Belize Pt. 3

Day 12 -

From Belize

We woke up the next morning to see that the rain that had begun the day before continued. Today was a “resting day.” We spent the morning on a hike into the jungle.

From Belize

We saw all sorts of trees, plants, and some really pretty butterflies. On the walk, I ended up going slower than most of the group, but faster than the photographers. I was walking through the jungle by myself, thinking about how scary it would have been to be lost. How it would be horrible to have to hike in the dark…and how many eyes were probably watching me that I didn’t even know about. This was about the time I fell down the path and almost ran into our guide Pedro…who was chopping bamboo for famous bamboo chicken. As we were hiking the sun came out.

From Belize

From Belize

We ate lunch and then played in the water for the rest of the day. We paddled our kayaks under the waterfall to see who could hold on and not get pushed out. We also played water polo. It was a “modified version” in which any rules go. We played for several hours and were exhausted.

From Belize

We then got out of the water, dried off, and decided to entertain ourselves by braiding hair (don’t really know why we felt like this was the best idea ever, but we had a great time.) We had fashion shoots, and acted pretty much like we were all twelve years old!

From Belize

Day 13 - We packed up everything, tents included, and headed down the river. This was to be a travel day. We paddled down the river to the next take out point, pulled all of our gear out and set up our tents. After we had our camp set up, we had some “team bonding” drinking and answering questions such as first car and first album bought with your own money. It was a great day!

Day 14 - We had an early wake up call, tore down our camp, and begun paddling to our takeout point. We did not have any drops this day, and the water reminded me of paddling down the current river….except there were tons of iguanas! Valencio climbed a tree and scared an iguana. The iguana jumped in the river (did you know iguana’s swam?) and then Pedro jumped into the water and caught the iguana. We passed it all around and took pictures. Valencio then let the iguana go.

From Belize

We continued down the river until we got to the bridge.

From Belize

As we exited the local children from the village showed up to help us cart all of our materials from the river to the van. The children helped us, and then we gave them treats, gum, cookies, pencils, and magazines. It was a difficult experience because I wanted to organize and make things “fair”.

From Belize

We walked from the river to a store where lunch was waiting. It was similar fare, but I ended up eating rice and beans. It was just so tasty! We loaded up the van and drove back to Dangriga after lunch. We went to the Island Expeditions office where we were able purchase some souvenirs and get the rest of our luggage.

We were then driven to the airport, where a private puddle jumper was waiting to take us back to Belize City. We boarded the plane and took off for BC. It was the SMOOTHEST puddle jumper flight I’ve ever taken. I thought we were going to the international airport, but we landed at the municipal airport. The runway ended a few feet from the water.

From Belize

It was quite the landing! We were then transferred to the hotel and were able to rest. As a last finale, we ended up having a final dinner together. It was quite the event, and a little sad, as we were all going our own ways the next day.

Day 15 - Time to go home! My flight didn’t leave until later in the afternoon, and two of my trip mates were on the same flight out. We decided to share a taxi to the airport. My roommate got up and left early, leaving me in the room by myself until noon. I slept in, enjoyed a nice breakfast buffet and was able to spend about two hours by the pool before it was time to leave. We ended up at the airport with about a billion students on mission trips. The majority of our flight was filled with these students. It wasn’t quite the restful flight that I had hoped.

From Belize

Luckily the REI travelers and I were able to rush through customs before the large group, and we had no trouble finding our way around the Dallas airport. I ended up waiting for my flight back to KC watching the KU basketball game with fellow Kansans. Belize Trip Recap Part 1 Belize Trip Recap Part 2

Belize....Pt. 2

Day 6 – Woke up on Caye Caulker and went to breakfast, went back to Da Real Macaw and packed my things. I hid my bags in the laundry room and wandered around the island until it was time to get a “taxi”. The taxis on the island are all golf carts. I guess some of the drivers on the island liked to drive fast, so they installed speed bumps. The speed bumps on the island are large, thick pieces of rope that are laid across the road. (Heather and Laura…think of the biggest rope that we use in training at the Y).

