For Culver-Stockton College’s Fall 2024 three-week, I went on a twelve-day adventure to Belize and Guatemala as part of the study abroad program. The program took us to Antigua and Flores in Guatemala and South Water Cayes in Belize. During this time, I kept a journal of my experiences. These articles consist of an abridged version of this journal. Read the first two parts first. Here is part 3:
Day 7
Our first day in Flores started by loading the bus to head to the Flores Zoo. While it is named “Zoo”, the Flores Zoo is actually a wildlife preserve. The workers and volunteers rehabilitate sick and injured animals before transferring them back to the wild.
The zoo was melded into the rainforest. There was a path that led you to each animal in a loop. Mostly, they have large cats with the rarest being a beautiful jaguar. My favorite animals were the spider monkeys which would swing across the roof of their pen and interact with the people.
After the zoo, our guide, Luis, took us on a tour of the city. We started at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Los Remedios, a church that overlooked the town. The church has a large courtyard where we picnicked for lunch. We were then given time to explore and shop in the city as we pleased.
Day 8
Our day started at 6:00am, so we could get to Tikal before the heat set in. Tikal is one of the Mayan ruins that is located in Guatemala. It is comprised of multiple temples and a large plaza. Many of the temples have been uncovered and are available to the public to explore. The largest of these is Temple IV. From the top of this temple, you can see the rest of the jungle.
We went through the jungle to each temple. In the jungle, we came in contact with many different animals including howler monkeys and tarantulas. It was interesting to be able to be in the middle of the jungle, seeing nature at its truest form.
After Tikal, I decided to do some shopping in Flores. Because it is a small town, there are not many shops. There were a few clothing stores that sat right off of the main road. It was nice to be able to have that time alone to shop and enjoy our last day in Guatemala.
Day 9
Today was a travel day to South Water Caye, Belize. We loaded a bus early in the morning to start our adventure to the Belizean border. The initial van ride was about two and a half hours. Getting through customs was a lot easier than I predicted. We filled out a travel form and simply walked through the doors. Once we crossed over the border, we switched to another bus for the second leg of the journey. After another two hours, we reached the water.
The boat ride was about 45 minutes across the open ocean. The water whipped up against us leaving most of us soaked by the time we reached South Water Caye. On the island, we were shown our room which was camp cabin style, split boy/girl. The 12 girls shared bunkbeds in one room.
After dinner, we were free to explore the island. This area is home to many animals and plants that we do not have in the states. The most prominent were the hermit crabs that came out at night. You couldn’t walk anywhere without a flashlight in risk of stepping on one.
The journey of the day left us all exhausted. By the time I got into bed, I was asleep before I knew it.
Read the final part:
