We reported back in August about the Belize Hot Card, a discount card one can purchase for US$50 and use for discounts and perks at numerous locations throughout Ambergris Caye and a few places in Belize City.

Liz and I took our Hot Card into San Pedro each day and took advantage of a number of opportunities to save money. From restaurants to diving and snorkeling, we were able to get a lot for a little bit less than advertised thanks to this discount card.

About the only challenge we had was remembering to use the card. The card comes with a nice little printout of all the places where the card is honored. We checked that frequently when looking for a place to eat, such as at the Jambal Jerk Pit and Palapa Bar and Gill and let it often help us decide where to go. It never steered us wrong, but if we forgot to give the card to the server, or mention the card to the clerk, it was our own fault!

There were many discounts we weren’t able to capitalize on, such as hotel and golf cart/bike rentals simply because we either had prior reservations or simply weren’t on the island long enough. The cart rental would have been great had Cocotal not offered free use of their bikes and we were staying on the island longer.

We did, however score BIG with the card at Ecologic Divers! The 15% discount offered when one pays cash helped us to do much more than we’d originally budgeted for. We did a grand total of four dives and three snorkeling trips between the two of us. We saved much more than the cost of the card; and had we stuck around in Ambergris Caye longer, would have dove and snorkeled enough to save much, much more!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this developing story, Liz and I recently posted a story about our encounter with a baby howler monkey named Jack only to be contacted by several conservation groups who informed us of the unfortunate details of this monkey’s disposition. We later altered the post to remove our photos with the monkey and posted a new public service announcement to inform people of the horrors associated with this “pet monkey.” Our efforts have had remarkable results as can be seen in the email below from one of our contacts in Belize.

Good luck to Jack the monkey, Jerry, Robin Brockett and anyone else involved in today’s attempt to seize Jack to save him. We hope you are successful.

“Courtney and Liz

Been up since 02:00 hrs preparing for today. Just to let you know that we are just about to leave with the Forestry Department and a Police / Army squad to try and seize your young monkey Jack.

I will be accompanied by Robin Brockett who is the world renowned monkey rehabber that we are extremely fortunate to have in Belize at the moment.

If we get Jack, then this little fellow will join a small troupe of monkeys currently being prepared for release (although this will take up to two years). At the moment Jack’s future is now considerably brighter than it was before you raised awareness of his plight. He will now be socialised with other monkeys as well as get veterinary care, and of course get the correct monkey food. He will also be released into an approved area where he should be safe from all but the most determined poachers. (And as he is a male the chances are that he will never be targeted by poachers)

If we are successful today, I think you will be able to say that you were directly responsible for saving this monkey, as Forestry admitted to me on Friday, that if your story had not been published on the web, then they probably would not have done anything about him. As his plight is now a matter of public record, they have had their hand forced in this matter and we now have a strong response.
I think the way that you two have handled this matter has been exemplary and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the correction to your website and for the increased awareness that has resulted.

Fingers crossed, I will let you know what happens later on today.

Jerry”

Table Rock Jungle Lodge was a great place to stay and it was as close to the jungle experience as you can get. There are many key features to the lodge that both Courtney and I thoroughly enjoyed.

Table Rock Jungle Lodge has a fruit farm and has a few animals on the property. Jen, one of the keepers, was kind enough to take us on a tour of the property. The farm produced everything: limes, starfruit, oranges, mangoes, bananas and more. Everything was fresh as fresh could be. We were encouraged to pick the fruit but only under one condition: that we ate the fruit entirely and did not let it go to waste. While we did not visit in the fruitful season, we were able to experience fresh limes and fresh starfruit right off the trees. The limes we added to some cocktail drinks and they were so fresh and yummy. The star fruit turned out to be a delightful taste as well.

The minute we arrived at Table Rock, we dropped off our bags in our rooms and headed toward the Mayan River for a canoe trip. Chris, Jen’s husband and lodge keeper assisted us with getting the canoe in the water. The lodge dogs also joined us and took a quick dip. We had an enjoyable canoe trip, but we both agreed we prefer kayaks over a canoe. Our canoe adventure was cut short when I proclaimed my exhaustion from the long day and little amount of sleep I received the night before. The long day of traveling from San Pedro to Jaguar Paw and then to San Ignacio took it’s toll on me. At this point we returned to our room.

