BELIZE

Ok – because Andy Smith asked so nicely- I will do my much overdue Belize post. The trip was totally spontaneous and unplanned, which was exactly what I needed after leaving a bad job situation. Some highlights of the trip include a jungle tour complete with monkeys and a boa constrictor, a threesome proposition from a Swiss guy in Club Jaguar, snorkeling with dolphins, managing to connect with a random blind date without the use of a phone, Mayan ruins, watching 12 year olds feed crocodiles 3 feet away from me… the list goes on and on! But the picture to the right definitely sums up the best part, which was that it was just beautiful and amazingly relaxing (That was the view from where we stayed during our nightly "happy hour" on the beach).

Traveling alone for the first part of the trip was also part of the experience. It was the first time I had traveled alone internationally, and it was a good thing to do. Its interesting how people interact with you when you are a woman alone (lots of free drinks and unwelcome advances), also cool to be totally out of your element and figuring things out on your own. And only one time did I mentally review the contents of my purse to see what could be used as a weapon should the need arise (picture my Israeli hotel owner driving me to a remote part of the island to run an “errand” at someone’s house, all the while insisting I should come back to his house for a drink – don’t tell my parents THAT story).

For the latter part of the trip - my traveling partner, Jeremy, was awesome and totally laid back. I’ve known him for seven years, but I definitely learned more about him during the six days in Belize than in the past seven years. Nothing like lots of beer, an “open” floor plan in your hut, and lots of different food to help you get to know someone really well – and get REALLY comfortable with them. And since I know there will be comments from the peanut gallery, yes, we are dating now, but nothing happened on the trip. And I think that was a good way for it to go down.

So here are the pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=13ac4xcp.bk22vb9t&x=0&y=3wmaa8 Try to figure out which one was the threesome guy – his shirt should give it away!

Overall, it was an amazing trip and I am glad I went. It definitely told me a lot about myself and just made me want to travel more. So bring on the ff miles and the comp time. Who wants to go to Peru?