Monkey River

We went on a 6 hour Monkey River and jungle tour with our excellent guide, Alfred Williams. Having grown up in Monkey River Village and being a guide for many years, Alfred knew everything there is to know about the river, birds, trees, flowers, fish, lagoon, and jungle! We ate lunch in the small village (which only got electricity 3 years ago!) And Alfred showed us around town, including the house he grew up in, a pet gibnut, and main street.

We saw lots of cool birds throughout the lagoon and along the river! Notice the 6 bats on the branch in the last picture.

It was fun to see crocodiles from the safety of our boat! Julie even conquered her fear and posed for a picture with one!

The jungle was awesome! Alfred knew all the trees and how the bark, roots, leaves, fruit and seeds were used for food, medicine, shelter, canoes, weapons, and tools.

We also saw spiders, termites, a crazy braided vine, and... a couple of jaguar footprints.

The howler monkeys were eerily loud...like something from a scary movie! We could hear them from a long way off, but they were really loud when we were right under them and Alfred was hitting the tree they were in with his machete!

The most amazing part of the jungle (for us) was the bamboo! SO huge and breath taking!

The boat ride along the river was so beautiful and peaceful!

Kayaking the Caribbean

We kayaked along the shore into town...neat to see things from another perspective!

Operation Christmas Child

This past Sunday, the children at Calvary Chapel in Seine Bight received Christmas shoeboxes! Even though they were a little late getting here, the kids were very excited to receive this special gift! They also learned about the best gift of all...God's son, Jesus Christ!

Signs in Placencia

Fish On!

Using sardines for bait, Gregg's redneck line finally caught something edible (last catch was a green moray eel) - a barracuda about 20" long. We fileted the cuda and the sheepshead for dinner!

Other fish caught the same day by fishing pole: a small but very pretty yellow tail snapper, a sheepshead (about 2 pounds, check out the teeth!), and a knobbed porgy.

The following day I caught a brown ray on the ol' redneck line off the dock.

Drumming and Dancing

Last night after dinner, while sitting on our veranda, we heard drumming coming from the village. We decided to go into town and check it out. We followed the music to find Garifuna drumming, singing and dancing! Julie even got out there and danced!

Interesting Sunset

Wildlife

We are continually amazed at the variety of wildlife we get to experience here right off our front veranda!

Lunch Spots

We have found we can eat lunch in town REALLY cheap! Depending on what we get, it's between 6-12 dollars Belize...that's $3 to $6 US for both of us! For example, 2 big burritos cost us $5 US, and that includes the tip!

Doing Our Part

It all started with a toilet seat that had washed up into the mangroves behind our condo. (Trash washes up continuously and gets trapped in the mangroves.) Gregg decided he could climb out there like a monkey and retrieve it. One piece of trash led to another which he tossed out along the edge...15 bags later, over three mornings, and the mangroves look much better!

Seine Bight

Since it was a cooler day, we decided to ride the 5 plus miles to Seine Bight and do some exploring. Seine Bight is a small, fishing village where the Garifuna people live.

Here's a video of our ride as we entered town.

Our first stop was for a typical Belizean lunch at Vern's located on the main road. Julie had stew chicken, rice and beans, slaw, fried plantains, and coconut bread. Gregg had stew pork chop, stew beans, rice, slaw, fried plantains, and coconut bread. Both meals were excellent! We were also served (fresh out of the oven) a sweet bread/cookie? which was delicious!

Even though Seine Bight is where we attend church each Sunday, we really hadn't spent much time in the village. While the people here don't have much, they are very friendly and seem happy.

As these pictures show, most of the homes are small and pretty run down.

For such a small village, the school is big and really nice. The playground looks pretty new!

Lola's Art

One of the reasons Julie wanted to go into Seine Bight was to check out Lola's Art Studio. We have seen her art work around town and in our condo! Julie loves the bright colors, the patterns in the clothing, and the joy they portray!

It was hard to choose (within the budget!) from all of Lola's beautiful pieces, but these are two pieces Julie ended up picking out! Lola said the one of the three ladies is called "Water, Food, and Clothing"...the three most important things needed after a flood or hurricane! Love them!

Twilight

Homes in Placencia

Here is a sampling of homes in Placencia Village. As you can see, the locals like using bright colors!