From Belize

Anyways, took a taxi to the airport, and arrived a bit early. Got to hang out with the locals in the airport. Once my plane arrived, I got on to the horror of the group of diving moms. They were all mothers who were playing hooky from their families for a week, going around the Caribbean diving different places. They were so concerned that I was traveling by myself. ☺

From Belize

From Belize

I landed in Belize City, met up with the Island Expeditions guide, JC and waited for another flight to come in. We chatted about movies, absorbent cell phone prices, and my travels in Caye Caulker. Finally the flight that we were waiting for came in, and Sarah and Lorraine (from Canada) arrived. We decided to wait for the remaining flights at a local hotel. JC dropped us off, and we had a drink by the pool while we waited for the van. After everyone arrived, we loaded onto the van and headed to the Tropical Education Center to learn about the native animals of Belize. It began raining as JC was telling us about the history of the country. We decided to tough it out and head to the zoo anyways. We saw tons of cool animals, and heard the howler monkeys. We headed back to our cabins (which I forgot to take a photo of) and re-packed our stuff for the beach portion of our trip.

The next morning we woke up and headed to the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave. The cave was surprisingly fun. We first had to hike for an hour into the middle of the jungle.

From Belize

We got to the mouth of the cave and geared up. We had to put on hard hats and headlamps. The first thing we had to do was to swim into the mouth of the cave. We had to climb, slide, swim, and shimmy through the cave to get to our final destination. Once we got to the part of the cave where most of the ruins were located, we had to take off our shoes, and put on socks. We had to wear socks so we wouldn’t damage the rock formations on the floor of the cave. We were able to see beautiful cave formations, Mayan pots and bones from bodies of people who were sacrificed by the Mayans many years ago.

From Belize

After we saw the ruins, we have to hike back out to our van where a packed lunch was waiting. We then boarded our van and drove to Dangriga to meet our boat for the next part of the trip. This van trip was what began our group bonding…and it was the best group EVER!
We road on the boat for about 45 minutes and arrived at Tobacco Caye. We all had a wonderful dinner and ended up grabbing a drink at the local bar and heading to bed.

From Belize

From Belize

Day 7 – We woke up early for breakfast and headed out to learn to kayak. The first part of kayaking was a tutorial on steering a kayak with a rudder. I ended up being partnered with Sarah…my new BFF! We were superstar paddlers! The final test we had to complete was the roll test. We had to put the covers on our kayak and roll over…upside down into the water, and get our paddles, bail the boat, and hop back in. I was a little shaky…but successful! We paddled around most of the day. We ended the day drinking coconut milk and rum drinks invented by our guide Damasco. This was where our team bonded…. drinks always make good friends turn into better friends.

From Belize

Day 8 – We woke up ready to paddle! We had to pack our things again and get ready to leave Tobacco Caye. We had a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, fry cakes, and eggs with refried beans (sounds weird…surprisingly good!). We then got into our boats and paddled over to the next caye. On the way we passed by mangroves and an island named bird island. This island was the location where hundreds of birds mate and make their nests. It was amazing because you could see them building their nests, feeding the babies, and trying to attract mates. Amanda…I thought of your fear of birds. You would have had a hard time!

From Belize

After getting to the next island, we got back in a boat and traveled to Glover’s Atoll. When we pulled up in our boats, I knew that I had found my favorite place on the trip. We were staying in cute little tents.

From Belize

From Belize

The bathrooms were primitive at best. The toilets were composting toilets. This meant that every time we used the bathroom, you have to throw a coconut scoop of wood chips in after your business. The showers were quite a trickle. I couldn’t even get the salt water out of my hair, let alone shampoo or conditioner. I was perfectly content to just sit on the porch of my tent and read a book. Or go out and kayak around the island.

