Adventures in Central America!

It was a rude awakening, the alarm clock, but despite the early morning hour we were so excited to get the day started. We’d left cold, snowy Montana yesterday morning arriving at Houston just after midnight. Crashing at the pricey airport hotel seemed like a good idea last night since we were so tired, and this morning it again proved convenient as we hopped on the underground train and arrived at the terminal in just 5 minutes. The security line literally took hours longer than we’d anticipated, but we managed to make it to the gate with 30 minutes to spare. Phew! The 2 hour flight to Belize City was uneventful, and as soon as we stepped off the plane onto the tarmac Belize gave us a warm, breezy welcome. I’m so excited to be here! We waited our turn in customs and quickly found Francisco from Pook’s Hill waiting outside for us. We joined Kelly and Daniel, another couple arriving on our flight, and boarded the van. About an hour out of Belize City we pulled into Amigos Restaurant for a potty break and lunch. After we all enjoyed our first Belizean meal of chicken, rice and beans, we drove the short distance to the Belize Zoo. All 4 of us pasty-white tourists lathered on the sunscreen and we headed in. First thing in the gate was a young man holding his pet Boa Constrictor…did we want to hold it too? Of course we did! I was surprised at how heavy and soft it was. Photo op competed; we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the tropical trails of the zoo listening to Francisco sharing about the incredible variety of animals, many of whom I’d never even heard of. We were back on the highway for another hour when we turned off the main road at TeaKettle Village onto the road to Pook’s Hill. We bumped and jostled our way through the clear-cut jungle for about 30 minutes. As soon as we crossed into the 300 acres of Pook’s Hill the jungle crowded in dense and thick on all sides, including above. Pulling into the lodge, we received a warm welcome from Vicki, the owner. After our first Belikan beer (the only Belize beer – better than we’d thought!) she showed us to our cabana located high on the hill above the maya site in the middle of the property. Dave, one of the managers of Pook’s just happened to be having his birthday, so Vicki left us in our cabana with an invite and instructions to a party for Dave up on the roof of her house. After resting and cleaning up, we headed out for the first incredible night we’d have in Belize. If we weren’t already breathless from the trek up the hill to Vicki’s house, the view certainly took our breath away. From the vantage point of Vicki’s roof we could see over the jungle canopy – miles and miles of dense jungle stretched out beneath us. The sun was setting, birds were flying overhead….amazing. Simply amazing. Ryan and I just tried to soak it in, shed thoughts of home and responsibility, and relax into this tropical wonderland. We mingled on the roof for some time with the lodge guests, Dave, Cat and Vicki, sharing drinks and hor d’oeuvres while the sun set and a million stars popped out overhead. Soon we all strapped on our headlamps and trekked down to the lodge to share in our first meal in the cozy, lantern-lit dining room. After getting instructions on how to prepare for our day tomorrow, we took our tired selves up to our cabana. Crossing through the excavated Mayan ruin, our headlamps kept catching thousands of blue glitters. Fascinated but puzzled, we chalked it up to yet another way Belize had amazed us that day, and headed for bed, excited for tomorrow.

We slept soundly in our thatched cabana, but woke long before our alarm clock was set to go off as the jungle sounds coming to life were a more effective way to wake. We were so excited for this day – ATM cave! We donned our sneakers and with a quick brush of the teeth and hair we were out the door. We met Hector who would be our guide for the day. Wearing a huge smile, Hector was compact, powerful, a lover of nature along with a good sense of humor, as we would soon discover. A short drive out of Pooks property, we turned right on the road rather than left to return to the highway. We passed bean fields already being harvested in the early morning as Hector kept us entertained along the bumpy way. We soon pulled into the parking lot of the ATM cave – much to Hector’s pride we were the first ones there! After a quick stop at the odorous pit potties, we eagerly set off down the trail. We immediately hit the first of 3 wet crossings of the Roaring River and continued on the trail engulfed in thick jungle foliage all around. Hector was quick to point out wildlife along the way, and at one point we stopped and stared in awe as a flock of beautiful toucans flew over our heads and roosted in a tree overhead. After about 30 minutes we arrived at the ATM picnic shelter. Hector quickly outfitted us in our helmets and headlamps and stashed our cameras in his dry bag while we hung our backpacks on nails to keep our packed lunches safe from the jungle residents. We clambered down the bank of the creek, and all of a sudden the mouth of ATM emerged