Today we got to experience Blue Creek and it was such an adventure! We swam in their “pools”, hiked and even explored a cave! It was so beautiful, with the clear and blue/green water. We saw fish swimming around us, spiders the size of our hand, bats, giant wasps, and butterfly’s. We even got to jump off rocks into the water.

Some of us stayed near the water and relaxed while others went on a hike up a steep mountain behind Blue Creek. On top of hiking up the 60° incline of tough terrain, they had to avoid touching “bastard trees” and poisonous plants with black tar-like spots on them. They said that once they got to the top, it was worth the struggle. Some even hummed “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus to keep them going. To get back down, they had to climb down reversely, some even accidentally sliding down the mountain.

After spending a nice day in the water, we got to explore a wet cave, so cool! The cave was very dark so those who went through it had to wear lights. We had to swim in deep areas, climb through crevices, and avoid rocks. There was a section at the end of the cave that had a waterfall where we were allowed to swim through as well! The total trip into and out of the cave took us about an hour and 45 minutes. Our tour guide was also such an incredible and very nice gentleman who made sure we were all okay and educated us on some of the history behind the caves origin. Not only did he do two cave tours, he did the hike (in slip on sandals) earlier with another half of our group, talk about a rockstar! Definitely something we will always remember.

Along the trail on the way to the creek, we saw leaf cutter ants and a “bastard tree”. It’s called this because it has spikes on it and if you touch it, it is very painful! There were also ladies who lined up on the trail to sell things. It could be considered the locals “mall” area where they sold handmade bracelets, bowls, embroidery, etc. They use this money to pay for their children’s education. And after a long day at the lagoon we were able to walk back to a shack and enjoy some refreshments!

Warmly,

Larissa and Lakin