Our last full day in Belize – we couldn’t say goodbye without a little bit of beach time. So, what better than a day at the beach and going snorkeling?

Bright and early, Runa and I woke up before 6am to grab a makeshift breakfast and shuttle out south towards the water.

We ended up at Hamanasi Resort, near the small fishing village of Hopkins, about 1.5 hours from Caves Branch.

Our driver dropped us off and directed us towards the resort. We were settled into a tour lodge of sorts, where we sleepily stumbled into a chair and awaited our turn.

Runa, myself, and our two friends from Caves Branch, each got fitted with fins, wetsuit and snorkel gear. We stuffed the gear into a mesh sack and went out by the beach to await our adventure.

Luckily, our Caves Branch buddies knew what to expect and gave us a bit of instruction since we received no directions at all. After getting dropped off at the resort, we were put into the hands of Hamanasi. They would take us out on our snorkel trips (two sections in total with a break in-between). When our entire snorkel group was set, we loaded up on the speed boats.

We stuffed our shoes onto the shelf at the dock, grabbed our mesh sacks, and claimed a spot on the boat. We were off!

Sorry, the photo is a bit rough around the middle – the boat was bumpy. Anyway, we sped off into the ocean about 30-45 minutes. We passed by an island that would be our break point and kept heading towards the reef. Apparently, Belize has the second largest reef in the world, right after Australia. Mario, our snorkel guide, gave us quick instructions and rules then we jumped in.

The water was wondrously clear and buoyant. Wear long sleeves to protect from sun… wear that water resistant sunscreen too.

In case you didn’t feel so buoyant, Mario had a floatie to grab in case we got tired.

We saw some rays – bat rays and eagle rays from afar (which is apparently somewhat rare). Lots of coral and small fishies.

Floating about, we were soo anti-social. We mainly kept our heads in the water and every now and then, I’d poke up to find Runa or Nick, our Branch buddy. Snapping away with Lisa’s water camera, Mario asked me if I wanted to see a cool trick. Uh, yes.

It was pretty neat, for sure. He told me that normally he can get the bubble ring to stay intact all the way to he surface.

After about an hour in the water, we headed back onto the boat and went back to the island we had past for snacks and juice.

Fresh fruits, sweet juices and sunshine surrounded by white sand beaches. You can’t beat that….

Poor crab shell, I found it while eating fruit on the beach. Well, after a break, we headed back onto the boat to snorkel another section of the reef.

More fishes, more coral, more incredible sealife and more silent snorkeling. A little less than an hour later, back into the boat.

When we arrived back to shore, we hit up the pool to rinse off all the salt water. The Hamanasi pool was unheated! After warming up to it, it felt great though.

Well, okay, we tried to smack open one of those coconuts on these abundant coconut trees first. Hey, there were so many laying on the sand and so many coconut trees!

Needless to say, we couldn’t get it open and a guy from Hamanasi who passed by us poor saps, took pity and told us it was useless to keep pounding at the coconut. He had some of his guys slice two open for us and brought them over to the pool. So nice!

When we had enough of the pool, we got hungry and headed over to the restaurant for lunch.

Runa: chicken burrito. Me: Mayan tacos and the rest of the delicious fresh coconut from the beach.

So…. we finished lunch. And, now we had to wait for our ride.

We fell asleep for most of the time. It was a few hours before our ride came… but when he finally did, it was nearing five or six o’clock. Back to Caves Branch! Sunburns, sunstroke, salt water hair and all.

There was no doubt we needed some beach time before leaving Central America. Of course, that meant we only had one last adventure before our vacation was over. Which to pick, which to pick – Black Hole Drop or Waterfall Cave?

Runa and I spoke to several groups at our lodging about which they preferred. Both adventures were highly praised as favorites, but the Black Hole Drop seemed like a steep hike following by just a rappel. So, we opted for the waterfalls – I love the water anyway, especially in this humid, hot heat. Bam, done.

