September Celebrations and Travels

Wow…what a week! A lot has happened here in Belize since my last post.

CAYO

Last weekend we went on a 3 day trip to Cayo. Cayo is a district in Belize about 3-4 hours away from Placencia by car. On Saturday morning, we were supposed to go there at 8 AM but there was a scheduled power outage and the car rental place flaked on us. It took us about 2 hours to find another car rental since a lot of places were closed. Once we got to the hotel, we put our stuff in our little cabana and went strait towards the pool.

Cahal Pech Village Resort

BARTON CREEK CAVE
The next day, we had a cave tour in the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve. It was a long bumpy ride in a packed van but it was worth it. We got in the canoes and paddled into Xibalba (The Mayan Underworld). It was so cool to see these crazy rock formations called stalactites and stalagmites. A stalactites is a rock formation that hangs from a cave and a stalagmite is a rock formation that rises from the ground. Inside the cave was pitch black and there were bats everywhere. Luckily, each canoe had a light to pave the way. After we came out of the cave, There was a ledge above the pool of water that led into the cave that we got to jump off. It was kind of sketchy getting to the ledge because we were in the jungle and it was muddy and slippery. After we got back we went for a quick swim then went to another hotel in a nearby town called Bullet Tree Falls.

Entering Xabalba!

Leaving the Underworld

XUNANTUNICH
We had a small little cabin right on the Mopan River. The next morning, We went to a Mayan ruin called Xunantunich (Zoo-nan-too-nich) which means “Stone Woman”. We had a lot of fun climbing up the ruins, and at the top was a beautiful panoramic view where you could see Guatemala. We took tons of cool pictures and videos and then headed back down. We were about to leave when we saw something in the trees. We weren’t sure what it was at first, but after a minute, we clearly saw them. They were Howler monkeys. They were jumping from tree to tree making a lot of noise. It made the end of our visit there awesome.

El Castillo


Monkeys in the tree videoIMG_0186

MOPAN RIVER
When we got back to the cabin, we went into the river. We went inner tubing first but that wasn’t that fun for me so I went on the rope swing. I was pretty bad at it at first, and I hurt my hands on the rope, but at least I got 1 really good swing in. On our way home, It was getting dark and there were these freaky crabs all over the road trying to cross.

Raw Spa

Our river cabin

Rope Swing

INDEPENDENCE DAY

September 21 is Belize Independence day. This holiday is one of their most popular. This is the day they gained independence from Britain in 1981. This year was their 36th anniversary. People prepare for this day all month. On the Friday before, all the children in the village marched in a parade. Here is a picture of me and some of my friends holding the Peninsula International Academy banner.

FIREWORKS
The night before the 21st, people stay up until 12 AM to watch fireworks. We got to see awesome fireworks from the pier, hang out with friends, and take cool pictures. I was super tired the next day but I didn’t have school so it didn’t matter.

Me and
my Friends

CARNIVAL
The next day was even more festive, but before the parade, I went swimming with my friends and I found a tiny sea horse. After that we went to my friends house and waited for the parade to start. There was a big parade that went down the main road with people playing music and dancing in colorful costumes. Although it was fun, I don’t think it really had much to do with independence day. I went to bed pretty early that night because I was super tired from the night before.

Me, Lucas and Ashton

For more information about the Belize flag and other cool facts click here. Did you know that Belize is the only country to have human figures on their flag?

Adventures on 2 Wheels

TURTLE INN –
Our first time riding bikes, we rented bikes from Captain Jak’s, where we met Oliver the laughing parrot. We rode for about 15 mins. to the Turtle Inn which is Francis Ford Coppola’s resort. They have a really nice pool, with floating bean bags that you can lay on and chill. Because it’s the slow season, they let anybody visiting the bar or restaurant swim there. It’s a beautiful place!

SUNSET POINTE –
A few days later, the guy that we rented from sold us 2 of his bikes. My mom’s is a black K2 Seaside cruiser and mine is a blue Specialized mountain bike. Unlike most bikes here, ours both have gears so its easier to ride to somewhere far. Once we got bikes everything got easier. My mom bought a basket for her bike so we can carry groceries and stuff.

Sunset Pointe is a stretch of road on the lagoon. It is a nice bike ride down the road from us and at the very end is a pier that is a great place to fish. There is a little resort across lagoon on an island called Sailfish that has a pool bar but it’s only 18 up.


IMG_0146

SEIGN BIGHT –
A few days ago, we biked up the peninsula to a Garifuna village called Seine Bight (Click on the link to learn more about Seine Bight). It’s about a 4 mile bike ride from Placencia, so along the way, we stopped at a deserted beach that had a cool chair swing and took a little break.

When we got to Seine Bight I immediately noticed that it was a lot different than Placencia. Seine Bight is less touristy and the Garifuna culture is definitely present. We ate a traditional lunch of stewed meat with rice and beans, plantains, coleslaw and fresh tamarind juice. It was super delicious! Our waiter Gilly was the friendliest and was blasting the cool afro drumming sounds of the local music.


All and all the bikes have not only been fun and convenient, they have allowed us to check out some cool spots we will definitely be returning to. Stay tuned…