Into the Belize Jungle

There was lots to do in San Ignacio, Belize! We were there for three days.

My favourite part was making chocolate the Mayan way. We had to peel the skins from the cacao beans and grind the beans until they were a powder or paste. The grinding stone had a rough side and a smooth side and was rubbed against a slab of volcanic rock. Then we had hot chocolate. It was yucky without sugar. We added sugar or honey to make it better, but I still gave it to Daddy. The lady mixed in some cinnamon, allspice, and sugar to make Mayan chocolate. Daddy bought some finished chocolate that was made with Chile peppers. We got Snickers instead.

The next morning we went to the Barton Creek Caves. We went in a canoe through a cave with stalactites and bats. I sat in the front and held the light. The guide told us that the Mayans thought this was part of their underworld, called Xibalba. I liked the bats, but Mommy freaked out!

Later, we went to the Green Iguana Sanctuary. They hatch female iguanas because they need protection. They only have a few males, the boss was orange and they called him Oscar. We got to hold the iguanas and I had the longest one. Ailsa got to hold the first one, they like to grab on to the girls braided hair. The guide put all the babies on Mirren and Daddy. It was really fun!

Our last adventure was a chicken bus ride to the Blue Hole National Park. We hiked through the rain forest. We arrived to see a light bright blue pool that was very deep at one end. It was surrounded by rock cliffs. We swam with the fishes. It was refreshing.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Belize and walk across the border to Guatemala.