Caves Branch Photos!!

I hope you all enjoy the first photos we've been able to upload. We have taken so many pictures already trying to capture every moment here in Belize. Caves Branch was definitely a highlight thus far. Enjoy!

Beautiful flower from the orchid garden at Caves Branch

View from the lodge at Caves Branch

Swimming with the fish at Blue Hole National Park

Me looking out over the sink hole psyching myself up to repel 300ft into it!

Lucas at the bottom of the 300ft repel

Lucas and me in the Caves Branch River before venturing into the Cave!

Drum stalagmite formation in Footprint Cave

Lucas in his tube (which was made in Canada!)

yeah...the moths in Belize Suck!

Me outside in our Cabana

Hello from Belize!

Belize has been amazing so far. Our trip out here was okay. Houston airport was terrible, and the flight from Seattle was not very comfortable at all. Once we got out of Houston, it was alright, and the flight was much better. The heat was intense as soon as we got off the plane. We took a taxi into Belize City, and once we got past all the taxi drivers trying to convince us to spend $80 USD for a ride with them, we got on a bus to Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge. The Bus was packed, but not too uncomfortable. It took us about two hours to get to the lodge, and only cost us $3 USD for both of us to take the bus!

Once we got to Caves Branch, we were amazed. It is right in the middle of the Jungle, on a river. The paths were lit with tiki torches, and we got there just in time for dinner. The food was amazing the whole time we were there. Three meals a day, buffet style. We left every meal with a full stomach. Because the resort was pretty empty, we got upgraded from the bunkhouse to a private Cabana for no extra charge. We fell asleep to the sounds of the jungle.

The first thing we noticed is the humidity. 100%! The pages in books get wet from the water in the air. Clothes do not dry when you hang them, and after 3 days are just as wet as when you hung them up. We saw lots of wildlife at the lodge. Lots of Iguanas, Hummingbirds, and Frogs. One tarantula, a scorpion, a few snakes, and today we got to see Howler Monkeys before we left.

On our first day, we took a river tubing/cave expedition. We floated up a river on tubes, and explored a cave full of beautiful formations, and mayan pottery. The best parts were hiking to caverns and seeing the Mayan sculptures and when the guide told us to turn our headlamps off and let the current of the river take us through the cave. The darkness was like nothing we've ever experienced. It was breathtaking.

On our second day, we went swimming in the "Blue Hole", a sinkhole in the middle of the jungle, where the water is crystal clear, except for the deep part where it is a stunning blue/green. We also went on a walk through the jungle at night with a guide, looking for wildlife. We didn't see much, but it was still amazing to be in the the jungle at night, and to hear all the sounds.

Yesterday, we went on the "Black Hole Drop" tour. We hiked through the jungle for an hour, and were sweating like crazy. We finally came to a massive sinkhole, where we rappelled down 300ft (!) through the canopy, and down to the bottom of the sinkhole. We had lunch down there, and explored some more beautiful caves. Then it was another hour long hike back in the rain, which we didn't mind because it was so hot.

Today we left Caves Branch, and after a 2 hour bus ride, we have arrived at San Ignacio, near the Guatemalan border. We're staying at a nice little guest house here for a few days, and hope to explore some Mayan ruins, including Tikal, which is supposed to be one of the most spectacular in all of the world. San Ignacio is a lively little town, with colourful buildings and friendly people. Actually, everyone we've met in Belize has been very friendly and helpful.

Tonight we hope to have a nice dinner in a local restaurant, and hopefully hear some live music or go dancing.

note: we haven't been able to load any pictures as of yet but hope to very soon! Keep checking back. hope all is well in Vancouver!

Leaving for Belize SO Soon!

Well it's finally here, Lucas and I are leaving on our trip in just three days! It seems like we bought the tickets so long ago! We are so excited! I must admit I am a little nervous but I think it's mostly excitement. We will be beginning our trip by flying into Belize City and traveling straight to the Jungle where we will stay at Ian Anderson's Caves Branch. Here, we plan on cave tubing, caving, exploring Mayan ruins and going on a wildlife safari where we hope to see monkeys, toucans and the odd scary creature such as a tarantula or two! From here we travel to San Ignacio where we're staying at a really cute little guest house. From San Ignacio we will go on one of most exciting tours, we are going to travel across the border to Guatemala to see the Mayan ruins at Tikal. These are some of the most famous ruins in the world. From here we don't have anything else planned. We're going to go where the wind takes us! Be sure to check back here for photos and stories as we go along!

A Little Note About Distance...

I am beginning to wonder about something...do people think that because they have to cross a bridge in their route that their journey is that much longer? This question comes to mind, I believe, as a result of moving to Vancouver from North Delta. I am not pinpointing people in either region specifically; it is some people in both regions that seem to think this. For example, people in North Delta are far more likely to drive to White Rock for an afternoon of shopping at neat stores than they are to drive to Commercial Drive when the time difference is only a mere 5 minutes. Then there is shopping in Langely at the big box stores, why is it that people in Surrey believe that driving to Langley is closer than driving to Burnaby? It is not.

Another question begs to be asked!! What is wrong with driving a little further in order to experience something new? I ask this to people who both live in Vancouver and in Surrey and Delta. People in Vancouver, why not take a trip out to White Rock and see what that beach has to offer? And people in Surrey, why not venture over to Jerhico or Kits instead of always going to White Rock and Crescent? There are wonderful new things to be found in these places, different restaurants, different stores, different people.

I am not trying to say, either, that I am perfect in this. Now that I have moved to Vancouver I very rarely cross over the bridge. My reasoning for this, however, is not based on having to cross a bridge or on distance. I've spent the majority of my life on that side of the water, during that time the only place I wanted to be was on this side and now I'm here and am learning everything I can about my neighbourhood and my new surroundings. And for anyone out in Surrey or Delta interested in exploring my area, remember, it's CLOSER than Langley.