EcoTeam Belize Adventures Student Blog March 2011
Saturday March 19th
It was an early morning, waking up at three for our trip to Belize. We were
all exhausted at the airport, but it didn’t show because of the excitement
building inside of each of us. We would be leaving our thirty degree weather
for the tropics, everything would be perfect. We met in front of ticketing and
started our journey towards Belize. We made it through checking and
security without any issues and anxiously awaited our departure for Miami,
our connection to Belize City. Our group of eighteen boarded the plane with
smiles and cheers as we said farewell to Minneapolis. Our flight was smooth,
no problems, and we were even provided a movie, Unstoppable. We landed in
Miami and worked our way to the next plane, the one taking us to Belize City.
Once on the plane, the anxiety grew even more. It was a clear and sunny day
in Belize. As we flew over the coast, we looked down and gazed upon the
turquoise waters and bright green scenery. It was almost a different world,
seeing most of the landscape untouched by human hands. Once in Belize, we
stepped off the plane onto the asphalt runway, where we were engulfed by
heat. We went through customs and awaited the arrival of the bus that would
take us to the Tropical Education Center, our first Belizean destination. We
were greeted by an old, brightly colored school bus. Minor, the driver, threw
our bags into the back and quickly got us on our way. Driving through Belize,
we experienced an entirely different culture. We arrived at the secluded
Tropical Education Center by a bumpy gravel road. Tropical trees and
wildlife surrounded our rustic housing. We began our vacation with an
adventurous hike through the rainforest. Along our trail we encountered
species such as the Gumbolimbo, Devil’s Gut Cactus, St. John’s Wart, and
Basket Tie-Tie. The landscape was reminiscent of scenes from the movie
Jurassic Park. After our hike on the Long Trail, we cleaned up for our first
Belizean dinner. The cooks presented us with chicken, rice and beans, potato
salad, honey rolls, and freshly squeezed pineapple juice. The home cooked meal
left us all satisfied and ready for our next adventure. John, the manager of the
Tropical Education Center, provided us with a private night tour of the Belize
City Zoo. We geared up in our long pants, bandanas, and headlamps. As we
strolled into the zoo, we were welcomed by what we thought was a vicious boa
constrictor. We soon found that the snake, Toni, was as gentle as any
household pet. We then took turns holding Toni on our shoulders. We
continued our tour, observing native Belizean animals, and even got to see
our guide feeding the nocturnal cats, such as the jaguar and puma. The
jaguar was raised in captivity and was gentle enough for us to pet. We
completed our zoo trip by feeding a tapir and listening to the shrieks of the
black howler monkeys. After our long day of travel and adventure, we called
it a night and retired to our bunk beds.
Written by: Kelsey Johnson and Madeline Ernst
Sunday, March 20th
Our first full day of our Belizean educational adventure began with sound of
rain on the tin roofs of our cabins in the early hours of the morning. Our
bucolic lodgings were reminded us of summer camps we’ve experienced in
Minnesota but uniquely Belizean with the serenades of tropical birds and
palm fronds. We enjoyed our breakfast of eggs and rice with touches of the
local hot sauce, Marie Sharps. Shortly thereafter we loaded a colorful bus and
departed for the town of Dangriga. Upon our arrival in Dangrigra we were
greeted by two boats which sped us forty five minutes out to Southwater Caye.
This amazing tropical island is located on the second largest coral reef in the
world. After lunch we took advantage of our wonderful location and went
snorkeling. Our first snorkeling experience was amongst a rubble zone where
we saw tang, grunts, spotted-eagle rays, needle fish, channel crab, clinging
crab, an octopus, sea cucumbers, lion fish, and many other organisms we have
yet to identify. Later that evening we met together in the classroom and
discussed the Belizean culture. Our experiences thus far have revealed to us
numerous differences between our ways of life and those we have witnessed
here. We discussed the topics of social structure, values, and economic
situations. Our discussion progressed as darkness engulfed the island and soon
the light of the full moon drew us out of the classroom. We ventured down to
dock with our flashlights and headlamps and scavenged for marine life. We
spotted a southern stingray and a yellow-spotted sting ray gliding through the
moonlit water. The beauty of the night enticed us to the other side of the island
where we rested in the sand and enjoyed the moonlight. As our day drew to
an end we departed to our cabins and fell asleep to the sound of the surf on the
reef.
