The Not Mexico Post

I know there are some of you out there in cyberspace who are waiting for my post on Mexico. Sad to say it but you are going to have a long wait. Mexico was fun but not really different from any other North American city I've been in. Lots of traffic, people, stores, etc. Back in Belize today, though, Brynn, Kori, Todd, Ashli and I went on a hike that definitely provides fodder for the blogger.
In a moment of sentimental weakness, I decided that we should go hiking with Todd and Ashli as they will be leaving the peace corp and heading home next week. It will be like loosing two of my kids. Sad!! So we want to spend as much time as possible with them this week. We let Todd choose the hike because this is his area of expertise. (This would be my second moment of sentimental weakness) Todd decides we should hike the Tiger Fern Trail in the Cockscomb Basin. A 'short' 5 km round trip hike with a waterfall and swimming hole at the turn around point. The hike started out OK but Todd is some kind of hiking robot that feels no pain; no heat; no fear; no weariness. Of course we let him lead. And I took up the rear. For safety reasons to have a responsible adult at either end of the line? No. Because I am a notoriously slow hiker. I get where I'm going but at my own speed. The hike is all up hill until you are almost at the waterfall. Then it's all downhill. This, of course reverses on the way back. At varying intervals, the group would stop, sit down and wait 15 - 20 minutes for me to catch up. It was somewhat embarrassing but that is better than being dead, which was the option. Up and up the steep and narrow path we go. Somehow, after the requisite break, I end up , briefly, in front of Brynn. Suddenly Brynn does this gasping, leaping, reverse move she does when she sees something unexpected on the trail. I stop. She says 'He tried to bite me!' I look down and realize I am standing amongst a group of about four baby snakes. (One of whom tried to prove his superiority to Brynn). Sorry I didn't get a picture of this for you but we were busy trying to stay still and decide what kind of snakes they were and look for the Mom and decide who would run back for the anti-venom if they were poisonous and anyone (likely me, since I was in the middle of them) got bit. Not a situation conducive to searching through the pack for a camera and taking a picture. By the time we decide they are harmless racer snakes and we are fine, they are gone or hiding. Crisis averted. Moving along we come to the end of the up and start to go down. Steeply and, seemingly, endlessly down. As the trail gets steeper we come to this sign:

What do they mean 'no leaning on the wooden railing'? Well they have put up railing along the edge of the path because the path is very, very narrow and drops off on the one side dangerously. Good to have railing. But if you can't lean on it ... how much good will it really do if we fall? Not very reassuring!Finally we get to the bottom (top?) where the waterfall is. It is beautiful. And deep. And cold. But very nice after a long, very hot hike. There are two tubes there (you can tube down the river and these two must have gotten away from the tubers and gone over the falls) which provide endless fun for all four of the 'kids'.

First they float. Then the peace and calm of the surroundings allow their minds to start wandering. Never a good thing. There are rocks around the swimming hole. We could dive off the rocks ... into the tubes ... YA!

Kori dives in but Brynn decides to jump instead.

Is this where we show the picture of the sign we piled our stuff around when we first arrived? I believe it is:

The trip back was much less eventful and easier as there was more down than up. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.