Paradise Belize
Actually, it would have been quite a place. One where we could have stayed for several days. One that could even have been a contender for the top 10 of the most fantastic wild camping sites of our whole trip. Had it not been for that one night...
... it had already begun with the fact that after sunset these nasty sand fleeces appeared again, which seem to have found their heaven on my skin. We are itching, burning and aching all over our bodies. We use Anti-Brumm, set up mosquito spirals and spray our car from top to bottom with an extra strong local "anti-bug spray", which we ourselves almost choke on. The critters are not impressed by all this. At some point we nod off due to overtiredness and sleep for about two hours until we are woken up again ... by an engine noise.
I start up and listen carefully. We have set up our camp for the night quite remotely on a river, and actually I didn't expect to find a soul around here, especially not at night. I look at the clock - it is 1.00 o'clock. The noises get louder and louder and there is no doubt - a vehicle is approaching us. No sooner had this thought come to mind than I see the flickering of the headlights from a distance...
... less than 30 seconds later a pick-up truck shoots out of the forest behind us with a howling engine and comes to a halt about three metres away from us. Three men get out. They keep the engine running. Now Mathias is awake too and I am thinking about what I read in the newspaper that not far from our location two travellers were murdered in their van last year. Now we are getting a lot of anxiety - what do they want here?
As usual we parked our car on "escape". I'll get downstairs and get ready for us to leave. Meanwhile I keep an eye on the men at all times. I can see in the darkness that they are taking a canoe down from the pickup truck and launching it. They also use flashlights to illuminate the opposite bank of the river. They are very quiet, speak softly and do not seem to be interested in us. Now my heartbeat slows down again and I am quite sure that there is no danger from these people. So I go back to bed and try to fall asleep. But I only manage this an hour later when the men leave by canoe at 02.00 o'clock. When they come back at 04.00 o'clock, we are woken up one last time that night. But we had already expected this. Were these men hunters? Was it a night hunt? We'll never know.
Undaunted we get up the next morning and pack up our things again earlier than we had hoped and drive off. So we stay on the search for THE perfect place to stay overnight in the wilderness, where everything is just right...
To get to our next destination, we take the Coastal Highway, an easy to ride dirtroad and clatter through wild jungle scenery. The beautiful nature and the feeling of endless freedom compensate for the last night. Towards evening we arrive in Placencia and are allowed to camp for free at one of the countless resorts, which stand here next to luxury villas of rich Americans or Canadians. The only condition of the owners is that we eat at their restaurant once a day while we are here - an insane deal! After two days we feel a little out of place next to all the other guests who pay 250 USD per night for their room and move on.
Belize is really small. So we already leave our southernmost point in the country with Placencia and head for the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. This is a sanctuary that was the first in the world to be established to protect jaguars. Of course we want to see the majestic cats of prey in the wild and inform ourselves in the Visitor Center about possible hikes. Although the cats are mainly out at night and it is very unlikely to see them, we do find weekly entries in the logbook from sightings on the access road to and in the park. And these are only those that were spotted on the way into the park ... at least that's what we assume. Or who would turn around again on the way out, just because of the logbook entry? So we can hope...
With the help of the ranger, we draw up a master plan that should give us the best chances to get wildlife in front of our lens. So we turn into the almost 7km long Antelope Trail in the late afternoon. It doesn't take long until wild jungle surrounds us, lianas hang around and dark green almost devours us. The forest is alive, we hear noises everywhere and walk on quiet feet. Every time we hear a rustle near us, we stop, peer into the jungle ... and can't recognize anything. The vegetation is just too dense and so we only have the yield of: 1 white-tailed deer (nothing special now), 1 Spectacled Owl (after all...) and 1 leaf sheath ant trail.
With our heads lowered we come back and try our luck after a small snack at the next trail. This time we walk along the access road to an airplane wreck. The straight road used to be a landing strip for small airplanes, which collected the populations of the jaguars living here from the air. In 1984 a pilot made a mistake during take-off, got his wing tangled in a tree and was back on the ground faster than he wanted to. Both occupants fortunately survived. The hike to the wreck is quite nice, but here again: No animals.
The next morning we get up early again and start the Tiger Fern Trail at dusk. "Tiger" is here by the way the name for jaguars. If this is not a good omen...
This hike leads steeply up the mountain to a viewpoint where we have an impressive view over the whole jungle and then steeply downhill to a natural pool with small waterfalls. Sweaty we jump into the cool water and are happy about the free shower. Unfortunately, the effect doesn't last for long, because afterwards we have to go up everything on the way back and after only a few minutes we are back to the old state as far as body hygiene is concerned.
Unfortunately we have to register a big fat 0 again in the category "animal sightings".
Fortunately the next park is not far away and since we are in full hiking mode at the moment, we also stop at the Mayflower Bokwina National Park. From now on we torture our way up another mountain, this time to the Antelope Waterfall, and arrive at the top, ready to go, but are rewarded again with a beautiful view (all the way to the sea!) and a cool down in a natural pool. On the descent we decide to do more sports from now on. Haha!
On the same day we continue to Belmopan, where soon the next highlight is waiting for us...
