Tuesday we all slept in a bit. The howler monkeys were up very late Monday night and must have taken a break this morning. By slept in I mean 7 (for us). I guess it's the daylight and all the animals but I can't, and don't want to, sleep in here. It feels like you are missing the day.

Our ride was to pick us up at 8:30 so we all agreed to meet for breakfast at 8. I did my usual routine of trying to check email but the router seemed to be down. It was pretty frustrating. I really wanted to know how H was doing and if our caseworker had written back. We shared one email about Wednesday. (She is going to email us the news as soon as she hears! Not as personal but at least we can keep the email. She offered to call but we felt guilty having them call us international).

Instead we sat down and ate breakfast as a group. Again it was pretty yummy. Scrabbled eggs with chees. Sausage links. French Toast. Fruit. Cereal. Orange Juice. Nice and filling. I'm glad we get fresh warm meals in the mornings rather than your typical continental cold breakfasts you get at Hampton Inn.

Tuesday was Becky's Birthday Celebration Day. To go along with the Survivor themed trip Josh and I gave her a "buff" aka a yellow bandana with Crosland "C's" all over it. We also gave her 6 tasks for the day. She could complete them whenever but it was her Birthday Assignment.

1. Tell 5 complete strangers it was her birthday. (She accomplished this by the time we got out of the van for the fishing trip)
2. Tell our boat captain about the pooping incident on our last fishing excursion in Costa Rica. (This was absolutely hysterical and I think Dan had to actually stop the boat for a second because he was laughing so hard.)
3. "Walk the Plank" after two beers. There is a 2 plank path back to the organic garden and the Jungle House. We joked that that would be mighty difficult with any alcohol in your system. (Note: Becky has NOT completed this task yet)
4. Take a ride on the rope swing. (She chickened out because it was getting dark when we returned and asked for an alternate task. I think we still owe her one.)
5. Get a total stranger to serenade her with Happy Birthday and playing the guitar. There is one in the lodge. (Again, she did not complete this. I'm not sure she is doing very well in this game.)
6. Kiss the first fish we catch. (Not only did she do this, but the first catch was hers.)

Hopefully, when we get back I can upload all the pictures.

8:30 came and no one was in the lodge to pick us up. They told us we could wait anywhere. In the lodge. At the entrance in the parking lot. Strange, but okay. A few minutes later we were told to go out front. A few bugbites later we were back in the lodge. Then we were told our ride was outside. Oh my. I was already exhausted. To get anywhere you have to walk through the jungle on these raised platforms.

The van picked us up and we were off to somewhere. Punta Gorda? We were off to Punta Gorda but this is the funniest trip. We kind of just get in vans and don't know where we are going. That is the really nice thing about staying here. Normally, I have to do so much planning. Here they have it so together.

Punta Gorda is actually a really cute town on the water. We dropped off at a little house on the water. The guys there asked us who we were going out with. Um, I don't know? The driver came to the rescue and we were walking to our fishing boat. Coolers were loaded and we were off.

Dan, our guide, is one of the coolest guides I've had on a trip. He spoke perfect English. Even though English is the official language here, I've found that most locals don't speak it perfectly. Probaby because some also speak Spanish or Creole. We found out that his wife is American/British and is an international Marine Biologist. They live here but she works all over the world. Very cool. Because of that Dan was very environmentally focused and I felt even more comfortable. He was also the Captain for Matt Lauer when The Today Show filmed down here a few years ago. Matt is very nice and down to earth for the record. Dan also helped film for a new BBC special and I think he said Discovery Channel (maybe a different one) special called 'Migration'. Watch for it. It seems like this guy does it all.

Let's just say it's a good thing we don't make our living fishing. We are awful. Becky caught a Jack that we threw back after a kiss. I think that is what it is. It makes Dan laugh so I don't think it is good to eat. She caught a beautiful Grouper. We found out they are protected here and he helps his wife track them for research. She also caught a Yellow-Tailed Snapper that was pretty but too little to eat. I caught a King Mackeral that got away by spitting the lure out at the last minute. Josh caught a King Mackeral shortly after. He was a pretty good size and we actually kept him for dinner. Randy's catching was interesting. Twice he caught the ground. Once Dan said it was obvious he had caught a fish and the fish dived under because the lure wouldn't go that low on its own. Another time he caught an enormous fish and it took our lure and lot of line. Dan again thought this was hysterical. The fourth time Randy caught a lizard fish. It was the weirdest thing ever. Darwinism at it's best was a good description.

