We had an early roll call of 6:00 am today--grabbed a quick bite at the buffet and then headed off to our meeting point for our tour. The ship was anchored about five miles offshore and we had to take the tender to get to our bus that would take us to our cave tubing. Belize has the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world and is known for their snorkeling and diving. We'll have to give it a try on our next visit. :))

Once we were in the port, we met up with our bus group. The bus ride took an hour or so and we finally arrived--the roads are not in the best shape and it was fairly slow going. After everyone in our group of 8 was fitted with a helmet, life vest and tube, we were off on the trail.

We walked along a partly sandy and rocky path thru some very dense jungle. Our guide, Anthony, pointed out different types of trees and plants, explaining what each was and how it was important to Belize. I was really wishing I'd thought to bring a water proof camera!! Some of the trees and plants were very strange but cool looking. We saw a termite nest in a tree, which looked like a large dark brown misshaped water balloon, and Anthony got some termites out for us to eat. Not one person was brave enough to try in spite of him trying to convince us that they were high in protein and gave you minty breath, so he ate them! Yuck.

Once we reached the entrance to the cave, he tied all our tubes together and we hopped on our tubes and away we went. The water was "refreshing" as he put it...it was cold, but easy to get used to. The caves were pitch black and so beautiful. We could see because of the flashlights on our helmets. The float lasted about 45 min and then we were back at the start.

We changed into dry clothes and tried some of the local cuisine--Rich and I shared a taco and some nachos, both were very different than what were used to but still quite tasty! We also split a Belize beer, tasted yummy.

The bus ride back to the port took an hour and half, so we all managed a nap. We were able to catch a tender back to the ship right away, and hit the international cafe for a snack to tide us over to dinner. We are splurging tonight on The Crown Grill, steaks and seafood, can't wait!