UnBELIZEable!!!

Ryan and I just returned from an amazing trip to Belize with two couples from church. It was a truly wonderful trip. This is the first time in a long time (since we've had children) that we have traveled with friends and it was so much fun. The weather was a little rainy and cool, but we were still able to relax and lots of fun. We went to San Pedro, an island off the coast of Belize. We spent two days snorkling, one day fishing and then having our guide cook our fish on the beach for us and one day hiking in the jungle and then floating back down the river through a one mile cave. The rest of our time was spent eating, shopping, enjoying the scenery and local town life and just plain relaxing. Have I said yet that it was wonderful, amazing and unBELIZEable???

Before I went to Belize I thought...

#1 I was going to Italy

#2 Conch shells were a very rare find.
#3 Seeing a shark while snorkling would be cool

#4 I wasn't really afraid of spiders
#5 I didn't enjoy fishing

#6 I was not very adventurous person

Now that I have been to Belize I know...

#1 Belize is not in Italy, it is in Central America, bordering Mexico...but really, with scenery like this...who cares where it is?

#2 Conch shells are everywhere! We found this one on our very first walk on the beach. Kendall had asked that we bring her some sand and shells, so I decided to take this home to her. After we came home, Mason came home from school the first day we were back and said, "Mom, where is Shelly? I have been thinking about her all day and I am dying to see her!" I said, "Who are you talking about???" He said, "Shelly!" "Who is Shelly?" I asked. "Our shell! Get it, mom? She's a shell and her name is Shell-y!" You would think I had brought them home a new puppy! They talk to her, love her, carry her around. It is hysterical. She really is the perfect pet...the best part...she is quiet and there is no house training involved!

#3 Seeing a shark is so cool that it made me hypervenilate and my friends couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying. Honestly, neither could I! Still, definitely cool...

#4 I am most definitely afraid of tarantulas! I had never seen one on the ledge 3 feet behind my head. They are bigger and hairier in real life than they are in books!

#5 I definitely do NOT enjoy fishing! Ryan and I have tried fishing together and it has never gone well. It is HIS hobby and I am okay with that! He gets "helpful." I get "defensive." The fish get "scared" and stay away from me, not Ryan, just me. I try not to take it personally, but for some reason I do. So, out of 40 something casts (which felt more like a million), 2 fish either felt sorry for me, were starving or were just plain stupid and took my bait! Ryan, of course, caught one on nearly every cast. But, who is counting. Stupid fish!

This girl likes to fish...for some reason these fish stay away from my attitude, I mean, pole!

This was the beach where we ate the fish that our guide cooked for us. Thanks to Jenn for catching our lunch for us! (the other couple with us, helped lure him in...Ryan and I did nothing to help with the big fish...we just ate it!)

#6 While I am still not the most adventureous person you'll ever meet, nor will I ever be, nor do I want to be...I do have to say...I feel pretty brave...

I have traveled to a 3rd world country, trusted countless strangers to take me where they say they are going to take me and then reutrn me to where they found me, all without a working cell phone! For me that is adventurerous!

What were we thinking???

We had a couple of moments where we (mostly me) wondered what we were thinking? This trip was unlike any we had ever been on. We have always been to a resort and stayed within that resort. This was very much living in the town with the locals. As we would walk along the beach we would see a hotel and next door would be someone's house with their toys and laundry hanging out.

Our first "what where we thinking?" moment was when we arrived at the Belize airport. We had arranged for a taxi to pick us up and take us to the water taxi that would take us on the 75 minute boat ride to San Pedro. They didn't show up. We had the wrong phone number with us. Lucky us, there were plenty of "taxi drivers" available to take us anywhere we wanted to go. I say "taxi drivers" because they were not in marked cars with the reassuring lit sign on top of the car (who knew we took that for granted?) The guys finally opted to take the "taxi" and as he backed down the terminal driveway to pick us up, I thought, "Oh dear, what were we thinking?" Luckily, we made it through Belize City to the Water Taxi. As we got out of the "taxi" we were met by a Belizean man holding a macheti and a coconut. As he yells, "Welcome to Belize" he hacks violently into the coconut and then offers us a drink from his coconut. We kindly declined.

We ended our week with a "what were we thinking?" moment. I like to plan things out. I like for people to know where I am, "just in case something happens." I still call my mother when I am traveling so she knows I got where I was going so that she won't worry and so that if I don't get there somebody will know to start looking for me. Morbid, I know. So, on our last day, we decided to go cave tubing with Bondie and Toto (we figured out later his name was Toro, but I like Toto better). They had been our tour guides earlier in the week. So this was our itenerary.

*Meet them at the boat at 7 am

(This was a speed boat...not the "water taxi" we were used to)

*Ride the boat for 45 minutes to Belize City

(This really took over an hour through open, unprotected ocean...meaning we couldn't see land...parts of the ride being very rough)

*Stop for a potty break at the Save-U.

(This was a grocery store)

*Catch a van for a 45 minute ride into the jungle to a "park"

(We arrive at the theme park where we are the only customers and where we have to borrow water shoes. They have to break the lock to give us the water shoes (that I am sure haven't been disinfected)

*We change into our swimsuits, grab an inner tube and follow a Mayan tour guide named "Tiny" into the jungle seeing amazing scenery.

*At the end of our hike we get on our inner tubes in a cold river looking into a dark cave that "Tiny" says is 3/4 mile long and off we go.

*At one point, we all turn off our headlights and it was so dark you couldn't see your hand touching your face.

*Several times during the tour I thought, I can't believe I am doing this...no one even knows where I am!Will I ever see my babies again? And then my very next thought was always...Wow! This is incredible! I am so glad I am doing this!

The amazing thing is...

I would do it again in a heartbeat!!! I hope Bondie and Toto are available next time (I trust them!)

I guess we could move here...Ryan could be a pharmacist!

Thanks for a great trip girls!