Blogs from Stann Creek District, Belize, Central America Caribbean - page 6

I woke up with the sun & woke Geoff up to go watch the sunrise. First one we've gotten up for yet. It is warm already & clear blue skies with a few clouds on the eastern horizon. The bay is so completely flat it sorta looks like an ice rink but warm...Walked for some coffee, since we decided we're staying today to rent kayaks & trek around the cove in the calm water. Off tomorrow though, inland, into the jungle & toward Guatemala & all the bugs! woohoo. I LOVE bugs. Got coffee, got offered weed for like the 146th time and played on some teeter totters in a park. They are soo much fun. I think I want one in my yard. We just finished a delicious egg, butt bacon (that's what the package ... read more

Woke up to another beautiful warm rainy day (everywhere we go, it rains & the locals say "it hasn't rained in so long, but there we are in the rain almost daily). I walked down to De Tatch restaurant & got a cup of coffee & they had cocoa so I added that. Best cup of coffee! We bought some groceries at the local market & made breakfast at home. I had a delicious egg white sandwich on The Bakerman's bread with some cheese & lime flavored mayo & a little coleslaw. Walked around town & checked out some little shops & went back to Lydia's to read & wait out the rain. Finally in the early afternoon the clouds parted & the sun came out & it was HOT! Yippee!! We went promptly to the ... read more

I originally came to Belize to volunteer and dive, and since day one I have been seeking an opportunity to do both simultaneously! I was finally introduced to the right person about a year ago, and an opening to help Lisa with her coral reef restoration project finally arose this month. Lisa is an independent scientist working by means of international grants who is studying and devising methods to repair the extensive damage to the coral reefs of Belize. The luminous colors and diversity of coral abound in the shallows of our seas, usually on continental shelves, islands, and atolls. Coral reefs are an impressive structure made up of living coral organisms stacked atop calcium carbonate deposits from previous coral inhabitants. I was surprised to learn this year that coral are not a type of plant, ... read more

(Day 799 on the road)Our last few days in Belize were also our most adventurous in certain ways. Whilst up to now we had travelled mostly on the beaten path with fairly good infrastructure, we left all this behind as we headed first inland and then south, away from the touristy island of Caye Caulker. Bus services were thinning out fast, and soon we found ourselves hitch hiking to get anywhere. Over time, I have become a big fan of hitching, not only because it is typically a lot faster (and cheaper) than those ominous chicken buses that are used for public transport in many countries, but because I tend to meet a lot of interesting characters this way. Or, failing to do the latter, hitching more often than not certainly makes for great memories - ... read more

First 2 weeks of school was a success! All my classes are good so far, and Im especially loving my Spanish and fish biology courses. My Spanish teacher always picks on me in class though…I think he likes laughing at my awful pronunciation, and how much I struggle with some words. Last Wednesday Danielle and I we finished classes just after lunch, so decided to go for an adventure. He hoped on the bus and headed for St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. It is only about 15 minutes away from Belmopan, but unfortunately we still got there to late to make the hike into the blue hole. So instead we took on a shorter hike to St. Hermans cave, and after dosing ourselves with bug spray, and renting sweaty smelling headlamps we were on our ... read more