from the jungle. Looking like something from an episode of LOST, we anxiously waited as Hector gave us safety instructions and started a continuous dialog about the significance and history of this major Mayan religious site. In the distance howler monkeys added their voices, giving the moment an even more eerie feeling. Excitedly we plunged into the green water and swam the first yards into the mouth of the cave, small tetra fish nibbling at our skin. Beyond this first pool there was very little swimming on our voyage into Actun Tunichil Muknal – Cave of the Stone Sepulcher. For the next 4 hours we waded, climbed, slid and crawled. After scaling a huge boulder to an upper ledge, we removed our shoes and followed Hector through an incredible collection of pots, skeletal remains, and cave formations. The Maya believed that the caves were an entrance to the underworld, and would use ATM for religious ceremonies, sacrificing both material goods and also human sacrifices to the rain and fertility gods. After crossing through the large room dubbed the Cathedral, we picked our way across the “ouch zone” in our muddy socks to the climax of the cave – the Crystal Maiden. Once featured on the cover of National Geographic, a full skeleton of a young woman remains forever preserved in a cover of limestone. After pausing here for some time listening to Hectors immense knowledge of the Maya culture, we started our way back out of the cave. Upon re-entering the Cathedral, we met the first group behind us. Having other voices and lights in these ancient spaces changed the dynamic so much. Yet another reason to be grateful for our terrific guide who valued the silence and solitude of the early morning passage. We climbed back down the boulder and reversed our watery trek back out of the cave, and when we reached the plunge pool at the entrance I sadly jumped in, realizing that our incredible ATM exploration had come to an end. Back at the picnic site, we sat in the warm sun and ate our lunch while we listened to the howler monkeys express their displeasure at interrupting their jungle. We hiked back to the van, this time enjoying every river crossing to help cool our sweating bodies. Arriving back at the lodge, Dave met us wearing an Adventure Life hat and bearing cold drinks. We relaxed in the comfy chairs of the open-air lodge and discussed Belize politics and structure, quickly learning that Dave is a walking encyclopedia of all things Belize! Soon Vicki wandered through ready for a swim. Our fellow ATM explorers decided to take her up on it, but we decided a shower and nap were more our ticket. Pook’s Hill heats their water supply by burning cohune nuts, collected from the jungle floor. The “hot water heater” was putting off smoke, letting us know that hot showers were available, so we enjoyed a hot shower and nap before dinner. Dinner that night was a spread of fresh veggies, beef and rolls, and we again lingered over lantern-lit tables sharing tales of our daily adventures with the other guests in the lodge. The camaraderie of this small group of travelers was an unexpected highlight of our stay at Pook’s Hill.

Our bodies seemed to be adjusting to the rhythm of going to bed with the dark and rising early - similar to the other residents of the jungle around us. We had spotted a small lizard living in our roof the night before, and he serenaded us awake this morning. After a hearty breakfast swapping bug stories with our fellow guests, we were excited to find out that Hector would be our guide again today. Today was already warm, so we filled up all our water bottles from the main jug in the lodge and set off in a small truck. After an hour of being entertained by our guide extraordinaire, we arrived at the banks of the Macal River in downtown San Ignacio. A man was there with a waiting canoe, and we waded out far into the middle of the river before all three of us boarded the canoe and set off paddling upstream. After about 3 minutes, we’d left all sounds of San Ignacio behind, and were immersed into the serene life of the river. We paddled upstream for about an hour, spotting brown jays, cormorants, toucans, and flocks of bats. We even spotted a basilisk lizard, otherwise known as the “Jesus Christ Lizard” for its ability to scoot across the water - so cool! Eventually we turned around and paddled back down the lazy current of the Macal towards San Ignacio. After returning our canoe, we decided to hold off on lunch and head to Xunantunich first. Back in our truck, we passed thru San Ignacio and through the lush countryside for about half hour before arriving on the banks of the Mopan River. A handwinched ferry was the only way to cross, so we stood on the wooden planks watching schools of fish accompany us across their waterway, as an elderly gentleman cranked the winch. A quick 5-minute drive on the other side put us in the parking lot of the Xunantunich ruin, an ancient Maya city. We trudged up the hill in the hot sun, but as soon as we entered the complex at the top of the hill it was easy to forget the heat. A small ruin by comparison, it is nonetheless impressive with