"The Word Spelunking is for Pretentious Americans"

It was a little hard [VERY DIFFICULT] to get out of bed this morning after the very fun, but very exhausting night we had.  After week of wrestling goats, riding horses, and hiking up ancient ruins, our legs were super sore, but when in a foreign country with limited free time there really is no rest for the weary.

The hike up to ATM cave is about a 40 minute climb complete with muddy hills, perilous rocks, and waist deep water.  No one managed a wipe-out on the way down [though I can't say we were as lucky on the way back] and we had to swim about 20 yards into the entrance of the cave.

Now the only other cave I have been in was one in California, so I don't have much to compare with the experience of ATM except that it was INCREDIBLE.  We spent almost 4 hours trekking through the darkness [with the assistance of headlamps and a hilarious guide] in order to reach the chambers where various Mayan artifacts were found such as broken pottery and skeletons [used for human sacrifice of course].  In the areas with the artifacts you weren't allowed to wear shoes because they might cause damage, so we had to climb over rocks and up a rickety death latter in just out socks [i can't imagine the amount of money that place must pay for insurance].  The cave itself is filled with water so the entire walk through you are almost completely submerged.  Except for the areas where you literally have to scale rock cliffs, it is a lot of swimming/walking through narrow passages and over large rocks [there is one area that you barely have enough room to get through without cutting off your trachea].  We were not allowed to carry our cameras for most of the tour [lest we drop them], but we were allowed to take some pictures in certain areas.  This tour is definitely not for the faint of heart [that's you Mom and Dad], but learning about Mayan history and tradition was fascinating [they believed the cave was an entrance to the underworld and they would drug sacrifices using frogs in order to kill them to appease the Gods].

[A piece of pottery with a monkey carved on it]

[Remains of a 18-22 year old female sacrifice]

  [Me with my Mayan warrior face paint complements of our tour guide]

Besides minor cuts, bruises, and damaged pride, we all escaped with little injury to our persons and are ready to get back to the nitty gritty of class again tomorrow.  I can't believe this is my last week here in Belize!  While I will miss some things [the animals, the nature, some of the food, my classmates, and my long nails (explanation:  I'm too paranoid to bite them considering all the dirt/animals/feces I handle on a daily basis, so now they are longer than I ever remember them being], I can't wait to ride on a paved road, sleep in my bed, and see my friends [Oh, and my family too I guess]. 

Cheers! 

It's the End of the World as We Know it [And I Feel Fine]

I know movies and books say that when you think you are going to die your life passes before your eyes.  I can now say for sure that it is not true.  When you think you are going to die, you laugh hysterically.

On our way to the spay/neuter clinic in San Antonio [the same path we took the day before] the girls and I joked about the car stalling yesterday, joking about the wrath of Mayan gods and their ability to know when you are talking about the end of the world [in which Erika replied that it is all a bunch of "Hibity-Gibity".  Unfortunately for us, it appears God has a sick sense of humor that manifested in the form of the breaks failing as we sped down an unpaved hill on a mountain.  We knew it was bad when Dr. Emma [who was driving] started to yell "SHIT! SHIT"  with a chorus of screeches and crunches coming from the van.  Since we all apparently found our potential demise via van smashing funny, everyone in the car laughed their way as we coasted down the hill [so I may be exaggerating the story, we're all fine.  No one freak out].   Luckily Dr. Isabelle wasn't far behind and brought us to the clinic.

The spays and neuters went by quickly considering the fact that we had a lot less to do than we did in Sarteneja.  However, we did do a spay on a bitch that was pregnant [avert your eyes children, this one is pretty gory].

 
 We did get a sweet new ride to take us back into town to pick up our fixed [cursed] van.

[They see us rollin' they hatein']

When we finished around noon, it was raining pretty hard and none of us were really up for river tubing.  Instead we decided to check out the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich [as if the Mayans hadn't caused us enough trouble] where they apparently held temple services [and maybe had a few human sacrifices?].

