Beautiful aracari at duPlooys Jungle Lodge.
It seems like the sun has found Belize again. Yeah! Looking back on the calendar and we've had about five weeks of rain...almost everyday. But it seems like we are back to our sunny and warm (hot) days.
Yesterday we took advantage and decided to canoe down the Macal river. Adam and I did this trip with Sheri and Victor. It was so nice and my mom was eager to see Belize from the water. We made arrangements with duPlooys Lodge to rent the canoe. They also came to town to pick us up. I have to say that this is a really good deal. They charge $60US per canoe...not per person. That's a pretty reasonable price for an activity that lasts the better part of a day.
Yesterday we took advantage and decided to canoe down the Macal river. Adam and I did this trip with Sheri and Victor. It was so nice and my mom was eager to see Belize from the water. We made arrangements with duPlooys Lodge to rent the canoe. They also came to town to pick us up. I have to say that this is a really good deal. They charge $60US per canoe...not per person. That's a pretty reasonable price for an activity that lasts the better part of a day.
Once we got out to the lodge (about twenty minutes from town) we had lunch in their tree top restaurant. The free entertainment included seven aracaris that came in for lunch at the same time. So beautiful! Before I came to Belize, I had no idea that I was a birder. Apparently, I love birds. I've decided to build a feeder for our yard. I would love to see these guys all the time. They come through once in a while but obviously they can be bribed with a daily platter of fresh fruit!
Mom ready to start the great adventure.
Once lunch was consumed and the birds had moved on, we walked the trail down to the river to pick up our canoe. We opted to go without a guide this time. It's a very gentle river with only a few small rapids.
When we did this trip with Sheri and Victor we started at Chaa Creek lodge. Chaa Creek is only a mile or so down the road from duPlooys but it's a whole lot farther by river! We were a full three hours on the water. That's a lot of paddling for people who don't canoe! The Macal is a very slow moving river so sometimes if we quit paddling the wind would pick up and actually push us back upstream! Let's just say that after three hours my butt and shoulders were more than happy to be out of the canoe!
When we did this trip with Sheri and Victor we started at Chaa Creek lodge. Chaa Creek is only a mile or so down the road from duPlooys but it's a whole lot farther by river! We were a full three hours on the water. That's a lot of paddling for people who don't canoe! The Macal is a very slow moving river so sometimes if we quit paddling the wind would pick up and actually push us back upstream! Let's just say that after three hours my butt and shoulders were more than happy to be out of the canoe!
All whining aside, it was an amazing day. There is something about water that melts the stress away. Good for the soul! And to top it off just right, we stopped for ice cream cones on the way home. I mean really, does it get any better?