Sunday Morning

Twenty-nine of us arrived safely in Independence last night. We had a rough start, but it was more than worth it. We flew in from various cities and took a long (bumpy) drive through the mountains-getting our first taste of the local scenery along the way. Many of us are first-timers and the beauty of the country, local radio, and sheer difference in the style and number of homes dazzled our senses. There is so much color!

It was easy to think of things that we take for granted along the way-street lamps, reflector lights for bicycles, etc. just to name a few. There were families and children walking along the road going to or coming from many places. It is a holiday weekend (Barron Bliss Holiday) so there is no school and no work. The weather was amazing-about 77 degrees and not too humid-so many families were just out for a stroll. Luckilly there were no accidents. The vehicles may be few and far between, but the people here are prime examples of car pooling. Everywhere you look there were people in the backs of pick up trucks. Public transportation here consists of a variety of what we would call school busses. Occasionally there were markers for a bus stop but nothing as uniform as our mundane TARC signs.

By the time we arrived at Cardies we were ready to eat! Dinner was amazing-prepared and dished out by the ever-wonderful Cardies' staff. Barbequed chicken, potato salad, and rice and beans-yummm...

After dinner we unpacked the luggage we had and hit the sack, getting plenty of sleep for the long (and fun!) day we have planned today. We have excursions to the jaguar reserve, the beach and shopping, and even fishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling. Stay tuned for pictures and more tales of Belize 2008.... Written by Tabitha Overstreet