After waking up in a sweat because our air didn't work in Dangrigra we ate breakfast and got on the road. Just before leaving, one of the students pointed out a starfruit tree to me. So we picked one, washed it, sliced it, and ate it. Mmmmm, there's nothing like fresh fruit! Our first stop was Hot Mama's which is a hot sauce factory. Habanero sauce, commonly referred to as "pepper" (although we might call it insanity sauce) is the most popular condiment in Belize. Hot Mama's is one of the main brands like our Texas Pete. We walked throught and saw peppers growing and then toured the process of making the sauce. They are also know for their sweet pepper and mangonero sauces. We had a taste testing and you better believe some bottles will be coming home.
Later that day we went to Western Dairies in Spanish Lookout. This is a Mennonite Community. The Mennonites are similar the the Amish we have in the states. They are Germans who immigrated for new opportunity. Most of them are farmers and there aren't very many back in San Pedro unless they are selling their work. They also make incredible furniture which we saw for sale along the roads. The Dairy gets about 15,000lbs of Milk from about 50 farmers every day. Unfortunately, due to recent renovations of the factory, we didn't get to tour. But the guide explained all of the dairy products which was enhanced by some of the students' intricate questions. After eating some delicious ice cream, we continued on our way.
We landed just outside San Ignacio, a beautiful little mountain town. We stayed in a place called the Log Cabin. There were hammocks, a pool, a nice cabana area, and mango trees (yes more fresh fruit straight from the tree). After swimming in the pool for a bit to relax and cool down, we had a ceviche making contest: Boys vs Grils. Naturally, I jumped right in. There is nothing like making a new dish with locals. Now I've got my own secret ceviche recipe. Alas the girls had the better shrimp as they took more time to manicure it but our flavor was a little better. Overall, the girls won, but we ended up combining both to make one large dish of shrimp ceviche. Later that night, we sang karaoke. Accompanied by "The Party Boys," Mr. Nick sang pretty woman for all to enjoy. What a great bonding experience.
The next morning we woke up and went to Old Belize where we met back with 3A. This is a museum where I learned all about Belizean history. We spent the rest of the day at the adjacent beach, Cucumber Beach. There they students could zipline, swim, layout, or play volleyball. I played volleyball with Ms. Ashton and some others from 4A. Yes, we kicked butt. After a tiring day, we got back on the gigantic water taxi with 70+ passengers. I learned my lesson. On a choppy day on the way back from the city, don't sit in the back right corner of the boat. Looking back, I would have been better off swimming all day. I got drenched for over an hour worth of boat ride. Little did I know most people got the info from parents that they should sit up front because it was a choppy day. Some students, Mr. Kelly, and I took one for the good of the team. What a journey.
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