July 12, 2012
Day One of rafting
Dang, what a day! Despite the early start we pulled together after a breakfast at Rios Tropicales home base and became acquainted with all of our equipment and the safety procedures for rafting as well as the commands we would need to know to paddle fluidly through the rapids. After cruising through the rapids and getting a little wet and having a swim in the world renowned Pacuare River we had lunch at the jungle lodge that would be our home for the next few days. After a lunch of some amazingly fresh and delicious pineapple and sandwiches we watched and listened to howler monkeys and toucans. No wonder the Pacuare is one of the top 5 rafting destinations in the world.
Dang, what a day! Despite the early start we pulled together after a breakfast at Rios Tropicales home base and became acquainted with all of our equipment and the safety procedures for rafting as well as the commands we would need to know to paddle fluidly through the rapids. After cruising through the rapids and getting a little wet and having a swim in the world renowned Pacuare River we had lunch at the jungle lodge that would be our home for the next few days. After a lunch of some amazingly fresh and delicious pineapple and sandwiches we watched and listened to howler monkeys and toucans. No wonder the Pacuare is one of the top 5 rafting destinations in the world.
Day Two
Today we woke up to some freshly brewed coffee at 7 with breakfast at 8 and by 9:30 we were ready for our ziplining adventures. After being briefed on the safety precautions and procedures we were off screaming and laughing having a great time. After everyone had gone on all the ziplines we set off on a short hike to some natural waterfalls which involved scrambling up some rain slicked paths that resulted in a lot of laughter and a few adventurers getting a bit muddy. Luckily we were able to rinse off with a dip in in the pool at the base of the fall which was quite refreshing. After heading back to the lodge and getting lunch we went on another short hike to some natural water slides that we rode for close to 2 hours! That evening we played some games and laughed as Becca represented the group well in a vegetable-off against another sassy student group that was also at the lodge (parents you will have to have your kids explain the science of a vegetable-off once they're home).
Day Three
We were chomping at the bit this morning to get on the river and show the rapids what we were made of. We joined up with another group for rafting resulting in just a few water battles between the class III and IV rapids that we paddled through. After getting to the take out we went back to the Rios Lodge for a hot lunch and showers before heading back to San Jose. We have now settled in to our lodging in San Jose. When several of the students were asked about what they were looking forward to, they paused and responded with "...Well the city day will be nice to get dressed up and another time to use our Spanish, but I think the surfing will be pretty cool too." To which I could only respond with "so you're psyched for the rest of the trip" to which they responded in the affirmative. What an awesome group of kids!
We were chomping at the bit this morning to get on the river and show the rapids what we were made of. We joined up with another group for rafting resulting in just a few water battles between the class III and IV rapids that we paddled through. After getting to the take out we went back to the Rios Lodge for a hot lunch and showers before heading back to San Jose. We have now settled in to our lodging in San Jose. When several of the students were asked about what they were looking forward to, they paused and responded with "...Well the city day will be nice to get dressed up and another time to use our Spanish, but I think the surfing will be pretty cool too." To which I could only respond with "so you're psyched for the rest of the trip" to which they responded in the affirmative. What an awesome group of kids!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 7,2012
We are currently on our private island learning to scuba and snorkel among some beautiful coral reefs surrounding Long Caye! We have been recently informed that these dives ranked among Jacques Cousteau's top 10 dives, and they are living up to that! Thus far, we have seen fish every shade of the rainbow, in size ranging from less than an inch to a few feet! We have seen Spotted lobsters, stingrays, angelfish, groupers, eels, Lionfish, Rainbow Parrotfish, and Batfish, to just name a few.
It has taken some adjusting the past couple days for the group to get used to the many blue crabs that are out after dark and the iguanas and other lizards that mingle with the multitude of hermit crabs that all roam the island. There have been few problems, however, adapting to the spider lilies, coconut treas and beautiful views that surround us.
Everyone is grateful for having an awesome cooking staff that have been whipping up some delicious feasts that included grilled Kingfish, fried plantains, fresh baked bread and some great homemade granola loaded with local coconut meat. Oh, and I forgot, the amazing deserts like ginger snaps with fresh ginger, pineapple upside down cake and bread pudding with raisins the size of plums and also warm from the oven: chocolate chip cookies.
In the next few days, we will be taking our scuba tests for our certification - all are on track and expected to pass their certification courses. After the scuba portion is over, we will be saying a tearful goodbye to Belize and heading to Costa Rica. On our travel day, we expect to have some time in the Belize Airport for the kids to call come and check in. We expect that without delays, this should be around 2-5 pm (MST) on July 9th.
Well time to gather gear for another dive among sea fans, corals and friendly fish. Cheerio 'til the next time from Belize.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 5, 2012
Life has been rough these past few days while sailing in Belize. The water has been shockingly blue, the weather has been alarmingly sunny most days. The food has been delicious and spirits have been high. We have been sailing from Caye to Caye on our two catamarans/yachts. These have included Pelican, Saltwater and Tobacco Cayes as well as sailing between countless other picture perfect deserted islands in the marine preserve. Fishing has yielded a number of Barracuda of varying sizes, Black Snapper as well as Silk Snapper. While swimming about, we have seen fish of every imaginable color darting about, starfish, sting rays and massive conchs.
We have also been diligently studying and preparing for our scuba course which began today, as well as learning about coral and how to prepare fish and what the tell tale signs are of upcoming rain showers.
Upcoming challenges we expect to include: sleeping with out being rocked to sleep, keeping sunburns at bay, eating all the fish that we have caught and passing the scuba test to attain our PADI Certification.
The largest fish caught by the smallest student (it almost pulled her in)
Turns out it is of the utmost importance to keep a sharp eye on students while they're fishing as Jaime was pulled about 15ft by this Barracuda and was about 6in from being pulled off the moving boat before I got to her and pulled her back. The fish was reeled in by all three of us, as even with drag adjustments it was still pulling line out! It weighed in at about 20-25lbs.
No comments:
Post a Comment