the height of the buildings. We stood in the shade as Hector again filled us up with his extensive knowledge and respect for the ancient Maya. We climbed to the top of El Castillo, happy to find the ledge at the top empty. We sat down on the top ledge of El Castillo, shade covering us from the massive stones we were leaning on. Soaking in the views from our vantage point, all three of us chugged our waterbottles and sat in companionable silence. Sitting there enjoying a breeze, soaking the remnants of an ancient civilization and surrounding view was definitely a highlight of the day and one of my favorite moments of our trip. We climbed down, down, down, off of El Castillo and explored the grounds, taking in the ball court, the stellas used to commemorate leaders and significant moments in Mayan history, and the palace building. You know it’s really hot when even your guide can’t take the heat, so after we’d seen our fill of this magnificent ruin we gratefully retreated to the air-conditioned truck. Riding back across the river on the ferry, I watched as a pair of massive iguanas lazily tussled over a piece of food on the side of the river bank. We stopped at a little open air restaurant in San Ignacio for a lunch of chicken, rice and beans. Without the comforts of A/C we sweated our way through lunch and a few cool-ish bottles of soda. The drive back to Pook’s was spent laughing with Hector, we truly felt like we’d found a new friend in addition to being the most incredible guide. Remember those blue glitters we kept seeing while crossing through the Mayan ruin to get to our cabana each night? Hector was delighted to let us know what they were – spider eyes! He challenged us to look closer next time – what do you know, once we did, to my non-spider-loving horror, the field was swarming with black spiders the size of silver dollars. Ugh. Arriving sticky and sweaty back at the lodge, Vicki greeted us with an invitation to go for a swim. The three of us set off from the lodge down the series of groomed nature trails that Pook’s maintains, chatting with Vicki about the history of the property and how she and her family created it from the dense jungle. We arrived at “Red Cliffs” – a section of the Roaring River with deep waters and a large red clay bank on the other side. We eagerly jumped into the water, and spent quite some time perching on underwater rocks chatting with Vicki and enjoying the coolness of the river. Tetra fish were our constant companions, nibbling at our skin and darting around us. Ryan and I lingered long after Vicki departed. The heat of the day had created massive thunderheads in the distance, and we soaked in the river and watched the sky change into electric storms, lightning bolts shooting down in the distance and thunder roaring overhead. Once we pulled ourselves from the cool water we explored the trail system on the way back to the lodge, picking up a few bug bites as souvenirs. After cleaning up in our cabana, we headed back to the lodge for drinks and horsdevours before dinner. Numerous guests had left today and had been replaced for new guests, so we enjoyed fresh chips and salsa and Belikan beer while darkness descended. Cat and Dave lit the lanterns and candles all around and mingled with us, chatting about our adventures. Dinner was again another delicious meal of fresh veggies and herbed pork. Many of the other guests opted for a night hike with Francisco, but we decided to go to bed early in preparation for our big day tomorrow – Tikal!

Another early morning, this time it didn’t even seem early as the birds outside our cabana sang us into awareness of another day. Our very early morning breakfast this morning was just the two of us, accompanied by the lanterns and the cheerful sounds of the girls chattering and giggling in the kitchen. We boarded our van at 7am for our big excursion into Guatemala to visit the massive ancient Maya city of Tikal. It took just an hour and 15 minutes to arrive at the border, and we disembarked our van accompanied by swarms of men wanting to exchange our money. We stood in line for about 30 seconds before clearing Belize customs and immigration – quickest border crossing ever! We walked across “no-mans land” in between the border, and passed quickly through the Guatemala customs and immigration. On the other side, we met George, our Guatemala driver. It is illegal to drive a Belize vehicle in Guatemala, so George guided us to our new vehicle and soon we were out on the newly paved freeway that would take us to the ancient city of Tikal. George filled us in on the scenery passing by our windows, and left the freeway several times to show us the shores Lake Macancha and Lake Peten Itza along the way. We stopped outside of the park at an obvious tourist trap, but at least they had clean bathrooms and water to wash your hands. We avoided purchasing any of the overpriced goods here, and picked up Danielo, our national park guide. Just a few more minutes down the road and we had finally arrived – we were at Tikal National Park! We parked the car near a cluster of thatched roofed café’s – George’s hangout for the