After more than six months apart, my boyfriend Dylan and I were reunited in July. He recently completed his PC service in Burkina Faso and came to Belize for two weeks before settling into life back in the U.S. We had a wonderful time catching up and reconnecting but, of course, the visit was too short. We really enjoyed just hanging out, swimming in the ocean, and playing lots of backgammon but also took a few trips and I was able to show him some of the amazing places in this country.
We started off his visit with a weekend in Caye Caulker. He met a few other PCVs that were around and we enjoyed a full day sail and snorkel tour that included three stop. We didn't actual see much snorkeling at the first but as we got back in the boat, three manatees approached the area we had just been swimming in. At the second stop, we jumped in the water among dozens of nurse sharks and sting rays. It was a little scary but very cool to be so close to them. The final stop was in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve where we saw a lot more coral and fish including a huge grouper that was about three feet long and a turtle.
After our weekend of fun in the sun, we enjoyed a few days back in Dangriga just hanging out while I had to work. Two more visitors then arrived. My good friend from college, Maren, and her husband, Mike, came to Belize for a week. It was their first trip away from their 14 month old son and a chance to really relax. We enjoyed a day touring Dangriga followed by a trip into Toledo in southern Belize. We visited two ancient Mayan ruins: Lubaatan and Nim Li Punit and enjoyed driving around rural Belize where we could see many small Mayan villages that people currently live in. Our last stop was Blue Creek Cave where we were in for a surprise. We somehow had misunderstood and thought the cave was right off the road and easy to get to. I had been warned not to climb in the cave now since there is a risk of flash floods. After hiking through the woods and crossing a river, we finally could see the cave opening. It was humongous and water was rushing out of it. There was no way we would try to enter the cave with those rapids! Dylan did enjoy trying to climb closer to the opening though while the rest of us enjoyed the view that didn't involve quite as much climbing over slippery rocks!
A few days after Maren and Mike left, Dylan and I traveled to Placencia for the biggest adventure during his visit. We had been talking for months about going diving and I had tried to get lots of research beforehand and picked out a company to go with. I've never dived before so needed to get certified and Dylan wanted to do a refresher course since he had only done a few dives and it had been several years. I thought everything was planned and would be great but of course thats not how anything works in Belize! Turns out there has been a weird algae growth throughout a large area of the reef near Placencia that means there is no visibility. The first company said they couldn't take us anymore but thankfully we found another company, Splash Dive Shop, that would take us north where visibility was still good and wouldn't charge any more. I think we actually lucked out since this company was so great and I would recommend them to anybody wanting to dive in Belize. They even gave me a great discount as a Peace Corps Volunteer. My dive certification was three days with the first day full of watching videos and taking quizzes. Not very interesting but I liked the instructor and was able to calm some of my fears about diving.
The next day Dylan was able to complete the refresher while I did my first couple dives. We went with a group out to South Water Caye where we first practiced using the equipment and did our first dive from shore. I had to do a lot of different skills testing that is required for certification including taking my mask off and putting it back on underwater, sharing a regulator (what you use to breath with), having my air turned off to experience what its like to run out of air, practicing an ascent when you're out of air, and many other things. They were a little scary but I guess the idea is to get practice now so its not so scary if you actually have an emergency.
The final day we went out to Tobacco Caye and Dylan was able to enjoy an awesome dive down to 90 ft and saw lots of cool stuff. I had to spend the time doing lots more skills tests but it meant that I was certified by the end of the day. Our second dive was very cool though and we were able to go together. We were supposed to only go to 60 ft but at one point I realized I was down to 75 ft. We saw lots of coral and fish and even a turtle. It was very cool and made me realize I want to see more. The batteries on my underwater camera died which I guess means I do need to dive again to get some pictures. Now that I'm certified, I hope to be able to do a couple more dives (if I can afford it!) before I leave Belize to get some more experience. I'm excited that this is something we both enjoy and can experience on future vacations!
One other outing we did while Dylan was here was a day trip to Blue Hole and St Hermans Cave. I've been to the Blue Hole several times now but always love it. We started off the day at St Hermans Cave. They have a great, well-marked path that you can follow pretty far into the cave with flashlights. When we turned the lights off, it was completely dark! We then did a long hike through the area and were so hot and sweaty by the time we reached the Blue Hole that the cold water felt especially amazing!
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