Saturday, March 8- It was very cold (25 or so) when we left Richmond early in the morning. The plane took off a little late and we worried about whether we would make our connection in Atlanta but we did. We landed in Belize City pretty much on time. The agent routed us the long way around to get in line for passport control to make room for a United flight just slightly ahead of us. When we cleared customs, the Chaa Creek folks were there to greet us but we had to wait for Leesa who was coming via Charlotte on US Air. Connie knitted and I talked to the Chaa Creek guide Ricky and observed the people at the airport. The best T shirt was "Jesus Loves Pancakes". There were lots of people pretty obviously on mission trips and other pure vacationers. Forty people on our plane were from U of Louisville for a mission.
Leesa and family emerged from customs about an hour and a half after us and Thomas was in distress when they came out. Leesa said he started to crumble and complain about his stomach aching right when they hit the long passport line. I steered her to a threesome of doctors (they had name tags ) on a mission trip. They were very attentive, checked him out, ruled out anything serious and told Leesa where they were staying. Thomas went right to sleep in the van to the lodge, slept an hour, and woke up raring to go halfway there.
Chaa Creek sits on 365 acres, has been operating since 1981, has a deluxe lodge, and then a camp ground. The whole place is well landscaped and was pretty green even in this the dry season. Leesa's cabin was on the Macal River bank, about 100 feet up, right on the edge of the rainforest. It was the one Prince Harry stayed in when he visited. Our room was, according to Viviana from Reception, the most beautiful one because of the large carved headboard. We had an indoor and an outdoor shower. The roof was thatched and during the night we could hear some kind of bird or reptile making occasional noises. In addition droppings would appear on the bed spread.
August was sitting on the deck of their room this first night next to a patch of bamboo when she heard a noise. She looked over and right next to her was a Blue Crowned Mot Mot- the prize bird to see in this area. This may be what got her started seriously bird watching for the trip.
Maybe this is a good place to tell about the food at Chaa. Dinner this first night featured a delicious zucchini soup and jerk chicken. Each night there was a soup (always good), a salad, a couple of choices of entrée and a vegetarian dish. The seafood choices other than shrimp were not great, the steak choices were tough, and the chicken dishes were great. I think this proves that local chickens do better as free range than the cattle (generally scrawny). We did not try many desserts but each day there was a featured drink (today was a Tipsy Monkey?) and the local beer was very good but in small bottles (fine with me). Kids' food such as pasta was a little spicy.
Breakfasts were generally wonderful- great Valencia orange juice, omelets, granola (which a scarlet ant-tanager really liked and visited us each day to enjoy), and coconut yoghurt. Lunches were salads by the pool most days.
Sunday, March 9- The activity of the day was a canoe paddle down the Macal River for a couple of hours into the town of San Ignacio and then lunch in town. On the way down to the landing, Gordon and family saw iguanas and a keel billed toucan. The river was generally slow with some riffles, and clear. Canoeing together takes practice and good communication, enough said.
Scarlet throated Ant Tanager
Monday, March 10- We went with Ricky as guide to the Blue Hole, about an hour away over rugged roads, bird watching along the way. Relatively rare birds we spotted included a puffbird, a king vulture, and the jacamar. (See the full list later.) Back at poolside for the afternoon.
Saber winged Hummingbird in nest
Tuesday, March 11- We split up today with Gordon and Thomas going on a 2 mile walk thru the Mayan Herbal Medicine trail and then into the Chaa Creek camp ground to get him a badge for Indian Guides. Connie, Leesa, and August went on a zipline adventure (2700 feet long!!). And I took a canoe and went upstream about 45 minutes trying to make it to the Botanical Garden but either it wasn't marked on the river or I didn't notice it. But it was a very wahful paddle- so quiet, green and serene.
Everything is Awesome!
Wednesday, March 12- travel day for both families, home for us and on to the Belize coast for Leesa.
Connie and I had a very interesting ride to the airport because we picked up a school teacher on her way to work. She told us a lot about the schools in Belize and the bus system (she was passed by by 2 buses- how she makes it to work every day is a mystery) and then the driver told us about the alliance between the British and the slaves to throw the Spanish out back around 1800 and then the couple of different waves of mestizos coming into the country from Guatemala.
Full list of birds I noted seeing-
Vermilion Flycatcher Forktail flycatcher Red billed pigeon
Social flycatcher Tropical Kingbird Great Kiskadee
Yellow winged tanager Brown Jay Yellow tail Oriole
Collared arakari Yellow throated euphonia Plain chacalaca
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl White fronted parrot Masked Tityra
Keel billed Toucan Red throated ant tanager Eastern Meadowlark
Melodious Blackbird Bronze Cowbird White collared seedeater
Gray Martin Mangrove swallow Black vulture
Limpkin King Vulture Common Blackhawk
White necked Puffbird Violaceous Trogon Black cheeked woodpecker
Clay collared Robin Wedge tail Saberwing HB Redlegged honey creeper
Woodthrush Royal Flycatcher Blue green Jacamar
Rufous tailed Hummingbird Amazon Kingfisher Green kingfisher
Little blue heron Crane Hawk Kingbird flycatcher
Great Egret Groove billed Ani Boat tailed grackle
Belted kingfisher Blue crowned motmot
King Vulture
Total about 47 species, not sure yet how many new for me.
