Our next stop was in Belize City, Belize. In the 1700's, Belize City was actually founded by former pirates. When a group of British buccaneers decided it was more lucrative to harvest lumber out of Belize's wooded interior. With tropical hardwood in great demand, the town grew rapidly. Thousands of African slaves were brought in to float the logs and load the ships, and before long, the European population had exploded as well. The two groups and their descendants began to mix, ultimately creating the Creole culture so prevalent today.
Though no longer the capital, Belize City remains at the heart of the country---its gorgeous Caribbean coastline and rich cultural life a magnet for residents and tourists alike. Home to a lush tropical rain forest and the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, it's also the gateway to adventure. From jungle treks to cave tubing to scuba diving, the opportunities are endless. And also fascinating is a tour of the ancient Mayan city of Altun Ha, once a major trading center long before the Europeans arrived.
We went on a cave tubing excursion which was alot of fun. We had to carry tubes down into the dark caves, barely being able to see where you walked. Our group had to hang on to each other's tubes so we stayed together. The water was pretty warm. There were bats roaming around way above in the caves. We did a little walking around the caves, too. I was surprised that this was my mom's favorite tour on the trip.
All of us had drinks and dinner in the main dining room. The food is always so good on the cruises. I usually gave 5-8 pounds on each cruise. This may be why I can never seem to lose weight, as I have been on too many cruises with good food.
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