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Day 8 - The last day in Belize

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The last day in Belize We began the day by having some free time on the island before we had to catch the water taxi at noon, a group of us went to a café and enjoyed some smoothies, breakfast sandwiches and waffles. Then we headed back to the resort and began packing up our stuff to leave the island. Once we were all ready, we gathered out front and made our way to the water taxi. We got on the water taxi and started our first step to going home. Then we arrived to Belize city where we got onto a shuttle bus which took us to the airport. After arriving at the airport we got all our luggage checked in and waited for the plane. We grabbed something to eat and checked out some last minute shops while waiting to board the plane. When the time came, we got on the plane and off we went. Four and a half hours later we landed at the Toronto Pearson airport. We gathered our luggage and met up to say our final goodbyes and all headed our separate ways home after a long but fun filled week! -Ala...
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Day 7

We woke up around 8:30 and went out to breakfast at a place close to the split. After breakfast we walked back to tropical paradise and got a demonstration and fitted for our snorkels and flippers. We then took our boat to a shallow area where sharks and stingrays gather to be fed by people. We stayed there for maybe 40 m inutes before we got back on the boat  and went to a deeper area where the coral was still alive. We had a guided tour around the coral for a hour and saw all sor ts of fish and eel's and a stingray in the sand hunting for food. After the  tour we went to the edge of the reef where we got to go and have our own adventure. We were there exploring the reef ourselves for maybe 40 minutes before we got on the bo at and Emily for some reason was trusted to drive us to a tarpon reserve w here we fed the tarpon from our hands. We also got to feed the birds from our hands. After this we went back to the tropical paradise where me and Stephen found out we got super bu...
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Day 6

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 We started our day off with breakfast at the Nuuk Cheil Cottages. Once again Marcia did not disappoint us with her cooking skills. She prepared scrambled eggs, fried ham and some fresh fruits. After breakfast we packed up and got into the van and headed on down the road. After a long two minute drive down the road we stopped at a gift store and chocolate shop. The gift shop was full of hand crafted and traditional Belizean art and the chocolate shop had some of the best and most fresh chocolate I’ve ever tasted. From there we took a drive back towards Belize City. It was a perfect day for travel as it was raining most of the day.  We made a quick pit stop at the Belize Zoo. Once we arrived to the zoo we broke into individual groups and headed towards the animals. Our first stop was Ernie the otter, a friendly and playful otter that was rescued in 2022. We then headed on down towards the coatimundis, they were very energetic, and looked like a raccoon with a skinny face and lo...
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Day 5

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 Day 5 in Belize We had breakfast at the Nuuk che'il hotel, and then we left to visit the ya'akn butterfly farm. They primarily grow the Owl butterfly, and occasionally the Blue Morpho and Malachite. We learned what the caterpillars looked like at different stages (known as instars) from the egg up to the butterfly. They had boxes that they kept the caterpillars in to keep them safe and feed them, since the caterpillars only ate at night.  Caterpillars just after hatching Caterpillars at the last instar (stage) When they were ready to make a chrysalis they were moved to a different box, and then later laid in a different box so that the previous box could be used for the next batch. At this point they would get carefully packaged and sent off to buyers. any that they kept were moved to their butterfly enclosure to finish being in the chrysalis and emerge.   Caterpillars in their chrysalis  When they were ready to make a chrysalis they were moved to a different box, a...
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Day 4

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 Day 4 in Belize We began the day with an all you can eat breakfast at the San Ignacio Resort, after breakfast we packed up our stuff, hopped in the van and started our journey to Maya Center which was about a 2 hour dive. On our way, we stopped at Hot Mamas Hot Sauce Factory, where we learned about all sorts of different sauces and heat levels. When we got there, we met with Michelle and she had us try different types of peppers and ingredients from their garden that they include in their different sauces including, guava, lemon, golden plum, lemon grass and mint. After the garden, Michelle showed us where they store their peppers and where shipments are made and received. We were brought through the process of receiving the products from farmers and how they sanitize and clean them before using them in their sauce. They also showed us each piece of equipment they use and what they do. There is lots of testing of PH, sugar levels, and salt all before packaging. Michelle then got u...
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Day 3

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Today in Belize, we had the chance to visit a chicken farm run by a remarkably kind lady. Her farm, home to 10,000 chickens, is an impressive operation. It’s interesting to hear the entire process how she personally raises her birds from the chicks to their market ready stage at 40 days old. The well maintained barn and chickens illustrate the dedication and hard work put into ensuring these birds are healthy and productive. The owner’s passion for her work was noticeable in the way she spoke about the farm, and it was quite an experience to visit such a large scale poultry operation In Belize. Later, we visited a dairy farm managed by a father and his three sons, which has the largest number of milk cows in the area. This family ran farm is a mix of teamwork and tradition, with each member playing a vital role in the day to day operations. The sight of so many cows, all producing milk that supports the local dairy co-op and community, was truly a great sight to see. We all learned a l...
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Day 2

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 Day 2 in Belize We started off the day with an all you can eat breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We left at 8:30 to take a quick drive to the first sight of our trip. We got to Xunantunich at 9 and took a VERY quick hand cranked ferry over the Mopan river to drive to the site. The site was discovered in 1890 and opened to the public in 1954. We got a private tour by Jr. Jr. (Eder). There were many buildings, but the star of the show would have to be El Castillo marking it the tallest man made structure in Belize thought to be built throughout 5 generations (approximately 52 years per layer for a total 420 years). There were many building we saw including where one of the ruling queens were buried, the ball court, the home of the royals, a trading post building, and accommodating rooms. While we were waiting for the ferry to come back Jr. Jr. our tour guide told us the the road we were on was flooded for 2 months during the wet season and because of the Tropical Storm Sarah and ju...
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