Rooted in Nature, Roaming Free.
Empowering a life enriched by adventure, exploration, and authenticity. In the heart of Belize’s lush jungle, Safari Arie commits to sustainable practices that preserve nature’s wonders, cherishing the experiences that define our shared journey. Guided by a passion for the wild and a dedication to conservation. My hope is to inspire others to embrace the extraordinary, respect the environment, and live life fully immersed in every moment.
Ways you can support my content:
About
My website
Welcome to the Safari Arie website an attempt to document my life and what goes on inside my head at any given moment.
The genesis of this website was to document my bike ride travels from Canada to the bottom of Argentina. Let’s just say I got about half way down before time caught up with me and I had to abandon that dream to pursue another dream of living in Belize.
Ideally a website has a single focus to attract a specific target audience, my website does not have a single focus. Ultimately this website has become a hodge podge of many subjects and themes.
Some of the categories of content that can be found here includes the following:
> My latest endeavor, life coaching
>documentation of my day-to-day life and struggles in the jungles of Belize
>Belize flora and fauna that I come across in my day
>documentation of my 26,000 km bike ride across Canada, the US and Mexico to my home in Belize
>assorted blog posts on bike touring in general
>personal journaling of how I interpret my life (a form of therapy) and thoughts about reflection and wisdom
>my poetry
Expanding on these categories
Life Coaching
I have been a few years without a job or career. I feel life coaching will be a really good fit for me given my lifestyle experiences and I feel I have something to offer people looking to transition away from a more traditional lifestyle. There is more to figure out and more to come as I explore this new path.
Life in Belize
My first visit to Belize was in 1997. I bought a house in the Community Baboon Sanctuary in 2003. Currently I live in Belize on a 42 acre farm in the village of Scotland Halfmoon.
Belize – Flora and Fauna
On any given day I come across creatures that I have never seen before or creatures that I see on a regular basis. One of two things happens, either my favorite photos get lost in the hundreds of photos I take on a monthly basis or after getting help with identifying an insect (for example) I have forgotten what it is six months later. This page helps me keep my best photos all together and is an easy reference for my to be able to re-identify an unusual insect that I have found again.
2019 – 2021 Bike Ride
On November 12, 2019 from St. John’s NL, I biked 12,340 km’s across Canada during the 2019-20 Canadian winter and Covid-19. I continued south through the USA biking almost 8,000 km’s along the Pacific Ocean and South West. Entering Mexico at Mexicali I biked another 6,000 km’s south and across Mexico to Chetumal arriving at my home in Belize November 25, 2021.
Bike and Camping
Biking 26,000 km’s gave me some insight to a few categories about bike touring in general.
Personal Journaling and Reflection
This category is a work in progress and I am not sure what this will look like or where it’s going. The internal works of my mind is not a pretty sight. I also like to collect quotes of wisdom and reflection through better questions. Its my hope to explore that here also.
Poetry
Most of my poetry is not exactly uplifting. Read at your own discretion.
So ultimately this is a website for better or worse about a guy named Arie Hoogerbrugge.
Who is Arie Hoogerbrugge?
Arie was born May 18, 1973 and raised middle class in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario Canada with 2 younger brothers.
The following terms in one form or another reflect who Arie is as a person.
Christian, introverted, passionate, alone in the world, risk taker, socially awkward, a thinker, broken inside, adventure seeker, organized, a farmer, lover of beauty, mindful, financially broke, complicated, reptile and amphibian lover, freedom first, unorthodoxed, despises stupidity, podcast lover, accountable, poet, generally misunderstood, tree lover, probably foolish, minimalist, conscious, entrepreneurial, trusts no one, impatient, hard worker, blogger, single, old fashioned, ex-truck driver, cheap Dutchman, stubborn, loyal, serious personality, goal oriented, cyclist, lazy, romantic, fussy eater, photographer, unbalanced lifestyle, neat freak and has many failures and regrets in life.
Thanks for stopping by
Arie Hoogerbrugge
“May your greatest dreams and goals be ahead of you; not behind you.”
***Note – It took me 18 months to get an internet connection in Belize. I am working my fastest to get up to date on my Belize blogs. I currently about a year behind in posting my daily Belize blog posts.
Stay in touch
Belize Keynote & Travel Content
Three Years in the Jungle: My Life in Belize, A life I Never Expected
I still remember November 1997 - my first time on a plane. As we descended into Belize, the jungle canopy stretched as far as the eye could see. Disembarking onto the tarmac at Philip S.W. Goldson...
How to Scorpion-Proof Your House & Other Arachnids Found in Belize
Living in Belize comes with many natural wonders, from lush rainforests to beautiful beaches. However, it also means sharing your space with a range of local wildlife, including scorpions. While...
A Comprehensive Guide to Living in the Jungles of Belize
The following article is largely a Belize-oriented comprehensive guide to living in the jungles of Belize but the information can easily be applied to living in any jungle in the world. That being...
Recent Blogs:
Three Years in the Jungle: My Life in Belize, A life I Never Expected
I still remember November 1997 - my first time on a plane. As we descended into Belize, the jungle canopy stretched as far as the eye could see. Disembarking onto the tarmac at Philip S.W. Goldson...
Belize Part 123 (June 8 to 15)
June 8 Life in the jungle: First thing this morning I was back to digging the new cabana septic hole. I noticed my first baby green iguana of the season. I finished the septic hole (4ft x 4ft x...
Belize Part 122 (May 31 to June 7)
May 31 Life in the jungle: I started my morning back working on my (compost-making) chicken coop. I had one small coop door and the main door left to build. An excavator operator came by but I...
Belize Part 121 (May 18 to 30)
May 18 Life in the jungle: Today I turned 51. I guess that's proof there is no going back from old age. Truthfully, I have nothing else to add about turning 51. Today was killer hot out. I...
Belize Part 120 (May 8 to 17)
At some point, somehow, I lost/deleted my Belize blog Part 119 (April 27 to May 7). Based on some photos in my photo collection all I know about that I installed an exterior wall in Andy’s bike...
Belize Part 118 (April 19 to 26)
April 19 Life in the jungle: This morning I was informed that guests of Andy on motorcycles were ahead of their schedule and now showing up tomorrow. That put me into house-cleaning mode. This...