After breakfast, we got our swimsuits and quick-dry clothing on for our adventure. Teva watershoes for me; Runa borrowed my trusty, beat-up Keens. I grabbed my dry bag as well and Lisa’s waterproof camera. And, off we went on the stubby bus.

Two other groups went with us, our new Canadian friends, Alix and Jeff, and another family of Canadians (formerly English natives).

The bus ride was quick. A quick 30 minutes from Caves Branch, down a left turn from the main road and through a rough unpaved path, cross the river a couple of times (like most other adventures we have)…

Soon enough, we arrived at this unmarked trail….

We unloaded. Everyone received a (apparently well-known in Canada brand) backpack, helmet, harness, life vest and a couple liters of water.

Arnold, one of our guides, grabbed his machete….

And we were off! Into the jungle….

A fairly flat and easy hike (aside from the hundreds of persistent blood-sucking mosquitoes), we arrived at the cave entrance. It was probably about a 20 minute hike.

Arnold double-checked the batteries in the headlamps. He snapped them onto our helmets, gave us a few quick rules, and as everyone got outfitted, we dived in.

But not before…. we saw the bats near the entrance.

The small ones – insect bats.

These medium sized ones – fruit bats. The holes they rest in are formed by the acidity in the fruits they eat. Mmm… guano holes.

We hiked on. Every turn, another gorgeous formation or wonderment.

Incredible, isn’t it? Can you believe we were allowed to do this….

And also this….

Hiking on these formations definitely would not be allowed in the US. It was amazing to be able to see the beauty of these caves so close.

We hiked, and when I say hike, I really mean walk, for a bit before we really reached water that was more than waist-high. For point of reference, I even mean my waist, and I’m just over five feet tall.

Arnold pointed out these gooey webs created to catch and eat bugs.

A bit more walking…. deeper into the cave…. I’d say, at this point, we’d gone in about 30 minutes.

All those speckles you see in my photo are dust particles! It was sure dusty in there….

Arnold also found this giant spider to show us… It was pretty big. I want to say it was a scorpion spider? Not quite a scorpion, yet not quite a spider….

About an hour into the cave, we arrive at the perfect flat-top rock. We left our gear behind (aside from anything that could get wet for climbing waterfalls) and brought only our left vests, harnesses and helmets with headlamps.

Shortly heading towards the falls, we hit the first one. It’s about 15-20 feet high. Chico, our other guide, climbed up first to belay us with rope.

Arnold secured us, one by one, as the rest of us waited across the pool for our turn. The rock was smooth but there were great hand holds that made it a fairly easy climb, even for beginners. Just watch the rushing water…. of course.

The next few “falls” were much smaller in comparison. They were tiny hills that we could easily climb up through without any belay. i don’t really know that you can call them waterfalls….

Past each little mound we climbed up and over, we’d end up at another pot hole filled with water that we would wade through. The water was a bit deep in some sections, but not really around the walls (in case there are any frightened non-swimmers out there).

There was one fall in the middle where we climbed a bit higher. Still no need for a belay though.

At the last little climb, we ended up at a cavern with a heavy gushing waterfall.

Chico took a quick “shower” here. A small break at the top and floating about in the refreshing waterfall, and we headed back down the way we came.

At the two taller waterfalls we climbed up, we jumped off. One of our guys lost his watch at the very first waterfall that we jumped off of…. Another guy also hit his arm on a rock deep in the pool – no injuries, just a slight, whoa-type deal. The rest of us had no hits with anything but water. One gal opted to downclimb on belay rather than jumping – this was also an option in case you didn’t feel it.

We climbed out all wet and refreshed back to our flat, table-top rock.

To our surprise, Chico and Arnold had hustled back in front of all of us and set up lunch on the rock. Veggies, cheeses, condiments and luncheon meats for a great cave meal burrito. Yep, they had even packed in a white tablecloth and a couple liters of juices.

After lunch was finished and packed back up, we started on our way back out the cave.

