The Central American country of Belize gained its independence from Great Britain in 1981. It is in a tropical region, located in between Mexico and Guatemala and to its east is bordered by the Caribbean Sea. Belize is a very culturally diverse nation, and the only Central American country that has English as its official language. Spanish and Belizean Creole or Kriol are also spoken by the ancestors of the Mayan, Spanish, British, African and other ethnic groups in the region, with Kriol being the most popular language actually spoken by the people.

During my stay in Belize, one of my visits was to Rio Frio Caves. I had been in Belize for several days, and because we had received a record eleven inches of rain in three days we experienced a lot of muddy, pothole ridden roads.