Sunrise

Last morning on our trip and we spent it watching the sunrise.

What a great trip. Can't wait to go back to Belize, especially Ambergris Caye!

Here are photos from the last day...

Reef and Caulker

Reef and Caulker are the two dogs who live here at Caye Casa. Reef is a German Shepard who patrols the perimeter and naps under the golf cart and only barks at people who she finds threatening... Mostly guys with machetes who cut coconuts (see yesterday's post)

Caulker, named after Caye Caulker, which is another island close to here, is a black dog who likes, and is pleased, to act as a surrogate if you are missing your pet. Such a sweet boy!

There is also a local dog walker who stops every day to pick up Caulker and Reef. Today he had five or six other dogs with him and all of the dogs were so well behaved, it is like they were under his spell.

"I'll be around"

The highlight of the morning at our place was watching a local guy, Coconut Leo, climb barefoot up a tree and cut coconuts on the property here. This is routinely done because of the danger of fallIng coconuts. There is a ten times greater chance of dying from a falling coconut than a shark bite. All the guests came to view him climb the trees and with his mighty machete, cut down dead fronds and ripe coconuts, all while singing Bob Marley tunes. He cut some of the coconuts so we could use the coconut water for our next round of cocktails.

After that excitement, we walked north to a bar called Palapa Bar. Locals and tourists gather here by boat or on land for lunch and drinks.

"I'll be around..." That was what Captain Baxter said this morning about his schedule :)

Richard's Blender Drink Creations

(ingredient amounts are approximate)

"Thong Snappa"•••
Fresh pineapple
One fresh lime squeezed
3 ounces Barrel One dark rum
1 ounce coconut rum
2 tablespoons coconut cream
6 ounces pineapple juice
Add ice and blend
•••this drink is a twist on Belize's national drink called the "Panty Rippa"


"Peach on the beach"
4 ounces peach nectar
One fresh lime squeezed
3 ounces Barrel One dark rum
1 ounce coconut rum
2 tablespoons coconut cream
3 ounces pineapple juice
Add ice and blend


"Cherry bomb"
16 ounces cherry fruit drink
One fresh lime squeezed
5 ounces Barrel One dark rum
3 ounces pineapple juice
Add ice and blend


"Cocopine Caye"
16 ounces cocopine juice
3 ounces pineapple juice
5 ounces Barrel Dark rum
3 tablespoons coconut cream
Add ice and blend


"Good Morning Belize"
2 cups cold coffee
4 ounces whole milk
3 tablespoons coconut cream
3 ounces Barrel Dark rum
Add ice and blend

Under the Sea

After a day of chillaxing yesterday , we hit the ground running today. With half a fresh pineapple from the neighbors Lena and Clint in our stomachs we set out for the reef with captain Baxter from the dock across the road from our villa. It looked really close but took almost an hour to get to The reef. We saw sea turtles, sharks, manta rays and a variety of colorful fish. We picked a great day and for at least half of the time I felt like Jacques Cousteau's less buoyant cousin Pierre. The other half of the time was spent wrestling with my equipment and trying not to swallow water. I spent the afternoon making blender drinks (recipes to follow tomorrow). All in all, another great day in Belize.

Just chillaxing...

Learned a new word on this trip...chillax. That is the plan for today!

Monkeying Around!

This morning is our last in Bermudian Landing. After breakfast we walked to Community Baboon Sanctuary. This is a local organization which educates visitors and locals about the howler monkeys. The reason it is called baboon instead of howler monkey is when the British came to Belize and saw the monkeys they identified them as baboon and the name stuck, though, they are actually howler monkeys.

The sanctuary was founded in 1981 and for quite a few years received funding from a US biologist who studied the monkeys as well as the WWF World Wildlife Federation. Currently, the sanctuary receives no funding except what they receive in donations from visitors.

Our guide, Robert, led us into the jungle and to an area where a troop of howler monkeys live. He was able to spot the troop and "call" them down from the top of the tree canopy closer to where we were standing. With a bribe of banana, a female monkey and her 3 1/2 month baby came down and hung out on Richards shoulder for about 5 minutes. During this time the baby and Richard were seeing "eye-to-eye". Robert put the peeled banana in my hand and the mother reached over, grabbed my hand, pulled it to her mouth to eat the banana! We were so excited that we were able to have this experience!