Day 9 – We woke up on Glover’s atoll to a day of “free choice”. I chose to go snorkeling in the morning, and sailing in the afternoon. We paddled out and snorkeled around. The snorkeling was AMAZING! I was able to see and learn about all sorts of fish, I saw tons of manta rays, lobster, starfish, and just awesomeness! We paddled back in just in time to lie in a hammock and dry off before lunch. After lunch we had more free choice time and Lisa and I decided we wanted to try sailing. We got Pete (the best guide ever) to take us way out and snorkeled around. Pete was able to get us to slow down and really look for things on the reef. We were able to hold some crazy spider lobster thing, clown fish mucus (gross!) and jellyfish! We were also able to see some of the fish that bury themselves in the sand. In order to see them, you have to just float. We were able to sail back to the island. After a few mistakes, I was able to steer us (and Pete as a barnacle) back to the island using the wind! On our trip Pete shared the island secret! A shower in the back with AMAZING water pressure! I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner in my whole life. Dinner was amazing, and we ended up closing down the bar on the island.

Day 10 – We went on a morning paddle and snorkel our last morning on Glover’s Atoll. It was a little choppy out on the water, but I wanted to take advantage of all of the time I had on the island. I was able to paddle out with Jess and we had a grand time. Pete showed us around the reef again, and once again…he was the BEST GUIDE EVER!
Once we arrived back in the islands, we took a quick shower, ate lunch, and boarded a boat to take us back to Dangariga. As we boarded the boat, we noticed that the weather was starting to turn. We figured we had a short boat ride, and would beat the weather. Fifteen minutes later, one of the engines on our boat stopped working. Two minutes after that it started to pour. We pulled out all of the dirty sheets and tried to protect ourselves from the rain by covering ourselves with sheets. It was a rather futile effort. Our short boat ride turned into a 2-hour boat ride. Luckily the rain stopped after about 20 minutes. We arrived in Dangariga and went shopping. The grocery store we went to was an “American style” grocery store. Nothing too exciting. Except the price of rum. That was exciting…and super cheap! We were purchasing snacks and drinks for the last portion of our trip: the jungle.

We ended the day at Big Falls Lodge. The lodge was beautiful and decadent, and someplace I’d never be able to actually afford to stay. The hot shower was the best ever!

From Belize

Day 11 - I slept wonderfully and woke to the sound of tropical birds. We repacked our things for the jungle portion of the trip and headed off to the Mayan village. One of our guides, Pedro, took us to his village to see how modern Mayans live in Belize today. It was a very rustic village.

From Belize

Pedro’s house was actually two smaller buildings. One room was the cooking room and the second room was the sleeping room.

From Belize

The bathroom for the “tourists” was a hold in the ground covered by a plywood seat.

From Belize

The bathroom for the Mayans was the woods. After touring Pedro’s we walked into the town and went to a bazaar where we were able to purchase crafts. Then we headed to a family’s house and ate a prepared meal of traditional foods. The one thing I was surprised about was their tamales. They were only rice. No meat…and very flavorless. But I ate the whole thing to be polite ☺. We then drove in the van to the put-in point for our canoeing. The entire day was pretty dreary, and on our drive it started to rain.

We had to hike down the side of a mountain to our put in point. Of course I fell down the mountain. I should have known it wouldn’t be the last time I’d bite it. We hopped in our canoes and started down the Moho River. There were many drops the first day. A drop is like a mini-waterfall where you stay in your boat and go over the edge.

Go Kansas! I was the first girl to volunteer to go over a drop, and I nailed it.

From Belize

After going over many drops, we arrived at our set up campsite and changed into dry clothes. We were pretty exhausted so we had dinner, a drink or two and went to bed. Belize Trip Recap Part 1 Belize Trip Recap Part 3

Belize...Looking Back, Pt 1

Day 1:
Flew on the WORST FLIGHT EVER. We flew right threw a thunderstorm, and I about lost my very expensive Dallas airport dinner. Arrived at the airport only to find out that they had held an plane for me, so I ran through the airport to meet up with the puddle jumper. Got off on Caye Caulker and got on a taxi to De Real Macaw. I checked in and went and had dinner at Wish Willys. It was a little unorganized and the only reason I ended up eating there was because it was a place recommended by my guide. In hindsight, I should have gone elsewhere, but I was too tired to think clearly.

