Okay, day...whatever it is...at the beach in Belize began at a ridiculous hour again, (that would be
"5:45" in case you're wondering) which was unfortunate but necessary,
to allow us to scarf some breakfast and pile into the resort's van at 7. The
purpose, however, was worthwhile: a trip to the Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve for another jungle
hike. (Because Team Westenders’ motto has apparently become “The more
rainforest, the better”…)
The good news/bad news of this fact is that if you've gotta drag
yourself out of bed that early, at
least you get to witness the lovely sunrise...and
the dining room is already open and prepared to ply you with delicacies like
fresh tropical fruit, homemade passionfruit yogurt...and of course
COFFEE. (Bonus treat for me, brought to the table as soon as I appeared:
specially made gluten-free carrot muffins—yummmmm.
I’m starting to enjoy being treated like royalty…this is getting seriously dangerous).
Thus fortified, we slathered up with sunscreen and got settled
into our ride, along with our driver and guide for the day, Hartfield.
Aaaannnd, about that little expedition…at the outset there was the bumpy,
unpaved village road—which at least
we expected and are somewhat used to tolerating. This was followed by a stretch
of smooth highway for a few minutes.
Then we turned off onto the path leading to the park—a rutted, rocky, muddy
affair which was also so spine-jarringly bumpy
that my Fitbit recorded almost 5,000 steps while we were sitting down, bouncing
along for 6 miles. (No one ever said the Great Outdoors had to be easy all the
time, right? Ay yi yi…)
When we arrived, we added copious amounts of insect repellent to our skin’s coating, to hopefully avoid being a
juicy meal for the many flying, crawling bugs we were sure to encounter. (Even
so, I still got nibbled a few times—but at least I didn’t end up as one
gigantic bite, so that’s a win, as far as I’m concerned.) Then we headed off
into the dense greenery for an up-close-and personal glimpse into the native
flora and fauna.
Once again, the rainforest did not disappoint. It wasn’t long
before Hatfield spotted an anteater
scurrying up a tree—either hot on the trail of his preferred snack, or seeking
a place to hang out and rest, which he eventually did when he reached a high
branch. There were colorful butterflies
galore, including the Blue Morpho,
which is absolutely stunning--an electric, shimmering shade of cerulean—but
which refuses to land on anything, or
even hold still long enough to
capture it on film. (I swear they were taunting us after a while, “Nyah nyah,
can’t catch me!” Oh well, at least we saw
them in the wild, even if we have no photographic evidence to prove it. You
believe us, right?)
Hatfield pointed out various types of birds and lizards for us
when he glimpsed them, and shared information about some of the plant life as well, especially the medicinal properties of the many that
are still used by the Mayan people’s shamans
for healing. And, like Lorenzo the other day, he coaxed a tarantula out of its hole—but this one actually emerged all the way
and stayed for a while. Plenty of time to admire it…feel appropriately
terrified…and snap lots of photos. (Mission accomplished! Thanks for that! Now
how about you just crawl back into your nice den, that’s a
good…massive…spider…)
Eventually our sweaty band of walkers came to the payoff for all of our work: another waterfall and chilly pool (fed by an underground spring) in which to refresh
ourselves and rinse off before returning to the Visitor’s Center. Surprisingly,
it was almost too cold to be comfortable…but we mustered the resolve to dunk
ourselves anyway, and were glad we did. Aaaahhh…
From there it was a short trek back to where we began, for a picnic lunch that the resort’s kitchen
had packed for Hatfield to bring along. Sandwiches, chips and salsa, more fresh
fruit, juice, and cookies—and it’s amazing
how much tastier your meal is when
you’ve earned it, isn’t it? Then we
reversed the whole brain-rattling driveway-to-highway-to-local thoroughfare
journey to enjoy the rest of the day pondering nothing more perplexing or
strenuous than “Do I feel like swimming in the sea or the pool?” Or “Can I
muster the energy to stroll the 20 steps to the bar and ask for some iced tea?”
Or, perhaps most crucially “Would I prefer to snooze in a hammock on the porch,
or a chaise lounge under a palm tree?”
Yes, I think it’s safe to say that our wild vacation is wearing us
out…but our experiences so far have been priceless, so we’ll keep going…at
least for one more day of Belizean fun, that is! Now, one last burning question
for the day: I wonder what delectable dishes they’re offering on the dinner
menu?
No comments:
Post a Comment