Facing reality while Swimming through the Second Biggest Barrier Reef

This is something not many people know about Belize. Belize’s Barrier Reef is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. Commonly known as the Great Mayan Reef. It was such a great opportunity to able to swim and see it in person.

unhealthy coral photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Being the second largest Coral Reef in the world, I couldn’t believe all the colors that my eyes were seeing. I was breathlessly taken away with all the corals. I went scuba diving before but, seeing that the corals are alive reminded me how amazing unwater life is.

More unhealthy coral photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The corals kept moving like an animal made out of stone would. It’s still crazy to see rocks move on their own. Seeing the fish hiding under and in between the corals made feel like the cameraman in Finding Nemo 2.

photos of the great Mayan reef photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Still in awe, I kept swimming with my group. Trying to keep up, I kept taking photos. Always at the end of the group, the tour guides kept pointing to keep up with the pack. However, it was hard for me to not stop every ten feet of swimming.

more photo of the Mayan barrier reef photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

There was a point where the water became shallow that the Reef was almost sticking out. Had to swim back a little so I wouldn’t get cut and attract sharks. Well, we would still attract sharks; however, that’s a story for another post.

Looking back, all the photos I took had signs of unhealthy coral. When the water’s temperature starts to rise, the coral almost start a process of suicide. The coral will start becoming white through a natural bleaching. Through this bleaching, the coral will start hardening and with time will die. Experiencing climate change twice in less than two weeks, made really think twice about our current atmosphere’s health. The ice glacier in Iceland, I saw last week, was about to melt and the second biggest barrier reef on the verge of death. We really need to look at ourselves in the mirror and face reality. Our world is changing and we are one of the main reasons for it. I just hope these nature’s beauty will last long enough for my future children to be able see them.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe

July 27, 2019 28

Snorkeling through Belize’s Hol Chan Marine Reserve

One of the biggest tourist attractions in Belize is Hol Chan. Off the coast of Caye Caulker, Hol Chan is majestically beautiful. People from all over the world come to this wonderful display of nature.

Snorkeling in the Caribbean sea photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Hol Chan means little channel in Mayan. The water makes you feel that you are swimming in the sky. The water is so clear at parts. It’s hard to believe that this was not a swimming pool.

Fish of the Caribbean Sea photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I knew my gopro would come in handy. As I was taking the photos, all I could think about was showing you all this experience. It’s such a blessing to be swimming in the Caribbean. May I remind you all, this was in the end of February/ early March.

Photos courtesy of Hugo Morel

Our tour guide started taking photos as well. He had his own gopro. The more photos he started taking, the more I thought about his intentions. He is taking photos to keep his business afloat. Those are not my reasons now. I take these photos for you all. I read some of you can’t travel due to illnesses or other reasons. I’m blessed to be able to show you all the world through my photos.

Another photo of the Caribbean sea photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Snapped back into reality, our group continued to go further into the sea. I had to catch up. I was too busy being lost in my thoughts, while my group kept swimming. Swam like a dolphin swimming for it’s life. I’m not about to get lost in the sea.

The crystal blue water kept taking my breath away, in all ways possible. The beauty left me speechless and the sea’s currents would occasionally give me a mouthful of salty water. Wouldn’t trade this moment for anything in the world.

Turtle in the wild photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Eventually, I saw a turtle. I have seen turtles before but never one in the wild. It looked so peaceful and moved slow. The turtle truly had the Caribbean attitude.

In this underwater paradise, my worries and stress were gone. For once in a long time, I felt like I was finally on vacation. Lost in the feeling of the moment, I got on the boat. Our next underwater adventure was about to start.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

To start your own adventures, check out the link below.

July 20, 2019 20

Exploring around Caye Caulker, Belize

The majority of my stay in Belize was in Caye Caulker. Caye Caulker is a small island off the coast of Belize. South of San Pedro, the island of Caye Caulker has a very slow attitude towards life. Something that enjoy throughout my time here.

a map of belize, caye caulker is in bold text photo courtesy of https://www.cayecaulker.org/maps/

To get to Caye Caulker, I had to take a ferry from Belize city to the small island’s water taxi station. It was about an hour ride and worth the view. My friend and family back in New York City are probably freezing at the moment. It was beginning of March, still winter in the USA. This Caribbean Island’s temperature was my guilty pleasure. It was crazy to believe a few days ago, I was freezing in Iceland.

Taking the water taxi photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once on the island, you can feel the real Caribbean pace. Everything runs slower and more peacefully. Everybody is relaxed and without stress. With the reggae music blasting somewhere in the background, I felt at home. The vibe felt like my childhood. Reminded me of my family members telling thier stories of living in the Caribbean. This atmosphere brought so much nostalgia.

How the homes look like in Caye Caulkers photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The people of Belize are astounding. They are a mixture of African, Mayan, East Indian, British and Spanish. This combination is so interesting to me. It’s like seeing your Mexican and Guatemalan friends speak English with a Caribbean accent. I almost forgot that Belize is an English speaking country. The only one in Central America. Some families speak Spanish fluently at home. However, it’s usually descendants of Mexicans, Guatemalans immigrants and the local native population. They kept the Spanish language alive by speaking it at home. Most can understand Spanish but, speak it like third generation Hispanics in the USA. It’s somewhat broken.

The reggae cafe photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Reggae is huge here. It’s so infused with the local culture. Makes sense since, Belize is more culturally similar to the Caribbean island nations. Besides the Mayan roots, the other Central American countries do not have much in common with Belize. The language barrier is a strong influence towards the cultural differences. You all know the reggae cafe was the first place I ate at. The food was so amazing, I just focused on eating. Taking photos slipped my mind.

Caye Caulker’s beaches photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Started walking around after eating, Caye Caulker is extremely small. You can walk around the whole island in about 40 mins. There weren’t any real cars on the island. Just a few golf carts used for taxis and the occasional small truck delivering food. This is a place, I could see myself retiring. Away from the stress and a way to live like the Caribbean lifestyle should be truly lived.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

Ps.. Next week the underwater photos will be in the post. I have been waiting for a while to show you all this!

To start your own adventures, check out the link below.

Check out our e-book “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe

July 13, 2019 19

Belize, here I come!

This was the first time in a long time that I visited a Central American country. Belize, was truly something to be excited about. Home to the second biggest Barrier reef, I couldn’t wait to show you all the photos.

Me holding my gopro photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

For this trip, I definitely had to buy a camera that took underwater photos. Belize has some awesome Caribbean beaches. The whole time I was at the store, I kept thinking how beautiful the photos would look. You all are in store for some very beautiful photos with crystal clear water coming in a few weeks.

Waiting at the Charlotte International Airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Had to do an overnight layover in Charlotte, North Carolina. Came during the worst time. It was during the NBA All-Star weekend. So, there was no point of going out of the airport to find a hotel. If I had, I would have extra stress getting back to the airport with all the traffic from the All-Star games.

The door of my room at the lounge photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Found an overnight lounge for a decent price. It’s crazy how my room was named after the local football team. If you are ever at the Charlotte airport during an overnight layover, keep in mind that the airport shuts down after around 10 pm. The security will kick you out, if they see you wondering around later than 11pm. Best to find a lounge or some overnight accommodation.

Belize photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After a goodnight sleep, I woke up and went towards my departure gate. The best thing about most overnight lounges, you don’t have to recheck yourself through security in the morning. Got on my flight, slept like a baby during the flight.

Next thing I knew, I was in Belize. My adventures in this country were about to begin! Couldn’t wait to see the Caribbean Blue waters!

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come without breaking the bank: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe0

July 6, 2019 27