This was our second to last adventure, Runa got the hang of my random photo-snapping. Yay.

Stuffed our helmets back into our bags, gave our headlamps back to Arnold, slathered ourselves with bug spray and started our trek through the jungle again.

Chico found a water vine and machete-d it for us to try. It was literally just a vine he found, chopped off two ends and as he held it vertical, the water would flow. If the water stopped, he’d cut more of an end and more water would flow out. Amazing. Used…. obviously…. in case people ran out of water while trekking through the jungle….

Onward ho.

We gave back our gear bags and loaded back onto the bus, not too long afterwards.

Then back to the resort! And off to the bar and pool…

Quick break from my Belize stufff… I’ve got a new guest blog over at the Pioneer Theatre Company‘s website. Them kids are so darned cute.

http://www.pioneertheatre.org/blog/2013/05/escape-from-les-miserables.html

A few heart-warming tales from the cast… and some hilarious strongman Valjean poses.

Many families and couples that we spoke to at the lodge told us that they had split their time between the jungle and the beach during their time in Belize. I planned this trip in the middle of working the Sundance Film Festival and didn’t think that far ahead. I even had to Skype with Runa in London during our taping of the Daily Buzz to grab her credit card info.

Needless to say, we didn’t regret one moment of our trip. Although next time, beach time would have to be a definite agenda item.

Anyway, on the day that Alex left for home (so he could get back to school), Runa and I stayed on campus.

After breakfast, we scheduled a botanical garden tour with the owner’s wife, Ella. In the meantime, we hung out at the river that was maybe a 2 minute walk from the pool.

When Alex and I arrived at Caves Branch, we were told the river was preferred over the pool due to the cooler temperatures. But, I’ll tell you, I hardly saw anyone swimming in the river except for a few young children splashing around that were definitely not locals.

I totally splashed around too.

After a while, we went back to the room to change into pool gear. We still had some time before our tour.

We stayed at the least expensive accommodations possible – the jungle cabana.

I’ll warn you and say it’s VERY dark inside. Even in the brightest daylight, we usually used headlamps to find stuff in our luggage.

It’s a very simple thatched cabin with a double bed and a bunk bed, screened windows, filtered water jug with spout, oil lanterns, high-powered fan, and bathroom.

The bathroom is also the only source of electrical light in the entire cabana.

One bright, shining light from above the mirror over the sink. Reading reviews from TripAdvisor, I came prepared with a socket to outlet adapter. A simple tool that only cost a few bucks gave us the option to recharge our electronics in the room instead of at the main house. Sometimes, because the entire lodge is powered by a generator, we had lapses in our electricity.

There’s was a nice hammock outside that we never used, mostly from mosquitoes and having too much fun. And also, there was another unit attached to the back of us – another cabana.

Showers were outdoors and for communal use.

Each thatched hut had a primitive wire on the door to “lock” up for privacy. Some doors took a bit more oomph to close than others.

Each shower had a small bench and shelf to set stuff down on.

And the shower was powered by water that was piped in and dropped into hole-filled buckets to spray down. Again, all natural light here….

After our time at the pool, we joined up for our botanical garden tour. Ella, our guide, was extremely proud of her garden. She was a well of information and spoke about everything with such enthusiasm, you knew she loved taking care of her orchids and plants.

There were lots of these torch gingers all over Belize.

As we learned from Ella, that bright red part of the plant, was not actually the flower. I remembered that… but I can’t really remember what part was the flower. Errr… yeah.

We saw these noni plants that I had never noticed before. You know – that healthy craze where MLM’s have started selling noni juice? There’s actually a place in Utah that sells it….

Along our tour, we picked up a couple of Canadians that had just spent a few days on the beach – diving and snorkeling. Ella grabbed them and immersed them into our tour.

Shortly after Alix and Jeff, the Canadians, joined us, we ate this plant. It was sort of like a less chewy, lemon-flavored celery with a bit of a sour taste. I liked it.

