lifestyle are key to reduce chronic stress & slow aging. Real health care is censored. Some want us gone or to rule & profit off our health, with fake foods, synthetic supplements, chemicals, drugs, shots, weight loss gimmicks & more that monopolize media & markets! I was barely surviving in a demented state of torment, because we're tricked to eat plants that made us sick, but now I'm thriving eating meat, because we consist of it & can understand “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.”– Newton’s third law

    Radiation & inflammatory carbs weaken our brain’s protective barrier, letting harmful bacteria & toxins in. When our brain runs on glucose spikes from carbs instead of steady glucose made through gluconeogenesis from healthy animal materials, our blood-brain barrier breaks down faster, causing brain fog we can't tell we have & diseases like Parkinson’s, dementia & Alzheimer’s (Type 3 Diabetes) Our brains consist primarily of animal fat & cholesterol, so if we don't get enough of those similar biological animal materials, our brains deteriorate! “Low-carb diets are BEST for brain health!”– Dr. Paul Mason

    I recovered from sugar addiction, anxiety, depression, acne, dry skin, cramps, insomnia, migraines, gingivitis, anger issues, excessive ear wax/eye boogers, blurry vision, pre-diabetes, kidney stones, gas, IBS, arthritis/gout, cancer & more! Nails, teeth & hair are healthy now, instead of brittle & balding. I lost 50 lb & brain fog lifted granting mental clarity. I'm healthier, happy, sharper overall & new epiphanies occur often now, helping find root causes & truth! Carnivore saved my life, returning truth, health, clarity & strength that plants or fake foods took away! I share my testimony to restore truth to prevent pain, because people deserve to know what’s possible eating optimally. “If we give the body its basic raw materials, it can do pretty cool things.”– Dr. David Brownstein

    We've turned into science experiments, masking odors caused by plant defenses with drugs, scents & antibiotics. We numb the warning signs instead of removing foreign matter feeding our ailments. As poisons like fake food, shots, alcohol, drugs, radiation & microplastics accumulate, they destroy us from the inside. Optimal health is not found in managing damage, but by refusing to take, eat, or lather ourselves in the things that poison us, because it all adds up, including the fluoride water we use to wash off normalized harmful daily care products, chemical cleaners, & plant toxins we force our bodies to detox from, perpetuating the cycle as we shower in contaminated water, absorbing more carcinogenic chemicals. Everything in our environment that hurts us, also contributes to our ailments. “Take away the excess of toxicity, get what you need, and that’s the core of integrated function.”– Dr. Sid Baker

    We must free ourselves from confusing, delusional deceit we’re indoctrinated into! We become numb to accumulated damage & can't tell what's hurting us. A proper diet resolves ailments thought of as normal aging, & genetic! “It’s kind of nice to be aging backwards basically.”– Dr. Shawn Baker. He coined Carnivore a healthy nutritionally appropriate medical elimination diet, & new reality! Socrates believed the first step to Wisdom is to “know thyself,” only then can we grasp what we truly understand, & what remains to be learned. “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.”– Richard Feynman

    Yeshua AKA Jesus said, “If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit.” We're animals & we need animal material to maintain our animal parts! Plant & animal biologies are incompatible. We don't need plants or carbs, but we need many building blocks found only in meat for optimal health, especially regeneratively raised ruminants like cows with biological filters for stomachs that remove plant defense chemicals, toxins, anti-nutrients & most pollutants, while also converting plant materials into essential absorbable & compatible animal materials, so our food doesn't hurt us!

    Dr. Ken Berry said, “Ruminant animals are our evolved ancestrally appropriate diet. Humans are the only animals smart enough to make fake food and dumb enough to eat it. Our antibodies attack foreign invaders in an attempt to protect us. There are over 600 known non-nutritive amino acids or proteins found in plants.” Canavanine looks like L-Arginine, similar in molecular structure to healthy animal proteins that our bodies use mistakenly or out of desperation from plants, which contributes to autoimmune diseases when our antibodies attack cells or body parts consisting of too much foreign non-animal material.

