Belize Part 2

After three nights in the jungle, we piled into a van to head to Belize City to catch the water taxi to Caye Ambergis. Caye is pronounce Key. The water taxi is a speed boat that makes the trip in 1.5 hours. I confirmed that I enjoy speed boats most when skiing behind them rather than bumping around on them.

Once we arrived on island, we discovered the transportation was mostly golf carts. They were abundant! The other option of vehicles was mini van taxi. I bet you can guess how we chose to get around...walking. We did have to watch out to avoid being run over by the golf carts. We were blessed with a sunny day the first day at the beach. After checking in, we quickly went to the grocery store for some food. Due to it being an island, nothing was cheap. We worked in a brief snorkel at the end of the dock.

Our first evening, we enjoyed a sail. It was supposed to be sunset sail. The sunset was overshadowed by rain clouds. The star gazing while sailing gently over the waves, however, was worth the trip.  The evening finished with dinner by the sea.

We had breakfasts each day by the sea as well. We spent the day times snorkeling, relaxing by the pool, reading, in hammocks, walking around town. Each day we ate a different place for dinner or lunch. The snorkel trips were about 2.5 hours including travel time.

The first and in my opinion best snorkel spot was Hol Chan. We saw trumpet fish, snapper, grouper, angel fish, different types of parrot fish, blue tang, many different rays, Christmas tree worms, coral, green turtle, nurse sharks, and others. Our guide would point out the different fish and then come up to the surface to share the name. We also went to Shark Ray Alley. This location is where many nurse sharks and rays hang out. The boat drivers feed them so they come very close to the people in the water. I will admit, I was uncomfortable. I know they were nurse sharks, but sharks are sharks in my book. On the way back, we saw a loggerhead turtle.

The next morning it was rainy and windy. There was not a snorkel trip going out until the afternoon. In the afternoon, despite the rain coming, we went to Mexico Rocks. It is mostly coral. I did see an eel and a green turtle. The guide was not nearly as helpful or friendly. The water was quite choppy due to the wind and coming rain. Kalinda was brave and went out the next day to Hol Chan again. She enjoyed seeing the variety of fish. I read and napped while the rain came down most of the afternoon.

One day we went to town and found the craft market. It was small, but had beads, headbands, wooden bowls and dolls. Not far from the market, we found an ice cream shop. It had rich, creamy, homemade coconut icecream. It was delicious.

Kalinda and I also explored a local place for dinner that had King Conch Shell for the spout on the bathroom sink. The water handles were also shells. My favorite food was genuine papusas. I have been looking for these and wanting authentic ones since I left Guatemala. Yes, they are originally from El Salvador, but I first had them in Guatemala.

All in all, it was a great time of relaxation, seeing new things, and good food. I, however, would not recommend Ambergis Caye (at least in rainy season) unless you scuba. There are many more scuba divers and sites to go to than snorkelers.

Jungle of Belize

My friend Kalinda is teaching me the ropes of traveling while holding down a "permanent" job. Although the travels tend to be shorter and geographically closer, they are not less adventurous. We recently traveled to Belize for 8 days. Since we both have been working and learning, we decided to make it easier on ourselves. We arranged transportation to and from airport and around the country prior to arriving.

Exiting the plane, we were welcomed by the warm humid air Latin American colorful airport. Seeing the homes, shops, and people, while driving through the outskirts of Belize City made me feel at peace. Immediately you are aware everything is different than the routine of life in the city and hospital in North Carolina. After riding for about 1.5 hours through the open countryside, the trees became taller, closer together, and more variety. We turned off the main road to arrive a wooden building in the dense jungle.

After the grand tour and explanation of the schedule, we promptly gather our cameras to enjoy the botanical gardens. Many of the plants were labeled with the name, medicinal uses, food/oil uses. We also found out that during rainy season, mosquitoes have a very healthy population in the jungle. After a swim and swing in the hammock, I enjoyed an outdoor shower in the jungle. While there was plenty of privacy, it took some adjusting trusting it was private.

