Today we had our annual school field trip. We only get ONE...so we packed it full of things to see. Too full? I don' t think so. It was fun.First stop was Belmopan, our nation's capitol, to see the House of Parliament. We were given a great guided tour. In the picture above we are standing on the steps of the House of Parliament. In the picture below we are in the chamber where the House of Representatives meets.
This is the chamber where the Representatives meet. It's a small country. There are only 35 seats on one side and 6 on the other. The UDP (red party) currently has the majority. The PUP (blue party) is called the "opposition".
This is the committee meeting room.
The Mace is the symbol of authority in parliamentary government. Every time the house is in sessions it is brought in ceremoniously and returned to its box at the end of the session. it symbolizes the authority of the process and of the speaker who functions like a judge when the two parties discuss (argue).
This is the filing system for the proceedings of the House of Representatives. Hmmm.
From Belmopan we went to the Guanacaste National Park. It is one of nine Audobon Society administerred parks in Belize. It was very clean and well managed. The trails led us through dense jungle on an easily traveled path to the Belize River. Beautiful! It was a hot day but the trees kept the jungle cool. One of the park managers gave us a guided tour, pointing out significant trees and making sure we did not miss things. We ate our picnic lunch here in the shade. It was the perfect combination of rest and walking and learning something new.
Next stop was the Belize Zoo. They raised this orphaned jaguar from a baby. He looks so comfortable straddling the log.
... even though he is just few feet away from Angelica!
This is a tapir. It's the national animal of Belize.
It was a great day!
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