We set up camp in the wildlife reserve and watched as the birds busied themselves through the dusk light. Yellow and green Vireos came to see what we were up to and as the dark came so did the lightening bugs. We watched them flit and flash about out of the window and relaxed for a quiet nights sleep.
We were of course wken by the dawn chorus of at least a thousand birds! Chirping vireos, screeching parrots and hummingbirds were our alarm and we sat in bed and watched birds all colours of the rainbow start the day.
One other thing we learned from one of the ladies at the reserve was why everything was so expensive in Belize (we stopped for fuel and a tank cost $125 USD = £80ish! which would normally cost us £60) is because of the heavy tax.(also hence Roberts upset at his $15 USD)
We tried to take a walk to see some more birds but recent rains had made the paths thick mud about ankle deep and we had seen lots of birds already so we set off on our adventure through Belize. We were to have a day of animals and headed first to the Baboon sanctuary. Belize is proudly the home of the endangered Black Howler monkey and has a great conservation programme in place to protect and encourage them. Our guide…again called Robert was brilliant. He told us all about the project which is mainly supported by tourism and involves all of the local farmers signing a pact to farm ‘monkey friendly’. He then took us on the short, yet EXTREMELY enlightening walk to see some monkeys in the wild. He told us of old Maya medicine using the plants around us, how they used to make stitches using ants before the days of needle and cotton and pointed out butterflies, seeds and trees and their uses. He took us into someones garden as he heard the monkeys and we watched as he made (as stupid as it sounds) a monkey noise and the monkeys came out to see what was going on. Robert pulled leaves from a plant on the ground and offered it up to one of the monkeys who shot down the branches and took it from him. He explained that they LOVE the plant on the ground but are scared of the dogs (of which there are always plenty). Robert handed out the leaves and before we knew it 3 young monkeys and their mother were in the branches just above us taking leaves from our hands, they even let us scratch behind their ears as they were busy with their leaves. After a minute or two playing a huge roar came from the trees and we all dropped our leaves and looked around for the T-Rex that MUST be heading our way! Robert chuckled at us and made a roar in response and pointed skyward at the Man of the house! He was not much bigger than the monkeys right near us but he made such a racket! He howled and howled and the more he went the louder he got.

The family soon scampered back to him and he shut up. Robert told us that the Howler monkey is the second loudest mammal on Earth…the first being a Lion.

We wandered back and listened as groups of monkeys near and far joined in howling their response. It was a great experience and one we never thought we would have. Seeing monkeys in the wild is one thing but them trusting one man enough to come so close to us was really toucing. Robert has worked closely with the village monkeys for years but would never handle them, take them from their natural habitat or feed them anything they could not really access themselves. He was a great guide and we had a great morning.

Next stop was the Belize Zoo. The zoo is another conservation / education project and only takes in animals that are injured, abandoned or that have been confiscated from people who have tried to keep them as pets. They try to release back to the wild where possible but most of the animals are too human conditioned to survive. We watched the Tapirs (Belize’s very own national animal) splash and play in their pool, the big cats of Belize prowl and even got to see a famous Jabiru stork, the largest wading bird in central America with an impressive wingspan of 2.5 meters. Each animal had its own personal story attached and printed for the visitors to read. Most are victims of poaching and being made homeless by developing land. They were sad stories but with happy endings. The enclosures were large and natural to their habitat and all the animals seemed happy in their new homes. On leaving there we decided we should head towards camp for the night in Gales Point, a tiny village in the river where the Garifuna make and teach how to play drums. That turned out to be a REAL adventure to say the very least!

Find out what happens next on our travelling wedding adventure!