day – and set off on foot into the park. I knew Tikal was an immense area, but hadn’t realized just how far we’d be walking this day! We hiked for over an hour through the dense, steamy jungle, Danielo pointing out along the way different plants and animals. Finally, a gigantic structure appeared through the forest, and looking up, up, up, we finally were standing at the base of Temple IV, Ryan’s dream come true. Not too many people are aware of this unless they are serious fans of the Star Wars movie, but back in 1977 George Lucas filmed a portion of the original Star Wars movie from the top of Temple IV. Of course we were headed to the top, so we joined the line snaking their way up the never-ending staircase and arrived breathless at the top of the temple. The sun was merciless above the jungle canopy, but we posed for the famous Star Wars shot and other photo ops, soaking in the incredible view from the top. Once we couldn’t stand the heat anymore, we descended the staircase again. Sweat soaked, we paid way too much for a cold gatoraid, but at that point it seemed worth it! We set off again through the jungle, Danielo pointing out various things along the way such as pits dug by the maya for food storage, rain reservoirs, and remnants of broad paved highways. We passed gigantic structures such as the Sun Temple, residences and numerous other buildings in various states of excavation. Spider monkeys and the curious coati mundi (raccoon like creatures) kept us company on our journey, birds and forest life always busy and noisy around us. We lingered in the plaza which was believed to be the north entrance to the city of Tikal, poking our way through the surrounding buildings and seeing the grand staircase which now, thousands of years later, is falling into decay from the jungle’s influence. We paused at the impressive Temple V, a steep faced building of huge stepping stones. The staircase for the tourists was located next to it, but was so steep that it was more like a ladder ascending the 15+stories to the top. Deciding that I was better off not falling off the top of the building, I sat on the ground and watched as Ryan made his way up to the top. So steep and tall that he was a miniature version of himself before arriving at the top, I was glad to be on solid terra firma! (Once back down my fearless husband confessed that he nearly passed out at the top from the height – the guy who isn’t scared of heights!) After continuing through the jungle, we finally arrived at the Grand Plaza. This expanse of green lawn is surrounded by enormous structures on all sides. We clambered our way up the broken side of the temple to peer down into the face of an excavated face of Chaac, the Mayan rain god. The sun again was brutal, so we wandered around as long as we could, trying to get past the extreme heat to soak in the incredible experience of this massive Mayan city. We retreated back under the jungle canopy for our return trek back to the entrance to the park. I browsed a few of the local vendors selling their wares and purchased a few items to remember our day in Guatemala before we had a welcome cool soda and the ever present chicken, rice and beans at the park café. The drive back to Belize was uneventful. Ryan and I were mainly silent as we attempted to sort through the experiences of the day. The day held so much - wandering the ancient streets, courtyards and buildings of the awe-inspiring Mayan people. A culture so advanced, yet so mysterious, exploring their ancient city was an experience difficult to put into words. Once arriving back on the beautiful grounds of Pook’s Hill, Vicki’s smiling face was there to greet us. Relaxing in the refreshingly breezy lodge, we popped open cold bottles of Belikans and sorted through our thoughts and impressions of Tikal with Vicki before heading up the hill to our cabana to clean up for dinner. On our way back down the hill to the lodge for our typical “happy hour” mingle time before dinner, we noted that the blazing hot sky was clouding up. A break from the heat would be a welcome change, but I was a bit sad to not see the vast night sky on our last evening in Pook’s. Another round of fresh chips and salsa and adventure stories under the thatched roof, we relaxed in the company of our fellow guests. During our lantern-lit dinner, the breeze shifted. Lightening started lighting up the jungle around us, and a deluge opened up outside. It was so cozy, with our sun-heated skin, full bellies and camaraderie of our new friends, while the storm showed its drama on the other side of the screens. None of us felt like returning to our cabanas, so we all went back upstairs. Cat and Dave again lit the candles and lanterns that the wind had blown out and the wonderful cooks brought us all steaming cups of tea. The rain was pounding away on the thatched roof, and we all enjoyed a leisurely evening of laughter and tea while the breeze blew in and the rain pounded around us. Before too long, our bodies gave way from the adventures of the day, and we all made mad dashes through the downpour for another cozy night, snug in our thatched roof cabanas.