 

The walk up to the ruins was pretty rough [I noticed right away that we could've driven up, but Dr. Emma said we could use the exercise -_-].  I must say, I don't think I've ever been to a more beautiful place in my life.  The view from the top was breathtaking and I wished I could've brought a book and read up there all day.  We had fun taking various pictures around the ruins and goofing off.

We had a delicious dinner at Dr. T's house where he had a barbecue and made lamb [freshly slaughtered, and yes mom, I tried it].  Afterwords we hit a local bar where there was dancing in the rain, taking a photo-shoot in a cemetery, a drink called "the horny monkey [somehow someone ordered that for me], and a discussion about "paunches".

Tomorrow we are going to ATM cave [which has apparently been featured in national geographic] for an intense hike and swim through the jungle.

Cheers!


 

Jungle Love

Some days I wish I had the Winchester brothers on speed-dial. The morning started off with a series of bizarre events that began with my inability to sleep more than two-hours at a time.  Not only did I wake up constantly, but I also kept imagining tarantulas crawling in my bed.  At breakfast everyone confessed that they have all been having creepy dreams/hallucinations as well [we came to the conclusion that they must wash our sheets in LSD or we are living on an ancient Mayan burial ground].

On the way up to the horseback riding resort, we passed several Mayan villages and got to discussing the validity of the prediction that the world is ending in 2012.  Just as the conversation got interesting, our huge diesel van stalled ON AN UNPAVED ROAD ON THE SLOPE OF A MOUNTAIN.  We figured it was nothing that restarting the car wouldn't fix, and we were on our way again...at least for another 3 minutes.  Our car stopped again and we decided to STFU about Mayans and potential worldwide Armageddon.

 

  [SAVE US, BOYS]

Luckily we survived the mountain climb without getting attacked by pumas/jaguars/yetis and made it to the ranch [where we exchanged manual labor for free rides through the rainforest].  We started off treating a 10 day old foal who had run into a barbed wire fence and had open wounds all over her front.  After applying iodine to clean the injury, our group split into two with Me, Serina, and Hot Sauce going with Dr. T to perform spays and neuters on the owners dogs while everyone else took the first ride in the woods.  

[The filly who we named Isis getting her wounds cleaned]

[Closing up "El Tigre"]

The resort fed us a delicious lunch of chicken, rice, and beans [drenched in Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce, my new vice] before saddling up and taking our turn on the trails.  Serina and I were the only experienced riders in our group, but the guide let everyone canter through the open fields and trot in certain areas [reminding me that I do not have $420 to spend on lessons at UConn *cue depression*].  At then end of the trail they let us dismount and take a break at a stream far back in the forest [IT WAS SO GREEN].  The ride took about two hours, and while I have a feeling we'll be walking sideways for days it was totally worth it.

[Me and BuenAmigo and Serina and Smokey]

After our ride we got back just in time to learn how to draw blood from the jugular vein of a horse.  When taking blood in a horse, only the needle is inserted into the neck and then a syringe is added after you "hit" the vein.  However, we didn't have gloves with us so our hands were covered in blood during the transition of adding the syringe to the needle that was dripping blood [Erika said she felt like Lady Macbeth].

 

Tomorrow we are doing another spay/neuter clinic in the town San Antonio and afterwords we are going to have a relaxing afternoon river tubing in the jungle.

Cheers!

 [The view from my horse]

Got Milk?

Even after almost 3 weeks here, I still haven't completely adjusted to being a "morning person" and after yesterday's adventure with the sheep we all had a little trouble getting up for 5:30 breakfast.  After a short trip down the road, we arrived at Super "M" Farms [at the ungodly hour of 6:45] to milk cows.  It was really cool seeing the set-up of the facility considering everything was built out of wood instead of metal.

