It was a little bittersweet to be leaving the jungle lodge. It’s been so fun and it’s such a wonderful hotel. On our last morning the howler monkeys were screaming from the trees outside our treehouse and our waiter scaled the mountainside to bring us coffee and muffins early because he’d knew we’d be up packing (we didn’t even ask!). No air conditioning in the most humid place on earth had been an adjustment, and the no phone/wifi/TV thing was uncomfortable for ALL of us. On the positive side, I’ve never stayed in such a stunningly beautiful place; the grounds,the natural surroundings and the lodge and treehouse. And the service was impeccable, the staff remembered our names from the beginning (except for calling Mallory Valerie which we found funny every time). So we took lots pictures of the grounds and the scenery before we left. It was so beautiful that we wanted to document it well. After breakfast we hopped in our rental car and started the hour and a half back to Belize City. Before returning the car in the city we had to make a stop at the airport. We had found the day before we were missing our licenses and credit card. After frantically searching for them we remembered the last place we had seen them was when the car rental agent made a copy. Of course we had no way to contact him ourselves (with no phone and no wifi) so we had the front desk call and they assured us they were holding them in a safe place for us. After our detour to the airport we drove into Belize City. Belize City has the reputation for being the worst area of Belize and after seeing it I believe it. Luckily the car rental agency was on the outskirts of town, and the agent graciously then drove us to the ferry terminal after we turned in our car. We have not found an unfriendly native Belizean yet, everyone we’ve met has been kind and open. We were glad he drove us as we were quickly confused by all the narrow streets and alleys we took to get there. The ferry terminal itself was a scene of barely controlled chaos with hundreds of people headed to different destinations, tourists and Belizeans alike. We somehow checked our luggage and found our way onto the right boat and settled in for the hour plus ride. We were astounded at the beautiful turquoise water we glided over and when the island came into view we saw multiple piers, most with thatched roof palapas on the ends and more palm trees than I think I’ve ever seen in one place. We disembarked and waited in clumps on the beach for our luggage which was eventually wheeled off on big carts, we had to look through the piles to find our backpacks. We took a taxi through the narrow streets to our hotel. We are staying in a quaint locally owned hotel with only 12 rooms- all facing the Caribbean. There is a long pier and Palm trees just off the hotels pool deck. The rooms do not have numbers but names- ours is the reef room. We have gone down several stars from the 5 star jungle treehouse, but its impeccably clean and has air conditioning, wifi, and tv. The mattresses are not comfortable but not unbearable. We have been telling ourselves we want to have a real Belizean experience, but I almost forgot that when we checked into our very basic room. We settled in and decided to go exploring the town on foot. What we found in town was a little disconcerting. Very narrow cobblestone streets with NO sidewalks that were crowded with golf carts, cyclists, motorcycles and the occasional taxi (which are the only automobiles on the island). Golf carts and cyclists even ride along the beach, although three is plenty of room there for pedestrians. We found a wonderful little restaurant called Carumba where we landed for a late lunch. They served the absolute best quesadillas I’ve ever tasted. After more exploration and relaxing out by the hotel pool, we decided we were too tired for dinner and we turned in early. Tomorrow the girls are scheduled to begin their scuba certification so we are looking forwards to a busy but fun day. It’s fun but honestly sometimes a little scary to be in the middle of a culture so different from our own without the safety of a large American style resort to insulate us. But I really prefer it this way. Sometimes I’m not so sure during those first few hours when everything is so new. But it doesn’t take long to adjust and begin to feel the excitement of adventure!