June 30, 2009
They call it "green season" down here but that's just a polite way to say wet and moldy season. Of course, part of the reason that I am so in touch with the weather is that we still basically live in the weather. The house we live in here is one big room with a large screened in porch attached to it. It's definitely cooler out there but when it rains, anything out there gets damp, including us. And, we've found out the hard way that damp is not a good thing. It seems like anything - bugs, damp, sun, food - messes with my skin. I've lived in Belize 18 years but this is a different Belize.
Of course, there's the up side. All this damp does make for the greenest green seen in nature and there are so many things on our to-do list. Next thing to do is the Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary. You drive out to Laguna Village which is only about 5 miles from the lodge. Then, going out into the bush with no end in sight is this raised boardwalk. Friends of ours have been out there and say the boardwalk goes on for at least a 45 minute hike and takes you to one of the most beautiful spots in Belize. It's a great birding spot so we are really looking forward to doing it soon.
OK, bird of the day is the Collared Trogon. He's our 3rd on property trogon and we've been hearing his loud call for days and finally spotted him. We can't get enough of these birds! More than makes up for the damp...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
It's really hot down here
June 14, 2009
We thought we knew hot in San Pedro, but it's a different kind of hot in southern Belize. It's so much more humid and, I guess, the fact that we work hard every day renovating makes it even hotter.
We have had a chance to see some things though. We went to Lubaantun and the Rio Blanco Falls last Sunday. Really nice ruin. We've been at most of the northern ruins and worked by Lamanai so we know what to expect. But, Lubaantun is such a nice setting and I like that it's not so reconstructed. It seems more real and you can get a feel of what it was like once upon a time.
We also got to visit two of the other lodges. First we went to Sun Creek. The cabanas are nice and it has a good feel, but we came away very satisfied with our property.
Same when we went to Cotton Tree Lodge. That's a much more pricy place than Tranquility Lodge, but so much harder to get to and I think the proximity to nature might be a problem for many guests there. All the cabanas are thatched and when the rainy season gets started the river floods the property so you have to stay on the boardwalks that connect the rooms to the dining room. Again, so satisfied with our place. Jealous of their money and marketing capabilities but not of the place itself.
I think our next tour will be to go out to Laguna and walk the boardwalk out to the Aguacaliente Wildlife Preserve. We were out in the village this week and hadn't realized how accessible the boardwalk is. So, now we know and off we go.
Bird of the week is the golden hooded tanager who has its nest in the travellers palm behind the lodge. Such a pretty little bird and a new one for the lodge list.
We had drive-in guests this weekend, too. Nice family from Tennessee - for us the perfect kind of guests. I wish we could keep the lodge full of families like them all the time.
Off to bed for me so I can get up and work on my tiling project tomorrow. Night...
We thought we knew hot in San Pedro, but it's a different kind of hot in southern Belize. It's so much more humid and, I guess, the fact that we work hard every day renovating makes it even hotter.
We have had a chance to see some things though. We went to Lubaantun and the Rio Blanco Falls last Sunday. Really nice ruin. We've been at most of the northern ruins and worked by Lamanai so we know what to expect. But, Lubaantun is such a nice setting and I like that it's not so reconstructed. It seems more real and you can get a feel of what it was like once upon a time.
We also got to visit two of the other lodges. First we went to Sun Creek. The cabanas are nice and it has a good feel, but we came away very satisfied with our property.
Same when we went to Cotton Tree Lodge. That's a much more pricy place than Tranquility Lodge, but so much harder to get to and I think the proximity to nature might be a problem for many guests there. All the cabanas are thatched and when the rainy season gets started the river floods the property so you have to stay on the boardwalks that connect the rooms to the dining room. Again, so satisfied with our place. Jealous of their money and marketing capabilities but not of the place itself.
I think our next tour will be to go out to Laguna and walk the boardwalk out to the Aguacaliente Wildlife Preserve. We were out in the village this week and hadn't realized how accessible the boardwalk is. So, now we know and off we go.
Bird of the week is the golden hooded tanager who has its nest in the travellers palm behind the lodge. Such a pretty little bird and a new one for the lodge list.
We had drive-in guests this weekend, too. Nice family from Tennessee - for us the perfect kind of guests. I wish we could keep the lodge full of families like them all the time.
Off to bed for me so I can get up and work on my tiling project tomorrow. Night...
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