Before heading to Belize, there was a lot of preparation that had to be done. For starters, I had to make sure and get my passport done months in advance to make sure it came in on time. I also needed to get a vaccine for Tetanus and Hepatitis A before the trip, however, I didn’t know that they take two weeks to get into your system and I got them four days before leaving… So, make sure to get your vaccines at least two weeks before departure just to be on the safe side. There were also multiple things that I had to buy. I bought a lightweight backpack for carrying things in while hiking, a headlight that cost me only $1.00 (don’t go wasting money on a $30 headlight), a flashlight, a big bottle of bug spray, very protective sunscreen, a mini fan (trust me, you’ll want one of these), and travel size bathroom supplies.
We stayed at a few different places throughout the trip. The first night, we stayed in this quaint, little place called the Bird’s Eye View Lodge. It was basically in the middle of nowhere, but it had a great ocean view and very friendly hospitality. The rooms were pretty small, but it wasn’t bad for just one night. The second place we stayed at was called Crystal Paradise Resort, where we stayed for four consecutive nights. I liked this place a lot! It was such a pretty resort and it was surrounded by beautiful forestry and wildlife. The rooms were very spacious and looked like little huts, and they had hammocks tied up on the front porch which were nice to lay in on our free day. The only downside to this place was that there was no air conditioning and there were always a million little flies in our bathroom, but other than that I really enjoyed my time there. The family of one of our tour guides ran the place and they were all very nice people. The dining area had a big porch area with a great view, and the food was AMAZING. The last two nights, we stayed at the China Town Hotel on Caye Caulker Island. This place looked a little rough on the outside, but it ended up being pretty nice compared to the last two places we stayed at. The beds were massive and we each got one to ourselves. They had working air conditioning (God bless) and a bunch of little shops and restaurants surrounding it.
My favorite part of the trip was the two days that we spent on Caye Caulker Island. It was a super fun, beautiful island and I loved the tropical feel of it. We got to talk and hang out with a couple of the friendly locals for a little bit before dinner time.
The next morning, we went on a VERY EARLY morning walk. I was not a fan of these daily walks, as I am not a morning person at all. However, getting up bright and early this particular day was well worth it. We got to see the sunrise over the ocean and it was a gorgeous view.
That day, we went snorkeling out in the Belize Barrier Reef. I had never been snorkeling before and I was a little anxious, but I ended up having a great time. I saw so many cool fish and corals that I had never seen in person before. Meredith and I got to swim with a school of huge fish and we saw a barracuda swimming about ten feet away from us. We also got to swim with a bunch of sting rays and nurse sharks (one of which I got to touch). After snorkeling, we headed to a different part of the ocean, in a shallower area. There, we got to feed these humongous fish swimming near the surface of the water. I also got to feed a sardine to this huge brown pelican named Julie, who was sitting on the back of our boat.
When it was time to go back home, we sadly had to say our goodbyes to our dear new friends, Andy and Fernando. They were our tour guides throughout the entire trip, and they were two of the funniest, nicest guys I’ve ever met. Overall, this study abroad trip was an amazing experience for me. I made a few new friends and learned so much, not only about the wildlife there, but the Belizean culture as well. I will remember this trip and all of the memories I made throughout it forever. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone! You won’t be disappointed.
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Autumn spent the May intersession 2018 in Belize with our U of A Faculty-Led: Coastal Caribbean Biology program with the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.
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