Private outdoor shower

View from the pool

We arrived to dinner in the main area. Dinner was served buffet style but seating was family style. This set up was great for fostering community. During dinner, we picked our activity/adventure for following day. Here is a sample dinner: homemade chips and different dip every night. Second course: pasta dish, two homemade hard cheeses, two choices of homemade bread, fruit, salad fixings, two salads or veggies. Main course: Beef, chicken, and local (Belize) fish, same cheeses and fruit, potatoes someway, two different veggie dishes, rice and beans made with coconut milk. Dessert: three different options each night. One always had "Hershey's Chocolate Syrup" on top.  The grouper and snapper was delicious. My favorite desserts were homemade coconut ice cream, lemon something, lime pie with solid chocolate "crust"/no gluten. We also enjoyed several drinks with local rums and fresh fruit juices.

During the night or early morning, torrential downpours awoke us. Sometimes I could go back to sleep; sometimes not. Breakfast was not served until 8AM. Breakfast did not disappoint. The options were: omlet bar, fresh local fruit, yogurt, granola, boxed cereal, scrambled eggs with cheese, sauteed veggies, a bread (pancakes, fry jacks, french toast, etc), potatoes somehow, cookies, meat (bacon, sausage, etc). One could have orange juice if you squeezed it.

After breakfast we, met for our adventure of the day. The first day began with 11 of us and 3 guides piling into a open trailer behind a diesel truck that would not pass emission tests. We wound our way through a large orange grove, in and out of the river and through mud. This way our shoes were already wet before the rest of our bodies entered the river. We all tumbled out of the trailer to receive a helmet with headlamp, life jacket, and an inter-tube. After a brief walk through the jungle we entered the first of 5 caves. Plopped down in the tube and began paddling with our arms and hands. The river was slow except for a couple rapids in the second cave. The third and fourth caves were shorter, so we did them without our headlamps. This is a way to appreciate the darkness in the caves.

We took a lunch break on a rock outcropping in the jungle between caves. The lunch was complete with a white table cloth, homemade tortillas, fresh cut veggies, hard cheese, salami, and hard boiled eggs.  After finishing the caves, we floated down the river to commercial area with tubes for rent and bathrooms. We rode in a van 45 minute back to Cave's Branch.

The second day, we chose the waterfall adventure.  We began this one piling into a school bus. After off roading in a similar fashion as the day before, we arrived at a small opening in the jungle. We all were given small day packs and 2 liters of water to carry. We walked about 20 minutes in the jungle performing the mosquito dance and enjoying the variety of trees and plants. When we came to the opening of the cave system, we donned our helmets and headlamps. Following the lead guide, we entered. Soon our feet and legs up to our knees were drenched by walking through the river. The stalagmites and stalactites were extensive. We saw a few columns, formations that looked like dams, pumpkins, scorpion-spiders, and bats.

2 hours walk into the cave we all donned our harnesses. Half an hour walk further into the cave we encountered the first waterfall. The second one was about 25-30 feet and required the harness and belay system. The others ranged from 5-10 feet. Upon completing the climbs we back tracked. This meant jumping down many of them. Although I did them all, I did not want to be first. Kalinda was brave a jump the tallest one first. At each waterfall, the lead guide would tell each individual one by one exactly where to jump into the pool below. Each participant would confirm prior to the jump. After completing all the waterfalls, we had the same lunch as the day before including the white table cloth. This time, however, we were inside the cave with our feet in the river. We returned the same way we entered.

Things do not dry during rainy season in the jungle :)

This about sums up our time in the jungle with Cave's Branch.

Life Lesson from Brake Pads

If you have been reading my blog at all, you know I get "random" thoughts while doing every day tasks. Well, this week I had to get new brake pads for my bicycle. As I had been commuting to work the previous few days, I had to squeeze harder and harder on the brakes. I decided to take it to the bike shop on Wednesday to see if the brakes could be tightened.

The bike mechanic asked how old the bike was. When I replied, "4 months," he responded it already has lots of miles on it. I reported that it was my main transportation. He proceeded to tell me that I needed new brake pads. He asked if I wiped my wheels down. He continued to share that dirt accumulates and acts like sandpaper contributing to faster wear of the brake pads. He also informed me the brake pads that come with the bike are soft on the scale. He put on firmer/thicker pads which should last longer.