    Dr. Anthony Chaffee said, “You get everything you need in the proportion that you need from meat. Plants contain defense chemicals, plant toxins, and anti-nutrients. Plants defend themselves by being toxic. There’s nothing deleterious in meat, but there are literally over a million things that are deleterious in plants. Brussel sprouts have over 136 identified carcinogens, mushrooms have over 100, and all others… fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables, etc, have all been found to have over 60 known carcinogens. There’s 3500 different plants that use cyanide that we know of. Almonds are one of them. Even if it doesn’t kill you, that’s not good for your body. What you eat is going to feed the bacteria in your body, either in your mouth or your intestine, and so if you are eating the food you are designed to have, you should be feeding and promoting the bacteria that you are designed to have as well. So, that’s why you want to eat meat and you don’t want to eat plants.” “Plants are trying to kill you!”– Botany Professor David Watson. The last quote is also a life changing video by Dr. Chaffee explaining how harmful plants are.

    Dr. Leslyn Keith said, “The lymphatic system prefers ketones over glucose for fuel.”– Immune system. Most bad bacteria & microbial fungus can't survive on fat or ketones, but we thrive! Harmful microbes thrive on plants, but antimicrobial animal fat & ketones support a healthy protective microbiome that defends against bad bacteria that cause illness. “There is no essential carb! Everything your body needs can be made from proteins and fats that you eat.”– Dr. Marc Bessler

    Hippocrates was a Wise Greek philosopher, founder of Western medicine, & inspiration for ethical key foundational “root cause” healing or Oath doctors swore to uphold before a profit driven business motto took over, “There’s no money in a healthy person.” Hippocratic Oath: “First do no harm.” “Good health starts in the gut.”– [Paraphrase] “The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” “There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.”

    According to archaeological records & radioisotope testing, we lost our ability to safely digest plants during the ice age when vegetation was scarce for millions of years & our larger cecum & appendix that housed bacteria to break down plants slowly became smaller & less functional. “That which is used – develops. That which is not used wastes away.”– Hippocrates

    “We didn't evolve to eat meat, we evolved because we ate meat!”– Dr. Michael Eades. Ruminants eating nutrient-dense grass & weeds provided crucial building blocks like K2 that allowed us to develop from primitive hominids into more intelligent, conscious humans. “Taurine supplementation improved life span in mice and health span in monkeys.”– L. Bryan Ray. Compatible taurine is not found in plants. Agriculture regressed our evolution. We got lost, smaller, sick, weak, docile, gullible, brain-washable & controllable.

    Regeneratively raised cattle & other ruminants participate in biogenic carbon cycling to clean air & enrich soil as they graze, trample grass & fertilize land. This sustains the food chain & balance of nature that all life depends on for survival! Something must die so we may live. We must make peace with this cycle of life. “When you improve your health, you are improving the planet!”– Dr. Peter Ballerstedt

    Regenerative ruminants provide nutrients that fruits & vegetables don't, plus have positive environmental impacts, instead of negative & inhumane, so eat 100% Grass-fed meat if possible. Supply & demand dictates, the markets we support are the markets that will thrive! “Regeneratively raised cattle have on average six times more nutrients than conventionally raised.”– Dr. Eric Berg

    “As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…”– Hermes Trismegistus, Ancient Greek pre-flood wisdom that inspired spiritual truth & teachings like those of Christ! “Eat split-hooved animals that chew the cud.”– Leviticus 11. Ruminants like lamb, deer, elk, bison & cattle have thick walled stomachs with a rumen that can withstand plant fermentation in an alkaline environment suitable for bacteria to survive to break down grass & weeds, unlike us. Ruminants live on dying bacteria that can make us sick, but help digest plants, removing harmful plant defense chemicals, toxins, anti-nutrients & most pollutants, making ruminant meat “clean” & biologically compatible, so our food doesn't hurt us. Animal fat & ketones support health, memory, mood, hormones, libido, fertility, child growth, inner peace, energy, intuition, coordination, morality, love, foresight & more! These elements restore balance in us, nature, & our environments, preserving ecosystems to prevent future pain, famine & Mass Hysteria! “Never underestimate the power of a single decision made with intention and dedicated to truth.”– Joel Salatin, Regenerative Farmer

