1/9/13 Day 6 Botanical Garden and xunantunich

So today was a pretty interesting day. We went to the botanical garden where Adma and her brother talked about different herbs and what they’re used for. From there we went to Xunantunich and saw the ruins there. It was a hike. The road to get to the ruins (which the bus couldn’t go on) was at least a mile long, uphill most of the way. The ruins were really pretty. We went to the top of the tallest one there and it was breath taking. It wasn’t as large as the one at Tikal, but the view was better because it was cleared out so it wasn’t just tree tops.

After that, we went back to the garden where we had lunch, which was pretty decent, and then went to another garden for a tour. The road to get there was creepy because it was all dirt and was really slippery because it has been raining, so we slid a few times. The tour was interesting. A bunch of people tried eating termites (the guide and our bus driver said it was okay). Vicky tried it and said it tasted like mint and wood. I passed up on that opportunity. On the way back after the tour our bus ended up getting stuck… twice. The group from California came with us on the trip, and once the bus got stuck, they got off the bus and started walked and ended up getting a ride somehow. We were pissed. We spent at least an hour getting our bus unstuck. The first time it was with the help of a tractor, but the second time it was just us. We put rocks behind the wheels and eventually got ourselves out. It was definitely a tiring day.

When we got back to the house, Stephen was saying how he has been constipated, so Adma made him this drink made of cactus and water. It was really interesting to watch her make it. She took a few cactus leaves and cut them up, put them in a blender, added water, and just blended it. I tried it and it had a pretty neutral taste but there were random strands of the fiber. Stephen said it worked and Adma told him he has to have another one in no more than two hours and he’ll be as good as new.

Currently I’m sitting at the restaurant next to my host family’s house because I wanted to use the internet, but unfortunately it’s not working. Oh well. I think I’m going to walk back now, take a shower, and head to bed.

Tomorrow we’re doing another clinic; this one is going to be at Duck Run. Hopefully my group will be in the pharmacy to see how that is. It should be a good day 

Anyway, I’m going to walk back now. 

The Black Orchid: National flower of Belize

Logwood: the first type of wood that they cut down to make a profit when people first came to Belize

Fire Tower: where they go to look out for fires in the dry season

So our bus got stuck in the mud... twice. This is the first time it got stuck.

The rainbow that we saw after we finally got our bus out