Upon finishing up at the bike shop, I rushed to a happy hour with friends and promptly forgot to wipe down my tires. Today, a rainy Saturday, I took the time to do so. While I was, the following thoughts came to mind. From a bird's eye view, the roads and bike paths do not appear particularly dirty. The wheels, however, pick up dirt simply by turning over and over in the environment. Rain does not wash the dirt off. It takes a purposeful wiping to remove it.

We are like this. We try to live in the world but not of the world. Simply by performing our daily activities of grocery shopping, driving, working, interacting with friends and families, we accumulate dirt. We see the hurt, the sad situations, the difficult interactions among people, become frustrated with ourselves. We sin. Like the rims, we may not appear "dirty" on the outside.

The sin in our individual lives and corporate lives, however, is like sand paper to our minds and spirits. It wears us down. With time, it breaks us down so we cannot function no matter how hard we try to push through life.

The good news is that Jesus knows this and has come to live among the sinners and tax collectors. Because he lived in the sinful world and did not sin, his death and resurrection give us the ability to clean our rims/lives from sin.

Like the wheel rims, we have to be wiped and washed by the blood of Jesus. It is only by addressing the sin by confessing it and repenting that we receive new brake pads/ new life from Jesus. If we are not vigilant in "cleaning" the dirt/sin off we will wear down quickly. Well, I guess that sums up my random thoughts for today.

Light in the Darkness

The weather is changing to fall. Cool mornings, warm days, cooling evenings after the sun goes down. Watermelons, tomatoes, and blueberries pass the baton to apples, squashes and pumpkins.The amount of light during the day is changing too. It is getting lighter later and darker sooner. While driving and riding my bike, I have noticed the difference lights on people and bikes and placements of them makes in their visibility.  I have joined a running group that meets on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. This past Tuesday was the first time it was required to wear reflection or lights.

To make it fun, there was a contest of who could be the brightest. I should have taken a photo, but didn't. It was a close competition for first, second and third place. One runner even donned solar Christmas lights on top of her reflective vest. Another runner had highlighter neon yellow shoes, compression sleeves, shorts, shirt, and hat. Several had glow sticks attached. What did I where?  A simple reflective vest with LED lights.

Since we began the run while the sun was setting, we were quite the sight. 30ish runners all in reflective gear running near or through the college campus. When it was dark, the lights and reflective gear were evident. 

I have been thinking and trying not to think about work. Leave work at work so to speak. I am grateful, I get to leave the hospital each day after work. Walking out the glass revolving doors into the warm sun or rainy weather grants the opportunity to experience something bigger than myself. It is a reminder that the world is more than what is inside the hospital: the warm sun on my face, the humidity as I breathe the thick air, the messy and wetness of the rain, the attention required to negotiate around cars, people, bikers, traffic lights on the way home, the beauty of the sunsets. The patients do not have that privilege. Depending on their medical needs, they are confined to their beds, room, or the hospital. It is usually exciting for them to even get outside their room; even more exciting to go to the playroom. While the hospital is colorful with animals and volunteers providing activities, it is still unnatural light, linoleum floors, the same furniture in most rooms, controlled temperatures, definitely not home.

How does this relate to lights? The hospital can be a very dark place for the patients and their families. There are hopeful stories and good endings scatter throughout. Jesus did not come for the righteous or well. He came to minister and die for the sinners, broken, sick, and poor. He was/is light in the darkness. John 1 tells us about this:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life,and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Jesus said that we are the light of the world. We are to reflect Him. Some days I do that better than others. This idea continued while I purchased a rain/wind biking jacket to wear on my commute. The jacket has special reflective material everywhere on the outside. It is blue in the daylight. When light hits is in the dark, however, it glows brightly. The jacket did not change anything; the surroundings did. The unique feature is only seen in the darkness when something external interacts with it.

If we are Christians, we have the Holy Spirit in us always like the reflective material. We do not have to do anything ourselves to change from blue to glow. Often it is our own circumstances that change to difficult/darkness. Or we enter others "darkness" that the the reflection of Jesus's love is seen. Mother Teresa said " Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." A genuine smile brings light. Sometimes it is just sitting next to someone without saying a word, praying for them when geographically separate,  sending a letter or email, giving a listening ear, providing encouragement to fight for the next step. I pray that I will more and more by God's grace let my "color" fade and reflect Jesus.