We are Naud Brouwer and Elsbeth Lam, both from the Netherlands. When we met each other, we found our outlook on life to be very similar: a passion for travel and nature, a dream to move to another country with more natural areas and sunshine, and no wish to have children.

After finishing our studies in Social Science, we set out to work and save money. We lived without much luxury and set our salaries aside for travel and the future emigration. Our favorite travel destination was Africa, very appealing with its colourful cultures, simple life, beautiful nature and abundant sunshine. However, each country had a downside, such as too much crime, poverty, racism or political instability.

We stumbled upon Belize in 1998. We planned a diving trip to the Bay Islands of Honduras, which were hit by hurricane Mitch the day before our flight. We rescheduled for Belize, and never regretted it. Instead of diving we explored the country and liked it. Belize had the charms of an African country without the downsides. So we came back again and again, visiting parts we hadn’t seen and exploring the options and regulations of moving to Belize. In 2002, we made our decision and spent the next two years wrapping up our lives and jobs.

In June 2004 we arrived in Belize with two backpacks and a suitcase, planning to take it slow and get to know the people and the ways of the country. We bought a vehicle and started driving. By September our hearts were set on settling in Toledo to start a backpacker’s paradise, the kind of place that we always hoped to find while traveling. And so we went in search of a piece of land to buy.

The farm in San Miguel had everything we were looking for: nearby attractions, riverside, beautiful environment, easy to reach. On the 4th of December we moved to our farm, planning to clean up and start building soon. Farming appealed to us much more then we expected, although as city people, we had no clue what to do. We got a lot of advice from our neighbours, and we did all the work by ourselves. As we progressed we became fascinated with farming, we found that it is hard work but very satisfying. We care for our animals, dogs cats ducks and horses, and they care for us. Since we grow our own food, cooking has become a very important part of our lives and an outlet for creativity. And the animals, plants and people around us never cease to amaze us, with new discoveries every time.

In 2009 the farm was in reasonable shape and we finally started building. In October 2010 we opened our doors, sharing our dream with our guests.