Everywhere, Ella pointed out the different orchids around campus. Amazing! There are actually several hundred species found in Belize and if I remember correctly, I believe Caves Branch had most of them.

There was also some baby pineapple.

This tiny pineapple started from the head of an adult pineapple – aw, so cute.

More orchids…

This one smelled like vanilla… at least, I think it was this one.

Orchids growing on logs.

A piper plant – chili!

And there was also a mimosa plant… also known as a sensitive plant. When you touch it, it shrinks….

Vanilla bean…. super hard to grow.

Ella grabbed a small Tupperware of sugar and vanilla that was harvested from before to let us get a whiff….

After our garden tour, we met Chef Jay and asked for a cheese tour. Caves Branch makes their own cheese – if you ever get a chance at dinner to have cheesecake, you must eat it.

In a nice cooled walk-in refrigerator were all the different cheeses that Caves Branch made.

I want to say it was seven different kinds of cheeses? Five hard cheeses? I really can’t recall so don’t quote me. Bleu cheese, parmesan, spressa, feta and… some others.

If you ever get to Caves Branch during their cheese tasting offers, you get to sample them here in this fancy board-room looking place.

Clarabelle, the cheese-master, let us sample a couple cheeses though. It didn’t hurt that Chef Jay was with us and never objected to tasting, either.

Clarabella had two other gals that helped her with cheeses when it got busy. However, most of the time, these gals made soap. We went over to see them.

These soaps were also featured in our rooms.

They were made of glycerin (apparently from the US).

At that…. our tours ended. You know how I love factory tours… it was a great time. Back to the pool and bar we went!

There’s nothing like getting a double stamp in your passport on a monumental anniversary of birth. My friends and I woke up at the incredible hour of 5:00AM to commiserate with another family of tourists for our long shuttle ride into Guatemala. Tikal National Park – here we come.

Tikal is one of the largest excavated Mayan ruin sites in the world. And it was easily accessible from us at Caves Branch by about an three hour drive.

Dragged from our beds before the sun was even up…. we were off. After picking up our guide, Edgar (aka Radical), near San Ignacio, we hit the border another 20 minutes later.

A check, stamp and greeting with the border patrol later…. we were on Guatemalan grounds. And…. we boarded another shuttle van.

Just a bit into Guatemala, we saw patrol men with mad guns at several checkpoints – we weren’t in Belize anymore. Although the two countries neighbored each other, there were already subtle differences in the foliage and landscape….

About 45 minutes later, breakfast…. uh, yes, it was only around 8:00AM or so…

Check out the gnarly floor made from trees.

Queso fresco, fried plantains, strong coffee, eggs with tomatoes and onions (very similar to a Chinese dish I often have at home), fresh pineapple juice and tortillas. Aw, SO good.

Bathroom break at the restroom, and back onto the road. About another 45 minutes, give or take, and we were at the entrance of the park. WAHOOO!

Before entering the park, and getting off the shuttle, a park ranger will offer you the option to buy a map for $5US (if I remembered correctly).

Honestly, we had a guide and I was held my complete navigational trust in him. Here’s how our day went in photos (and if I could remember, a quick recap as to where we were).

This is the first temple we came upon. The front tombstones, I believe, were just that… tombstones. Did I remember that correctly? Please correct me if I am mistaken….

I even saw a women at the top with her iPad taking photos… I wish I had a photo of that… this is just my friends at the top. *sigh* Failed photo moment.

As we walked to the next site, Edgar pointed out some neat things amongst our surroundings… this is a sunburned tree. I totally forget why it’s like that.. but see how it’s red compared to it’s friends?

We actually saw these fascinating leaf-cutter ants everywhere. Right here, we saw two long roads of ants intersecting. Amazing….

The next section of ruins we came to was the Great Plaza. As our guide put it, it was the best place for photographs.

It rained a bit while we were exploring this area.

