Tag Archives: Crystal Paradise Resort

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Leaping lizards!

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As I am writing this, my lower back hurts and my neck is sore, but I feel great! My day began at the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM, but I guess I better get used to it.  I had never flown internationally before, so it was really cool to get my first stamp in my passport.

My rainforest taxon is Lepidoptera, so I have been keeping my eyes peeled for butterflies and moths. I saw one of each today! Both of them were too speedy for me to get a good look at them, but I will be more prepared next time. The butterfly was HUGE and dark colored. We saw it during the day when we stopped for lunch. The moth was much smaller, and we saw it at night during the presentations. I present my taxon tomorrow, and I am a little nervous that someone will ask me a question I am not prepared for, but I am also excited because I really like my taxon. My goal for the trip is to see– and hopefully catch a blue morpho, which is a very recognizable species, known to locals as a symbol of healing or luck.

Besides my taxon, today, we stopped for lunch at the most lovely restaurant. It was so peaceful eating outside in the rainforest, and the weather wasn’t too bad. Here, we saw giant iguanas in the trees. I wouldn’t have noticed them at first, because all I could see at first was big blurs falling from the trees into the small lake below. In the photo below, you can see one iguana hiding in the trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a lovely drive, we arrived at our destination: Crystal Paradise Resort. This place is BEAUTIFUL and the family that runs it is so nice. We all went for a walk down to the river to explore a bit before it got dark, as you can see in the picture below. Two dogs kept following us everywhere– it was adorable! They said that this small hike was just a warm-up for what’s coming, so I’m a bit nervous, but also excited to explore more.

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Houston –> Belize

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May 16th, 2025

Today was all about transitions: from city to canopy, airport rush to forest stillness. I woke up in Houston at 5:30 a.m., and by noon, I was in Belize, squinting into the sunlight and already sweating in a totally different ecosystem. It didn’t feel real until we stopped for lunch at a cheerful roadside spot called Cheery’s (fitting name), where I saw my first Belizean iguana and a surprisingly dramatic parade of ants. It felt like a gentle “hello” from the local wildlife. Subtle, but enough to remind me I’m definitely not in Texas anymore.

After lunch, we made our way to the ecolodge we’ll be staying at. It’s tucked into the forest in the most charming, quietly alive way, vines spilling over walkways, trees creaking in the wind, and birds calling constantly from above. Once we got settled, we hiked down to the river, where I finally felt that first moment of awe hit. The trail was muddy and steep, but the river view at the bottom was worth it. It’s one thing to read about tropical ecosystems, but another entirely to stand inside one.

Later, we had our first lecture on canopy life, and honestly? It was pretty fascinating. I didn’t know much about epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) or lianas (those thick jungle vines you picture in every rainforest movie), but they’re foundational to how the whole upper forest works. I’m already rethinking how I look at trees.

So far, no cockroaches, which is both a relief and a minor letdown, since they’re my assigned taxon for the rainforest. I’m sure they’ll turn up soon enough (hopefully not in my bed). For now, I’m soaking in the calm before the real jungle immersion begins. Today felt like a soft launch: a little surreal, a little sleepy, and totally promising.

Emily S

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Travel Day to Belize!

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Today we traveled to Belize! We started the day early, meeting at 6 am for a bright and early start. The flight was a quick 2 hours! We then took a bus over to get lunch where we ate some local Belize food and tried their signature hot sauce. We continued on our way to a local market in Belize to buy snacks and goodies before we step into the rainforest.

We arrived safely at Crystal Paradise Resort where we had a little time before dinner to explore. We hiked down to the river by the resort guided by the local resort dogs! We got back in time for some dinner that the resort provided.

During our brief time at the resort I found many beetles, like the ones in the taxa I researched. I observed two different species of beetles in the fruit scraps that the staff put out for the birds. One of which was distinctly a Dung Beetle. Later in the night, as we were eating dinner several beetles were attracted to the light and were dive bombing us as we ate and listened to presentations! While unsure, because it was dark and the beetles were flying this was probably a Neoclytus muctonatus. Excited to see what the rest of the trip brings!

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Day 1

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Today was a day of travel, enjoyable conversations, and relative luxury at our tourist hotel.

 

Jeff Boschert, the father of one of the students on this trip, made a shout out to our class on the intercom before he performed take-off on the Southwest flight taking us from Houston to Belize City. Upon arrival, we went through the typical process of entering another country: declaration of goods, going through immigration, and packing and loading up on a bus. Edward, a local driver, takes us and our baggages (in an attached trailer) on the Western Highway, outside of Belize City, to the place we are staying at tonight, Crystal Paradise Hotel. Upon arrival and settling in to our rooms, we had delicious dinners of tostada, vegetable curry, rice, cooked plantain and chocolate cake.

 

As far as scientific endeavors go, we spotted cicadas, ants, moths, palm trees, a cartoon bee, cactus, and too much life to describe. As I am sitting inside right now, to avoid bug bites, I hear the sound of crickets, cicadas, and other animals I know not the name of. Still, I found a very obvious vinegery-smell in the pheromone of a large ant I saw working on devouring a beetle. I also learned that a cicada is a true bug because it is an arthropod with sharp sucking mouth parts. The next few days’ blog post, I can predict, will be heavier with species identification especially since that was not our focus today.

 

As I enter and exit from recollections of today, I am struck by the images of fires we saw, both from the airplane and in our van. Large clouds of smoke emanated from the distance, and sometimes they were up close. As far as I can tell, they all occurred in the Savannah ecosystem, some leaving blackened trunks on palm trees. I wonder what are the uses of these fires, whether they are wild or controlled, sparked by lightning, cigarettes, or a torch. Claire said that some people practice the slash and burn farming strategy, whereby plants are reduced to ashes so they may enter the soil as useful nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, quicker than they would if they had decomposed naturally. Whereas the rainforest can flourish on soils that are not rich in nutrients, human crops usually rely on rich soil for their growth.

 

 

2016

A Bumpy Ride

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Day 1 has been quite the bumpy ride, both literally and figuratively, but a blast all the same. After getting through security at Hobby Airport, we found no water and no food due to a water main break! The quick flight to Belize City was relatively smooth, until the very rough landing. And then it was into a van for two and a half hours, down some bumpy roads to the Crystal Paradise Resort.

We had a few wildlife sightings today, though none were wild mammals. At a convenience store stop we saw an egret overhead and house geckos near lights. At dinner (a wonderful meal prepared at the lodge), we saw huge cicadas and a cockroach or two. Later in the night, we accidentally stepped on the path of some leaf cutter ants carrying bright green leaves. We also saw a boa constrictor in a tree branch right next to the main lodge area, which was fantastic to see up close.

In terms of mammals, we did see some livestock, horses, and dogs throughout the car ride. I’m looking forward to spotting more wild species once we are deeper in the forest, and once we can utilize the camera traps. These domestic mammals were part of a landscape of karstic hills and underdeveloped communities, as poverty seemed to be common. The forest also looks somewhat starved of water due to many months of dry season.

Seen at Crystal Paradise Resort
Seen at Crystal Paradise Resort

Overall, what an amazing day. I’m soaking up as much information as I can, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to see it all!