Written by: Claire Clark
Monday March 21st
We woke up this morning to the island breeze drifting through the slats in our
windows. A couple of kids got up early to see the colors of the ocean change
with the rising of the sun. Walking to our rooms, we could smell the Fry Jack
bread through the kitchen window. After breakfast, we went to get ready for
our morning snorkel in the rubble zone. The current was very strong, but we
saw rays and worked on our snorkeling technique before going into the big
reef. After lunch, we learned how to crack open coconuts. Palm trees grow all
over the island and an abundance of coconuts grow, and fall, off the trees. We
all took armfuls of coconuts to clean up and eat. Ms. Korby even found a
wheelbarrow to cart away old coconuts. Although the people living on the
island use a machete to cut the coconuts open, we used a pick-ax contraption
to open the husk, and a pencil-sharpening like grater to scrape off the meat
from inside the coconut. Unlike the fruits in Minnesota, coconuts of different
ripeness mean different taste or use. Green coconuts that are fresh off the tree
are used for their water. The brown coconuts that have fallen on the ground
are best for their meat, and still have some water in them. After filling up on
coconut, we went for a kayak around the island. Low tide prevented us from
going all the way around, but we did stop by the island forming from the
coral. The mini island is uninhabited, but an osprey does use the island as a
rest-stop. The other interesting birds include the pelicans. We had a pelican-
student stare-off on the dock. We were all shocked when the pelican dove right
under the dock to catch a fish. After our island adventures, we went for our
first real snorkel. Since the Carrie-bow caye site already had visitors, we went
further down the caye to the Curlew caye patch reef. We jumped into the surf
and saw a whole different world under the sea. It was amazing how much the
water was connected. All the corals and fish move with the tide and blend
together. Some highlight creatures were barracudas and squid. When we got
back, we showered in the rain-water reserve showers and went to the kitchen
to help the ladies cook dinner. Their good spirits and joy was almost tangible
in the air. We helped make dough for bread and fried shrimp. The girls are so
quick and make kneading bread look so easy. We tried and tried but only
succeeded in smushing the dough. Although the dough didn’t go so well, we all
laughed and they helped fix the dough so it was edible. After dinner we
learned our topic of the night: Glow worms. Every month, three days after a
full moon, the glow worms come out of the sand to mate. The rice-sized female
worms swim to the top of the water and, after a blinking ceremony, lay their
luminescent eggs along the water. When they go to the top, they spiral and lay
their eggs. Similar to lightning bugs in Minnesota, the worms communicate
with blinking. After a while, the blinking died down, and the worms will wait
until the next full moon. Tonight, we will all sit on the dock and play cards
and reminisce on the day.
Written by: Megan Lundquist
Tuesday March 22nd
The night passed with the gentle pattering of rain climaxing to drum rolls
upon our roof as it shifted from drizzle to downpour. As students who
normally enjoy late mornings, the alluring sunrise easily persuaded us to
leave our beds and venture outdoors at an early hour. The 5:45am breeze
found us at the volleyball court auditioning for positions in the upcoming
volleyball duel against other student guests of the island. After jockeying for
positions on the court, we refueled with a delicious breakfast of toast, eggs,
sausage (for the meat eaters), and fresh bananas. All foods I have eaten at
home, yet never with such delicious satisfaction. The laughing of the
wonderful cooks (overloaded with over sixty people to feed) beckoned from the
kitchen. After breakfast we learned about coral in the classroom in
preparation for our upcoming snorkels. The morning snorkel took place right
off the dock as we discovered the smaller creatures of the sea. We found sea
stars, sea horses, and arrow crabs galore. We were given the opportunity to
hold the arrow crabs whose spindly legs seemed out of this world.
Again I was reminded of another world as we scaled through mangroves after
our morning snorkel. The Avatar world seemed to come to life in these trees
that appear as if they are spiders emerging from the depths of the sea. It was
our trip to the Smithsonian Research Center at Carrie Bow Caye that taught
us some alarming information, once these magnificent trees are cut down
there is no getting them back. Scientists still have not discovered a method of
replanting these trees. Yet these trees play a fundamental role on keeping
sediment from drifting out to sea, both maintaining the size and shape of an
island. As members of an EcoTeam at our high school we comprehend the
necessity of conserving our resources, yet our trip to the mangroves and the
Smithsonian Research Center proved the delicate balance of our planet and
her beauty.
