Belize

I went to Belize since Jared, my college RD who I worked for, and his wife Meghan were living on a farm as part of a college program to teach students on a variety of topics from biology to sustainability. It was great to catch up with them and see their 'new daughter' and formulate a picture of what they are doing and what their program is about. I tagged along through various activities, listened to student presentations, made Christmas ornaments out of salt dough, went downtown San Ignacio for cheesecake, went horseback riding in the surrounding land and went to see some Mayan ruins (nearly in their backyard) called Xunantunich (surprisingly easier to spell than to say). It was a great stay and coming out of Antarctica is felt just fine to blend in the background and participate whenever I felt like it. The students were fun to talk to and play games with, and the rest of the staff that they work with were solid people and I enjoyed having some 'cultivated' conversations with them which seems few and far between during my time at the South Pole. Definitely a program that I would have enjoyed doing in college. Thumbs up!

Jared and Meghan's house:

Saddle up!:

The horseback riding was one of the highlights, we meandered through palm trees, crossed rivers, and enjoyed the sunny evening:

Xunantunich:




My last day in Belize I spent at Caye Caulker. I wish I would have stayed a bit longer and maybe gotten onto a snorkeling tour out to the reef. As it was, I spent the day swimming off the pier and did some snorkeling there, had some lobster for dinner and turned in early at my little cabina. I also took a walk through the locals' neighborhood before sunset, which featured a lot of colorful stilted houses and dirt roads.

My room on the top floor at Real Macaw:

A typical beach scene:

The pier (distorted from a past hurricane) where I swam and snorkeled at the end of the southern island: