This was an exciting trip which started during the great flooding of the Ohio River Valley in March of 1997. The first challenge was trying to get to the airport, as four out of the five main roads were closed from rapidly rising waters. Our first night we stayed at a lovely Cabana on the beach complete with thatched roof. The view that awaited us in the morning is pictured below.
We enjoyed several days of snorkeling along the Western Hemisphere's longest coral reef. At Hol Chan Marine Park (an underwater reef), we saw varied marine life including some that we had never seen before such as the Spanish Hog Fish. One day while we were snorkeling our intrepid crew caught snapper, grouper, and conch and we picniced on the beach for a delicious barbecue! On another day we took a jungle river cruise through the mangrove forests of mainland Belize. On our way into the jungle, we passed through the booming metropolis of Bomba pictured below.
We came ashore at Bomba, and boarded a van, and later, an old decrepit school bus (that sounded like Darth Vadar), for our inland trek through the jungle on the Pan American Highway. We traveled to the ancient Mayan Ruins of Altun Ha. The picture below shows a temple constructed as a tribute to the Sun. After our visit to the Pyramid of the Sun, we continued into the jungle, and stopped at an exclusive jungle resort spa for lunch. The menu was varied and interesting including Givnot - a local delicacy (jungle rat).