I slipped and got this icky moss on my hands that was hard to wipe off…. except for on wet grass. Muwahahhaha.

Super cool architecture amongst the ruins as we explored the whole area…

We were here forever….

Classic jump photo was a must.

Our guide waiting for us….

A photo from the top… and we were hurried off to the next site.

I don’t remember where we were guided off to next, but I think it was to climb this awesome thing.

A bathroom stop before the ascent and refreshing cold beverage if needed….

And up we go….

A gorgeous view at the top (after climbing…. uh…. probably 20 flights of stairs?)….

From the top, you can see a few other of the taller temples as well… A deep breath to take everything in…. a few moments to take in the view, and we were off….

We saw this temple. And heard a story from Edgar about how people fall off from climbing and descending temples all the time. So, careful!

We were rushing to pick up the pace and still see other things we missed because we had spent so much time at the Great Plaza. So, here’s a temple that was struck by lightening and getting renovated…

A fun tree vine, perfect for a swing…

Some more awesome excavated ruins… as we rushed out of the park.

On the way back, we stopped at a restaurant-slash-gift shop for some grub. As like breakfast, amazing…. AMAZING food. Chicken, rice pilaf, veggies, fresh tortillas, beans, guacamole and hibiscus juice.

We browsed around the store and I found this! Chickle from a gum tree! No flavor added…

Amazing… gum.

And a cocoa pod! Well, it was drying out to be used for seeds but Miles tells me that cocoa pods are mighty damn tasty. I want to try!

Some chocolate purchases later, we were off and headed back for Belize.

Nothing like cute new towel animals to greet you back at the lodging.

I could’ve easily spent many more hours roaming that park, but I’ll say that we did have a day to remember as packed as it all was…. best birthday yet?

So, by far, this was my favorite excursion while in Belize. And, ugh!! *throws fists in the air* at that tourist who fractured thousands-of-year-old ancientness…

Well, anyway, our journey to the cave was quick. However, we started the day off at 6:00am because it was a packed day. The park ranger told our tour arranger that we could still go through the cave, but we’d have to go before they opened normally. Done! I was looking forward to it.

Nearing the park entrance, where our tour guide and driver went to grab some quick grub.

We crossed that…

Folks harvesting soybeans.

Orange trees – they are EVERYWHERE in Belize.

I believe this was a mahogany tree – someone correct me if I’m wrong.

Due to the tourist who ruined it for everyone proceeding his disastrous event… I only have mental snapshots of our time inside the cave. My only photos were of our car ride to the park as seen above so please feel free to click on the photos below for their rightful page-owners!

Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM as it is often simply referred to, is home of the Crystal Maiden.The Crystal Maiden, an ancient crystallized skeleton sits at the top of what our guide, Abraham, called the “dry chamber.” It is the only intact human remain of all Mesoamerica.

After an easy hike (very slight elevation gains but watch for snakes and cats – we saw several paw prints), where you cross the river a few times, you end up at the entrance of the cave.

It’s an easy swim, about 30 feet, to get to the ledge where you’ll hike into the cave. If you aren’t a strong swimmer, follow along the edge of the cave to get to the ledge inside.

As you enter the cave, you basically follow the water in further and further. As we were the first in for the day, we turned off our headlamps at one moment and you can imagine how pitch dark it is inside. Now, imagine it thousands of years ago without headlamps and only torches. What happens when you drop your torch into the water? Eek. Throughout the cave, as you look up, you can also see blacked cave ceilings from smoke that builds off of torches back in the day.

As you follow the path through the cave, there are gorgeous cave formations. I kept telling Alex, who was ahead of me, if this were the States, there would be absolutely no way we would be allowed inside much less, touching all these walls and formations to steady ourselves!

At the end of the cave (of where your guide will take you, at least), you’ll do a bit of climbing up a rock formation. At the top here, you will take off your shoes and head into the dry chamber – the largest collection of ancient pots and remains lie here.