Now we are off to San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye!

Mayans, McAfee and Marines, oh my!

This is a guest post from Richard. Today was all about Mayan ruins. And wildlife, and McAfee's house. We joined a group of US military (here in an unofficial capacity of course) on a boat trip and tour of Lamanai, a significant Mayan site. It was several times larger than yesterday's ruin; it was home to over 60,000 people at its height between 400 and 700 AD. Significantly, we learned more about the whole "human sacrifice" thing. It seems there is some disagreement among historians on this point. Either they sacrificed people willy-nilly or they only did so in times of extreme distress or to avoid conflict. Either way, we do know that the kings had bones through their noses so that bit remains true, which is reassuring.
One thing that has been on our minds since we got here is the American expat eccentric/nut job Bill McAffee. For those not up on his story, McAffee came to Belize several years ago, ostensibly to develop a wonder drug made of ingredients found only in the rain forests of Belize. Always an odd bird with a penchant for guns, McAfee gradually spun out of control. He took up with a 16 year old girl (of ill repute), and later shot and killed his neighbor(allegedly, reportedly). He was on the run from the authorities for several months, all the while showing up on podcasts and in press interviews before eventually returning to the States. I had always heard that McAfee lived out in the rain forest. Turns out, his compound was located next door to the Lamanai boat docks. We got some nice photos of the 12-plus buildings in his compound (enough to house his armed guards) . So, in the end, we saw three mythical things today: the ancient Mayans, McAfee and the US military.

Monkey Spotter

I am the official monkey spotter of our vacation duo. After an amazing dinner last night of local fish and the companionship of fellow travelers from Toledo, OH, we crashed early and awoke to the sounds of the local howler monkey troop. I recorded it but am not able to share it from my iPhone app. Anyway, this morning I spotted a howler monkey in a tree on the bank of the river across from our cabin. It was really special to see it in the wild.

We spent the morning at the Altun Ha Mayan ruins with Ed, the owner here at the resort. We learned so much about the site and the Mayans, as well as about Belize. Richard and I are both very inquisitive and Ed was more than happy to indulge us.

After returning from that activity, we decided to go canoeing. Ed and his son dropped our canoe in down from the resort and told us it would take 2 to 3 hours until we made it back to our cabin . With Ed's departing words of "Richard, look in the trees" away we went! It was just the two of us, the river, and the wildlife for the next 2 1/2 hours. This was the highlight of the trip so far for me. We saw lots of birds and of course howler monkeys!!! I spotted one right off, and it was so amazing. I had heard something in the trees and there it was; Richard missed seeing it and I felt a bit bad, but a little while later I spotted a few more and we both were able to enjoy them! The banks of the river were gorgeous jungle and the wildlife we saw (birds, cows, and monkeys) made this canoe trip very special. Later on the trip Richard spotted a spider monkey hanging out on a dead tree right above the water on the bank; we paddled really close and watched the monkey jump from a branch and miss his intended target, (another branch) fall in the river and swim to shore. Like I said, this was the highlight of the trip for me so far and something that I will never forget.

Light or Dark?

The Belize jungle is amazing. So many sights and sounds that we don't have in Cleveland. Our flights went like clockwork, which was a miracle in itself, must be our good karma :). Ed, our host, collected us at the airport and it was about a 30 minute drive to the Howler Monkey Lodge. Along the way, Ed shared his passion for this area and some interesting facts about the howler monkeys: they were first called "baboons", incorrectly, by the English settlers; they live in tribes of 5 to 10; they are vegetarian; each tribe occupies about a 5 acre area of jungle; young alpha males challenge older males for the right to lead the tribe and inherit the "harem" and then the older male is ostracized from the tribe. Ed and his wife Mel, are our hosts here in Bermudian Landing (pop. 200) in the Belize District. After a quick stop at the local pub for some beers to go we arrived! This place is rustic, as expected, though our cabin had a/c if needed and there even is a river-fed swimming pool (we plan on canoeing the river tomorrow). After settling in we went for a hike around their 20 acre property then, unexpectedly, Mel and Ed surprised us with fresh coconuts to drink! Spent the afternoon chilling on the porch overlooking the river and listening to the howler monkeys on the other side of the bank. Wow!
Light or Dark? Yeah, that was our biggest decision today...light or dark beer! I love vaca!