On Saturday, December 29th headed off with Emily (sister) and we met up with Renee (best friend from High School), Sherri (former co-worker and good friend from San Diego) and Mindy (Sherri's cousin) in Belize! Mindy also had some friends there so was truly a random mix of people but had such a great time. I've really enjoyed all the friends I've made traveling so far but it is so nice to be with long-term friends.

First night we spent in the c*** comb Wildlife Sanctuary and Sherri and Mindy, for some reason, thought it'd be fun to go on a "night hike" in search of wild animals. They quickly realized that wasn't a good idea and convinced (threatened) the guide to take them back. In the morning we did a couple great hikes and finished off by tubing down the river - so relaxing! Definitely our first taste of how the guides don't actually tell you useful things you need to know but it all works out.

Afterwards we headed straight to the beach - Placencia. We arrived around 8pm (and the power was out) so couldn't see how cute the town was until the morning. Spent most the time relaxing and napping - perfect! The power kept teasing us but eventually came back on for good later the next day.

For New Years we had a nice dinner then headed out in the mighty town. Everyone ended up at a random party the town was holding to raise money for the older women in the community. Lots of dancing.

On Wednesday we headed off on what ended up being the highlight of the trip - Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM Cave). Started off as a nice hike - crossed the river a couple times with no problem. By the third crossing it was up to our chests and our guide nearly lost some of us - part of the adventure right?? The caves are really interesting - the ancient Mayans would go there to sacrifice pots (yes ceramic pots) and humans. We spent a few hours exploring the caves and looking at the pots and human skeletons - I got slightly bored with the numerous pots but really enjoyed it.

The most exciting was when we headed back and discovered the river had continued to rise - a lot. We had to hold on to a rope for dear life as we crossed the raging rapids only to find that our van (and all of our stuff) was also now on the wrong side of the river. We watched and hoped with all our might as the John Deere tractor successfully helped our van across. Doesn't sound too traumatic looking back but trust us - it was an adventure!

That night we were thrilled to arrive in San Ignacio and had a great Indian dinner and hot shower! In the morning we headed off to Takal, an amazing ancient Mayan civilization in Guatemala about 2 hours away. Fascinating to learn how advanced the Mayans were - mainly in astronomy. Was also nice to be back in a Spanish speaking area (Belize is mostly English).

So sad the week is over but thankful for all the fun memories we made and excited to be able to talk about them for years to come!