After milking and giving ivermectin to the herd, we castrated the ADORABLE bull calf who loved sucking on hands [and anything else he could get his mouth on].

Since we were practically up early enough to see the sunrise, we finished working with the cows quickly and got to take another leisurely trip into San Ignacio to grab food at the Taco Shack [again] and shop for souvenirs.  Somehow we convinced Dr. Emma to take us to Sweet Ting [we had to twist her arm REALLY HARD *end sarcasm*] where I added Rocky Road and Mexican Chocolate Cake to my growing list of things that will one day give me diabetes. 

After a quick lecture at 2:30, we had the rest of the day off [most of us spent it sleeping].  We had chilli for dinner and Serina asked for milk to drink on the side [we both share a common love for the beverage].  Unfortunately, the milk was powdered and tasted like muddy water [not cool].  Tomorrow I''m looking forward to going horseback riding through the jungle considering its been almost a year since I've been on a horse    -_-

Cheers!

Mani-Pedis from Hell

Our morning started off with a nice trip up [on bumpy, unpaved roads] into the Maya Mountains to visit a farm that offers horseback riding tours.  The lot was gorgeous and the animals were in really good condition, which is something we haven't really seen.  While we were giving rabies and tetanus vaccinations to the horses in the paddock, the other horses [and mules] who were loose on the property came stampeding down the hill to where we were gathered [cue childhood flashbacks to Lion King].  The owner told us to stand over to the right side [which ended up being the EXACT spot the herd was running to], so we decided to make an executive decision to take our lives into our own hands and run in the opposite direction [we made the better choice].  After avoiding the stampede, one of the owners kids asked to take pictures with my camera.  Here are a few of my favorites.

The farm also had some cool mules [donkey/horse cross] and a donkey!

After neutering their pet kitten and spaying the puppy [I got to help suture up] we went into San Ignacio for lunch to grab a quick, delicious meal at the Taco Shack [It's like Toco Bell but without the diarrhea]. 

We thought we were done for the day after visiting a beef cattle farm and giving some vaccinations, but Dr. T asked if we wanted to follow him to a farm call to take care of "some sheep".  It ended up being a group of over 30 sheep who needed to be dewormed, vaccinated, and have their feet trimmed. Needless to say, my blue scrubs were brown after wrestling with sheep in the middle of a thunderstorm [lightening struck somewhere around the barn creating the LOUDEST thunderclap I have ever heard]. 

Trimming a sheep's hooves is a battle of wills that includes flailing legs, scissor-like clippers, two human restrainers, and one unlucky SOB.  The torture starts when you try to catch the suckers who stay in a tight herd and run if you make any move towards them.  If you are lucky [or unlucky] enough to catch one, you get the backbreaking job of getting it into a position so you can hold its flailing limbs.  If a sheep REALLY likes you, they might throw their head up and practically break your skull [not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything].  Once subdued, someone gets to clip the parts of the hoof that are overgrown to allow the animal to walk properly [like so]

On the brightside, after returning to Maya Mountain Lodge caked in mud, gravel, and feces they served us Macaroni and Cheese [The Dinner of Champions]. 





UPDATE:  Here is Dr. Emma's beautiful bruise 24 hours after getting kicked by the foal

Cheers!

Horsin' Around

After another glorious experience of sleeping in until 7:30, we had a lazy morning getting lectured on physical exams and various "horsey things" such as determining their age from their teeth and vaccination/deworming schedules of local equines.

 

 
After lunch we did a necropsy on a sheep and went to a local farm where we practiced physical exams and administered rabies vaccinations to the horses.  Unfortunately, Serina and I got the "bitch mare" and her baby who were not pleased to have us around [they especially did not appreciate us sticking thermometers up their butts].  While neither of us got kicked, Dr. Emma received a nasty shot from a foal on her leg, although now she does have a badass bruise in the perfect shape of a horse hoof [Oh the joys of working with animals].  We also got to watch Dr. T castrate a stallion so we'll know how to do it when we go to the cattle farms.  We use a tool called an emasuculator to simultaneously crush and cut the spermatic cord at the same time [watch out boys].     

