August 18
Life in the jungle: I didn’t fall asleep right away, probably as a result of yesterday’s nap. I set my alarm for 4:30 AM, as today I head to Placencia. Rather than leave my bike in the village all week, I walked the two miles out to the bus stop.
On the bus, I saw a jabiru stork on my way to Belmopan. I arrived in Independence at 2 PM, time enough to catch the 2:30 PM Hokey Pokey water taxi to Placencia.
By the time I was checked in and settled in at the Anda Di Hows Hostel, I found myself too exhausted to care (about anything). So, after I finally got something to eat, I drank beers in a hammock.
August 19
Life in the jungle: By my standards, I slept in this morning. I took a multi-hour walk around the area first thing. Placencia is its own version of a beach community. San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins, and Placencia are all similar, but different. It’s very quiet right now, being the slow season of the year. I can only imagine it during the busy season.
Generally, when I visit these beach villages, a sense of boredom comes over me. Placencia was no different. Right away, I miss the howler monkeys. I often get a sense of renewed appreciation for home in the jungle.
In the afternoon, I relaxed by editing 10 social media reels. I then headed out to meet some people from the Crocodile Research Coalition and took a boat ride out to this place that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. Wherever we were, they had 6-7 crocodiles housed in large enclosed pens that couldn’t be released back into the wild. They went out there to feed them. Upon returning back to Placencia, I basically did nothing.
Crocodile pens
For reference, apparently, if you want to visit the crocodiles under normal circumstances, you have to go through a tour company and pay a whopping $80 USD for a two hour tour. All moneys go back to supporting the research station. Because the money went back to supporting the cause, and only because it was going back to the cause, I was willing to pay.
Resident crocodiles
What happened with me was that this is the slow season, so I was told to just meet with some of the caretakers when they went out to feed the crocs. So, we took a boat tour through the lagoon to reach the location, which was nice. Nothing official, like.
But they never really taught or explained to me anything if I didn’t ask. I was hoping to learn a few things about the crocs here in Belize. But if I didn’t ask, no information on the crocs was volunteered, which was disappointing.
I did learn that the local population in the lagoon is very low due to land development. They basically study the crocs, but as far as I could understand, there is no plan to deal with the falling population. I also inquired about the deformed and sick crocodiles they keep finding in the New River. They don’t seem to have any definitive answers, but they are naturally assuming farming pollution.
Photos of deformed crocodiles on the New River – very scary
Personally, I think if the crocodiles found on a specific river are now deformed, this is a huge emergency. If whatever it is can do this to a crocodile, what is it doing to human fetuses of the people living on the river? As someone who would love to canoe the various rivers in Belize, I am extremely apprehensive about getting anywhere near the New River.
Anyway, I’m very glad I didn’t have to pay for the trip; I would have been very disappointed. One of the people there was a young guy from New Hampshire who was an intern there for the last two months. He was extremely knowledgeable and experienced with reptiles. For the last two months, he has been paying $50 USD a day (including meals, lodging, and transportation), and he says the experience has been absolutely amazing. I believe him, but I could only dream of spending $50 USD a day to study crocodiles.
The sun set at the crocodile research station
I find myself bored. Unsure about what to do with the rest of my week. Mostly, I want to return home.
August 20
Life in the jungle: Placencia is hot, too hot. With no breeze, it seems way hotter than home. I rented a bicycle this morning. Things cooled down a bit as I biked into a bit of a breeze.
I was able to find one of my favorite foods in Belize – Mexican tacos.
I’m not sure why they are so hard to find in this country – 1000 times better than Belize tacos.
When I got to Seine Bight, I got a flat tire. Luckily, a local stopped and directed me to walk the bike into the village to his house for a repair. The only thing was that he was heading in the opposite direction with a weed eater. He said he wouldn’t be long. His directions were vague; he just mentioned the primary school. So, after reaching the primary school, I waited about an hour and a half. That was when a passerby asked me what was up. I told him. He said you just go between the houses, and that’s where the shop was. Crikey, that was a waste of an hour and a half.
I then biked to the end of the peninsula – 25 kilometres. On the way back, I got another flat tire from the new patch. I had to hitchhike twice to get back to Seine Bight and end up buying a new tube. At least I knew exactly where to go this time. SMH.
From the peninsula and back to Placencia was 53 kilometres. I probably hitchhiked 7-8 of those kilometres. I picked up the bike at about 9 AM and got back about 5 PM. It was a long day.
I think I am ready to go back home. I am just not vibing with Placencia very well. Time to cut my losses and head back to paradise. I’m not even interested in going to Punta Gorda anymore.
A bizarre-looking chapel on the ocean – obviously expat-designed and attended
This evening, I found a vendor that had some mangosteen and Manila mango (tiny). The Manila mango was really good. Generally, when I eat mango, I experience a slight burning sensation, but not with the Manila variety.
Some research on the burning sensation suggests that the experience is actually pretty common. Mango skin (and the flesh right under it) contains urushiol, the same compound found in poison ivy, poison oak, and cashew shells. Some people are more sensitive than others, so when you eat a mango right up to the skin, the urushiol can irritate the delicate skin of your lips and mouth, causing a burning, tingling, or rash-like reaction. It’s not usually dangerous unless you’re highly allergic, but it can get worse with repeated exposure. Some people even develop “mango mouth” — swelling, redness, and irritation around the lips.
I am feeling today’s bike ride this evening. The sun specifically.
I have no idea what a house that looks like this is even doing in Belize.
August 21
Life in the jungle: By the time I was asleep last night, I realized I was sick. Man, Placencia is just giving it to me. My joints and body were mildly sore, and I slept very poorly.
It’s not a good idea to travel in Central America while you’re sick. Nothing good happens as a result. But I gotta get out of this village. Fortunately, I was on the 6 AM Floralia Coach bus. So, while I didn’t feel great, I would be traveling in style. The cost was only $27 BZ. The crazy thing was the coach was only an extra $3.50 USD to Belize City. This is my first time on a Floralia bus.
Unfortunately, I can’t take these coach buses south as they leave Belize City far too late in the day.
We left Placencia at 6 AM and were in Belize City at 11:10 AM. If only the bus driver hadn’t played the music excessively loud, I would have considered it a very comfortable ride.
I was back in my village shortly after 1:30 PM, and after I walked home through my lovely jungle, I was weakened from being sick. I took a ten-minute break in the hammock and then outside to move dirt around the greenhouse floor expansion.
