You better Belize it!

Last month I went to down to Belize and Guatemala. It was amazing. The 7 of us met up in the Dallas airport and started the introduction process (I only knew Kristin and Becca). After some delays we arrived in sunny, warm Belize. We got scammed by a porter (we thought he was our driver as he had our name on a piece of paper), met Manny our real guide and started the ride to San Ignacio, a town about 15 min from the Belize-Guatemala border.
Tourism is a huge part of Belize's economy. Americans make up 85% of tourism. Hence, many Belizeans speak English to help cater to us.

The adventure continues:

5 of the 7 of us were all redheads. Amazing.

We woke up and went to great outdoor market. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (including the oranges I got sick on). We met our guide and drove into Guatemala and up to Tikal.

Temple I

The courtyard around Temples I & II

A view of the tops of some of the other Temples

I also tried termites. They taste like carrots. Seriously.
Here is my shocked expression after realizing they do taste like carrots.

Zip line in Guatemala.
It wasn't as high up as Costa Rica, but it was still a lot of fun.

Watching TV in our hotel room and eating Mennonite ice cream instead of experiencing the San Ignacio night life. (In my defense, I was still feeling sick from the oranges)

Church in San Ignacio

The Blue Hole on the way to Placencia. They say that this connects underground all the way to Belize City and somehow "connects" with other underwater caverns out to the real Blue Hole in the ocean.

Dinner at Yoli's, a local restaurant on a pier

Ranguana Caye, the island we snorkeled around. It wasn't a national park so we were free to take anything we found. Like conch shells.

Snorkeling

We went fishing at the caye and I caught a bonefish.

The real highlight of the trip: Tutti Frutti's. The most amazing gelato I've ever had. Better than Italy. We frequented this place so much that the owner, Lorenzo, started taking requests.

Relaxing on the veranda

Placencia

The Bachelor Season 14 or Human Trafficking

ABC announces it's 14th season of the hit show, The Bachelor. This season the show takes place in Guatemala and Belize. Here is a sneak peek:

The Bachelor: Ed
Ed works for the oil industry in Edmonton, Alberta.
Very successful.

Some of the activities you'll see:

Zip lining

Piling into the car for a fun filled night! What will be the mystery activity?

Group dinner on the beach

Snorkeling

Gelato group dates

Private walks alone on the beach

Who will the Bachelor choose? Stay tuned to ABC for more about the exciting season!

OR

We met Ed in Guatemala. We gave him a lift down to Placencia and had an 8th member of our group. Human trafficking of the innocent variety. We got lots of comments from the locals, such as, "That's a cute family. Oh wait, that's not a family." and "Now tell me the truth. What is the deal with you girls and that guy."

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

I should probably get used to saying this phrase a lot as I leave for Germany in 14 days. And I should probably start planning instead of blogging...