Blogs from Toledo District, Belize, Central America Caribbean - page 5

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Its Day Ten in Placencia and I have my laptop with me on our front porch. I’m looking at the two kayaks we paddled all morning, the coconuts our neighbors gave us, and my snazzy new Big Red Bike! I’m settling in remarkably well, and every day I’m learning a little bit more and knowing I’ll be staying a little bit longer! Within days of relocating to the tropics, my internal clock adjusted to match the eternal clock of the sun. If I somehow managed to sleep through the 99 decibel shrieking parrots at 05:45am, I have the pleasure of starting my day to a resounding chorus of birds, frogs, and more birds outside my window at 06:00! It’s OK, because all the action on the village street goes down in the morning - we are ... read more
Great marketing ploy
Me and Big Red! w/a Basket!
No snow here!


I'll be spending time in Belize (Central America) this Christmas vacation and I hope to write about it... stay tuned!... read more


So I know i haven't updated in a while. This is mostly because nothing significant has changed and the last thing I seem to want to do at the end of the day is recount how boring and miserable my day just was. So I will try for a few points: I'm leaving this coming friday afternoon (i hope) to meet up with mom and susan and then travel around a bit before heading home on the 14th. I'm really just anxious to get home, but hopefully the snorkeling and enjoying the sun will be enough to keep me occupied. I FINALLY had a chance to do some observations on the howler monkeys in our pre-release (cages in the jungle). We have 3 howlers: an adult male: Itch, a juvenile female: Toots, and an adult ... read more


We haven't updated the blog for a few days because we have been loafing about on beaches in sunny Belize. Penny has spent some time diving in and around the Southern Barrier Reef along Belize coastline. She had a great time and spent some of her first dive and all of her second dive surrounded by playful dolphins. She also saw big turtles, lobster, stingray etc. etc. meanwhile Darryl got in some serious hammock action on the beach. The trip to Hopkins Beach Belize from Guatemala was pretty straightforward. Four buses driven by the usual collection of lunatics but we arrived in one piece. We met some new friends in Belize including Jason and Christine from Yellowknife, northern Canada. Jason gave Darryl a book on how to defend himself from zombies. Meanwhile Penny met an American ... read more
Cockscombe jaguar sanctuary
Canoeing in the jungle
Crane, Heron, Stork or something


Well, I'm still horribly bored here and frustrated and generally unhappy. But I remembered to bring my camera down the other day and took a few pictures. This is Xupi (pronounced shoo-pee). I couldn't get a picture of Box (Bosh) because he's black and doesn't photograph well. But it is really pretty when he's in the sun because you can see that he has spots too. In Mopan (I believe that's the language it's from) Box means black and Xupi means "the last". they were the last 2 jaguars at a zoo (I believe a breeding program) and they're brothers. They're about 5 years old. I also recently learned that they're from South America and wild Jaguars here are only about 2/3 the size of ours. Then there are pictures of the toucan and the parrot ... read more
Xupi
toucan
parrot


So, I haven't updated in a while merely because I still don't have much positive to say and it seems silly to list all my grievances. But I will try my best. I will hopefully be able to start working a little more independently soon. I am learning how to let the jaguars in and out of their cage from their night cage (doors on a pulley system) although i don't really know how someone couldn't figure out how to do that... I'm also keeping Leo's keys now when he's not working, so I don't have to wait around outside the cages until someone opens them for me. Of course, I have little hope that I'll ACTUALLY be trusted to do anything considering I am still frequently told that I am cutting a banana incorrectly. Yesterday ... read more


The jaguars eat a total of 3 chickens between the two of them. i skinned them and cut them up today. and after several handwashings AND a shower, i still smell like dead chicken. yuck. Today Leo and I went out to clear some more of the area where a new monkey pre-release site will be set up (a very large area in the middle of the jungle). Leo taught me how to use a machete. He said I was really good at it, but i had a hard time believing him while I hacked at a twig and he felled a giant tree with one strike. I have a couple blisters now (mostly popped) but Leo still told me to stop while he finished up. It was raining of course so I hung out under ... read more


I've now had two full days of work (if you can call it that). I'm extremely frustrated here. This is very similar work to what i've done much of in the past (preparing diets, cleaning enclosures). And I understand that everybody has their individual preferences, but this is ridiculous. I've worked mainly with Marika and Leo (I'm basically learning Leo's tasks because he is usually on here on weekends). They are both very nice. However, they are teaching me to do things their way and scold when i do it differently. THEN Robin (in charge) returns to re-teach me everything i've already learned twice and tells me to do things completely differently. It also puts me in a difficult position because i have to remember to do things differently depending on who is around. I don't ... read more


Well I am finally at the Wildlife Care Center. My journey was strange. I had several rushes to make flights and several delays. Once I arrived in Belize City I found that my expected ride was not there (My plane had been quite late getting in). After many stressed phone calls I met up with a man who was serving as a guide to a school group (from a SUNY I believe) that were going to be having dinner at the same place I was going to be spending the night. It took about an hour or so on the bus (perhaps more) to get to Cheers, the restaurant and lodge I was staying at that night. The woman in charge was very friendly and even treated me to dinner because of the airport mix up. ... read more


So I am soon to depart for my 7 weeks in Belize. I'm heading out to intern at the Wildlife Care Center of Belize. I'll be there for the entire winter internship term of school. Hopefully the last few days will be spent meeting up and traveling with mom and susan (unfortunately it just overlaps with the time dad will be in Italy, so he won't be joining us). My trip seems to have mostly sorted itself out. I will be spending the night right outside of Belize City and then a day of bus trips until I arrive at the Wildlife Care Center. I'm under the impression that my tasks will mostly include working with the two captive (and unreleasable) jaguars as well as several tucans and other birds. And working to prepare a group ... read more




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