There is no better place to observe our planet’s true beauty than in the midst
of the sea. An afternoon fishing adventure provided us with a chance to
spend some quality time on the ocean. Juni, the incredible boat driver and
past fisherman, took us to a mangrove island where he searched for schools of
sardines off the shore. He masterfully threw his net from the boat snagging a
large group of sardines, all the while steering the ship with his foot. With a
bucket full of sardines we headed to the patch reef for some fishing. Fishing
lines attached to pop bottles served as our methods of catching fish. Juni
taught us the best way to hook our bait and cast our lines. Being a person
lacking any skill in the fishing industry, my immediate capture of a fish
proved Juni’s mastery. Hours flew by on Juni’s boat as we fished and laughed.
When we were wrapping up our adventure Juni picked up the extra sardines
and waved them above his head calling forth the magnificent frigate bird.
The frigates flew at top speeds and Juni launched the sardines into the air.
Some frigates caught the fish but many fell back to sea as the birds were too
busy fighting one another to realize they were losing their meal. Frigates
attacked one another’s wings and the sardines escaped, proving the message
that fighting gets you nowhere. We returned from fishing with a boat full of
fish (more or less) and a belly full of laughter.
This laughter carried over into excited (and a little nervous) laughter as we
walked to Pelican Beach to indulge in a night snorkel. With waterproof
headlamps in hand we swam from the shore and were met with an entirely
different world under the sea. The normally bright ocean seemed almost eerie
in the dark of the night. We swam past eels, octopuses, adorable puffer fish,
crabs, octopus, lobsters, sea cucumbers, and various other tropical fish. With a
new understanding of the diversity of the ocean we ran back to our lodging to
avoid the bite of the night air. We then headed over to dinner were the
tremendous women had waited with salads, chicken, zucchini, potatoes, and
chocolate cake for us. After dinner we helped with dishes, and then Mac, one
of the site managers, taught us a lesson in Creole, his native language. With a
head full of new found knowledge our tired bodies headed off to bed.
Written by: Alexandra Angelo
Wednesday March 23rd
The day started early in the morning for those who were going to go out
fishing. Those who were going to fish had to first catch their bait. Juni, the
master fisherman and boat captain, took us out to net our elusive live bait, the
sardine. For our guide, however, it seemed easy to spot the silvery little fish
under the surface of the glaring waves, and with a half hour and his trusty
net he had provided us with a couple dozen of the morsels. Soon after catching
our bait, we went out to do some Belizean style fishing, using a fishing line
wrapped around a plastic bottle. We cut the sardines in half and hooked them
onto our lines. We then cast our lines simply by dropping our hooks over the
edge of the boat and letting them sink down and hover just above the sandy
bottom. As soon as we felt a nibble, we jerked up quickly on our lines to set the
hook, and hoped when we reeled in our lines that there was a nice sized fish on
the other end, or at the very least the fish hadn’t stolen our sardines.
Sometimes we were lucky, but usually we weren’t. Most of our bait became
fish food, while Juni seemed to be catching all of the fish for us. The fish that
seemed to be over one pound we kept to cook, but the ones that were too little
were still put to use: a large flock of frigates loomed hungrily overhead. These
large, gliding birds resemble a cross between a seagull and a swallow, and rely
on stealing other predators catches to survive. We took our smaller fish and,
after getting the attention of the birds, flung them up into the air into their
waiting mouths. Most of the fish that we caught were grunts, red snappers,
and yellow snappers. Occasionally, someone would catch a grouper.
Soon the sun rose high into the sky, and we headed back to the island to eat
breakfast. We had fry jacks, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and bananas.
After breakfast, we all climbed into the boat again to go snorkeling at Tobacco
Caye. While preparing to flop into the water, we all spit into our goggles and
smeared the saliva around to prevent the goggles from fogging up. Then we
carefully slid overboard into the frigid sea. We swam around for maybe an
hour, looking at the various tropical fish and coral formations. The fish that
we saw included great barracudas, tarpons, lion fishes, various angelfishes, a
Belize-exclusive drum fish, and a menagerie of other tropical fish, among
which were a multitude of different rays. After drifting around the reef, we
climbed up a ladder back into the boat and went back to our temporary home.
At this point, it was lunchtime. Our lunch consisted of coconut shrimp soup,
freshly-baked rolls, watermelon, and banana bread. Finally, we had time for
a short break, in which many of rested. After our naps, it was time for our
final snorkel of our trip at Whale’s Shoal. Juni took us out again, and for the
last time we prepared to jump into the water. Many of the fish we had seen at
Tobacco Caye were present here as well, but now in a more captivating
environment. Arches and pillars and other amazing coral rock formations
dotted the seascape, with the vivid colors of the coral bringing life to the scene.