  11. Chocolate contains oxalates that are like tiny sharp glass shards that shred our insides as they move through us, & is not the health food you think it is. Eye boogers are our bodies detoxing glycotoxins & oxalates from plants. Remove the plants & we fix the problem at its source with “root cause” healing. Meat is the only thing that does not have oxalates. We are made of meat, so we can actually use, & absorb it, but the more plant oxalates & other anti-nutrients we eat, the more we'll have to detox later, which means more waste, more time in the bathroom, more tissue paper used unless you use a bidet, more bad bacteria buildup, more illness, more stench, more pharmaceutical drugs, shots, normalized chemical cleaners, & harmful daily care products to treat the issues, fight bad bacteria, & cover up the odors bad bacteria cause. We do not have a single cell in our body that's made of plants, so our bodies must detox anti-nutrients like oxalates through our tear ducks, ears, skin & urinary tract, then we store excess oxalates in our fat cells, & joints causing random aches, pains, & arthritic conditions. As we store carbs as subcutaneous fat that makes us obese, & visceral fat that smothers our organs causing diseases, like the leading cause of death, heart disease! Our cells are damaged with advanced glycation end products or AGE's that age us faster, because plant sugars & cellulose fibers are in fact not safely digestible, bind with protein creating sticky glycotoxins that gum up our insides as it stiffens & hardens to our blood vessels, arteries, organs, & brain, while they feed bad bacteria that thrive on plant fibers and carbs, & spread many illnesses, also contributing to disease & cancer! Dr. Leslyn Keith said, “The lymphatic system prefers ketones over glucose for fuel.” (Immune system)

    I cured gingivitis, athlete's foot, & more by removing plants. I used to get kidney stones from plant oxalates that bind with calcium in our bones & body stripping us of essential nutrients required to actually thrive long-term. I had a 3×6 MM kidney stone that was so painful to pass that it made me bleed & pass out! Now I know better than to eat plants! I recovered from arthritis, acne, anxiety, depression, gas or GERD, insomnia, muscle cramps, kidney/gallstones stones, cancer, & many other ailments we're told are normal parts of aging, genetic, hereditary or inherited from our parents & things just keep getting better. I almost died eating plants, & now I know we need meat, specifically mostly “clean” healthy grass-fed regeneratively raised ruminant animals to maintain health long-term, & thrive! Dr. Sid Baker said, “Take away the excess of toxicity, get what you need and that's the core of integrated function.”– (Detoxification specialist) Benjamin Franklin said, “Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”

    Plant oxalates contribute to many ailments such as joint pain, arthritis, kidney/gallstones, acne, psoriasis, eye-boogers, blurry vision, excessive ear wax, metabolic dysfunction, blood vessel & arterial damage, blood clotting, death, & much more. Common High Oxalate plants from highest to lowest;
    🌿 Parsley (raw) Serving: 1 cup chopped, Oxalates: ~900–950 mg
    🥬 Spinach (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~750–900 mg
    🍂 Rhubarb (raw) Serving: ½ cup diced, Oxalates: ~500–650 mg
    🌿 Beet greens (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~500–600 mg
    🍫 Cocoa powder (unsweetened) Serving: 2 tbsp, Oxalates: ~400–450 mg
    🍃 Swiss chard (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~350–450 mg
    🌾 Wheat bran (raw) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~200–250 mg
    🥯 Sesame seed (whole) Serving: 1 oz, Oxalates: ~200–250 mg
    🥜 Peanuts (roasted) Serving: 1 oz, Oxalates: ~180–200 mg
    ⚫ Chia Seeds (dry) Serving: 1 oz, Oxalates: ~150–200 mg
    🥙 Beets (root, cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~75–150 mg
    🥒 Okra (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~140–150 mg
    🍠 Sweet potato (baked) Serving: 1 medium, Oxalates: ~140–150 mg
    🌰 Nut (almond/cashew) Serving: 1 oz, Oxalates: ~120–150 mg
    🌾 Buckwheat groats (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~90–130 mg
    🍌 Banana (Green cooking) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~90–100 mg
    🥔 Potato (Russet, baked) Serving: 1 medium, Oxalates: ~90–100 mg
    🍘 Soy beans (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~80–90 mg
    🍲 Navy Beans (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Oxalates: ~70–80 mg
    🍫 Dark Chocolate (85%) Serving: 1 oz, Oxalates: ~65–80 mg