Then you’ll get to this very modern piece of hardware… a 12-foot metal ladder.

This ladder takes you to the Crystal Maiden.

Then, back you go! Back through the cave, back through the hike and across the river a few times, and back to the “staging area.” At this staging area, we were able to change in these makeshift changing stalls right next to the very primitive hole in the ground with walls called the toilet. Across the way from these structures was a nice, newly-built mansion (practically). We hear this is the new site for changing and relieving…. So nice!

Anyway, with that in mind, here’s a list of what I suggest you bring:

• enclosed water shoes with good traction (it’s rocky and you’ll be climbing)
• good quick-drying but sturdy socks – perhaps some Smartwool ones (this is suggested, as i liked having socks while walking through the dry chamber)
• swimsuit with board shorts and a rash guard or quick-drying top (you can get scraped up climbing over and under in the cave)
• camera *ugghhh!! nevermind….

That’s probably it? You MUST have a tour guide with you to get into ATM. They will also probably provide your lunch for you, as ours did… Mmmm, tortillas.

As we started exiting the cave, we saw group after group of tours beginning their adventure. As we got to this staging area, we saw a big group get off a bus! Uh, yes, we were so glad we left at 6:00am that day.

On a lazy Sunday when Runa was arriving, Alex and I decided to stay near Caves Branch. The inland Blue Hole (not to be confused with the more famous Blue Hole in the ocean) was right across the street after we walked out to the main road. A quick breakfast….

Meats, potatoes, eggs, fresh fruits and fry jacks (typical of the daily Caves Branch breakfast buffet)….

And an made-to-order omelet later….

We took the casual walk out the long Caves Branch driveway to meet the main road, Hummingbird Highway – it’s about a 10 minute stroll.

We hurried across the road between oncoming traffic and off a bit to the south was the Blue Hole National Park.

Bring these items -
bug spray, swimsuit, towel, water-proof camera, headlamp, water, snacks if you plan on staying for a duration (but I think about 3-5 hours is plenty here depending on how much hiking and swimming you want to do).

Insane mass of green jungle on either side of the highway surrounded us… it was such an amazing difference from the desserts of Utah. It was probably a 15 minute in total from Caves Branch. If you walked fast (without the photo-taking we did), it’s probably 7-10 minutes.

We paid the kind Warden at the Post, $4US per person… and he gave us an informational overview of the park.

Based on his recommendation, we took the short 30 minute hike through Hummingbird Loop first before heading over for a swim.

Salt Lake City’s average elevation is approximately 4,000 to 5,000 feet depending on whereabouts you are…. Belize’s highest point is just above 1,000 feet. Needless to say, Alex and I found this hike pretty tame… there was maybe an elevation gain of 200 feet? Easy peasy, yo!

Awesome jungle setting…..

And surprisingly well-maintained trails…

I liked the funky mushroom growth…

Ah yes, we wore long sleeves…. you know…. jungle = mosquitoes and other bloodsuckers (aside from vampires).

Pretty foliage….

It was mostly green jungle all through the hike, but it was fun as an introduction to the mass jungle of Belize for us… After the quick stroll, we went down the stairs to the swimming hole!

The water was gorgeous…. like all the water we saw here, piercing blues!

Since there was a couple on the other side of the hole, we decided to explore this cave off to the left first…

Good thing Alex brought his headlamp… he ventured a bit further than I did into that cave…

A headlamp being one of the reasons I didn’t go as far…. and the other being lots, LOTS of bats…

As the couple left, we moved over the to other side… a larger area and deeper for swimming.

Still, probably not safe for diving…

Around 11:30am-ish, we got ready to head back to Caves Branch for lunch. Oh the way out, we saw these signs…. here’s how the Blue Hole was formed….

Before we left, we picked up a receipt from the Warden for our proof of payment – it also included the other side of the park, St. Herman’s cave. We wanted to head over after lunch….