Fish grouped together in the little nooks and crannies the coral provided,
peering out at their alien visitors with a mix of fear and interest. A nurse
shark added even more zest and excitement to this expedition, and cameras
clicked the whole time. Soon the sun had begun to set, however, and we all
decided that some dinner would be great. Juni expertly navigated our return
journey, squeezing through narrow island trenches and appearing to know the
whole sea like the back of his hand. Before long we found ourselves back at
base.
The fish that we and our fellow EcoTeamers had caught during our stay had
not been going to waste, we found, as we walked into the dining room to the
smell of frying fish. These made up our dinner, as well as white rice with
stewed beans, coleslaw, and a sweet coconut bar for desert. We then worked
our way over to the classroom, where we briefly covered the activities we
were planning for the next day, and then had a little bit of fun. Everyone was
sent out across IZE’s plot of Southwater Caye, on a mission to find the fastest
looking hermit crab we could. These were gathered into a bucket, which was
turned upside down with the crabs trapped beneath. We drew a large circle
around the bucket which would serve as a “finish line”, as we were to use these
crabs to race. After three rounds of releasing the crabs and watching them
scuttle, squabble and hide, Claire Clark and her little buddy “Hermie” claimed
victory. We then released our feisty derby crabs back into the wild, and our
scheduled day was over. A few of us went out to gaze at stars, a handful
crawled off to bed, and two of us stayed in the classroom to tell about the day.
Written by: Cedrik Krouch and Greg Skudlarek
Thursday, March 24th
The sun rose and the birds screeched as William, Katie, Connor, Jill,
LeAnn, and I woke up at 5:00 A.M. to finally take our turn fishing. Once we
had our water bottles filled and our sunscreen smeared on, we scrambled into
the boat and headed out to sea. There was a cool breeze, a calm sea, and all
you could hear was the hum of the motor until we got to the fishing spot that
Juni liked. I wondered where the fishing poles were until I saw Juni handing
us plastic soda bottles with thirty feet of fishing line wrapped around with a
big hook for the chopped up sardine chunks that he gave to us as bait. The
fishing was off to a quick and great start. I caught the first two fish which
were both Porgies, one was half a pound, while my second and last catch of
that morning was an amazing two pounds (it might not seem a lot, but it was
the biggest fish I have ever caught)! Connor and Katie had the most amazing
fishing experience out of all of us. Connor caught a stingray, while Katie
caught a Parrot fish! Not even the master fisherman, Juni, ever caught a
Parrot fish before! Our chaperones, Jill, and LeAnn, caught a Grunt and a
snapper. Katie caught the most (not counting Juni) out of all of us; three fish!
The coolest one she caught was a Red Hind Grouper. William on the other
hand was catching half the sea, not fish by the way. He caught an assortment
of coral and seaweed. After the fish stopped biting the bait, we headed back to
the island and ate breakfast. After we ate, we slowly packed our bags so we
could savor our last sights of paradise that we had called home for the past
four nights. As we loaded our luggage onto the boat, our group secretly held a
vote that the Emory’s should ride on the luggage boat, named the “Oceanic”.
There was enough room for the triplets and the driver. Charles and I sat on a
wooden plank while William got to sit with the luggage. Our boat master was
Captain Doggy. He was an amazing person to talk to. He told us his fishing
tales as he steered the boat with expertise. My favorite story of his was when
he told us how he caught a fourteen foot, five hundred pound Hammer Head
Shark with a net. I thought my fish I caught was big! He also let all three of us
steer the boat. He taught us how to ride between the waves and not through
them. The most exciting part was when we saw Juni’s boat with the rest of the
group, stopped. Captain Doggy, my brothers and I were wondering why the
boat was stopped until we saw the dorsal fins of dolphins just barely sticking
out of the water! I never thought I would get the chance to see dolphins. It was
an amazing sight! Once we docked, my brothers and I thanked Captain Doggy
for the boat ride and Fishing Tales. The group then packed the bags into the
two vans waiting to take us to Caves Branch. On the way there, we stopped by
a citrus farm, and then a Belize Super Market. This was their biggest grocery
store in the area we were in and it was about the size of our Village Market.
