A Most Unique Mexican Vacation

Tourists visit Mexico for a variety of reasons: Beaches, Water Sports, Wildlife, Hiking, Mayan Ruins,

Historic Sites, and some just to escape the cold winter. In the Midwest of the United States, Dude Ranch Vacations have become a popular destination for travelers wanting a unique experience in wide open spaces with horseback riding. What if you could combine the best of both of those worlds? You would then find yourself at Num Kaan Ranch, a jewel of the south between Bacalar & Chetumal, Mexico.

Num Kaan Ranch is situated on 40 hectares of land, much of it still jungle. Right off Hwy 307, the ranch property stretches all the way to the Lagoon. Our lagoon is the same body of water as the well known Bacalar Lagoon (The Lake of Seven Colours) although our section of the lagoon is considered Xul-Ha, part of the nearby village of Xul-Ha. On the ranch we offer affordable lodging from economical palapa roof cabanas to air-conditioned family suite casitas boasting full kitchens, TV, dining room and sleeps up to 6 people.

We are about to open Num Ka’an Bunkhouse consisting of 8 air conditioned rooms for a total of 32 beds and capacity to sleep 36. All total Num Kaan Ranch can lodge up to 62 people. The Jungle Horse Restaurant & Cantina is a favorite spot for a great meal & refreshing drinks for our guests hailing from all corners of the worlds as well as the local community and surrounding area.
On-site amenities for our guests include a beautiful, pristine multi-level pool, volley ball court, horse shoe pits, access to the laguna, kayaking and, of course, our horses. A favorite for the kids is the rodeo paseo, spending 20 minutes in the corral riding or being guided by one of our wranglers. We also offer a paseo to the laguna, which is a 2 hour ride through the jungle stopping half way at the laguna for a refreshing swim. Num Ka’an Ranch is currently home to 15 horses, 7 of which we use routinely for the paseos. In the near future we plan to offer horseback riding lessons and we may be acquiring additional horses to add to the herd, so stay tuned for more

on that.

While staying with us, we can also arrange for local tours of the Mayan Ruins, Historical Sites in Bacalar and Guided Wild Life tours, so be sure to bring your camera. A 3 to 7 day stay would give you time to experience the sites that draw many to the Yucatan peninsula, all the while enjoying western style hospitality on a ranch. What a fabulous vacation for your family. There is something for everyone at affordable prices.

Num Ka’an is a perfect location for groups. Upon request we can work with you to package lodging, activities & meals for groups of 25 or more to fit a reasonable budget. Num Ka’an works perfectly for company meetings, tour groups, family events and special occasions. Our large event hall can easily seat 60 people for meals, meetings and other group activities.

Contact us for more information by emailing us (inquiry@numkaan.com), calling us 983-157-7483 (English), 983-139-0493 (Espanol) or visit our Facebook page (Num Ka’an) 

and website (www.numkaan.com) You can find us on skype, just search for Num Ka’an

Happy Trails,

Catherine Thomas

Num Ka’an Guest Services

Num Ka’an Ranch km 5 on Mexico Hwy 307 Xul-Ha Quintana Roo, Mexico

Joey's Birthing Story

I have been in on many births of babies, but NEVER puppies and let me tell you, I have a whole new respect for female dogs. Holy Moses, it was AMAZING!! Humans go to all this reading of books, buying the latest in birthing & baby equipment, take classes on breast feeding. Then we moan, scream & groan during labor and it takes a team of people to deliver one child (more if there is a multiple birth). Having had children myself I am in awe of the tenacity, spirit & strength of a birthing female dog. Attribute it to anything you want, doesn't matter, plain & simple they go through the process with dignity & strength!
I knew Joey was going to deliver last night. She was being snippy with the other dogs and staying away from them. I went up to bed, but I couldn't fall asleep, I kept going down stairs to check on her. Finally she followed me upstairs to the guest room where I had a pad & bowl of water set up for her, but when she saw Annie laying there she growled & barked at her, as if to say, "Hey, get the heck off my birthing pad", but Annie was not going to budge, so Joey went back down stairs. 
A little while later Annie did move to the other room & Joey nested down on the pad next to the bed. I watched her for a while  then dozed off to sleep.  I figured I would hear Joey when she started laboring. She never made a sound.
Long around 4:30 am I awoke to the sound of whimpering, I looked over & she had already pushed