Yummy burrito with thousand island dressing topped salad and pineapple juice! Food and great conversation with the Caves Branch staff got us ready to go. We headed back to the bungalow for a quick change where we came back to this towel animal!

Cute, but it’s wearing Alex’s glasses…. that were in the case….

Moving on… we walked back out to Hummingbird Highway to head north towards St. Herman’s Cave.

This walk took much longer…

About a mile and a half “around the bend” was where the Cave entrance sat….

A very kind couple with a pick-up grabbed us for our last tenth of a mile and dropped us off at the entrance of the park, aww…

Bring these items -
headlamp, hiking shoes, bug spray, camera, water, flashlight if you want extra light, extra batteries in case your electronics die (it’s very dark in the cave)

A quick chat with the ranger here and we decided on taking the Lowland trail to the Cave… about an hour-long stroll?

This path reminded me of Alice in Wonderland… when she gets stuck in the maze….

We were surrounding by walls of green most of the way down….

So pretty…

Then up the stairs to go up to the cave….

Then down the stairs to enter the cave…

Super dark…

You were actually only able to go up to a certain point without a guide… I think it was about 600 yards?

Basically to where you see that shiny reflective blur – it’s a sign saying stop here. So we turned around and went back after a few photos….

Then on the way back, we took the Hiland Trail…

It was about 10 minutes longer because of a slight elevation, but both are pretty easy hikes – very little elevation gain on the Lowland Trail, maybe 50-100 feet gain on the Hiland Trail is my guess.

This was the main difference between the trails… the views.

After the hike back to Caves Branch, we met Runa on her way in from the airport. The rest of the day was spent at the pool over rum. End of day three.

Our first Caves Branch adventure – cave tubing and zipline combo! After a relaxing day at the lodge, we were ready to embark on some fun.

Packed with Lisa’s borrowed waterproof camera, we boarded the tractor trailer and held on to the piles of tubes in the middle for our adventure.

Forget an ATV, I totally want a tractor for four-wheelin’. This tractor was bad-ass… it hauled 12 of us (10 guests and 2 guides) plus at least 14 or so tubes and life vests. We even crossed a few rivers on the Caves Branch property to arrive at the first cave.

Equipped with headlamps, life vests and tube, we walked into the jungle to approach the first of five caves we would float through.

Personally, Alex and I also brought our Nalgenes with water, bug spray, sun tan lotion, Pelican case and dry sack with a biner or two to tie it on us.

A short dip in the water brought us back out on the rock to crawl into the cave. Caves Branch owns more than 50,000 acres of property so the first two caves were all ours.

Alex wore a long sleeve shirt to protect from tube rash and sun. There wasn’t much sun at all (since we were mostly in the caves), but I did get a slight rash from paddling and rubbing against the tube. Yeah, yeah, I totally wore a tank top.

The caves were amazing. Take every second in… really… you sort of get rushed through the float, as Alex and I kept saying to each other. I mean, where we live, you always float the river with a sack of booze and just chill as the tide takes you.

Of course, there’s some navigation required. So, it’s important to stay with the group… in case you lamp battery gets low or your tube pops or something like that…

The waters in Belize are amazing – crystal clear blue. It helped a lot when I had to climb over a log and accidentally dropped the camera. That clear water sure helps when you are looking for dropped items.

The last three caves were open to the public. Apparently, when we went on Saturday, we happened to miss the cruise ship folk. We heard stories that when the cruise ships dock, the masses of people in the caves made it less appealing and took away from the experience.

We had a few random other groups join us during the last few caves, but it wasn’t too bad.

We did see a fishing spider in the cave somewhere… So, watch out for bugs and spiders….

At the end of the cave float, we deflated our tubes and hiked up the steps to where magically, our change of clothes were sitting in a van.

This was where we were ziplinin’ – Chukka Resort.

After we changed at the bathrooms/changing stalls there, we went towards the complex and had lunch.

