First Day - by Cynthia England

A group of college students on Spring Break are now heading to bed at about 9pm. 

Bright and early this morning we arrived in Cancun, immediately struck with the sensation of humidity.  A Corona tower stood tall to welcome us to Mexico as we left the airport.

The 85ﹾ F degree weather and warm breeze was comforting after leaving a rainy Boise.  There are hammocks on each balcony of the hotel that we have only just begun to enjoy.

We had breakfast at a cute little place along the road that was open to the street, but did have a roof.  A couple of musicians played for a little while in the middle of the restaurant.

Besides the blaring humidity, the presence of the Spanish language was also everywhere on our trip through Mexico.  I tried to at least remember “gracias” from high school Spanish class. 

After a delay, a couple of flights, a layover and a bus ride down, we finally arrived in Corozal. 

Corozal was much more diverse than I might have expected.  Chinese characters are written on storefronts and there are many faces from different parts of the world.    

We had a delicious lunch of homemade tortillas, chicken, rice, and beans.  The first day of exploring brought us to the windy ocean and an ice cream shop.  Ice cream can always serve as a friendly reminder that it really isn’t that different here. 

As any tourism might do, we had Chinese food for dinner.  There was even more than one option for Chinese food in little Corozal. 

We all remain in a sleep deprived state from only sleeping a little bit here and there.  As I said earlier, we are heading towards bed…  Excited to see more of what Belize has to offer!

“We all become great explorers during our first few days in a new city, or a new love affair.”

-Mignon McLaughlin