For example, there were only two rows for snacks, and half a row for hot
sauce. Next was the bathroom. I walked in and in there was a cement floor, a
sink, and a molded piece of tile with footholds and a hole with a radius of six
inches in the ground, to do your business in. After we left the grocery store, It
hit me hard right there how spoiled people can be In the United States, with
all the choices that we have. In Belize, people barely have enough money for
the basic necessities, and the little wooden shacks with tin roofs are proof
enough. But, what fascinated me the most was that it didn’t bother them. All
that mattered was that they had each other. Their sense of community gives
them hope and perseverance through hurricanes, poverty, and the willingness
to survive. I think as Americans, we have somewhat lost our sense of
community. We should start caring about the ones around us just as much as
we care about the ones in our homes.
Once we left the grocery store, it was about an hour drive to caves
branch. Our first impressions of cave branch were we thought we were going
to be staying in these wooden dorms with a couple bunk beds and a bathroom
for everyone to share, just like at IZE. Then we found out from Cara that we
got UPGRADED! The South Carolina kids got the student dorm which I
described in the previous sentence of what it looks like. Instead we got these
lavish Cabanas that could hold three students each. We got a fan, white sheets
with a mattress, our own bathroom, water dispenser, and a marvelous view of
the Rainforest with the river right below us. We got our own showers with
warm water, and a swimming pool outside with a bar and a view of the
rainforest. We were in paradise! The food was served in a buffet, with three
courses per meal! This was more food than we have seen these past five day!
After we got over the shell shock, it was time for the tour of the Orchid House.
This was a garden dedicated to the different species of plants in Belize. It was
full of the most beautiful plants, poisonous plants, peanut plants, pineapple,
and the national flower the Black Orchid. After the tour, it was time for
lunch! For lunch we ate rice, beans, chicken, and yes, for the mothers reading,
we did have a full serving of fruit. Dinner was the biggest meal yet. We got
served three courses: first course which was a Conch Soup with an assortment
of bread, fruit, and salad. Second Course which was ham, turkey, chicken,
mashed potatoes with gravy, and broccoli with melted cheese. Third course
was dessert which consisted of white and chocolate cake, and a bread pudding.
After dinner was done we went to the chaperones cabana to have our end of
the day chat, ending with a game of Phase 10. I fell asleep to the screeching of
birds, the howling of the monkeys, and the satisfaction of just being able to
sleep in the Rainforest.
Written by: Chris Emory
Friday, March 25th
I woke up at 6:45 without an alarm. It’s funny what being in the rainforest does to your sleep cycle. Waking up early was never something I would do in the states unless I had to, yet here I was, up forty-five minutes before I needed to be. Breakfast was served buffet-style, with a vast amount of food to choose from. I decided to enjoy my morning with a breakfast burrito, piling ham, cheese, and beans onto a tortilla. At 8:45 we drove down to the school we had brought supplies for. School supplies are very expensive in Belize and as a result any help the US can offer is very much appreciated. We dropped off our school supplies and after a brief meeting with the principal we went into the classrooms to observe what the kids were learning. I was partnered with Greg and we went into the classroom of 12-16 year olds. After introducing ourselves they explained they were on a “fun” unit, learning how to do origami. I knew very little origami but Greg remembered much more. He amazed the kids with his paper-folding skills and got them to open up to us. Before long we were off again, taking the bus to observe some ancient Mayan ruins. Our guides explained to us the function of the various buildings left standing. After the historical briefing we headed off towards the furthest and tallest building, the ancient Mayan sacrificial temple. The temple was quite a sight to behold. With over one hundred stairs to the top and standing easily one hundred feet tall it was quite a feat of Mayan architecture. Once we were at the top we took many pictures, my favorite being Chris and I holding down Charles with a knife, a mock sacrifice to the Mayan gods. After pictures we simply just enjoyed the view, being able to see for miles around in every direction. After a rather long climb down we wandered the nearby town, buying souvenirs for home. Our bus headed back to the Caves Branch Resort and we enjoyed another fantastic three course dinner, the meal extending on into the night. . Our adventure was not over yet, after dinner it was time to make our trek into the deep and dark rain forest for an exciting night hike. As we waited by the bridge to the pool, we were suddenly greeted by our tour guide, Ching. At first, I was not sure what I was getting myself into; Ching had showed up wearing thick, long, blue pants tucked into his ZR-8 S.W.A.T tactical boots, and not to mention carrying a three foot machete. If you’re like me, you would be thinking that this is awesome because where else could go on a hike that could potentially be life-threatening! I was very excited to start the night hike. Being very prepared, Ching issued out to all of us a High Power 3 Watt CREE LED 120 Lumen AA Headlamp, the best for this kind of adventure. We followed Ching and his partner in a single file line onto the