After several hours of our horrible skills Dan asked if we wanted to eat our lunch (packed by the lodge) on a beach. Sure, that sounds good. So Dan takes us to this tiny island with a house on it. It was the ranger station where the rangers watch over the Port of Honduras (where we were). I guess Dan knows these guys because there were signs saying how you can't come on the island without an invitation. It's government land. This place was gorgeous. I felt like we were on Gilligan's Island or something. They had some picnic tables where we put out our spread. The cutest puppy ever. White sand beach. Crystal blue water. Palm trees. Definitely paradise.

By this time I really needed to go to the bathroom. I heard Dan aske the rangers if I could use their bathroom upstairs. Fifteen minutes later Dan came downstairs and invited me up. I went into the bathroom and noted how clean it was. Then I realized why. They had spent the last 15 minutes scrubbing and cleaning the bathroom for us. How cute is that? After we finished our lunch and taking pictures on the make-shift gym equipment around the island, the rangers invited us up to teach us about the Preserve. They had a cute little map and they talked about the rules and wildlife. Then they invited us up into the birdnest which took three ladder climbs. It was a 360 degree view that was awesome. I'm so glad Dan has the connections and took us there. I love the unplanned parts where we get to do the "off the beaten" path stuff.

We spent the afternoon with more bad luck fishing and then looking for manatees. Becky really wanted to see manatees for her birthday. No such look. We "saw" one in the main waters but only Dan saw the snout. Oh well, it was a great day on the water. We are amazed that we were all on the water for 7 hours and no one got seriously burned. We were lathering on 70 SPF the whole day.

We got back to the lodge around 5pm. Well, we asked our driver to take us somewhere to get wine. There are only 2 bottles at the lodge and they were very inflated prices. He took us to the Chinese grocery store (just like Raul had told us) where we grabbed a few bottles of white and Belikin Premiums (hadn't founnd them yet) for $1.50. Can't beat that. We dropped our wine off with the bartender and went to clean up before dinner.

We are a bit like vultures with food. The Happy Hour food is placed out at 6pm. We are usually waiting by 5:50. At 6:20 when no food had appeared Becky and I were scavaging at the bar for something to nibble on. Creamy salsa and chips soon appeared and we were human-like again.

Still no internet. I missed my Skype call home. Bummer. Hopefully they will call if anything is the matter.

Dinner was massive. We started with Green Squash soup. Delicious. The salad was a sour cream cucumber salad. Pretty good. Main course was stewed chicken with a honey mustard sauce, baked potato, vegetables and our mackeral! We had enough for all the guests to have a steak cut portion. I don't know what he did to our fish but it was wonderful. The seasoning was perfect. I could eat like a third of my main entree portions so Josh had to help. Everyone loved the fish and chicken. Dessert was my favorite! Upside down pineapple cake. The pineapple here is to die for.

We were going to have an after dinner round of Balderdash but one bottle of wine and we were all ready for bed. I think we were asleep by 9. Tomorrow is a big day so we need to be rested!

We seemed to all sleep pretty well. Josh and I woke up at 6:00 am to the howler monkeys. They were so loud. Once they had moved on the birds started. It was quite peaceful. We were so suprised with how cool it was at night. We were actually cold and had to get down the blanket to add onto us during the night. Suprising since its about 90 during the day. We laid in bed for a while just enjoying the sounds and then headed over to the main lodge for an early breakfast around 7.

Breakfast was pretty yummy. Eggs, bacon, muffins, biscuits, homemade jelly, fresh fruit, cereal and watermelon juice. Never had watermelon juice. Very different.

