Arrival

For all of those who may be concerned (Mom and Dad), I was lucky enough to make it to Punta Gorda without a hitch. I even made it on time, which I hear is rare around here. I feel especially lucky, 

knowing that two others in our group were caught in the midwest snow, and will have to wait to arrive tomorrow.

My trip was fairly uneventful until my local flight from Belize City to Punta Gorda. I boarded a truly tiny 15 passenger (including the pilot) puddle jumper with a group of spring breakers and a family with three kids. We flew about 25 minutes over gorgeous scenery to Placencia, a popular beach destination where we dropped off every body else. I was the only passenger going all the way to Punta Gorda. The pilot offered to let me sit up front in the co-pilot seat, and my view was spectacular. I could see the treetops of the dense rainforest, the coastline, and the very few small towns along the way.

One of the clinic employees met me at the airport and drove me to the clinic site and the dorms where all the volunteers are staying (pictures to come later). The other students had arrived this afternoon and were ready to go eat in Punta Gorda. We ate at a fun outdoor restaurant called Waluco's Hot Spot (maybe? I have to double check the name). All the tables were out on a large deck with a palm frond roof. There were probably about 20 other people there, and, to give you an idea of the size of Punta Gorda, that may have been the majority of the adult population. We had Belizean beer, curry chicken, and a great time singing Karaoke with the locals. (They tended towards old school country. We, rather embarrassingly, sang Beach Boys and The Thong Song.)

The pictures are (from top to bottom): a couple of lovely views from the plane, the runway in Placencia- taking off after dropping off the rest of the passengers, my first view of Punta Gorda, and finally, the Punta Gorda airport. (Yes, that is really it.)