Another memorable excursion was the hike up a waterfall in the Mayflower National Park followed by a trip to a blue hole. The hike was not for the faint of heart. Very steep, requiring ropes to pull you up many sections with very little breeze and crushing humidity. Our family loves this type of challenge.

Along the way to the base of the falls we saw this print. A jaguar print. This was as close as we would get to one.

It is amazing to listen to the guides share their home grown knowledge. We stopped and the boys tasted termites (high in protein, supposedly tasted like cucumber … I took the role of photographer, not taster). At a hole the guide grabbed a stick and poked and prodded until a agitated tarantula emerged (apologies, not sure what happened to the focus)

These shots will give you an idea of the climb. With my camera, 2 lenses, video camera, water and towels, I figured I was lugging an extra 40lbs.

After an hour and a half up, we arrived at the top of the waterfall. It was worth the hike. The water was cooling, clear and spectacular.

The only downside on the hike was that we did not see much wildlife. A beautiful way to spend a morning.