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

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

Teaching English in Monterrey, crossing the usa/mexican border

After a few days of workshops in Dallas, it was finally time to go to Mexico. We were all excited to teach English and to get out of Dallas. For many of us, it was our first time to America’s Southern neighbor.

mountain range in Monterrey, Mexico- Hugo Morel

As we got on the bus, we had no idea how long of a bus ride we were in for. Once about 8 hours passed by, we arrived in Brownsville, Texas. A border town with lots of social problems. The atmosphere completely changed, you could cut the air with a knife. The city looked very poor, broken houses everywhere. It was as if, we were in another country and not the USA. The people walking on the streets looked very tensed and scared. This was completely another world.

Once at the border, the air became thicker. All the guards had semiautomatic guns. This was not a laughing matter. The border control made us get out of the bus and checked our bags on a white table, as shown in the picture above. As one of the guards was checking my bags, I looked him in the eye by accident. The other two were quick to put their hands on their guns. It was as if, I was some type of criminal. The lives these guards live, there is not much smiling. I didn’t felt love here and I only sensed hate mixed with fear.

USA/Mexican border on Christmas day, Hugo Morel

After the scare from the border control, we passed through the border. On Christmas day, we were finally in Mexico. You can see the differences and it was heartbreaking. A lot of women showing off their bodies on street corners. There were a lot of men just sleeping on the floor with a look of despair. The hopelessness in people’s face, made us realize how lucky we are to be Americans. Seeing all this, made us want to teach even more.

another shot of the Mexican mountain range , Hugo Morel

We finally arrived to where we were going to teach, the University of Tecmilenio. Unfortunately, they did not allow us to take photos of the school or the classroom. As the classes started, we saw the looks in the adults’ faces. Their faces expressed friendliness and warmth. As we taught more English, their faces lite up and English was finally clicking. This experience was so amazing. A lot of the adult students, invited us to their homes. The stories they gave us really touched our hearts. Many of them, have seen crimes unthinkable. Coming to the USA, for a lot of them, was their only way for a better life. The rest that will stay, learning English is needed to getting better jobs. This was one of the most memorable experiences on my travels.

outside view of the school we taught, Hugo Morel

Thank you for taking you time to read this post. Drop a like and a follow. Much love!! Love you guys so much! Next we will be heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts for my friend’s graduation at Tuffs university and explore Boston!! Take care and stay healthy!!

March 4, 2016 57