    All plants utilize a diverse spectrum of chemical warfare to punish predators that eat them, causing widespread systemic damage such as leaky gut, autoimmune disorders, thyroid disruption, & hormonal imbalance. Common Market Plants with the highest toxicity load (Lectins, Goitrogens, Phytates, Glycoalkaloids, etc.) From worst to least harmful;
    🍘 Soy beans (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Toxins: Phytoestrogens, Trypsin Inhibitors, & High Phytates
    🍞 Wheat (whole) Serving: ½ cup, Toxins: Gluten, WGA Lectin, & High Phytates
    🥜 Peanuts (roasted) Serving: 1 oz, Toxins: Aflatoxins (Mold), Aggressive Lectins, & Omega-6
    🔴 Kidney Beans (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Toxins: Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA Lectin – Toxic)
    🥔 Potato (Russet, skin on) Serving: 1 medium, Toxins: Solanine, Chaconine (Glycoalkaloids), & Oxalates
    🌽 Corn (sweet) Serving: 1 ear, Toxins: Zein protein, High Phytates, & Sugar (Fructose)
    🍅 Tomato (raw) Serving: 1 medium, Toxins: Tomatine (Nightshade Alkaloid) & Lectins
    🍆 Eggplant (cooked) Serving: ½ cup, Toxins: Solanine (Nightshade Alkaloid) & Histamines
    🥬 Kale (raw) Serving: 1 cup, Toxins: Goitrogens (Thyroid blockers) & Isothiocyanates
    🌶️ Peppers (Bell/Chili) Serving: 1 medium, Toxins: Capsaicin (Irritant) & Solanine
    🌰 Almonds (raw) Serving: 1 oz, Toxins: High Oxalates, Phytic Acid, & Cyanogenic Glycosides
    🥒 Cucumber (seeds/skin) Serving: 1 cup, Toxins: Cucurbitacins & Lectins
    🥣 Oatmeal (rolled) Serving: ½ cup, Toxins: Avenin protein (Gluten mimic) & Phytic Acid
    🥦 Broccoli (raw) Serving: 1 cup, Toxins: Goitrogens & Raffinose (Bloating sugar)
    🍚 Rice (Brown) Serving: ½ cup, Toxins: Arsenic (Heavy Metal) & High Phytates in bran
    🎃 Pumpkin Seeds (raw) Serving: 1 oz, Toxins: Anti-nutrients & Omega-6 Linoleic Acid
    🌻 Sunflower Seeds (raw) Serving: 1 oz, Toxins: Cadmium accumulation & Phytic Acid
    🍐 Peas (Green) Serving: ½ cup, Toxins: Lectins & Anti-nutrients
    🍵 Tea (Black/Green) Serving: 1 cup, Toxins: Tannins (Iron blockers) & Fluoride
    🧄 Garlic/Onion (raw) Serving: 1 clove/slice, Toxins: Sulforaphane & Fructans (FODMAPs)

