I know I had planned on continuing to write about Alaska, our latest trip but I decided to go back to last fall's much abbreviated trip to Central America for reasons that will become clear in the next post or two. I hope you will bear with me so I can tie in the loose ends.
On arrival at the airport in Belize City, we got picked up by Cynthia, who spoke of how she, a single parent, was tasked with looking after her sister's four children and was living hand to mouth as a driver. Gas was 18 Belizean dollars or a staggering $9. She called everyone 'sweetheart' or 'baby.' Cynthia couldn't have been a kinder soul.
Though our destination was the Belize Zoo, we asked if we could make a detour to the Belize Central Prison. Cynthia laughingly commented that was the first time any tourist had asked to go there!
Though most people would consider the prison to be a decidedly odd spot to visit, a guidebook spoke highly of its gift shop. While some of the inmate-made items were interesting, they were far too large for most tourists to bring home.
The tapir or mountain cow was Belize's national animal. The sign specified they are not related to anteaters but to horses and rhinos.
I was pretty impressed at how natural the zoo looked as there weren't a lot of conspicuous fences and it felt like we were walking through a rainforest for the most part.
A kinkajou:
A sign welcomed us to Tropical America where over 50% of all biodiversity plants and animals were found here in Belize.
Wouldn't a 'stare chair' be a great idea for all zoos.
A Keel-billed toucan, the national bird of Belize:
White-lipped peccaries or warees communicate via their scents.
Brown pelicans were native to the country's coast.
Oops, I forgot to write what this was.
We've seen lots of animal crossing signs before but never an Ant Crossing one before this in the Belize Zoo. We sure had to mind where we stepped!
Also new to us was a tayra or bushdog.
Jabirus range from Central America to Venezuela and northern Argentina. They seldom migrate to Mexico any longer because of habitat loss. The storks can stand up to 5 ft tall and have a wingspan of 8 ft!
We were glad the mammoth crocodile with its thorny tail was there and we were peering at him from several safe feet away.
Steven and I remember seeing coatimundis by Iguazu Falls, Argentina several years ago.
Dueling coatimundis:
The yellow-headed parrot was so quiet but its neighboring white-fronted parrots were screechers.
Seeing the ants crawling up the tree reminded me of the old lyric "The ants go marching one by one" except it should have been ten by ten!
The following day we took a small ferry over to Caye Caulker, a nearby island.
I couldn't imagine a more peaceful interlude than strolling the almost deserted sandy streets, accompanied by the swaying palms, and the warm ocean breezes.
The name of the cafe had hit the nail on the head just right as this place felt just like paradise would be!
After chatting with a few tour operators up and down the narrow sand strip, we made arrangements for a half-day tour with Caveman Tours. Stops included in the tour were throwing sardines to the manatees, a coral garden reef, swimming with sharks in the shark alley, and a guided tour of a channel. That all sounded plenty exciting to us!
Barges carried heavy loads in just a few inches of water.
The Split was an island made of volcanic stone.
Because the seawall was built on the south side of the island, the only way to get across was by the Split to Split Island Ferry.
Steven and I fed sardines to tarpons after receiving instructions on exactly how to do so ahead of time!
No tarpons could be fished here, just catch and release. It was important to keep the hand flat while holding the sardine as the captain said he's never seen a tarpon take the whole hand!
We'd never have suspected there was a giant cave system under our boat, one by The Spit and another one called Snowy Cone. It was an important site for archaeologists as Mayan artifacts had been found there by the mangroves.
Our captain Alwen expressed a lot of frustration that this part of the island had been sold to a Mexican developer who was planning to build an 18-hole golf course.
He pointed out the zinc roofs on top of lobster traps but he didn't spy any manatees. He thought we'd reach the Coaral Garden in 5 minutes but that was Belize time which meant we'd get there later!
Alwen, his assistant, and we four passengers were all on the search next for manatees as it was mating season. They can sleep for up to 45 minutes underwater before coming up to breathe and are regarded as the first mermaids of the Caribbean!
Tradewinds made for amazing sailing here according to Alwen. There were a lot more mangroves and forest reserves in the northern part of the island which made for ideal conditions for snorkelers and kayakers.
I was eternally grateful that Steven, God love him, was much happier being the photographer while the other guys and I cavorted with the manatees, stingrays, and nurse sharks! I thought this trip couldn't get any better.
A play on the word Belize was a common sign in the country!
After our thrilling tour sadly came to an end, we walked the equivalent of a couple of city blocks to the west side of the island to look for the Seahorse Reserve. It was reputedly home to hundreds of seahorses amid a tangle of seagrasses and coral. The walk over to the other side of the island took us past blissful views that just screamed, "Come, relax and sit apiece."
What a bust the 'sanctuary' was as all we found was a pretty ugly area and trash in the water. Or was it because they were so tiny or they had moved that we couldn't catch a glimpse of any? A sanctuary sounded far more grandiose than the reality.
These people were having fun on their swings and evidently paid no attention to the sign by the sanctuary that said, "Yes, stingrays can hurt you."
I hope Caye Caulker Island's wish list is heeded by all who visit this slice of paradise.
Back in Belize City, we made sure to walk across the much-ballyhooed Grande Belize Bridge but the swing bridge was really not so grand!
The Holy Redeemer Cathedral dated from 1858.
I was surprised there was a significant Chinese population in the capital.
Next post (really!): A shorter trip than we hoped to Guatemala with consequences still 9 months later for Steven and myself.
Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.
What an amazing trip! It's good to hear you weren't in the path of the tornado. Do you get many there?
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog, Nikki! We had a lot of small-sized haul that seemed to last forever but nothing compared to the masses of huge uprooted trees a little east of us. No question that climate change is upon us as that was the first one in 20-30 years in the Denver area. We're used to colossal fires but tornadoes are a new threat.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post which featured magnificent animals within a man-made home and equally gorgeous sea life within their own breathtaking natural home. xo xo Lina
ReplyDeleteLina, I'm glad both the animals in the zoo and the sea resonated with you. We were more impressed with that aspect of life in Belize than what we saw on land the short time we were there!
ReplyDeleteAnnie