Final thoughts about Belize!

Our base in Dangriga.

This was the breathtaking view I enjoyed every day from my office:)

Alex, my right hand man. I could not have done it without the help of this young man, thanks Alex!

Here is a map showing the different areas of this small but amazing country.

Well, I managed to survive my first season in Belize and after almost 6 months in this beautiful country I returned home to Canada at the end of April. I had a awesome time in Belize and look forward to my return in November. The people of Belize are what make it such a special place and I returned home after making many strong friendships.

Return to Lighthouse and closing camp!

Farewell Halfmoon Caye, until next season!

Here the guys are loading the last of the kayaks onto the boat prior to our departure and return to Dangriga.

We were being closely supervised by the boss!!

The above two pictures show the camp now cleared and ready to be deserted until next season.

The final sunrise before leaving our camp at Half Moon Caye.

Even the Crazy Brit joined in the dancing, must have been the Rum:)

On our final evening at camp we relaxed after a hard days work and the guys performed some traditional Garifuna Dances. We had a fantastic time and it was the perfect way to celebrate our final night.






Oops, Boll & Adolfo take a tumble whilst exiting their kayak:)

I gave the guys an afternoon off, so a few of them decided to go kayaking and see if they could catch some fish. Carlton had all the right gear but came back with nothing!

The above two pictures are of a baby Boobie, so cute..

At one end of the island there is a large bird colony full of Frigate birds and Boobies.


Paradise!!!!!

Guys head out to catch some fish for dinner.

Iguana or "Wish Willy" as the locals call them


Wasani, our cook who did a great job feeding us all.















The pictures above show a number of Nurse Sharks feeding on fish remains thrown into the sea by fishermen. The Brown Pelican nearly became part of their dinner as well!!!

The Old Lighthouse.

First sunset at Lighthouse.



During my final week in Belize I got the chance to return to our camp at Half Moon Caye as I took a group of guys to help close the camp until next season.

Lighthouse is an amazing place and my time spent there with the guys was probably my greatest memory of my first year in Belize.

I am looking forward to returning again in November!

St. Peters Students Visit Crooked Tree School.

After Crooked Tree we then drove the students to Belize City where they boarded a boat that took them to Half Moon Caye for the start of a 6 day trip. Unfortunately, this time I had to stay behind but I knew I would be returning to Lighthouse soon.

When the game was over everyone gathered together to say their goodbyes and everyone agreed it had been an unforgettable experience. One of the greatest aspects of life in Belize is the friendly people that you meet everyday and the pupils at Crooked Tree proved once again that Belizeans are some of the friendliest people you will find in the world.

After the show the Crooked Tree pupils (and a three Belizean Guides) accepted a challenge by the St.Peters Students to a friendly, though spirited, Football game. Someone perhaps should have pointed out to the St. Peters students that Football is a huge sport in Belize, something they found out the hard way!! Though they had a considerable size advantage, the St. Peters students lost the game 2-1. Every one though had a great time and it was fun to watch the interaction between the Canadians and Belizeans.

For the finale the Crooked Tree pupils sang the Belizean National Anthem. I then made the St. Peters students get on stage and single the Canadian National Anthem, yes they all really loved me for that:) I have to say that the Belizean pupils did the better job, but you could not fault either group for their effort and enthusiasm.

After our tour of the classrooms we were invited into the main school hall where some of the pupils put on a special show for their guests. This show included some creole poetry, dancing and music, all very impressive. The pupils were a little nervous but the St. Peters students gave them plenty of encouragement.

The students were then escorted to several classrooms where they got to speak to the pupils and answer questions.

The students from St. Peters had brought a gifts for the primary school children and in the above picture the gifts were being presented to the children.

Here the students are being welcomed by the head teacher of Crooked Tree Primary School, who was explaining that her pupils were all very excited about this visit.

During my final month in Belize I did a lot of travelling to and from Dangriga and Belize City. One such trip saw me accompanying a group of students and their teachers from St. Peters to Crooked Tree School.