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In, on and under the waters of tropical
Belize
By Bill Becher
LA Daily News
Correspondent
BELIZE _ Our guide motions us to be quiet as we paddle two-person
inflatable kayaks around the bend in the river.
On a large rock jutting out from the dense
green jungle, an 8-foot long crocodile suns itself.
This is just one of the many unforgettable
sights on the Ultimate Adventure, a 10-day tour of the caves,
reefs, jungle and rivers of Belize (formerly British Honduras),
a tiny country tucked between Mexico and Guatemala.
If variety is the spice of life, this trip
is pure habanero hot sauce.
"Every day you're doing something you've
never done before,'' said Tina Williamson, one of the 12 adventurers
on a recent trip. We had our choice of sea and river kayaking,
windsurfing, snorkeling, mountain biking, diving, caving and
hiking in a tropical rain forest.
Our first night was spent at the Tropical
Education Center, part of the Belize Zoo. After dinner we
took a special night zoo tour and saw jaguars, monkeys, tapirs
and ocelots. We also had the chance to hold and pet a boa
constrictor. The extremely poisonous fer-de-lance snake, on
the other hand, stayed in its cage.
The next day we hiked through lush jungle
and waded across a river several times en route to Actun Tunichil
Mucknal, a cave that was rediscovered in the 1980s. Along
the way, our guide suggested we nibble on a few of the termites
that live in a nest attached to a tree. Termites taste like
carrots.
Equipped with helmets and lights, we swam
across a pool of water at the entrance to the cave. We walked
_ often in water to our armpits _ about 500 yards into the
cave. We wriggled through an opening and entered a dry area
littered with Mayan artifacts _ pottery fragments and several
skulls and skeletons.
Our guide told us to turn off our lights,
and we stood in the inky darkness, trying to imagine what
it was like for the Mayans who used the cave for ceremonial
and burial purposes more than 1,000 years ago.
Later that day a motor launch took us seven
miles off the coast to Garbutt's Cay, a tiny island less than
75 feet wide in spots, where we camped in tents under palms
that swayed in the blustery wind.
We spent two nights here, going over the basic
skills of kayaking and snorkeling the mangroves and reefs
where we saw barracuda and large schools of sardines.
Our Belizean guide dug a pit in the sand and
lit a fire to cook fresh grouper with tomatoes and peppers
for dinner, accompanied by Greek salad, pasta, and cherry
and chocolate cheesecake. Delicious.
After we packed up our tents, the launch _
escorted by flying fish _ took us to Glover's Reef, a larger
island, where we stayed two nights in tent cabins.
Anglers can wade the tidal flats at Glover's
and fish for bonefish. The more adventurous can try diving, there is the chance to scuba dive
pristine reefs. The divers saw a nurse shark, colorful stoplight
parrotfish, spotted drum, a Bermuda grouper and many other
species of tropical fish and several moray eels.
A paddle upwind in the kayaks was followed
by an exciting run downwind under sail.
After returning to the mainland, we proceeded
to Hidden Valley Lodge, a luxurious outpost in the jungle
where we enjoyed showering in fresh hot water and a dip in
the pool and spa.
Dwane Roberge, one of our guides for the river
section of the trip, warned that during the next few days
in the jungle, we would often be wet. There's a reason they
call it rain forest. Some of the time we would be dragging
kayaks through shallow sections of the river.
The Macal River is remote _ there is no easy
way out once you're on it. Roberge carried a satellite phone
for emergencies and could call for a helicopter evacuation
if necessary.
Island Expeditions is the only company with
permits to explore the river, so we had it to ourselves, along
with freshwater crocodiles, scarlet macaws, blue heron, jaguars
and tapirs.
``It sounds like hell, but in a fun way,''
said Rebecca Hopkins, from London.
If you want to experience it, you might have
to hurry. The Macal River that we paddled may soon be underwater
_ a planned hydroelectric dam will flood the valley where
howler monkeys and jaguars roam.
Greg Sho, a diminutive Mayan who has worked
as a guide for National Geographic and various scientific
studies in the area, supplied a running commentary on the
jungle plants and animals. He told us that that gumbo limbo
tree is called the ``tourist tree'' because its bark peels
when exposed to a lot of sunlight. Many of the trees and plant
are used in bush medicine to treat malaria, snakebite and
other ills.
We spent four days paddling the slow-moving
river and tributaries, which were punctuated with occasional
sections of mild rapids. At night, as moonlight filtered though
lacy fig trees, we paddled upstream looking for tapir, Belize's
national animal. Known locally as the mountain cow, the tapir
has a large hippopotamus-like body and a long snout like an
aardvark.
By our last day on the river, we could spot
iguanas in the trees that line the river. When startled, the
iguanas drop into the river with a loud splash _ a defensive
move against possible predators, said Sho. He maneuvered a
kayak under one of the iguanas, slapped a paddle into the
water and the creature fell into his kayak.
Some locals consider green iguanas a delicacy.
But this one went back in the river.
We spent our last night at Pooks Hill, another
jungle lodge featuring thatched-hut cabins. We showered away
river mud and toasted our many adventures on the veranda.
Then it was home to a more mundane existence
where it doesn't rain iguanas and nobody eats termites. Borrrring.
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Extreme Escapes writer Bill Becher can be reached at billbecher@yahoo.com
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IF YOU GO
Island
Expeditions' 10-night Ultimate Adventure is offered from December
through April and costs $1,988 including food, lodging, in-
country
transfers and use of kayaks and dry bags. Participants should
be in good
physical condition. For a comprehensive pretrip information
packet, call
(800) 667-1630 or visit www.islandexpeditions.com.
For more information
about the fight to preserve the Macal River see www.savebiogems.org/macal.
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