The Belize Zoo

November 2, 2018

So we started our day getting picked up by a very lovely, friendly, gentleman. He drove us from the docks of Belize City over to San Ignacio. This was a car ride that took several hours, but was actually as enjoyable as it could have been. The man said that he drives people back and forth from Hanna Stables all the time, so maybe if you go there you can say hi to him and tell him how much we appreciated passing the time with him.

On the way into San Ignacio we stopped at the Belize Zoo.

The Belize Zoo

Hello Kitty!

We all had something to eat and separated for a while. As we toured the zoo, a self guided type of deal we saw a hundred different animals. Well, at least more than 10. I guess you could say that I’m an animal enthusiast. And just as an introvert needs alone time to recharge their batteries, I just need animals.

Two Tapirs, one laying down, one standing, at the Belize Zoo
Tapirs, the national Animal of Belize

We saw many Tapirs, the national animal of Belize, as well as monkeys, crocodiles, deer, wild cats, large birds, snakes, and before we knew it we had met back up with our driver. It turns out he’s been to this zoo a lot, and he had all these tips about “This cat is usually laying down in this side of the enclosure,” and “I often see this one over here” we were there for a long time, and took ton’s of pictures. With the monotony of the drive officially interrupted, we were ready to continue the rest of the way to San Ignacio.

Hanna Stables

We were shown our room, and settled in to take a shower. It was hot and oppressively humid. I hung some things out on our porch to dry them out but they just collected even more condensation. The hazy sky never quite turned blue, just turquoise shades of gray and white, there was just so much moisture in the air. The visibility wasn’t great, but if it had been we would be able to see into Guatemala. Our host also pointed out some things to me. “In the morning,” he told me, “A toucan will come to our property. You will find it first in this tree, shortly afterward it will move to that tree, and then it will depart.”

The next morning, I watched that spectacle with wonder.