alternative path into the rainforest; the previous one had been hit hard by the hurricane. The path we were on was only big enough for one person to walk through, hence the single file line, making us a prime target for the hungry jaguars that lurked the shadows of the forest. For a while, we did not encounter anything particularly interesting; then out of nowhere, Ching stops all of us to point out something crawling in the shadows of the tree. I (Charles) wasn’t able to see it at first until I got underneath the tree. Way up there was a little Kinkajou, a nocturnal, arboreal relative of raccoon with light brown fur. We also found a handful of scorpions using Cara’s black light. It was really cool because under a black light, scorpions glow purple! We came across many spiders too, the biggest one being a wolf spider! The trees around us were huge, it was nothing I had ever seen before. They were all green and lush; most bases of the trees were triangle shaped. How cool is that! The trail went on for a good mile or so before we broke through the salvage and we were back at the resort again. As we thanked Ching and were on our way to bed, Ching came sprinting back telling us he had found a baby Fer-de-lance snake on the path! It was a very beautiful snake to look at, but not to touch. This snake is the most poisonous in Belize and so Ching got him quickly off the path. After such an exciting adventure that evening, we returned exhausted to our beds.
Written: William Emory and Charles Emory
Saturday, March 26th
Excitement was in the air when everyone awoke in the rainforest to
begin the final day of our tropical adventure. Breakfast was served! We all
enjoyed the buffet, eating as much as we pleased. Connor and I had cereal,
pancakes, eggs, beans, and massive amounts of juicy, fresh fruit. From
breakfast, we loaded into the “jungle limo”, which took us to the mysterious
orange groves. It was a treacherous ride – driving through rocks and even a
river! We finally arrived at our destination, unloaded our bus and all grabbed
a tube. We attempted to hoola-hoop with the tubes, but our attempts were
futile. We then proceeded toward the cave with tubes in hand, following our
guides, Ching, Carlos, and Wilmer. We sunk into our tubes in the chilly water
of the river, leading into the mouth of the cave. Once we arrived at the
entrance of the cave, our guide pointed out a six foot long Ferdilance snake,
the most poisonous snake in Belize. Next, Ching explained what we would be
encountering in the cave, and he explained Mayan history and its connection
with the cave we were visiting. We learned that caves were thought to be the
entrance to the Underworld, and therefore, caves were used mostly for
ceremonial purposes associated with the Mayan culture. Right before we
entered the cave, we spotted a group of Fishing Spiders, which were gigantic
and a little scary to some EcoTeamers, like Katie. we finally proceeded into
the deep abyss of the cave. We spotted Fruit Bats and their “bat guana”
aka…poop. We learned that the acidity of the “guana” was so POWERFUL
that it burned holes into the walls of the cave. “Wow!” exclaimed Connor, his
jaw dropping to the bottom of the the river, which we floated along. We
eventually washed up on the riverbed so we could explore further where the
river didn’t flow. In order to reach these spots, we had to do some super
INTENSE rock climbing. We first encountered a chamber, called the “Titty
Chamber”, named for the shapes of the stalactites. We also viewed some
original Mayan pottery that had been left in the cave for centuries. During
our climbing excursion, Connor had an encounter with a stalactite. We
discovered that if you hit a stalactite hard enough with your head, the sound
will resonate throughout an entire cave. Lunchtime approached quickly. We
had no idea what the guides has in store for us, but we soon found out that
they had packed us a delicious picnic lunch, to be eaten in the cave. It was a
delicious meal and a once in a lifetime meal for us, but not for Ching, who told
us that he has eaten that same meal everyday for the past eleven years. After
lunch, Ching had a special surprise for us! We trekked through the cave up a
wall and into a chamber, where we were instructed to turn off our headlamps.
