The duPlooy's Story

Ignoring sound advice Judy and Ken duPlooy (originally of Maryland and Zimbabwe, respectively) left their cozy house in Charleston, South Carolina, to head for Belize. Unable to find good homes for their five daughters, aged 4-16, they brought them along. The duPlooy family made their way through the US then Mexico and into the Cayo district of Belize. When they reached San Ignacio, in January of 1988, they got stuck in a mud hole 4 times in one day. They took this as a promising sign and began to look for a house.

At the time there was no such luxury as a paved highway to San Ignacio and if you think the road to duPlooy's is bad now, you should have seen it then! The family found the property by churning their way through the wilds one day. They spied an isolated farm for sale and agreed that it was the ideal location to begin hauling construction materials. Their two teenage children were thrilled with the relocation and demanded tickets home! The three youngest couldn't have been happier frolicking in the river while their elder sisters cooked meals on a camp stove and carried water buckets to and fro.

Over the years additions such as running water, chairs and adult sized stoves have added much to the place, but the most noteworthy change has been the property itself. At the time of purchase a few citrus trees were the only plants around, everything else had been cleared for farming. If you look around now it is hard to imagine, as duPlooy's has grown into its 'jungle lodge' title. There are hundreds of tropical plant species and thanks to the lush climate the trees look like they have been around for decades.

At the time of the duPlooy's arrival the only existing buildings were what is now the Belize River House, which was the family home, and a small tool shed, now the office. Despite setbacks, wailings and gnashings of teeth, duPlooy's Jungle Lodge opened in 9 months with 6 rooms and a dining room/bar building. Over the next few years the great "Hangover Bar" was added as well as a few more lodge rooms and the three bungalows. La Casita was the finishing touch for a grand total of 19 rooms.

If you are wondering what happened to the family, we won't leave you in suspense a moment longer. Judy worked tirelessly for 15 years managing duPlooy's. In the past 7 years the running of Belize Botanic Gardens was added to her tasks. Thanks to her efforts duPlooy's seems to be doing well and comments are more good than bad (so she tells us).

Former teenagers, Patricia and Heather, eventually had a successful escape attempt before the realization struck that they could no longer get their allowance. The two quickly returned home. Patricia has recently defected back to the USA. Heather (#2) is the Curator of Belize Botanic Gardens. Shayla (#3) still believes that the world outside of San Ignacio suits her best and is living in the US with her husband Chris, and studies Art. Lorna (#4) and her husband Raul managed duPlooy's for two years before moving to Panama in early 2007 with their son, Gavin. The youngest, Stephanie (#5), has also found her escape route and along with her daughter, Eve, has returned to the US to complete her education. She has recently returned to duPlooy's temporarily to gain field credits.

The rainforest look we noted earlier is thanks to Ken. He realized that he needed something to keep him out of a house filled with six women and began to dabble in gardening. Several thousand plants later something had to be done to justify this 'hobby' so 45-acres were dedicated to Belize Botanic Gardens. Despite fighting heart disease for many years he worked enthusiastically on the garden until his death on August 30th, 2001. His ability to tell wildly exaggerated tales is much missed.