out 2 puppies. The whimpering was coming from the puppies. I got up and sat next to the pad. Joey didn't seem to mind, she almost seemed to be pleased. I rubbed her back and could tell she was about to push out another. The process was nothing short of astonishing. 
They come out in the sac, she tears it open, eats the sac, slurps up the fluid and then thoroughly cleans them, drying them in the process. They find her nipples on their own and start nursing. She lays

back to take a break and 20 min later here comes the next one, the next & the next. I felt around her belly & knew there she wasn't done. 30 minutes go by and she starts contracting again. I thought maybe this was the placenta, but no she had one more to birth. 6 pups in all.
So for 3 - 4 hours she is contracting pushing, birthing, cleaning and feeding puppies ALL AT THE SAME TIME and then eats the placenta. Amazing!! 
The first 2 were white with black spots (obviously looking like the heathen that got our little Joey

pregnant), then 2 black with bronze/white feet & a little spit of white on the chest (looking like Joey), then the last 2 looking like the first two. I named them Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Cinco & Seis. Uno & Dos were determined because one was wetter than the other.

Joey cleaned up as she went along, other than moisture on the pad, you would never have known puppies had just been birthed there. (But I will send that out for cleaning)
I got a few pictures and left Joey to rest with her puppies. Since she is upstairs she is safe from the

other dogs nosing around her puppies. After she rest a bit, I will take the birthing box up and help her transfer into that. That way when Joey needs to go out or eat, her pups will not be able to "roam around" while shes gone. We won't really know how

many males & females for a few days, but the lines are open for anyone wanting to lay claim to their favorite (hint hint).
 

Many of you have probably witnessed this with dogs or cats and think I am making too much of it, but for me it really had an impact. I guess animals escaped Eve's curse, so nice for them. I had planned all kinds of projects for today but I think I will just let the house stay quiet for Joey, she deserves it after all that work. I love how she has them all snuggled up together and lays her head over the top of the group to keep them warm & safe. 

Stay tuned for the Chronicles of Joeys Puppies.

 

Reconnecting after Deployment

Many of you know I have spent the last 3 months in Hopkins, Belize managing a guest house. Well I have returned home and have such a deep appreciation of all those years my hubby was in the Navy and what it meant for him to come home. I knew he was so happy to be home and we were excited too. In the early years I had to adjust to him not wanting to go anywhere right away, as the kids & I had done so

many fun things while he was gone (I had to keep them occupied, so we would just go & do stuff all the time), we wanted to share some of it with him, but he just wanted to stay home. We developed the practice of the 3 day honeymoon. For at least the first 3 days it was tabu for anyone to call or come over. This was family time!!! It worked very well, we would reconnect and slowly emerge into society and our outside activities. The other adjustment was relinquishing responsibilities that during the deployment were all on me.
I remember one time (it was a  lengthy deployment) I had been very spontaneous with the kids. Just on the fly I would say, "Hey lets go to the pool, or lets go bowling", things like that. I guess hubby was home for maybe a couple hours and one of the kids said, "Dad, when are you going out on the sub again?" Hubby said "Why do you ask?" "Because mom takes us to do FUN stuff", said the innocent child of truth. That's when hubby & I discussed moderation in what life is like during deployment compared to post deployment.

The new found appreciation I have for what it was like for hubby has probably left some of our friends wondering "What's up with her?" Well it's like this for me:
I am the social butterfly of our marriage, but after being a hostess for guest 24/7 for 3 months I am very much enjoying a few days of solitude. Getting to know my house again, my life again and forming a plan to re-engage in all the things I did before. It's like running at 150mph and coming to a screeching halt. There needs to be a buffer zone while the gears shift.
It was also hard during the last 3 months to find uninterrupted time to spend chatting with our children & grand children. So for the next few days if the only contact I have is with my family that will be the buffer zone I am in most need of right now. Be patient, the social butterfly you all know & love will emerge from her cocoon soon!