"You Better Belize It"
By: Leslie McAleese
Hola all! Welcome to my site of Belize. I hope you will travel along with me a I revisit Belize through pictures and memories. We all had a great time and hope you do too.
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Biography of the traveler: Leslie McAleese
Hello my name is Leslie McAleese and I am a sophomore. I am from Terre Haute, Indiana but now attend Franklin College. This was my first time to travel outside of the states and it was the best experience I have ever had. I hope by visiting this site, you are able to take something from Belize because it has given me so much.
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Mainland
XUNANTUNICH (Tuna
Sandwich) Means Stone Lady: This was the first Mayan site that we
visited. It was discovered in 1938 by a hunter from Belize City who
heard a crackling in the trees and turned to see what he believed was a
ghost towering over the main building El Castillo and ran back to tell
everyone what he saw. The site was home to the Mayans in the Classical
period 650 A.D. to 1000 A.D. The area has the second highest man made
structure which overlooks the entire area, at a height of 135
feet, El Castillo. To visit the Mayan site the photo
below.
BELIZE ZOO We got the opportunity to see some of Belize's' local animals first hand. (We don't mean the numerous stray dogs on the streets but the animals of the zoo.) When we arrived to the zoo we noticed the difference in how the area was set up. It was very natural appearing with hand painted signs and the cages looked as if they were just built around the natural area. It is not as open as the Indianapolis Zoo, but still allows you the chance to get up close and personal with the animals. Such cases were people splattered by mud and the most talked about experience was when fellow student Dustin Faulstick was sprayed in the face by April the Tapir who was simply marking him as hers. To see some of the amazing creatures and how close we really were click here.
JAGUAR PAW If you like caves, and you like to tube, then you would love this...Cave tubing in the jungle. This particular part of the trip changed the way some looked at the surroundings. The resort is located in the outskirts of a jungle so much that we indulged in our lunch outside while monkeys peered over us. The group was split, some ate in doors while others took in the beauty in a small hut that had signs posted all over with such facts as "Each year 30,000 species will become extinct, some of which were never identified. " which really caught our attention. After lunch we headed out on dirt paths through the wilderness where we finally made it to our destination, the river. We all jumped in and rode down the river mostly in the cave. To see more click below.
CLARISSA FALLS: This is where we stayed when on the mainland. It was the most peaceful place you can imagine located on a cattle farm. It is a pretty secluded area with lots of vegetation and a river flowing behind it. Often times in the evening, we would venture out into the water and float with the current or try to climb up the fall. The rooms were simply small huts with beds, and a bathroom. It was a very quiet area and one that was most enjoyable. Staying in such a relaxed environment helped let us take everything in. The people who were in charge prepared meals for us as a large group and they were absolutely wonderful. To see the huts that we lived in, click here.
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BELIZE ZOO We got the opportunity to see some of Belize's' local animals first hand. (We don't mean the numerous stray dogs on the streets but the animals of the zoo.) When we arrived to the zoo we noticed the difference in how the area was set up. It was very natural appearing with hand painted signs and the cages looked as if they were just built around the natural area. It is not as open as the Indianapolis Zoo, but still allows you the chance to get up close and personal with the animals. Such cases were people splattered by mud and the most talked about experience was when fellow student Dustin Faulstick was sprayed in the face by April the Tapir who was simply marking him as hers. To see some of the amazing creatures and how close we really were click here.
JAGUAR PAW If you like caves, and you like to tube, then you would love this...Cave tubing in the jungle. This particular part of the trip changed the way some looked at the surroundings. The resort is located in the outskirts of a jungle so much that we indulged in our lunch outside while monkeys peered over us. The group was split, some ate in doors while others took in the beauty in a small hut that had signs posted all over with such facts as "Each year 30,000 species will become extinct, some of which were never identified. " which really caught our attention. After lunch we headed out on dirt paths through the wilderness where we finally made it to our destination, the river. We all jumped in and rode down the river mostly in the cave. To see more click below.
CLARISSA FALLS: This is where we stayed when on the mainland. It was the most peaceful place you can imagine located on a cattle farm. It is a pretty secluded area with lots of vegetation and a river flowing behind it. Often times in the evening, we would venture out into the water and float with the current or try to climb up the fall. The rooms were simply small huts with beds, and a bathroom. It was a very quiet area and one that was most enjoyable. Staying in such a relaxed environment helped let us take everything in. The people who were in charge prepared meals for us as a large group and they were absolutely wonderful. To see the huts that we lived in, click here.
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ISLAND LIFE: SAN PEDRO
Snorkeling snorkeling snorkeling...
After being on the mainland and really getting a feel for the Belizan life style, we finally headed to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Our purpose: snorkel and have fun! We accomplished both.
SNORKELING: We spend the remainder of our trip in Belize snorkeling different areas off of the coast of Ambergris Caye. We saw many different types of fish, corals (hard and soft), sponges, marine grass, etc. We also did a night dive to see how certain species act very different at night. I was extremely scared during this part but my diving buddy, Ricka Goodwin, helped me get through it. We also got a chance to snorkel Shark Ray Alley. Here we were up close to rays and nurse sharks. To see more of the snorkeling shots, click below.
"KEN'S PLACE": When we were in San Pedro, we had the opportunity to stay with Ken who actually runs a type of program for students to study tropical biology. We would reside here but spent most of our time out of the rooms. They had 2 bunk beds and a bathroom. To see more of the area, click here.
LIVING' IT UP IN BELIZE : This trip changed my outlook on a lot of things, introduced me to new people, and showed me the importance of friendship on a whole new level. These next pictures are just of kids being kids and hanging out. To see more, click here.
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Snorkeling snorkeling snorkeling...
After being on the mainland and really getting a feel for the Belizan life style, we finally headed to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Our purpose: snorkel and have fun! We accomplished both.
SNORKELING: We spend the remainder of our trip in Belize snorkeling different areas off of the coast of Ambergris Caye. We saw many different types of fish, corals (hard and soft), sponges, marine grass, etc. We also did a night dive to see how certain species act very different at night. I was extremely scared during this part but my diving buddy, Ricka Goodwin, helped me get through it. We also got a chance to snorkel Shark Ray Alley. Here we were up close to rays and nurse sharks. To see more of the snorkeling shots, click below.
"KEN'S PLACE": When we were in San Pedro, we had the opportunity to stay with Ken who actually runs a type of program for students to study tropical biology. We would reside here but spent most of our time out of the rooms. They had 2 bunk beds and a bathroom. To see more of the area, click here.
LIVING' IT UP IN BELIZE : This trip changed my outlook on a lot of things, introduced me to new people, and showed me the importance of friendship on a whole new level. These next pictures are just of kids being kids and hanging out. To see more, click here.
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Well thanks for visiting this page.
A lot went into it but I hope you took a little something from it. We
had a great time, oh you "Better Belize It!"