Day #8: January 15th, 2015

Location: Clarissa Falls, Belize

The Mayan ruins of Xunantunich

Everyone was allowed to sleep in late today - breakfast didn't start until 7:30AM! Our latest start yet. At 8:30AM, our host Miss Chena (the proprietor of Clarissa Falls, our lodge on the mainland) led us on a nature walk through the jungle. We traversed through thick mud, stomped along riverside trails, and paused frequently to hear lessons on the local flora and fauna from Miss Chena:

I ain't gonna lie - the hiking was tough! Accosted by bugs, slipping in the mud, losing shoes that were sucked deep into muck, stumbling over branches, braving the heat and humidity - everyone did it all without complaint! The hike lasted a bit over 2 hours. Go NEC!

We reached the road and headed to a hand-pulled barge that brought us over the river. 

We then hiked about a mile uphill on a road to the Maya ruins of Xunantunich. We were met by a guide who taught us about the history of the site, the largest Mayan ruins ever discovered in Belize:

We then spent several hours exploring the site. Incredibly, it is perfectly fine to climb on and around the ruins to explore them up close:

The highlight was climbing the 130 foot tall castillo, the main structure. It was truly amazing to scale to the top and see the view. We could see into Guatemala and across much of Belize. It was a wonderful and breathtaking view. The students tested my sense of safety by sitting right on the edge! Get back you students!

We were able to spend a few hours touring the site, and it was a wonderful experience to imagine a vibrant city occupying this spot, then the jungle swallowing it, and then locals and finally archaeologists rediscovering the site.

After we had our fill of touring, we walked back down to the visitor center and enjoyed a burrito and banana lunch brought by Chena:

We then continued back to the main road for some souvenir shopping and a ride back to Clarissa Falls on the bus. A few students had pedometers that indicated we had walked about 7 miles over the course of the day. By the end of the day, we were all covered with a thick funky layer of sweat, DEET, and sunscreen.  But we were also invigorated by all the wonderful sites we had seen. Fantastic!

Once back at Clarissa Falls, everyone quickly changed and jumped on inner tubes to ride down the river that borders the ranch. There were a few minor rapids, but mostly it was a relaxing, cooling 1:15 ride. We all enjoyed the opportunity to cool off and clean off in the water.

We also saw many iguanas along the riverbank:

Trucks were waiting for us at the end to drive us back. We had time for a quick shower and change before our 6PM dinner (mashed potatoes, salad, and a very tender beef prepared in a local style, with carrot cake for dessert). By 7:30PM we were all relaxing, playing cards, and joking about the day.

There were many bumps and scrapes over the course of the day, but nothing that couldn't be treated with a Band aid. Everyone is happy and healthy and amazed that we have just one full day left in Belize.

Thanks for reading!

Day 7: January 14th, 2015

Location: Clarissa Falls, San Ignacio, Belize

Traveling to the mainland

We awoke extra early today for a 7AM breakfast and a 7:45AM departure from TREC. It was, as you'd expect, bittersweet to be leaving Ambergris Caye, the site of so much joy and adventure over the last week. But the disappointment was naturally counterbalanced by excitement for what lay ahead.

We drove us and our luggage to the tiny airport in San Pedro and boarded two planes (a 13 seater and a 10 seater) for the 20 minute right to the municipal airport on the mainland.

You know its a small plane when there is a student in the co-pilot's seat!

At municipal airport, we gathered our 32 bags and settled into our touring bus. It's a nice bus with cushy seats and plenty of room for everyone.

We drove westward across Belize for about an hour to a location called Jaguar Paw. We changed into swim clothes and were issued tubes, helmets, and lifejackets.

Thus prepared, we began the first of what will be several hikes through the jungle. We crossed and then headed upriver.

Along the way, we explored some caves that are resident to (harmless) bats:

As we continued on, the braver (or more foolhardy?) among us paused to sample some termites. By "sample" I mean "eat"! I am happy to report that they taste like carrots.

I feel like I should earn some sort of special Professor Badge for getting multiple students to eat live bugs in the jungle! <sound of me patting myself on the back>

After walking upriver for about a half hour, we put our tubes into the river, joining into large chains for floating.

We soon enter a series of limestone caves. We wore headlamps to illuminate the grey, sparkly walls. It was very unusual to be floating through these caves, something that can be done in very few places in the world.

After about 20 minutes, we exited the cave system and floated downriver for about another 30 minutes. It was very peaceful. The water was warm and clear and seemed very clean. The students could not resist jumping off a rock that marked the end of our route.

We toweled off and drove back toward the main highway, stopping for lunch of burritos or rice/beans:

We then drove about 1.5 westward, completing our journey across Belize. It only takes about 2.5 hours to drive from the Caribbean on the east coast to the Guatemalan border on the west side. We arrived at our home for the next 3 days: Clarissa Falls, a working cattle ranch on the banks of a river. The students moved into thatched huts, 4 people per. The grounds of Clarissa Falls are lovely, with cattle and many fowl. There is also a nice open air common eating area where we had dinner. The owner, Miss Chena, prepares wonderful local Belizean food (tonight: salad, rice, beans, spicy chicken) and makes her own hot sauce (which is very flavorful with just the right amount of heat).

We had planned to visit a Mayan ruin this afternoon, but we ran out of time, so we'll move that to another day. We used the extra time to meet and discuss the lab reports. Students diligently worked throughout the evening on their reports and journals; most (but not quite all!) have turned in their final lab reports. I look forward to reading them! Clarissa Falls is quite isolated so (unlike on the island) there is nothing to do in the evening. Since the sun sets by 6PM, that leaves a lot of free time to socialize and relax in the evening.

Everyone is doing well. The bugs are biting here, but nothing we can't handle. We look forward to two full days on the mainland.

Thank you for your comments (I always pass them along) and than you for reading!