We sat in the pitch black darkness of the cave until Ching shone his flashlight
on an ancient Mayan carving. Connor thought it was a monkey, but it
obviously wasn’t…who would make the fertility god a monkey? There was also
a natural formation in the cave, that, when lit up, interpreted the
reproduction process on the wall of the cave. After viewing the different
chambers of the cave, we headed back to the bright outside world. We paddled
along, thinking we were finished with our tour, but little did we know, Ching
had yet another surprise in store for us. We parked our tubes on the riverbed
and climbed to the top of a 20 foot cliff. We looked down to see the river that
seemed miles away. We were unaware what was about to happen, until Ching
told us to “JUMP!” We were surprised but excited to jump off a cliff in a
rainforest. We leaped off the cliff to the raging waters below us. Everyone,
except Connor, who did a bellyflop, had a safe fall. Soaking wet and happy, we
plucked oranges from the groves around us, and boarded the bus once again.
When we arrived back at Caves Branch, Mr. Chan was there to greet us and
tell us about the composting system and some of the plants in the rainforest
and their uses. We learned that food scraps from the kitchen are put into large
wooden boxed and decomposed to make fertile soil. Animal poop is also used to
aid in the composting process. Mr. Chan showed us some of the plant and trees
and in the rainforest. We learned about medicinal remedies and how plants
can help humans, if we know how to use them correctly. For example, a tree
nicknamed the “Tourist Tree” is used to relieve dehydration. We had some free
time after this, so some of us packed up for our journey back home the next
day, but the cool kids hung out poolside. We then gathered in the dining hall,
where we enjoyed another gigantic feast at Caves Branch. Filled with three
courses, our dinner started with salad and soup, then going into the main
course with different meats and fruits, and finally ending with delicious cakes
and pies. After gaining a few pounds from the feast, the waiters gave us some
fun challenges to accomplish. They had tricks with toothpicks and nails
balanced on top of each other. After finally completing all of the rigorous
challenges, with a few hints of course, we gather in a circle for recollection. We
went around sharing our favorite moments, things learned, and first times
throughout the trip. The whole team enjoyed laughs and good memories. We
then took out headlamps and walked back to our cabins, watching out for
snakes and other creatures throughout the night. Upon arrival to their cabin,
the ladies experienced some bug catastrophes. Some cockroaches had entered
their room sometime throughout the day, scaring them out of their socks,
literally. After some help from the guys, the ladies eliminated all cockroach
threats and readied for bed. Everyone drifted off to sleep to get enough rest for
the long plane rides following the next day.
Written by: Katie Hamerlinck and Connor Venteicher
Sunday, March 28th
We awoke early on our day of departure to finish packing our substantially fuller suitcases and to enjoy the little time we had left in the tropical rainforest. The Cave’s Branch staff once again spoiled us with a delicious breakfast and soon after we boarded two vans destined for the airport in Belize City. Our drive to the airport was a bittersweet experience. The thoughts seeing our families and laying in our own beds helped ease the sadness of leaving such an amazing place where so many experiences were had and memories were made. We worked together to unload our gear before thanking our drivers and entering the small but sufficient Belize City Airport. As we waited in line we jokingly wished that our plane would be cancelled and we could have further time for more adventures in Belize. Little did we know we would soon have a new appreciation for the phrase: “Careful for what you wish for”.
Our chaperones ushered us over to the side and went to the ticketing counter. We attempted to watch the dialogue between the attendants and the chaperones with mild curiosity as we began to sense that something was a rye. We eagerly awaited an update and gave the chaperones our full attention
when they approached us. Ms. Rieckenberg then informed us that we would likely not be returning back to Minnesota until Tuesday due to a fuel explosion at the Miami airport. The positive spirit of our group shone as we cheered upon hearing that our trip was to be extended. We settled into the airport as Ms. Rieckenberg went to work making arrangement for our group with the help of her extensive Belizean contacts and the other chaperones. After awhile a van arrived which whisked us a short distance to “The Global Village”, a hotel which was to serve as our location for the night. After the chaperones determined the hotel to be safe and sanitary we went to our rooms where we found, much to our surprise, televisions. This reintroduction to the conveniences of our modern world allowed us to contact our parents and inform them of our extended stay. After a quick run to the neighboring grocery store we met in one of our rooms and put together an ample picnic as we optimistically discussed our situation. In Ms. Rieckenberg’s fourteen years of experiencing Belize with various school groups she had not experienced a situation like this, but she handled the stress like a seasoned professional and ensured high group moral. The remainder of the evening included a sufficient dinner, games, movies, and numerous jokes about our predicament. As the night wound down we drifted off to sleep, once again in the company of each other, anticipating the following two day’s journey back to Minnesota.
Written by: Claire Clark