Hi Blog,
Today was a bittersweet day, as we had to leave Glover’s Reef but also got to return to the comfort of our homes. After a quick breakfast (of toast and jam), we quickly loaded our suitcases onto the boat then boarded, leaving the dock around 6:15 AM.
During the boat ride back to land, there was apparently another dolphin sighting, but I did not get to spot it, which was kind of disappointing but I was able to see one from last time, so I wasn’t too sad about it. As we traversed through the water, I tried to soak up the gorgeous scenery with my eyes one last time — when again will I be able to see such elaborate mixing of hues in the ocean, from emerald green, to aqua blue, to deep blue?
This time, I was determined to keep my seasickness under control, so I put on a seasickness patch (obtained kindly from Claire C) yesterday night, the magic motion drops (from Dr. Solomon), and intensely stared at the horizon. Of course, not all of the symptoms were eliminated, but this time with all of the preparation, it was manageable, and we successfully made it back onto mainland Belize at around 9 AM. When we arrived, the van was waiting for us to take us back to the airport. But before getting on the bus, a group of us took a trip to the restroom inside of the hotel, and we were all so joyful to see a flushing toilet after our weeklong experience with Clivus.
The bus then took us to the airport, where we then checked in and made our way to the gates. Since we had a light breakfast, we all grabbed some food for lunch before our flight departed at 12 PM. I got a sandwich and a bottle of Sprite to spend all of my remaining Belizean cash. Having an ice-cold soda after a week of straight-up room-temperature or even warm water felt so good! We were truly returning back to civilization — a world with hot showers, clean clothes, cold beverages, Wi-Fi, and air conditioning.
On the plane, I took a straight 2.5 hour nap (except for when the flight attendant was handing out Stroopwafels). When we landed, I already missed Belize, but I was also excited to finally be back in Texas. We then took the bus to ABL, where we returned our supplies (sleeping bag, caving helmet, dive light, headlamp). It was a full-circle moment, as we departed from ABL altogether, and we returned back to ABL (mostly altogether).
We all left the classroom one-by-one, and it was sad to see everyone leave, but a few of us are staying in Houston and are planning to meet up for dinner soon, which I am excited for! These past two weeks have been incredible, and I am so glad that I decided to go on the trip. Truly un-Belize-able.
I will see you guys in my final blog post.
Until then,
Sohee
