The boat ride from Guatemala to Belize
After climbing through the rainforest
Munching on some tasty termites! They actually taste like carrots!
Hanging out at the cave entrance
This past weekend we traveled to Belize. The trip took about 10 hours—8 by microbus, 1 by boat on the open ocean and another bus into the jungle. We stayed in an enchanted valley in the middle of the rainforest/jungle. Feet from our cabins ran a crystal clear river which flowed from the mountain side. Hundreds of fish nipped at us as we swam around and dove off the dock. At the mouth of the river there was an enormous cave which we swam into. With headlamps we swam deep into the cave. After 20 minutes of swimming we came across a huge and powerful waterfall pouring from above. The whole trip was magical. Although, the dangers of the jungle did poke their little eyes once in a while. The first morning I walked into the bathroom to find a 5 inch scorpion climbing on the wall, and a tarantula in the hallway. Other than that it was a relaxing and much needed weekend away from San Salvador, and really the only reason we make this trip is because we need to leave the country to renew our visas/passports. And since the inception of CAFTA we have to leave the CA-4 (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua). Lucky for us, this trade agreement means an extra long weekend in the Belizean jungle. It was so weird to be speaking English to people in Belize. The official language of Belize is English because it was once a British colony, much like Jamaica. There are only 250,000 people living in Belize with 6 different ethnicities and languages spoken. Despite its rich tourist industry the country is desperately poor due to horrendous governmental corruption. I would love to go back someday and travel more. It’s so different than El Salvador. The people are so friendly and there aren’t as many walls. I immediately noticed the lack of barbed wire which is so prevalent here in the city.
Today I took the day off from Praxis. It was my first time to miss, but it was much needed. I developed a wicked cough and sour throat in Belize and can barely speak due to my lost voice. This week is going to go so fast, and then on Friday we’re off again for spring break. Time moves faster and faster.
3 comments:
I thought you'd get a kick out of knowing that I yelped out loud ("yol"?) when I read about the tarantula.
Glad you're getting some needed rest after what sounds like a memorable weekend! Hope you feel better soon.
Meghan Burke
¡AY! ¡que horror sobre la tarantula en tu baño! mi roomie (la loca) tiene una tarantula como mascota y todavía tengo mucho miedo de ella (ella me dijo que la tarantula ES UNA CHICA). ick.
este fin, me voy a oaxaca, el estado al sur de puebla y entonces, en 2 semanas, me voy a ir a veracruz, en la costa del gulfo. en todos viajes, vamos a muchos museo antropologicos y arqueologicos. pero también, en veracruz, ¡¡vamos a visitar la playa!! que divertido :)
espero que nos vemos antes de te mudas a chicago y me mudo a ... ¿dónde? ehhh, no sé. ¡hasta luego!
Hi son,
Magical is a great word and it about sums it up, doesn't it? The photos are amazing, and I'm so excited for you and the experiences you're having. The descriptions are so vivid ("hundreds of fish nipping" -- piranhas, I hope not!). Too, too cool.
I hope you're feeling better...your Mom and I have been worrying about you. You sounded awful the other night.
Matt Kemper said he offered Monticello, KY to you if you want to do a mission trip. What do you think? Have you heard anything from EVOKE?
Take good care, son, and have a blast on spring break. Take lots of photos. Love you lots,
Dad
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