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.

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:

About the only downside to the trip to ATM was the tour group. Mayawalk is not a tour company I’d recommend to any potential tourists. I hate to say this, because their prices are cheaper than the competition, but the experience could have been far better with a better company. “Why,” might you ask? There were a number of shortcomings:
Liz was ill so she couldn’t go. They charged me a 50% cancelation fee, explaining that they’d already purchased a lunch for her, etc. The lunch, while tasty, cost $4US. I know this because I bought lunch from the same place they did the day before. No other sacrifices were made on their part. They definitely didn’t turn any potential guests away. I realize a cancelation fee is almost always applied, but this was unbelievable; especially because of their next ding.

The trip started after 9:00. The instructions were to be there by 7:30 for an 8:00 a.m. departure. Over an hour late, we finally got out. I sat and waited, and waited and waited.
Did I mention this was the Friday before the nation’s independence day? By the time we did leave, there were children’s school parades all over the city of San Ignacio. Every road in town was blocked or occupied by a parade or traffic. We didn’t actually make it out of San Ignacio until after 10:00. Did I mention Liz and I had to drive back to Belize City that night?

Running two hours late, our guide kindly informed us that the tour was typically, 2:30-3:00 in length. However, since we’d gotten off to such a late start, we’d be pressing for the 2:30 mark. I guess this helps me get back to poor Lizzy sooner, but what the heck? You delay me by two hours, and now you’re telling me you’re going to cut my tour short too?!

My headlamp had dead batteries. The guide hooked me up with a janky headlamp that provided a warm, orange glow. I couldn’t see anything with it. He didn’t replace it until halfway into the tour. He replaced the batteris with two equally weak batteries. Twenty minutes later, my warm orange glow looked more like a faint, dying star off in the distance. Finally, he managed to hook me up with strong batteries.

The guide’s spotlight had weak batteries. He tried to show us the first feature, and his spotlight barely illuminated it. He then declared that he would only provide minimal lighting in order to preserve the battery. “Better have your cameras at the ready, I’m only going to shine this for a few seconds.”

We were rushed through lunch, barely given time to taste it, let alone enjoy it.

We practically sprinted in and out of the jungle. Not that big of a deal, but I like to take pictures, and who knows what I could’ve spotted along the way given more time.

The other guests were being driven back to Belize City, so they traded the guide and I off onto this hoopty minivan. It took them five minutes and an inspection of the engine to get it started. I couldn’t get the seatbelt to function on it.

To the guides credit, he did tell a great story, and I did thoroughly enjoy the experience, despite the constant grumblings of one of the other guests. He still shared some interesting stories and described how the Maya may have interpreted different features of the cave, such as the sacrifice victims and the rock formations. I really wish I’d been able to make the POV function for that trip. Sans video, it was still an excellent narration and I can’t for the life of me, remember all of the details.

Deep into the cave we started to come across various pottery and other artifacts of the Maya. There were a variety of pots and other articles, some broken to bits, some with just minor breaks. The guide gave us a very detailed explanation of the orientations of the different pots. It was actually quite remarkable.

Pots are broken to release their spirit. The Mayan believed that each piece of pottery housed a spirit. The pottery is a vessel for carrying food and water for the ceremony or rite. Once the practice was concluded, the Mayan would break the pot’s open. Some pots only had a chip removed from the rim, whereas others were smashed to bits. I don’t know if the smashed pots were symbolic of some other activity, a result of enthusiastic Mayan ritual, time and nature, or accident as some clumsy visitor might have stepped on them.

Some groups of pots were arranged in a very particular way. The pots would be set up with one upright, one on it’s side and one upside down. They symbolize the pre ceremony, partaking in the bounty, and conclusion of the ceremony, respectively. These two pictures together show the three pots. Other pictures didn’t quite capture the full array, unfortunately. Look closely at the individual pot. There is a small, round hole. Unfortunately, the light is too intense to see the accompanying crack. This procedure had a lot of meaning, as well. Rather than break the pot, the Maya would punch a hole in it and send the fissure through the pot. I cannot recall the symbology; and an internet search didn’t help either.

The next picture shows a human relief carving. Our guide was quick to point out the four fingers and four toes. “This has great symbology,” he said. “It symbolizes how difficult it is to try to draw/carve five fingers.” We realized he was making a joke, but it really was the case. Making five fingers fit is hard!

We saw a number of skeletal remains as well. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to make a separate gallery. So that will have to wait until a future post.