Talk about service. Last night around 9pm after dinner, we asked the folks at the lodge if we could go horseback riding in the morning. Sure enough, at 9:30 am they had four horses at the lodge for us. We thought they only had time for a an hour and a half ride. We got to the hourses at 9:30 and the guide, Jose, tells us that he wants to take us to Armando's (gardener) land. It's an hour and a half ride each way. We told him we had to be back by 12:30 to eat before our massages. He said we had plenty of time.

These horses were a little funny. My horse, Penelope, was pregnant. Very fitting. It didn't occur to me that pregnant meant wider and my legs would be put into a strange position. I sure know now. The horses were really well trained. My horse listened completely to my voice. Josh was a trooper since he's not a big horse person. It took us quite a while to get to Armando's land. We went through Santa Ana village which was very cool. The kids were out front for recess at the school playing soccer. They all waved and said hi. We saw a ton of farm animals and folks in the streets. Jose showed us a lot of trees and plants. The sun started getting hotter and we regretted having no water. By the time we got to Armando's land I thought I would die. Jose asked if we wanted to get down. I had no clue where we were going but said yes. He took us back to the river and then showed us this area full of stones where they Mayans buried their treasures. Then we headed over the river and got to the bar. Luckily Randy had money so he bought us each a Belikin. It was $10 US bought the bar had no change - in either US or BZ. What else could we do but buy four more beers. The boys drank theirs, Becky and I managed to ride with ours all the way home and hand them off to the kitchen staff. The ride back was brutal. We got the horses to run a lot because we had been gone so long. It was a very cool (not temperature wise though) trip.

We made it back right in time for lunch. Rice with shrimp and fruit. I was still hungry but oh well. Time for massages!

The masseuse arrived and we were all exhausted. Josh ended up going first while the three of us changed into our suits and headed to the river. Becky and I were horrible at the rope swing and ended up dragging our bodies through the water. Randy was like a little Tom Sawyer. Becky and I traded in our rope for the kayaks and headed around the bend a bit. Going with the current is definitely easier.

After Josh, I was up. The masseuse somehow turned Josh's one hour massage into an hour and a half. Oops. She was supposed to be here from 1:30 to 5:30 (1 hour each). It's just now after 7 and Randy just finishes. It was like no massage I've ever experienced. I'd say it was a cross between a trip to the chiropractor, masseuse and spiritual healer. She talked to me about studying with the elders and medicine men here in Belize. She also studied the Chinese ancient practices and her Native American traditions. Whatever it was it was pretty good. She told Josh he would have a lot of dreams tonight. Not sure why...

Josh and I were very excited to get the Skype to work with Mom and Dad before dinner. A little bit of a delay but it was a lot cheaper than paying for international phone. Very cool. And we could see them. Now we are just waiting for our 4 course meal. Josh keeps drinking girly fruity drinks. He's a bit obsessed. Dinner is ready. Talk to everyone tomorrow!

So our plane landed 15 minutes early. A 3 hour direct flight to be on the ground in Central America. You can't beat that. It's quicker to get to Belize than Vegas or LA?

We got into the airport which was only slightly bigger than the Costa Rican airport, but much nicer in my opinion. Like Raul told us, we were on the other side of customs in about 15 minutes. We walked out and no one was jumping all over us to grab a ride. Instead there were a few drivers with signs. One of them being ours! Raul grabbed a bag and we hopped into his van.
Now, I must admit that I was a little worried whether or not this van would get us to and from the zoo without breaking down. The inside ceiling fabric was being held up with push pins. The van itself made a big of a grinding noise and vibrated a bit while we drove. Oh well. As we were getting in the van Raul asked if we wanted water. A soda? A beer? Josh lit up at the sound of beer now that we were in Belize. Raul told us to let him get off airport property and we would get us one. Sure enough a minute later he pulled off the shoulder and hopped out. He had a stocked cooler in the back. Screwdriver in hand he opened a bottle for Josh and explained all about the Beliken beers and family.