Chicken, rice and beans with coleslaw and a plantain – what else? Oh, there was also some pineapple juice. It was all good, but not nearly as good as our roadside stop at P&L’s Place yesterday.

After lunch, our two guides geared us up in harnesses, helmets and gloves.

And we were off….

Five total zips down, in the jungle.

On the way, our guides pointed out some cool plants, like this crazy hanging vine. And our guide, Brandon, also played some familiar top 40 tunes to keep us upbeat.

Down the hatch. One guide helps each person in while the other guide catches you at the other end.

After everyone gets through, the other guide comes back over and we head to the next line.

I think the whole experience couldn’t have lasted more than an hour… It was quick and the steps all the way up and around made it easy – no hiking.

Would I do it again? Probably not… but I had fun the first time. I probably just expected more excitement and thrill? For parents – It’s great for kids! All the guides there were very focused on safety. *big thumbs up*

Cave tubing though – I’d do it again… if we could stretch it longer! I didn’t feel like we had enough time to enjoy our float. But come next time, it’s going to be an all-day thing, eh!

It was decided. I needed a trip out of the country in a place I had never been for adventures I’d been longing for… Belize! Amazing jungles, beaches, landscape and rich cultural history. I was in. Alex was in. Runa was in.

After the plane landed in Ladyville (outskirts of Belize City), I had already hired a private transfer to take us to the zoo before settling at our lodging.

Our shuttle man, William, was great. Originally from Amsterdam, he became a Belizean and has since settled in Belize to call it home. He kindly offered to take us to a great road stop food joint.

The catch? You could only order what the gal had available. Whatever she has though, I’m sure it’ll be as good as the what-seems-to-be-Belizean-staple of (baked) chicken, rice and beans, coleslaw and a plantain.

After an awesome $3US* lunch, we headed off to the zoo.

*in Belize, the US dollar is easily used as currency at the rate of $2 Belizean Dollars for $1 American Dollar

Known as the “best little zoo in the world,” it took us no more than two to (at maximum) three hours to slowly meander our way through. Don’t let the short browsing time allude to a negative, however!

Great animals.

Like these tapirs… who, we were warned to never stand near should they inch towards you with their be-hind.

Witty signs.

Yeah, mon, I believe it. Here they are…

Our guide, Edgar, was super informative… just by chance, we met him the parking lot. William, our driver, knew him by trade and encouraged us to go with him and his guest. We didn’t argue.

These toucans were way smaller than I thought they would be… I blame Toucan Sam.

I sat there for a while…

This jabiru stork totally pecked at our cameras as we tried to take it’s photo.

Ugh, diva.

Belize has five different species of wildcats, such as that ocelot above.

And this margay.

This awesome panther (or in other words… a black jaguar).

And did I mention a jaguar that we were able to get up close and personal with?

For $50 and for up to five people, the Belize Zoo offers a “jaguar encounter.” Alex and I found three extra souls to brave hanging out in a small cage that was in the middle of Junior, the jaguar’s enclosure.

Junior licked Alex’s face.

Yes, he loved it.

A trainer kept close watch to make sure Junior behaved. Junior was actually born and bred in captivity.

And after we got out of the cage, the trainer fed Junior chicken right on a close-by branch so we could get better photos.

We also saw this Harry Potter-y owl.

So, I have this abnormal disdain for birds (they fly about with their feathers all up in your face), but I thought these macaws were gorgeous.

It was a great way to end the visit.

Okay, I love this video.

Okay, this video came out like six months ago… I still love this video.

And I totally want aspire to be buff like P!nk. Damn, girl! Wait, can I pull off that phrase? Well, either way, damn, girl! Awesome. That is all…

Spinning in the 6-disc player:

1. Diana Vickers – Songs From a Tainted Cherry Tree
2. P!nk – Truth About Love
3. Sandi Thom – Smile… It Confuses People
4. Missy Higgins – The Sound of White
5. The Band Perry – The Band Perry
6. Uh Huh Her – Nocturnes