The girls and I had a relaxing night having our hair wrapped by Chelsea and Aubrey while getting addicted to the first season of Gossip Girl [we made it through a quarter of the season in one sitting].  Our "Slumber Party"also consisted of constant tick checks [the horses where CRAWLING with them] after Hot Sauce pulled two off her body [it also doesn't help that almost everyone here is a hypochondriac]. 

Cheers!

The Sweetest Ting

Today was an incredibly chill day by our standards.  I got to sleep until 7 a.m. [usually it seems we're up somewhere around 5:30] so my roomates and I could study for an hour before breakfast started.  The exam wasn't so bad, but Serina labeled parts of her human skeleton using bird anatomy which we all found extremely amusing [much to her chagrin].  Dr. Emma and Dr. T gave the introduction to the Large Animal course and began lecturing on breeds of horses, cows, and sheep as well as presented some anatomy and discussed castration methods. 

 - Most of our group on "vacation" at Caye Caulker- Left to Right: Me, Aubrey, Chelsea, Marissa [Hot Sauce], Serina, Erika


We had lunch in town at the restaurant Hannah's where they don't understand an order of grilled cheese "WITH JUST CHEESE.  NOTHING ELSE".  Neeedless to say, Aubrey and I were not pleased when our sandwiches arrived vomiting pickles, onions, and tomatoes galore.  As a rule of thumb, when it comes to eating food here I tend to chant "NUT UP OR SHUT UP" in my head and force the food down my esophagus [no one at home will believe me that I ate fish that still had its eyes attached to its body along with fins and spine. UGH].

After lunch it was back to class which consisted of a guest speaker who spoke quietly and needlessly rambled on about the livestock industry in Belize [i.e. torture].  However, afterwords we were rewarded with another trip into San Ignacio to shop and eat at our favorite place-Sweet Ting [an oasis of a bakery that has different kinds of cake and cheesecake to buy by the slice].  We go there roughly every 3 days in a vain attempt to sample every flavor of cake between all of us [I'm convinced the food service industry of Belize will crash after we leave].  In an act of gluttony I bought two pieces to hoard in the fridge at Maya Mountain and eat with my lunch tomorrow [I got red velvet and peanut butter smores *drool*).  I also bought some souvenirs for my family instead of spending all of it on cake [like I wanted to] and debated whether or not to buy a hand-made hammock.  My dorm room will be a single next year and I'm pretty sure it would be totally boss if I hung a hammock under my lofted bed.

We finally moved into our new rooms at the Lodge far away from the thatched-roofed cabanas from Hell that housed Me, Chelsea, Aubrey and some lively cockroaches.  The other group said their goodbyes to the three scorpions and tree frog that invaded their cabana as well [now we all live closer and plan on watching The Lion King together...after we wait 6 hours for it to load on the internet].


Cheers!






  

Starting this Blog Thing...

By popular demand [the request/pestering of my mother], I am here to share my experiences in the incredible country of Belize, Central America.  I've kind of gotten off to a slow start keeping track of everything but to sum it up between the last two weeks I have washed an iguana, got licked by a jaguar [he wasn't trying to eat me], assisted in the removal of several Crocodiles from a facility, gave exams to peccaries, pet a baby Tapir, watched a necropsy of a Scarlett Macaw, sutured up some dogs, and collected lots of poop for parasite testing [I also squeezed in some relaxation and swimming along the way].   

 
Tomorrow will be the conclusion of the Wildlife Medicine and Conservation course [exam at 9:00 am]  and the start of the Veterinary Medicine in the Tropics course.  Here's hoping the test is easy and the mosquitoes stop eating me alive [not very likely]...

Cheers!

The vets and our group after a successful spay/neuter clinic in Sarteneja