Our resident roof lizard sang us awake this morning. The jungle seemed especially energized after the storm of last night, and unfortunately half of the insect population seemed to decide that our bathroom was the best place to start their new day. Im definitely learning to overcome my squeamishness of oversized insects! We finished packing our bags this morning and headed down to our last breakfast. A misty fog held the grounds of Pook’s Hill this morning, and as we crossed the Mayan ruin en route to the lodge the fog seemed to breathe life into the ancient stones. Saying goodby to our new friends Vicki, Dave and Cat was bittersweet – it had been such a pleasure to meet them after months of working with them from our office in Montana, and our time with them was more than we could have imagined. The rains had changed the jungle road off the property, and the swollen foliage pressed in on both sides and above. We slipped and shimmied our way back to the freeway, and said goodbye to the rainforest and its treasures. After a two hour drive, our driver dropped us off in at the bustling water taxi terminal in Belize City. We were a bit early for the next departure, so Ryan grabbed a Belikan and I enjoyed a pineapple smoothie while we waited for our taxi time. We spotted a TV in the waiting room, our first exposure to the “outside world” for the past week and were shocked to watch footage of the Japanese quake which had just occurred the night before. After gleaning as much info as we could from the news, we boarded the open air water taxi with about 50 other passengers and jetted our way from the mainland. The water was a thousand shades of turquoise, and we passed numerous little islands or cayes on our way. A quick stop at Caye Caulker to unload a few passengers, we were back on our way and arriving at Ambergris Caye in only 1 ½ hours. We disembarked onto the white sand, claimed our bags, and wandered down the beach. We located a island map after a few yards and found our hotel on the map. Two minutes later we arrived in the cool quiet courtyard of the SunBreeze Hotel, our home for the next 4 days. Smiling staff checked us in and we happily explored the beautiful grounds of our hotel. We decided to head out into the town of San Pedro in search of some food. We left the hotel lobby on the street side an quickly discovered that San Pedro is BUSY! The narrow cobblestoned streets are packed with groups of tourists, swarms of gas-powered golf carts and a few taxi vans…and limited sidewalks. A sharp eye is required to make sure you don’t get run off the road! We wandered the busy streets for awhile and found a table at Fidos restaurant for our first island meal. Soaking in the ocean view on the other side of the balcony rail, we lingered over lunch while stray cats looked for a handout. There’s two ways to get around in San Pedro – street side, which we discovered wasn’t too relaxing, or the beach side. We spent the afternoon wandering the white beach of San Pedro, flip flops in hand. Plenty of entertaining people watching and not to mention the incredible Caribbean ocean just inches from your feet! While at dinner that night, another rainstorm blew in. This time we were in an actual building, not an open air thatched cabana, so we sat and watched the rain wash the busy streets of San Pedro from our window table. We just missed the observance of Carnival, a riotous time similar to Mardi Gras, which had been celebrated on the island two days earlier. Evidences of Carnival were still obvious with bright paint splashed on everything. The rain seemed to clear the air and wash much of the paint away from this quaint little town, and we made a mad dash back to our hotel for our first night at the Caribbean.

I woke several times in the night listening to the rain and wind howl outside our door. Our room was located on the second floor on the corner overlooking the ocean, so there was nothing to break the storm coming in off the ocean. It was so cozy to snuggle in and listen to the storm rage against the building. The SunBreeze hotel holds one of the best restaurants on the island – The Blue Grill, so after a late start today we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the edge of the just down the steps from our room. I had discovered on this trip that I was madly in love with the lime juice they made in Belize, so I was in heaven sipping cold lime juice while we watched the turquoise water just feet from our table. The beaches of San Pedro are different than many expect. Swimming is best done from the ends of the ever-present piers that extend from every hotel. The sand strip is usually only 10 yards or so wide, and the water is full of sea grass which protects the island from erosion. Extending the length of Ambergris Caye and located one mile off shore is the barrier reef, which breaks the waves and further protects the island. It was different to sit on the beach and not have waves to watch, but there is plenty of people watching to do as people wander up and down the beach on their way to whatever is next. This afternoon we visited a few hotel properties on the island – a little bit of work time but walking barefoot on the sand to get there was definitely the way to go. We stopped at Red Ginger for lunch, an Asian fusion restaurant with complimentary freezing cold water – delicious! We had scheduled a massage earlier, so after relaxing in the hammocks we headed out just before sunset to Asian Garden, a beautiful Asian themed courtyard where Ryan and I enjoyed a side by side massage. Halfway through the massage we turned onto our backs and the tiki torches had been lit and the stars had come out. Now that’s the way to relax! We enjoyed dinner at the tiki-themed restaurant across the street and made our sleepy way back to the hotel along the beach. Not a bad day!

