In random order.....

1.  Xunantunich (Mayan ruins)
This was our first experience on the mainland of Belize.  It was appropriate to start with the history of the country so we made our way to the ruins.  Once there, we made the treacherous hike up the 130 foot main temple.  The view on top of the temple was breathtaking.  A large part of the Belize/Guatemala border was visible from the top of the ruins.  On the way down, Leigh Ann stopped to take this postcard like picture.  It is evident from this picture that acid rain and other environmental factors have taken its toll on the ruins.

When we finished our tour, we posed for a group photo under the sign.

2.  Jaguar Paw (cave tubing experience)
Many people have been tubing before, but how many of you have gone through a cave and jungle?  For those of you who haven't, the experience was awesome.  First we hiked about a mile through the rain forest where we saw a tarantula in the wild.  Then we made it to the mouth of the cave where we stopped to pose for a picture.

We gracefully got onto our tubes and held our breaths as we entered the darkness.  The only light that could be seen was the shimmering light coming from our head gear.  All was well until Leigh Ann and Jen got stuck on an island of rock.  But surprisingly, everyone survived.

3.  The Belize Zoo
Jaguars, and Pumas, and Tapirs, oh my!  We saw many animals that we would not be able to view in the U.S.  We thought there was a large selection of big cats in the zoo.  We also had a memorable experience with the tapir (or mountain cow).  Unfortunately for Charlie, it urinated on him.  And Rachel, being the adventurous person she is, got a hard lesson taught to her by an iguana.  A bright orange male, which was approximately three feet long and happened to be hanging out near the jaguar cage, became aggressive when Rachel got too close.  We all escaped unharmed though.  Below is a ocelot relaxing in the shade inside his cage.

4.  Snorkeling
If we had to choose our favorite part of the trip, it would probably be the snorkeling.  We spent most of our time underwater and it will be hard to express our many adventures in just a few sentences.  Although it was not the best time learning the fish beforehand, we found it was much better knowing what we were swimming with.  We went to a different location every day.  Among those were Hol Chan--a nature preserve, Coral Gardens--where an abundant amount of colorful coral resides, mangroves--which was a sort of nursery for the fish, and of course Shark and Stingray Alley--I think that pretty much speaks for itself.  Our last night there, we had the opportunity to go on a night snorkel.  It was very disorienting and a little scary, but exciting to see the nocturnal marine life that we obviously couldn't see during the day.  At the Coral Gardens, somebody was lucky enough to find a cushion sea star and everybody, including Leigh Ann, was able to touch it (see picture below).

Our next two pictures were shot at Shark/Stingray Alley during feeding time.  Dave, one of our guides, was showing us how friendly the rays were.

As Dan and Leigh Ann were swimming with the sharks, Jen took this picture from the boat while the guides were feeding them.

5.  Belize Culture
We were surprised to see that much of Belize culture was very similar to the United States.  The mainland culture was a little more primitive compared to the island culture.  The market, pictured below, was a good example of the simple nature of the mainlanders.

The island people had a more carefree attitude.  Many people's motto was more along the lines of "No shirt, no shoes, no problem".  One of our experiences with their culture was the chicken drop.  This is where people placed bets on the square they thought the chicken would defecate in, hence the picture below.

A big part of their transportation is golf carts and walking.  The whole atmosphere is much more laid-back than what we were used to.  During the evenings, our group would go out on the town and experience Belize night life first hand.  We enjoyed listening to reggae band, having beach barbecues, and dancing the Punta.  Below is a picture of us out on the town.

All in all, it was an amazing experience.  We would all go back the first chance we got, and we will carry the memories with us forever.
 

About us:

Jennifer is a junior biology major.  She is a member of Delta Gamma Fraternity, Franklin College volunteers, Laurels and Lancers, and she is a resident assistant.  She is from Rushville, Indiana and hopes to go to graduate school to focus on marine biology.  If you would like to contact her, mailto:jbrown@franklincollege.edu

Leigh Ann is enjoying her sophomore year at Franklin College.  She is a member of Delta Gamma Fraternity and also Laurels and Lancers.  She is majoring in Recreation.  Her hometown is Pendleton, Indiana.  To contact Leigh Ann, mailto:lwright@franklincollege.edu

Daniel Frische is a sophomore at Franklin and is majoring in Business Marketing.  Dan participates in Franklin's football program.  He is from Trafalgar, Indiana.  If you would like to contact him, mailto:dfrische@franklincollege.edu