Clarrisa Falls

On the way back from Benque we took a side road to Clarissa Falls. They are not big, but it is worth going to. There is a small restaurant and a couple of cabanas. The owners have some turkeys, chickens, geese, and have a semi-tamed parrot and toucan. It has a very peaceful feeling to it. You can hear the waterfall from the restaurant, but have to follow a path down the riverbank before you can see it.

On the way down to the bank I disturbed the hen with her chicks and a lizard in the brush. The lizards here are up to 6 feet long and very quick moving. By the time I turned because of the noise he was headed up a tree. I could have sat on the bank for quite a while, but the group was tired and wanted to go home. If I had stayed down there, they would have forgot me. Clarissa Falls is about three miles from where I'm staying, but in the tropical heat I don't think I will be walking to it.

While we were in the area, we were shown one of the few swinging bridges of Belize. I stayed on the side to take pictures until most had crossed. I knew they would make the bridge bounce. They had it moving enough that our coordinator turned around and came back. They had made her motion sick. I only went half way, looked at the river a bit, and turned around. The gang had fun making it bounce on their way back.

Their were local village kids waiting in the shade for our group to get off it. From what we were told, it is the short route to their village. Without it they would have to walk 5 - 6 miles from the main road.

One more thing! The lady at Clarissa Falls is an American that has been here for quite a few years. She is retired but very busy. She works with an organization that brings in supplies to poor villages when it is needed. What struck me is how happy she is. Her two sons spent part of their teenage years here and loved the nature side of life.