Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Perfect Ending


The last part of my trip was the most anticipated. We left South Water Caye and took a boat to the main coast of Belize. There we stayed at two resorts right next to each other. This way, we got to experience the best of both.

We ate lunch at one resort where we had huge tables set up outside to accommodate all of us. At night, after a lot of swimming, laying poolside, taking a REAL shower several times, and had gotten our massages out of the way we all met at the resort I was staying at for dinner. It was our last night in Belize so we spent the time going over all of the great experiences and memories was had of this trip.

My trip to Belize was great in its self, but I highly doubt it would have been half as memorable if I had not gone with the people I had gone with.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Private Island Anyone??


After a few hours of bus, small plane, and boat rides across Belize's beautiful landscape, we ended up on a peaceful island called South Water Caye, and it was all ours. The first thing I did was lay 2 feet from the ocean on the hot sand and I remember thinking "now this is more like it".

There was plenty to do on an island that is literally on the second largest barrier reef in the world. I had a chance to kayak across the reef, go sailing with a native boy who The man we were traveling with had known for years, become friends with all of the people that worked on the island (Melissa was our bartender, we all LOVED her!!). We also took a boat out and went fishing, traveled to nearby islands to meet other natives, and we went scuba diving.

On our trip back to South Water Caye the driver of our boat realized that there were several dolphins swimming alongside us. He stopped and we jumped in the water and to our surprise the dolphins didn't move. We had an opportunity that not many have, swimming with wild dolphins!

I have so many great memories from this part of our trip and I am so thankful I was able to experience it. Four days and five nights on our island was pure bliss but the best was yet to come...

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

In the Jungle


For the first part of my trip to Belize, I stayed (along with 18 other people) in a tiny cabin on the edge of a river called Blue Creek. It just so happens that Blue Creek is located right in the middle of Belize's giant jungle. There is no running water, only saved rain water...which meant no showers for 2 days :/ and all of our food was freshly prepared by the Mayan women from the village down the road from out cabins.

One night we went do
wn to the village and were able to get to know and family very well. The parents had 13 children but one had died from malaria. They were not shy at all when it came to flirting and asking for our emails. It was an amazing experience to have such close interaction with another culture.

The water was beautifully clear and very refreshing to the 100 plus degree weather we had. We w
ere traveling with a close family friend who happened to own all of the properties we stayed at during our vacation. He was close with all the villagers and tour guides, making our trip unforgettable and unique. The tour guide would take us on walks through the jungle late at night to see all the creatures that secretly surrounded us. He was very kind and while we were waiting after dinner for the sun to set so we could begin our hunt, he would tell us of ancient Mayan tales. The guides also took us on cave swims through HUGE caves that had waterfalls inside them. It was not until after the swim that we all thought of what could have been swimming in the waters with us!

The jungle was a great experience, however after 2 days we wer
e all ready to sleep in real beds and be able to shower.