Apparently, the Owner of Beliken beer died on Friday. He was 64 years old. One of the richest men in the country. After being here you understand why. They ONLY beer they brew in Belize. The brewery is right next to the airport. His estate was some sort of amazing property a bit north of the city. He would fly back and forth everyday. He had been flying 40 years and was a very experienced pilot. Something went wrong during his flight on Friday and he crashed. Things started making sense because there were some obviously affluent people on our flight saying they were coming down for a funeral. It was his close friends and family. Very sad.

After that very depressing story we were on our way to the zoo. Raul filled the hour drive with every piece of Belize history you can imagine. We learned all about the different ethnic groups. Did you know the cheapest place to buy beer is the Chinese grocery store. There is one in every village. We learned about the plants. How they address the environment. So much stuff. I was exhausted when we reached the zoo.

The zoo is definitely not we would consider a zoo. Imagine taking some chicken wire into the jungle and wrapping it into areas. There you have your zoo. The animals were most certainly in their natural environment. We were just invited in. I've never been that close to such beautiful cats. They were hard to photograph because they moved so fast. We avoided getting peed on by the tapir.

Raul was hysterical. He knew all sorts of animal sounds and would call the animals. I'm not sure they came, but they definitely woke up and acknowledged the sounds. One of his sons is a tour guide and told him a story about the local monkey man. Apparently, he could go anywhere and call the monkeys and they would come out of nowhere. They would eat out of his hands. He passed away last year and during his burial hundreds of monkeys came out of the jungle. They all started howling at once. The people attending the funeral said it was so loud everyone had to leave. I don't know if it is true but animals are so amazing.

We loved the zoo but I was getting nervous about time. We were also starving. I didn't think we had time but Raul assured me we were fine. We headed to Amigos and had an awesome lunch. Stewed chicken, rice and beans and coleslaw washed down with fresh squeezed limeade. The sauce on the chicken and rice was delicious. If this is what Belizean food is like, I'm a fan.

As we drove back and forth to Belize I would compare it to a cross between Costa Rica and Jamaica. Definitely some very very poor sections we drove through. The culture seems to match that description too. The best part (which we didn't get to take a photo of) was the Central Prison Gift Shop located on the side of the road next to the prison we passed. I was dying to go in there.

As Raul promised, we got back to the airport in plenty of time. We checked in (you don't pay for your flight until you check in) and found Becky and Randy. They made it! They said it had been close.

We walked outside to grab our flight and I was a little shocked. I was expecting a little plane but not like this. It seated maybe 10? Josh could have grabbed this pilot if he wanted to. Becky and I are convinced that the pilot was on a date and invited her to co-pilot. She looked about 12 and had her own joystick and headset. It was an amazing 45 minute flight. We flew along the coast during sunset. It was a very very smooth flight. I was even more suprised when we landed and the aiport was a building about 15 by 15 feet? Oh my. I guess we don't need to arrive very early for departure.

The Cotton Tree folks were waiting right there for us. The four of us and one other couple jumped in the van and took off for the lodge. It wasn't a bad drive. 40 minutes or so. Half on paved roads and half on gravel to get back into the jungle. The gravel was more like the pavement in Costa Rica. Much better roads here.

It was dark when we arrived but it's so peaceful that way. We made our way along the raised walkways and ended up in the lodge. The timing was perfect because we had time to check in, go to our rooms and get cleaned up right before dinner. For those who have followed our past trips. I would describe the cabana as a cross between our honeymoon villa and the rustic treehouses we stayed in on our first trip to CR. Rustic luxury would be my description. Very comfortable and roomy but still rustic. Mosquito nets over the beds. They do have electricity but they run off-the-grid so they ask yoiu to conserve.

Dinner was a bit of blur. We were all so exhausted. It was four courses: (Happy Hour appetizer was spinach dip and feta chips) Tomato Basil soup, Caesar Salad, Pork Chops with some sort of yummy glazing, purple mashed potates, vegetables and Cookie Cheesecake. I was in a food coma. We stayed up for about another half an hour and then all went to bed. Can't wait to see this place in the light!

The shirts.... We joked about making group T-shirts. So the night before we left, my Mom and I did. Here is a sort of picture of mine. The picture of all four of us is on Becky's camera. This will have to work for now.