Can you believe it has been more than twenty-five years since the birth of Far Horizons! I remember clearly and fondly our first “adventure” trip in 1983 when I was driver, guide, baggage handler, study leader, and tour manager! What glorious memories I have of those early trips - camping in the rainforest at Ceibal (and trying to sleep while the howler monkeys roared incessantly), floating down the mighty Usumacinta River in inflatable rafts, and walking through the uncut Lacandon forest to see the astonishing murals in Bonampak. How magical to be the only people there!
In those early years, unflappable Far Horizons travelers faced challenges such as oh, remember the bathrooms in that hotel in southern Belize on our first trip? Or, how about when the engine of one of our mighty GMC Suburban vans blew up while we were deep in the jungle trying to reach Rio Bec? After recruiting a 1932 logging truck (along with all the men of the village) to get us back to our hotel, we found a lobster dinner awaiting us…at 2 a.m.! Then there was the time that we found the fer-de-lance snake in the middle of our cluster of tents at Piedras Negras. We all zipped our tent flaps more carefully and decided that we didn’t really have to get up to go to the bathroom that night. And how about that trip into the Naj Tunich when one of our trucks slid into a ditch and a Maya family took us in for the night…all 20 of us! We had no food with us but our wonderful study leader had packed canned rum and coke, our sustenance for the night. But we awoke the next morning to the smell of fresh tortillas over the fire and hot coffee.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to appreciate luxury (as have the Far Horizons travelers still taking our journeys all these years later) but won’t entirely give up the adventure. As our frequent travelers know, our trips proudly reflect this winning combination as well as including a specialist who reveals the secrets and solves the mysteries of the sites we explore.
Over the years, we have created newsletters that include updates on archaeological projects, short articles written by scholars, and write-ups on events in our destinations. Our newsletters have developed into a chronicle of the history of Far Horizons and much of the information contained in them is still valuable today. Please click on links below to access them.
Enjoy!
Mary Dell Lucas
Founding Director
Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Trips Inc.
P.O. Box 2546, San Anselmo, CA 94979 USA
415-482-8400, 800-552-4575, Fax 415-482-8495, journey@farhorizons.com
