Monday, December 30

So, sometime between check-in time and check-out time, either at the Zoo itself, or the Tropical Education Center, Dawn got eaten up with some kind of insect bite like chiggers.  Wanna see?  Check this out.  They itch incredibly!  And, still on January 8 (which is only a week later, but it already seems like so long ago) I am itching!!! UPDATE:  These bites probably came from the Botlass fly!  Thanks for the clarification, Noelle! By the way, a few bugs won't keep me from saying that the trip was wonderful and worth it!

So, after looking at some wild gibnuts there at the TEC, we ran by the gift shop at the Belize Zoo on our way to the airport.  

Looking forward to another trip sometime in the future.  Who wants to go with us this time? So long, Belize!  

Sunday, December 29

We needed to check out of the Almond Tree Hotel Resort today. Lynn, the propietor, has a coatimundi as a semi-domesticated pet.  Her name is Rocky.  Rocky is attracted to fragrances like perfume, deodorant, etc.  So, on Sunday morning, the boys rubbed their hands with wonderful smelling lotion to attract her.  They had a unique experience as she climbed up into their laps to lick the lotion, rub the fragrance into her long tail.  She looks like a cross between an anteater and a raccoon, and she can and does bite as another guest (who stuck her hand into Rocky's face without being invited to do so) found out.  The boys both had a great time with her though.

After finally checking out, we drove into town to get some gas --- $180 BZ, that's $90 US, later, we were on our way towards the Zoo via an area called Progresso Shores.  About 3 miles or so outside of Corozal, we had to take a hand-cranked ferry across the New River.  It is just what it sounds like  --- there is nothing automated nor automatic about it.  There are two men who work 8 hours a day on the ferry, taking cars and trucks across the river since there is no bridge.  If you're in a hurry, don't live out that way.  Most likely, you'll have to wait.  Dawn asked if she could have the "honor" of turning the crank, and about half-way there, she gladly returned the crank to its familiar operator.  It took about 12 minutes to cross the river, maybe 150 feet altogether?,  once we were on the ferry itself, but we waited about 15 minutes on our side of the river before it returned to pick us up.

We drove through some very rough, muddy, submerged, desolate roads out in this area.  In fact, the Progresso Lagoon was overflowed in one of the subdivisions we tried to go into...so, we opted not to tackle that one!  Smart move, I think!

We had wanted to get to the Zoo in the afternoon to be able to see it in the daylight, but we didn't make it before they closed at 5 p.m., so we headed to the Tropical Education Center across the highway to get our cabin for the night, eat dinner, and leave for the nighttime tour of the zoo.  Our cabin was extremely rustic, located over a pond that had at least 2 crocodiles in it.  Can you see one?

We moved our stuff into the cabin, wondering how we were actually going to sleep as it was so humid and, well, it was a cabin in the woods over a pond with crocs.  It had a tin roof though, which at 5 a.m. provided a great sounding rain for a couple of hours.  We ate dinner and then headed back out the bumpy road to the Zoo for the tour.  We saw a tapir, a couple of gibnuts (which I've heard is Queen Elizabeth's favourite type of rodent to eat), a black jaguar, a margay, a boa, a huge American crocodile named Brutus, an ocelot, and howler monkeys that make a ghoulish howling sound --- and they all talk to each other.  

We made it back to the cabin, ready for a good night's sleep around 9:15 or so.

Decemeber 28, 2013

We woke up early this morning to drive to Lamanai Ecotours about 45 minutes away to catch a 1 ½ hour boat ride to the 2^nd largest excavated Mayan ruins in Belize:  Lamanai, means Submerged Crocodile. 

There are structures, or what we would call pyramids to climb, there.  The Jaguar Temple, the Mask Temple, and the High Temple which  was the tallest and had 16 “stairs” on the first level, 43 on the 2^nd level and then another 12 to get you to the top level.  It was very high up above (112 feet only)  the canopy (it was here I remember that I am very anxious about falling from such a high and unprotected area!!) and  gave a great view up the snaky New River.  The top platform was used for what we would call very strange rituals --- you’ll have to look this up or ask us later…quite gruesome! On our descent, the younger boys took off down the steep stairs.  How the short Maya made it up and down without a rope to hang on to  is beyond me.  Glenn was able to find the geocache that was hidden there and I found him while he was pulling out the rock behind which is was hidden!  I was the last of the 20 on our boat to go down the ruin….while another kid from another boat was literally running down the temple.  The “stairs” are anywhere from about 15-20” high and they vary, of course, so maneuvering up and down them is not easy on the thighs in particular.  That kid made me really nervous, but he made it down there in one piece, just in time to slip in the mud.  Amazingly, he landed on his feet.  Maybe he was a cat.  I don’t know.  All I do know is that the Lord has been working on showing me something about my fears on this trip….I didn’t think that I had any.  Boy was I wrong! I think actually facing them was a cool thing….even if I didn’t realize I had them!

