So many adventures...so little time...

My last day at Isla Bonita Elementary school was the perfect ending to a great experience. Friday was only a half day, due to the upcoming two week Easter holiday. The morning was spent having a surprise “going away party” for me and the students making the sweetest thank you cards. We also spent some of the morning at the park on the beach. It was a great way to spend my last day enjoying time with my kids and my partnership teacher. There are a lot of different things that I will take from my time at the school and it was bittersweet to see it end.

                Saturday morning, we set off for our trip inland. We got on the water taxi and then loaded our bus to head to the Belize Zoo. The zoo was really interesting and we got to see the Tapir, Jaguars, Parrots, Toucans, Howler Monkeys, and more! It was another great zoo. That night we were staying down the road from the zoo so we went to check out our accommodations. They were rooms with bunk beds and we quickly felt like we were all back at sleep-away camp. Despite the bugs and loud wild life, it was a good night’s rest!

                Sunday was definitely top 3 besssssst days of the trip. We got up, had breakfast, and got ready for our long day trip to the ATM caves. I was nervous and anxious because of the unknown adventure ahead. We loaded the bus and started on our journey to the caves. This journey consisted of our bus making its way down bumpy, winding curves on dirt roads, crossing creeks, climbing up hill, and more. It was quite the durable bus! We finally made it to the caves only to realize we still had to hike to them. So we ate some yummy lunch, got in our caving gear (clothes to get muddy, water shoes, bug spray) and began our hike. We hiked through the rainforest and across the Roaring River and eventually got to our cave spot. Here we split into three groups of eight, got our helmets, and guides and began the real adventure! The spelunking in the caves was literally the coolest thing I have done before. We were in a real Mayan cave – swimming, rock climbing, squeezing into crevices, walking in waist deep water, etc. It was challenging in the best kind of way. In the cave we got to see Mayan artifacts, learn about the Mayan culture, see skeletal remains from sacrifices, and more. It was such a great experience and I would come back to Belize just to do it again. J

                We ended our ATM tour right before dark and loaded back on the bus to head to San Ignacio to our hotel. It was a little bit of a long ride and we were worn out from our day so we were all ready for some dinner and to get settled in our rooms. Katie and I got to stay in one of the cabanas and this was really exciting at first..until over the next several nights we had to conquer several types of bugs and bug bites. But it was good to be a different environment and get to see new sights.

                Monday was another GREAT day of my Belize trip. I had really wanted to go cave tubing for one of our excursions, as well as zip lining. After half the group had decided they wanted to go with the hotel’s price of $75 just for zip lining and not go cave tubing. Four of us were determined to find a better price and still get to do the combination. So we walked down the hill (oh yeah, our hotel was at the top of the hill in San Ignacio) and set our looking for deals. After much negotiation and failed attempts, we finally landed on someone who would take us out for zip lining, cave tubing, and lunch for $90US. Seeing as this was only $15 more than the other group had paid for just one, we decided to take it. It turned out to be well worth the money! We piled in our tour guides Isuzu and headed down the long and bumpy road to Jaguar Paws. We spent the first part of the day zip lining, which was so much fun! I was really nervous at first but after a few times it wasn’t so bad. I would love to do it again. Then we ate lunch and went cave tubing! I was so excited about this because I had wanted to the whole trip! We grabbed our tubes and began the 30 minute hike to where we started. We jumped off a rock on the way and learned about Mayan history and medicinal plants. Our tour guide, as well as all the ones I’ve had, was extremely knowledgeable! We made it to the water to start, put our tubes in, and hopped in. The water did not have much current for about half of the trip so we had to paddle with our arms then. But it was really neat to be inside the cave just floating along. Then when the current would pick up, we would be pushed fast. It was a great time and my friends and I made it a lot of fun! J We didn’t get back to the hotel until a little after 6 and most of the group had gone down the hill for dinner. We were wiped from our day so we decided to order pizza and play some cards at the hotel. The pizza hit the spot and it was a great end to our successfully fun day!

                Tuesday, we went to Caracol and got to see Mayan ruins. This was a great tour. It was so interesting to know that at one point the temples, houses, etc had all been underground and someone had found them. The temples were TALL and it was quite the workout climbing those stairs but what a great thing to have the opportunity to see and learn about. After the tour, we stopped at Big Rock waterfalls and got to go swimming and jump off. This was so much fun! We got to cool off and all just have some fun together! Wednesday was just a chill around the pool day and check out down the hill (downtown San Ignacio area). It was nice to just hang out and do whatever we wanted to for the day and get to explore the area.

                Thursday, we made the journey back to San Pedro. We got on the chicken bus at 7am and then the water taxi at 11am and got back around 1ish. Boy, was I glad to be back in San Pedro. Home sweet home!

                Overall, my trip inland was WONDERFUL. It was interesting to learn all about the Mayan culture and all that entails. It helps me to better understand my students here and where they and their families may be coming from. It also helps me understand the Mayans more than I even began to before. I really think this experience will benefit me and my future classes in how I teach and the material I teach on.

Less than a week left here! Everyone is getting ready to leave starting tomorrow and Sunday. I will be sad to see them all go, especially knowing that my turn is coming up. It will be bittersweet to leave because I will miss Belize but I am excited to see my friends and family.