Jack. Jack is the howler monkey that brought huge smiles to our faces at Caracol, one of the Mayan Ruins. As a side note, we skipped out on Xunantunich and decided to do Caracol due to some influences by locals, or should I say, Chris and Jen from Table Rock Jungle Lodge. Chris and Jen recommended this ruin over the others and that is a separate post in itself. We will get to it, I promise! But I will tell you, it was AMAZING!!!

I told Courtney before we went, I want to see a monkey in the wild. I knew there was a good chance of that going to Belize. I have dreamed about monkeys since I was a little girl. So much in fact, that I painted one on my childhood bedroom wall. And tigers too! They are still on my list to see in real life (not just in a zoo, I want wild!!!)

Anyhow, we happened upon Thursday to Caracol to run into some baboons with no plans to see wild monkeys. We headed to Caracol, and as we approached the Mayan ruins after parking our car, we heard rambunctious noises coming from the jungle. Noises that sounded like a predator in battle with it’s prey. I didn’t know what to think of it untill the soldiers who assited us (again, another post in itself) told us that the sounds were coming from baboons (or howler monkeys) nearby. “Monkeys!?” I was so excited. “Will I get a chance to see these monkeys?!” “Yes, we can take you there after the next ruin.” After exploring a few ruins and patiently waiting for Courtney to climb one of the ruins in the second common ground, we finally started to approach the sounds we heard coming from the jungle. My heart was racing. I looked up into the trees from where the sounds were echoing and saw branches moving ever so slightly. On those branches, I saw itty bitty monkeys. THOSE LITTLE ANIMALS WERE MAKING ALL THAT RACKET? Are you serious? I couldn’t believe my ears!! They were little black monkeys hanging around the trees and trying to climb closer to us in curiosity of their new found friends. The sounds died down as they swung the branches above and worked closer to us to explore us. We admired and ooed and awed and tried to coax them closer to us, but they would only go so far. Courtney took several photos, trying to zoom in as much as possible.

The gallery below features our photos:

Piggy Backing on Courtney’s Post: Zip Lining in Belize: Part 1 of 2: We headed to the zip-line area after the black out and we  were guided by a nice worker there to the area. Along the way, there was a large pavilion which at first I believed to be the zip-lining site, but this seems to be more of the “break” area for the zip-line workers there. We met Harrison and Kent. They were both really nice gentleman and extremely patient with us as Courtney attempted a couple of different ways to mount the camera on the helmet from the front. While Courtney worked on mounting the camera, Kent helped me gear up. Soon after, Harrison worked on Courtney and later allowed Courtney to use his personal helmet to try and mount the camera. After a few attempts and realizing he did not bring the zip ties, he mounted the camera with a few piece of duct tape and we continued on with our journey.

Harrison and Kent led us up a trail with a buncha stairs to our first launch site. They told us a few tricks to zip-line and then we were off! We soared from ramp to ramp above the Belize jungle. We soared, we laughed, we giggled, we squealed. It was an absolute blast and an incredible experience. I had been waiting years to do this. Since I was a little girl. It was everything I ever dreamed of. Although, I wish it lasted longer! It took us about 20-30 minutes to complete the course. But it was worth it!

Here are the photos. Look for video in the near future!

When we arrived in Belize, we  took a 20 minute break and then hopped on a flight at the International airport to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The 20 minute break led to an interesting rum punch from Jet’s, a bar in the airport. That is a post in itself.

The Mayan Air flights turned out to be the exact price we thought- as long as you pay in cash. It was reliable and left on time.

In this post I want to focus on the great photos we got from our 20 minute flight from the Goldson International Airport to the San Pedro Airstrip. The excitement was extreme as we boarded a small, 8 passenger plane, with two other couples venturing to the Ambergris Cayes. The photos are spectacular and the video as well. The videos we are still working on and will eventually add them to the site.

While I prepared properly with shots and pills to avoid sickness while in Belize, I can say that both Courtney and I did not come down with anything significant. Whether we were just lucky or just over-concerned, all that matters is that we were fortunate not to have any accidents with broken bones, sickness, hurricanes or anything of the sort.

When we purchased travel insurance we weren’t entirely thrilled about spending the money on it.  In the end- it turned out to be worth the money invested for the peace of mind. I do still recommend it. Especially with how crazy it is driving on the roads in Belize. That is a post in itself. Oh MY!

The first day Courtney and I were in Belize we scheduled a snorkel trip with Ecologic Divers to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley thanks to the help of Beaulah from Cocotal Inn and Cabanas. Originally, Courtney and I were hoping to get on a snorkeling trip to see the Manatees. That trip would allowed for a stop on Caye Caulker, which we never got to check out except for a brief stop on the water taxi from Ambergris Caye to Belize City. The manatee trip is a full day trip, while the snorkeling trip we partook in was a half day trip.

We were greeted by Ted on the dock at Cocotal Inn and cabanas around early afternoon. Yes, they come and pick you up at the location you are staying if there is a dock there. Otherwise they might arrange for the nearest public dock. One great thing about Cocotal Inn and Cabanas is the dock. They are actually one of the only properties on Ambergris Caye that extends from the beach side to the lagoon side. You can view the sunset over the lagoon and watch the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean, all within steps of each side!

Getting back to Snorkeling, we hopped on the boat and arrived at Ecologic Tours where we were fitted with the proper equipment needed for our snorkeling trip. Courtney did not need anything and I only needed a set of flippers. Cocotal Inn and Cabanas does not allow you to take flipper out on adventure snorkel trips, you can only borrow their equipment for activities off their dock or using their ocean kayaks. Makes sense, they don’t want to lose their equipment.

After about 30 minutes of getting ourselves together, we hop on the boat with Ted and Charlie (the tour guides) and head towards Hol Chan. It’s about a 10-20 minute boat ride to get to Hol Chan. We arrive and see a boat sitting on the water with some really bored looking park rangers on it. To go to Hol Chan, you must pay a park fee (which Ecologic Divers notifies you about in price of the trip up front). We gear up and jump into the water. I get in the water a few minutes before Courtney as he is getting the underwater HD camera together. I immediately see a large turtle swimming off in the distance. I swim over and follow him for a minute before worrying if I might get in trouble leaving the group. I head back to the boat and Courtney had just jumped in the water with the HD Cam. I start taking shots with Courtney’s underwater camera that he received as a gift. It’s a great underwater camera. Ted leads the group and shows us lots of cool fishies. We see an eel, grouper, jack, etc. Courtney would be better at naming the exact species of fish we saw. There were so many, I was overwhelmed. They also just point out the species of fish and it’s hard to identify the name of the species as everyone is busy snorkeling/underwater and communication via words is hard to follow. Regardless, we saw some really cool things, including sting rays and brightly colored coral.

Commercial Break for Part two: Shark Ray Alley and chumming…Please visit our friend Marie at Belize Hot Card and learn how you can save lots of $ on your trip to Belize!