We then went to the gift shop area where I was going to buy some jade necklaces and other souvenir items.  Had them all picked out, ready to pull out my credit card when the Mayan lady said that they don’t have electricity there and can’t process cards.  Well, Glenn didn’t have any cash, I didn’t either, so, I put my nice things back and headed back to the boat.  What took us 1 ½ hours to arrive to Lamanai, only took us 45 minutes to return because Eddie our boat captain decided to drive Belizean style on the river.  We passed a few other boats along the way and didn’t stop.  On our way down the river, which is flooded still, we did not see any crocodiles because the river banks are covered and there’s nowhere for them to bask in the sun.  But we did see the smallest bat in Belize (and maybe anywhere?) called the insect bat. We saw  a tiger heron, a night hawk, a snowy egret, a kingfisher, a woodstork, a spider monkey (that Timothy got to give a banana to) and howler monkeys at Lamanai. 

We drove back to Corozal, found the pharmacy and bought Curtis some Amoxicillin to carry him through until we get home (he’s been feeling poorly much of the trip with head congestion, sore throat, headache), did a drive 7 miles north to Consejo and Consejo Shores, an expat community/subdivision there.  A lot of available seaview lots or seafront properties.  Really nice homes.  Then we drove back through Corozal, to the Almond Tree Hotel Resort.  Timothy and I met the resident coati mundi, Rocky.  She is wild but lives here at the resort, and stays inside at night with the owner.  He made friends with one of the guard dogs, Pepper, and swam in the pool for a bit before we ate at the restaurant.  It is lovely here.

December 27, 2013

We checked out of Cahal Pech Village Resort this morning and headed towards Corozal. 

  The trip should have taken about 4 hours, but we got distracted along the way!  We stopped about 12 miles out of San Ignacio at a Hotel/Restaurant/Gift Shop – did some shopping and then chose to eat there before we pressed on.  We met some really nice believers there who have just moved to San Ignacio one month ago and exchanged contact information with them.  Great, interesting, insightful conversation.  Longer than expected…we left there after about 2 ½ hours and headed to Belmopan, the country’s capital, which is really not a lot more than a residential area for diplomats and government employees.  It’s the closest thing to an American “neighborhood” that I’ve seen.  We spotted the US Embassy again, and drove around a little more before heading up the Northern Highway to Corozal.  We, again had hoped to arrive before nightfall and rain, however, that didn’t happen and to make matters worse it began raining.  The windshield wipers on this truck are not the best.  I had to help Glenn navigate the shoulder of the road, the pedestrian ramps, the speed bumps (which are mostly marked, but sometimes not, because someone told us the shape and size of them make great bases to cook tortillas on….so….), the folks on bicycles, the pedestrians, cows, horses and dogs.  We did finally arrive about an hour after dark, ate at the hotel (we called ahead so they had a hot meal waiting for us!)  We settled in to our corner room overlooking the pool and the Corozal Bay and called it an early night about 9 p.m.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

This morning we had breakfast during the down pour at the CPVR and then headed out in the rain to find a store --- we need to purchase a few items since tonight and tomorrow things will be closed for Christmas.  We found a Taiwanese grocery store, where the young lady only seemed to speak Chinese.  Then found a couple of others as we drove around San Ignacio.  While in the grocery, the bottom dropped out and we headed for the Green Iguana Conservation Project, located at the San Ignacio Resort.  For $34.50, we took a tour out into the safe, protected area of the property behind the resort.  There we met Gomez, the dominant male iguana, along with George (who was released a couple of years ago and comes to hang out on the outside of the enclosure during mating season…he has his hopes up, but they aren’t ever met) and Oscar and a host of female iguanas and babies.  See the photos.

Then we headed back up the steep hill to the smallest of all the Mayan ruins that have been excavated in Belize.  Cahal Pech.  It’s within a 2 minute walk about 1/8 of the way down the hill from the CP Village Resort.  There we explored the ancient ruins….no one was there when we began, but when we were heading out, there were 3 other families there.  We stopped at the gift shop, a little wooden shack there, and met Patricia and her daughter.  Timothy kept them laughing…trying to convince Glenn and me that he needed a decorative knife….beautiful….think miniature machete…the last thing this boy needs! Then when we finally peeled him away, we headed back up to the top of the hill for a snack --- we are going back to the San Ignacio Hotel Resort for dinner at 6:30 (they have a better selection on their menu)….for now, it’s relaxing by the pool and letting the boys swim.  The storm clouds are brewing again though….there are ominous black clouds across the mountains ahead, beginning to settle into the valley over the town.  It won’t be long….so, I’m packing it up for now!

