In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle...

---

5 delirious hours on the bus brought us to La Milpa Field Station on the Northwestern border of Belize this past Friday. One thing that never ceases to amaze me while I’m here is the lack of infrastructure. Our path to La Milpa looks something like a 30 degree angle, all the way over to Belize City, and then back across, up to the Northwestern border. La Milpa also goes by the name Programme for Belize- An Opportunity for Positive Action. How word gets out about this place I will probably never know, but I'm certainly glad it does. Sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Audobon Society, they basically educate Belizeans and tourists alike about the jungle, fauna, animals, and importance of preservation. We spent much of our time taking guided nature hikes and birding, though the highlight was easily going night spotting in the trucks. Clearly, the hope for most of us was to catch a glimpse of a big cat, or a gnarly snake, but alas only the owls were out. Not to say the suspense wasn't enough fun. Between the noise from the truck, and our tone-deaf bellowing, any potential sightings no doubt heard us from miles away. There isn't a lot to do at La Milpa if you don't have an interest in the forest or Mayan Ruins. We had loads of down time to explore the reserve, kick it in the hammocks, digest the enormous meals, and bone up on our volleyball skills. Hmm, I almost forgot the machete, this trip fostered a newfound love for the many uses of a machete in many members of the group. As luck would have it, machetes are $12BZ at the nearby supermarket. Not surprisingly, many of us are now the proud owners of machetes. What we will actually use them for, I have no idea. I'm sure that customs will have fun with them...
La Milpa is the name given for an unexcavated Mayan site, which he hiked into on sunday. There is certainly something to be said for seeing an unexcavated site, especially after visiting so many restored sites. The trees are all enormous, since the area is protected, and it lets your imagination take over. A rope had been put in place on the main temple, so you could ascend it, for a view of the surrounding area. We were also fortunate enough to have some spider monkey sightings at the site. A couple of them gave us a show, leaping from tree to tree as we passed along. Unfortunately, they don't pause long enough to get a good look at them, let alone a picture. After the ruins, we all climbed back into the van for many hours of unpaved roads and nausea. The road experience is helping me to learn to be able to sleep under any conditions, at least I can say that for it.

---

Photos

Ramone and the Mahogany Tree
Our field guide Ramone, discussing the age, and girth of the tree.

Imposter Snake
We almost stepped on this guy, apparantly he is nearly identical to a fertilantz (sp?) which we are told is rather posinous if one is bit by one.

Comments

[Dad]

oh
Don't step on the snakes, they get mad!