You Won’t “Belize” What I Did in Belize
Belize is a country located in central America near Honduras and Guatemala. The skies are a bright, beautiful blue, and the trees are as lush and fresh as the land. At first glance, this small country drew me into its natural beauty.
Traveling across the land really opened my eyes to how other parts of the world really are. The locals lived in small homes; mainly on farmland. Only a small percentage of the Belize population owns a car, so most of the locals either walked or rode a bicycle to get to where they needed to go. The majority of the houses were far from civilization, so doing everyday errands was not easy for the civilians of the country, unless they live in the city. Just observing different cultures can educate you on so many aspects of the world.
We were nearing our destination and I had so many different emotions. Seeing and doing something new always gets my adrenaline pumping. You never know what will lie ahead of you in your journey. The sign for our tour was just ahead. I knew that new memories were about to be made, but I had no idea just how many.
To pass the time before our cave-tubing excursion, our guide took us slowly through the forest and showed us some of the flora and fauna of Belize. After this long and “educational” trek, I’m pretty sure that every plant in Belize is now embedded into my brain; permanently. I will admit, learning about something new always sparks my curiosity and makes me want to learn more about the country that I am in. It was almost time for our tour, and I could not wait to find out what I was about to walk into.
Floating on water…through a cave full of bats; this was going to be very interesting. Who would have thought that floating on inner tubes in a cave, tied to other people was even a thing? They called this “cave-tubing”, but I was a little bit skeptical at first. Just by looking around, I saw all kinds of bugs and different creatures lurking around, which I am not fond of…at all. Since my lovely mother was afraid of getting the Zika virus, she made us wear long pants, a t-shirt, and jacket over that. All of this in 98 degree weather. Thank you mom, thank you so much.
When we got in the water, it was go time, and there was no turning back. The floats were tied together with ropes, and off we went into the great unknown. We were about to be swallowed up by a cave, but it was pretty exciting, none the less. I shudder as I see bats all around, but luckily, they are only “slightly” vicious. Completely out of my comfort zone, thoughts were swarming through my head, but I got more comfortable as we went along. I actually started to enjoy myself at one point.
The cave scenery was so cool and different from what is seen in everyday life. The further into the cave we went, the darker it became. There was no light in sight and we were relying completely on our guide and flashlights. My blood was pumping and my heart was beating fast. I probably should have done yoga to calm myself that morning. Eventually, however, the group made it through and we survived. I finally saw the light!
Whether you are comfortable with doing something for the first time or not, just do it. If I can promise anything, it is that going out of your comfort zone will create new memories that will last a lifetime. Don’t just stay in one place forever, get out there and do something unique that you never thought that you could do. Be motivated to go into the world and be the person that stands out in a crowd. Dare to be different.
