Belize it or not

I have just returned from Belize. I was there visiting the Sleeping Giant Education and Adventure Lodge to see if the location would be suitable for a short-course in Ecology. Compared to what I experienced in Costa Rica last year, this place was tame and touristy. As I think about what we did, however, that does not necessarily mean that it wouldn't be a good experience for students. Rather than observe pristine old-growth rain forest, the educational opportunities run more along the lines of conservation and restoration. It is certainly more affordable.
I traveled with the college's chief academic officer, Tony, and a group of students and their instructors from another part of the state.
I'll just hit the highlights here, with this post covering the first two days.
It was raining in Belize City when we arrived. This is the view of a garden across the road from the outdoor waiting area for ground transportation.

Across from the airport

After riding for an hour and a half, we arrived at the lodge. The first floor had guest rooms. The second floor had the bar and kitchen. The third floor was where our meals were served buffet style. That is a genuine, honest-to-God thatched roof.

The lodge

A creek that ran through the grounds

As at La Paloma in Costa Rica, our rooms came furnished with towel art.

Towel art, plus a chocolate on the first day

There was also a pool. The fountains had lights at the bottom of the stream. When the flow was interrupted, the drop at the end lit up through the miracle of fiber optics. The video shows the daytime and nighttime view. It was very cool. I wished I had one at home.

On the first day, we visited St. Herman's Cave at Blue Hole National Park. Unlike caves at home, which are generally cool and dank, this cave was hot and humid. My t-shirt was drenched by the time we were done. We saw some beautiful formations as well as Mayan artifacts. The cave had been used for blood sacrifices. The royal family gave blood either by pulling thorns through their tongues or, in the case of males, slitting their foreskin. OUCH for both. The blood was collected in a pot; the pot was put on a fire to dry out, and the pot was broken. We saw ashes and broken pots, left from a thousand years ago.

The entrance to St. Herman's Cave

Shiny, tiny crystals in the ceiling (white specks, upper left)

Cave pillar

Another cave pillar

Ducking through a tunnel

The "jellyfish" stalactite

A broken pot from blood sacrifice

Besides being hot, the hike was strenuous and hard on the knees. I was so ready to get out of the cave by the time we saw the exit.

The very welcome view of the cave exit

In the afternoon, we had a long, muddy hike to a lookout tower on the top of a hill. The way down was more treacherous than the way up because of that gravity problem. It was an exhausting day.

View of orange groves from the lookout tower