    I hope you'll consider making the appropriate dietary changes to prevent pain from future ailments by addressing issues of common ailments by addressing their root causes, before they occur. Please wean yourself into a proper human meat based Carnivore diet for a few months to let your body adjust to magnificent changes that result in a whole new reality! Oxalate dumping or loose stools, & mineral loss causing lethargic feelings or “keto flu” are common symptoms during detox while transitioning to a healthy diet. When we stop eating plant anti-nutrients like oxalates, our body stops trying to store them, resulting in detoxe, so we can heal! Be aware that as we heal, we begin to feel again, so newly healed tissues may be sensitive for a bit. Everyone needs a different level of healing. “If we walk 10 miles into the forest, we've got to walk 10 miles back out.”– Alcoholics Anonymous. In the case of diet change we've got to beat sugar addiction, which is a battle of its own, because all plants break down as sugar or glucose in our blood, which glycates cells, preventing mineral absorption over time. Mixing non-essential carbs with essential protein creates sticky proteins called AGEs that age us faster, as they gum up, stiffen, & harden our cells, tissues, blood vessels, arteries, & organs, leading to strokes, heart attacks, & heart disease, as well as insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, & eventually type 3 diabetes AKA Alzheimer's! Many with Alzheimer's have trouble remembering their own name! Water logged cells running on carbs can hold more minerals, so it takes us time to adjust to become fat adapted, so we can absorb our minerals & “fat soluble” Vitamins A, D, E, & K normally again, correcting nutritional deficiencies, muscle cramps, fatigue, & so much more. Adding salt & electrolytes can help with fatigue, as well as additional fat, which is our preferred fuel type, & much healthier than sticky glycating carbs that feed cancer with chronic inflammation. Carbs use, & block Vitamin C receptors throughout our body as they compete for absorption, causing deficiencies, while increasing our Vitamin C requirements. Plants & the bad bacteria that feed on them also cause gut dysbiosis or reduced stomach acidity needed to break down & absorb the essential nutrients only found in meat, especially “clean” regeneratively raised ruminant meat. If we sit on a tack, we don't take a Tylenol to alleviate the pain, we remove the tack! We must remove normalized chemical cleaners and harmful daily care products! Removing plants, especially high glycemic carbs like genetically modified organisms or GMO plants, fruits, vegetables, highly absorbable juices, liquids, dyes, seed oils, & processed foods made from them, allows our cells, microbiome, stomach acidity levels, & healthy bacteria to adjust to absorb, & break down important building blocks, nutrients, & healthy animal fat fuels only found in meat, so we can heal normally, recover from confusion, & find a whole new intuitive, healthy, happy reality! Regenerative Farmer Joel Salatin said, “Never underestimate the power of a single decision made with intention and dedicated to truth.”

  12. Enjoyed the video, would have added to the video if you showed what each thing cost. Meals, rooms, car rentals, tour guides, and attractions. Many people will want to go to Belize for three reasons, Its an English speaking country, it appears to be a safe country with friendly people, and it should be affordable.

  13. Love this! Belize is one of my favorite places. If you go back, try to check out the island of Caye Caulker. It is un-belizable. 🐠 Bonus if you can hit the blue hole and other dive and snorkel sites (especially a site called “the aquarium”). 💙🇧🇿

  14. I know trash piles don't get views….but I think it to be misguiding when you don't show all the garbage piled up everywhere….I'm here in Belize as I type this, it's pretty gross

  15. If Cody ever got into acting and they made a live-action movie adaptation of Red Dead Redemption, Cody would make a good John Marston. IMO

  16. Hi Cody, Hi Kellie!
    This video movie was so great!
    My favorite part was the whole thing. The highlights were both waterfalls, the room on top of the tower and the view, driving through the water, learning about chocolate, the mellow bike ride, and that Moon in the last scene at the restaurant!
    Thank you and I'm thinking it was your Anniversary in there somewhere so Congrats to that❤❤❤

  17. I really enjoyed watching your video today. First time here.. I've been planning to move to Belize. Have to visit first and you guys have given me options for things to do and food to try! Thank you so much!