Another lazy morning. We had purchased juice and bagels at the market the day before and stashed them in the room refrigerator, so we enjoyed a lazy breakfast on our balcony overlooking the ocean. The staff at the SunBreeze gave us a golf-cart tour of San Pedro en route to a visit to their sister property north of town this morning, and after this visit we wandered the beach a bit more before getting ready for our afternoon fun: snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Park. Our group was just Ryan and I and one other lady, so soon we were speeding out towards the barrier reef in our motorized boat. The Hol Chan Marine Park is an area of the barrier reef designated as a protected zone, and Jeffrey, our guide, pulled our boat up to the park rangers boat and paid our fee’s. We slowly motored to the “parking lot” – several small buoys in the blue water for the boats to tie to. There were a half dozen boats there already, and more pulling in every minute. Groups of tourists were already snorkeling around oblivious to other boats, and the whole scene seemed incredibly precarious. Jeffrey quickly tied off and told us to put on our flippers and jump off. We landed in about 3 feet of blue-green water, and Jeffrey gave us safety instructions and helped our fellow tour mate with the basics of snorkeling. Soon we were able to put our faces in the water and let the warm waters of the Caribbean carry our bodies. To our great surprise the water was teeming with foot long silver fish with yellow tails, indistinguishable from above the water. We set off to circle a break in the reef, spotting all sorts of fish such as a puffer fish, several gigantic grumpy looking black groupers, a school of 6 foot long tarpon resting beneath a ledge, and a barracuda swimming around us in a circle. One sinister looking stingray lay partially camouflaged in the sand, his four foot wing span and quivering tail earning him instant respect. A couple of sea turtles joined us for a while before heading off in search of more sea grass. The coral formations were intricate and beautiful, and home to hundreds of vibrant tropical fish. It really was like swimming in an aquarium. Before we knew it, we were back to our boat. After a very quick motor to another location on the reef, we arrived at “Shark Ray Alley”, named for the high number of nurse sharks and stingrays in the area. Jeffrey just took the edge of a rope and started slapping the water. Instantly the water was filled with nurse sharks – some as long as 8 feet long. Our jokester guide reminded us that the captain is always the last one off the ship, so would go in first?? Our tour mate was terrified of the sharks, so I knew it was between my loving husband and me. One look at his face I knew it was going to be up to me to make this happen! I figured these tour operators pretty much depended on keeping their tourists alive, so I pulled on my courage along with my facemask and jumped off the side. More tropical fish, more beautiful coral, and of course….sharks. Nurse sharks are actually bottom feeders; more a gigantic catfish than shark, but just their size and name was enough to inspire some fear. They would slowly appear from the gloomy water in the distance, their length being the most intimidating thing about them. I had seen youtube videos before our trip of guides catching them and helping tourists to hold them, so after I relaxed I was hoping we’d get close enough to at least touch them….I mean, who really gets to hold a shark in their lifetime? But unfortunately our fellow snorkeler was too freaked out and couldn’t relax, so our considerate captain called it in before too long and we were back at the boat without chance to hold a shark. I was glad to miss seeing more stingrays up close and personal – those are the ones that make me really nervous. We putted along the barrier reef for a while, Jeffrey filling us in with his extensive knowledge of the reef before jetting back towards the caye. We showered before taking to the beach again, strolling through town for dinner at a Lebanese restaurant. The ethnic range of this place was crazy, with no end to food diversity. After dinner we lingered over drinks at the Blue Water Grill, and enjoyed a warm breeze blowing in off the ocean. Full of sun and completely relaxed, we headed to bed.

A seriously lazy day. This was our last full day on the island, and our thoughts started turning towards home. We slept in, enjoyed another leisurely breakfast down at the Blue Water Grill (with more glasses of lime juice!) before heading out to stroll the beach again. We decided to forgo our plans to kayak this day and instead lazed the day away stretched out by the pool, swinging in the hammocks and reading on the balcony. We enjoyed a seafood meal for dinner while the wind picked up from the ocean. We wandered down the breezy beach one last time and out on a long pier in front of a hotel. Standing on the end of the pier, wind whipping around us, we watched the stars and said goodbye to the beautiful Caribbean before reluctantly heading back to our room to start packing our things for our early morning departure tomorrow.

We woke early and I looked outside in time to see the sun peeking over the Caribbean right outside our door. We were soon ready to check out, and headed directly across the street from the lobby and into the airstrip terminal. We waited for our 7am Tropic Air mini-flight back to the mainland, watching fish swim in a huge aquarium remembering how just two days ago we were swimming with them in the wild. We boarded our 12-minute flight to Belize City, sandwiched in our tiny plane with 8 other sun burnt tourists. I enjoyed the view out the window as we passed over the turquoise waters and cayes along the route and soon arrived at the Belize airport. We checked in for our international flight and started the long journey back home to Montana. Our 3 flights home were uneventful, as we flew to Houston, then Denver, and then finally landed in snowy Missoula just before midnight. We were happy to see the smiling face of our friend and fellow Adventure Lifer, Kassi, who drove us home to our cold house. We fell into our bed with grateful hearts full of memories, stories, new friends and adventures – thanks Adventure Life!