Table Rock Jungle Lodge also has a bar on site that Jen will happily serve you drinks at and keep you company. Courtney and I took full advantage of this while we used the wireless signal and updated our posts. The bar is in the dining cabana and has a really great set-up. Just a few steps away you can sit on the deck in the middle of the jungle and enjoy the jungle sounds and watch the stars.

Our room had the bare bone essentials, but everything in unique wood. It also had little lighting and we were reminded to always turn off lights when we weren’t needed as to conserve energy. This was not a problem for us and we were happy to do it. The bathroom was agree at walk in stone shower. The only complaint I would have about the rooms is the lighting. In the sense that they use maybe 2 watt bulbs in the room and have no lights in the shower. The bathroom itself is dimly lit, thankfully. In Belize, it gets dark early- at about 6 o’clock. The daylight gets cut short and Courtney and I used every drop of sunlight we could. That means indoor activities were designated for after dark. When we showered, it was pitch black except for the faint bathroom light. I have bad night vision, so the lighting was particularly a problem for me. Regardless, you can come properly prepared with flashlights and headlights. All of which we used there at Table Rock Jungle Lodge.

Liz and I stopped off at Big Rock Falls after our visit of Caracol. With little gas and a lot of nerve, we deviated from the main road for just a couple of miles on our way back to San Antonio and then to Table Rock Jungle Lodge.

The deviation took us past Five Sisters Lodge and down a road we just didn’t know would lead to a destination. Once we got there, we had to guess at the trail as a few sort of led in almost the same direction. We headed out, video loaded and recorded every step of the way. This video shows a few highlights of the visit.

All of this was shot with the V.I.O. POV (except the stills) that I picked up from Backcountry.com I took copious amounts of video with this thing and if it weren’t for human error, I would have had some awesome footage of the trip to ATM. Grab your own…

Liz and I recently posted a detailed story about our encounter howler monkeys at Caracol. It contained lots of details of a particularly unique visit ith with Jack, a juvenile howler monkey cared for by one of the restoration workers at Caracol. Almost immediately, this post was responded to by concerned local activists within Belize. They alerted us to the impending tragedy that is this little Monkey.

When we came across Jack and his “owner,” we were told the little monkey fell out of the tree and that once this happens, these infants/juveniles, are abandoned by their mothers. Thus, Jack was actually being rescued and cared for until he was old enough to return to the jungle canopy. We were informed by Colette Case of Be Kind Belize, a humane education program, and by Jerry Larder of Belize Bird Rescue that this is a terrible lie. In fact, we were informed that the little monkey was likely stripped from its mother’s dead arms after she, and very likely other members of the pack, were murdered. It appears that the “falling out of the tree” story is just a myth told to naive tourists such as Liz and I.

Tourists, such as ourselves, are often very excited to see such foreign and exotic animals and the chance to take photos up close is very exciting. Liz and I snapped numerous photos, totally ignorant that we were, in our own little way, supporting a terrible and inhumane practice. We were never encouraged to tip the caretaker or anything like that, but we’ve surmised from this that the behavior is encouraged unofficially because of the positive response from tourists. I just wish that one of the other tour guides, or the Belize Defense Force soldier or Police Officer were more aware of the law.

Apparently, few are aware of the law and Belize lacks the law enforcement power to prevent it from happening. Belize has only one forestry officer for the entire country – simply too much land for one person to patrol. It’s a tragedy in and of itself, but becomes more horrible when one realizes little Jack’s ultimate fate.

Apparently, Howler Monkeys can become very aggressive, especially males, as they reach sexual maturity; about 4-5 years of age. At this time, they are no longer cute, cuddly and photogenic so they are often euthanized. If you’re keeping track, the death toll is now at one entire group (possibly as many as 12-18) killed for a few lousy photographs.

Liz and I have taken the photos off this website. We do not wish to be associated with such immoral behavior and feel that this post should be a preliminary step in voicing our opinions about the horrible practice. We’ve been encouraged to contact the Belize Press and share with them our experience and renewed understanding so that maybe others can be made aware. Unfortunately, in Belize, ignorance of the law is grounds for dismissal of charges. If more are educated, then that may discourage this behavior and prevent others from capitalizing on this technicality.

A special thank you goes to Jerry and Colette for bringing this to our attention. You can read their comments here.