(A little later....)

We did have dinner at another hotel resort just down the street tonight.  I had Relleno Negro -- a mole soup (that's MOH-lay, not mole like the animal!) with chicken legs, eggs, and meatballs in it served with small corn tortillas.  Glenn had stewed beef (organic might begin to grow on him after all) beans and rice and fried plantains.  Curtis had chicken and cheese quesadillas and Timothy went all out, enjoying Belizean style CHICKEN FINGERS and FRENCH FRIES!  Oh my goodness, what will I do with him?  He and Curtis are both asleep now....the trip is wearing them out.

Tomorrow, it's on to the King's Children's Orphanage.  Please pray that will go well.  We have little idea of what to expect....communication from the director, even in the presence of a multitude of questions on my part, has responded with very little information.  Maybe she thinks we aren't going to show up. I'm not sure, but we'll be there to share Jesus with some parentless children for several hours tomorrow.  What a great way to spend Christmas Day! So looking forward to it.  

Merry Christmas to all...photos will come later.  I can't seem to remember to upload photos and videos, and that's Curtis's department anyway!!! :)

Monday, December 23

We drove from Hopkins up the Southern Highway, got $20 of gas (uh, that was like 2 gallons L) at the Shell station on the Hummingbird Highway.  Full service.  We then made our way towards the Blue Hole National Park, paid the entrance fee, and saw the spring. 

Then we went to the Visitor’s center, rented 4 head lamps, and walked down to the lowland trail to St Herman’s cave.  The boys descended all the way down into the cave as far as unguided folks can go, while I kept watch basically at the mouth of the cave. 

No bats, only a few birds, a river, and mosquitoes.  After they returned, we ascended again and took the Highland Trail back to the Visitor’s Center.  Beautiful overlooking views of the jungle. Curtis and the guys spotted what they thought was a coati, which is a raccoon like animal that is brown with a very long tail.  According to the GPS, there is a geocache located at the Visitor’s Center area.  Couldn’t find it anywhere there, and with the coordinates given and we weren’t about to go back to the entrance of the cave.  We returned to the truck with exceptionally muddy shoes – all of us…until they are cleaned off, we won’t be wearing them again!

We drove through Belmopan, through the area where the Embassies and government offices are located.  We found the very nice and big US embassy compound, found some nice houses, saw the Costa Rican, Salvadoran, Brazilian embassies and/or the homes associated with them.  Filled the truck up to just over ¾ full at the Shell station there on the Ring Road for $80.00!!! We drove on to the Western Highway, headed to San Ignacio in the Cayo district and the landscape began to change into rolling hills, mountains, trees, etc.  Along the way, we stopped at The Orange Gallery – a gift shop that we’ll stop at again on our way out on 12/27…..great woodworking items, jewelry, souvenirs, etc.  Another ½ hour and we were in Santa Elena, then found that the wooden bridge across the river we were supposed to take was out…on purpose, we discovered later, so we continued on til we found the metal suspension bridge.  Then, just like that, we were in San Ignacio. A lot of traffic going across that one lane bridge in both directions.  We got our bearings sort  of….then accidentally found the road that   led us up the hill to the Cahal Pech Village Resort.

We have a family suite with 2 bedrooms and a sitting area for 4 nights.  Older  resort, but overall, very nice! Dinner on the terrace was nice atmosphere, and my food good – Cinnamon Chicken with  curried mashed potatoes and vegetable medley.  Glenn had Chicken Cordon Bleu with vegetable rice. It was also very good. Curtis, on the other hand, had the Bacon Marinara pasta. It wasn’t quite what he expected. So he opted to get some chicken wings…which came with BBQ sauce. That didn’t work out too good either. Timothy had plain chicken wings and hamburger sliders…which had mayo…which didn’t work out too good, either. Lesson learned: food in a foreign country may end up being…foreign.  I've challenged them to each try 5 different things....they are both up to, well, one item...good grief!

Well, we went ziplining today at Central America's longest zipline -- Bocawina, about 15 miles from where we are staying.  It was so much fun!  8 platforms and 8 ziplines...what fun!  Timothy was fearless, I, Dawn, on the other hand, shed a tear or two when we were told between platforms 6 & 7 that we had to drop straight down on a rappelling rope to get down to the next platform...I didn't like it too much.  But, I did it.  And it wasn't a problem, really.  Anyway, more posts soo