Day 2:
Got up, went on a walk around the island. Made a grocery run and bought a gallon of water so I’d have some good drinking water. Found a cute place to eat breakfast and ended up talking with a lady who told me about a half-day snorkel tour. I went and booked it. After booking the tour I met three people from Canada who were on the end of their world tour. They were getting ready to go on a tour with Ras Creek and invited me to tag along. Sadly I had already paid for my tour and couldn’t go.

From Belize

I ended up spending the morning at the split, laying on a piece of broken concrete talking to two brothers from the US who were staying at the same place I stayed. One was an investment banker and the other was the owner of a landscaping company.

From Belize

After sunning for a while, I headed back and ate lunch and met up with the boat for my tour. The tour was okay. The guide was knowledgeable and he took us around to several places. I was able to snorkel on my own. The best part of the snorkeling was when we visited stingray alley. I was able to swim and touch nurse sharks and huge stingrays.

From Belize

From Belize

From Belize

I ran into the three people from the morning that evening, and we hooked up for dinner and then met up with the two brothers. We all went out for drinks, and I realized how lame I am. They drank and drank and drank, and I got tired and went home.

Day 3:
Got up and went to my FAVORITE breakfast place. It was up these rickety stairs and they had the most amazing Mexican Breakfast Dish. I even drank tea with breakfast and I felt very British.

From Belize

After breakfast I headed back to my room and got ready for my second snorkel tour with Ragamuffin Tours. I was a little nervous when I got there because there were a ton of people. They split us up into different boats and we headed off. Sadly it wasn’t windy enough to sail to our first snorkel destination, so we motored.

From Belize

I chatted with a bunch of the people and then we got to our first snorkel spot. It was an okay spot, but not my favorite. The second spot we went was back to Sting Ray Alley. It was not nearly as fun as when I went the previous day, and I’m glad that I went on two tours. The final snorkel stop was amazing. It was called Hol Chan and it was a protected spot. I was able to see a ton of fish, sea turtles, and a moray eel! On the way back to Caye Caulker, we all got rum punch to drink. I drank a lot and by the time we were back to dock, I had to eat dinner and go to bed.

Day 4:
I had no plans on this day. I decided to start the day eating breakfast at my favorite place. After, I walked around the island and took pictures of things. I saw the school, kids walking to school, different houses and places.

From Belize

From Belize

I headed back and spent a bit of time reading on my front porch, and once I got too hot, headed to the Split for some swimming.

From Belize

It was super crowded (well, crowded for Caye Caulker isn’t really very crowded) but I found a spot and laid in the sun for a while. I spent most of the day reading, and it was very relaxing. For dinner I ate at a place where the cook/hostess/owner stood next to the picnic tables and she yelled at people. It was the first place I ate fish that had the head still attached, and it was a little weird, but very tasty. I met a couple of people and it turned out that we were both going on the same tour the next morning. So we planned to meet at the dock and head out together.

Day 5:
Got up and went to the grocery store for cereal, milk, and snacks. Packed my backpack and walked to the dock. Bought my round trip ticket and waited for my friends to show up. They were traveling from Seattle. We bonded over the horror that was going to happen because we booked our tour on “cruise day”. We arrived at the dock in Belize City and met up with our guide, who drove us out to the cave tubing place. The whole way he told us about the flora and fauna and history of some of the things that we saw. When we got to the zip-lining place…we were horrified at the “cruise goers” They were rude, obnoxious, and not being kind to their guides. We headed over and zip lined, and it was AWESOME! Then we changed into our swimsuits and met up with our tubing guide. I was disappointed in the cave tubing. It was more like being pulled through the cave as fast as he could pull us. The guide was nice, but it was clearly a profit place, not for meandering. I think I was also really disappointed that I didn’t get to do the tour that I wanted to…going to Lamanai to see the Mayan ruins. When I returned, I saw a sign that mentioned a movie playing. I walked to this place, ordered dinner, got a good seat, and watched The Kings Speech. The ocean was crashing on the left, dinner was amazing, and I met someone from England who had been traveling around Central America for a few months. Belize Trip Recap Part 2 Belize Trip Recap Part 3