It is the second day of our journey and today we got to swim at Rio on the pools before making our way to Caracol.  We had a nice breakfast on our last hour at the resort, and that was our last glimpse of the world. Sad but exciting time. At Rio, we swam for about an hour and I did slip and fall. It was like the TV show wipeout where the contestants slip and you laugh, well you would’ve laughed at me as I fell. Goodtime.

As soon as we passed a Mayan bridge on our way to Caracol and into the Chiquibul region, epiphytes were everywhere. From long vines to large fan like plants on the sides of trees (bromeliads and large lianas), they covered the forest. At Caracol, many epiphytes were present as well. Figs were present, bromeliads were present, as well as orchids. The black orchid was spotted near a bridge by the front, in which that is the country’s national flower. Many great sightings but above all, the history was very fascinating.

At Carcaol, we were given a tour of the site by our driver, who was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Mayan ruins at Caracol. We climbed many buildings, one in which was for the king (people of high class). This building is the second tallest building in Belize, right behind a skyscraper in Belize City. We got to see a burial site in one of the ruins, and the system in which they bury people is very fascinating. Also, did not see bats in the burial site, in which the tour guide had warned us about, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to go inside.

At Las Cuevas Research Station, the scenery in second to none. It started raining as soon as we got here, but even that made the scenery better. Standing on the balcony and just taking everything in was a great introduction to Las Cuevas. Listening to the birds singing, to crickets chirping, Las Cuevas is the perfect place to start our journey tomorrow. Well that is it for today’s blog. See you tomorrow as our adventure is only getting started.

Picture: Rio on the pools