Gringo in Belize

Mike found a Jerry Jeff Walker song that he likes.

Well he came down on vacation, 'cause he liked the tropic sun
Margaritas and the music, made it all seem fun
He bought a piece of heaven on the Carribean seas
He's a happy little camper in Belize

He began to build a condo, but the labor cost was high
His partner stole his money, that left him high and dry
His land is still a mudhole, where you sink up to your knees
And he's just another gringo in Belize

He's a planner, he's a dreamer, he's a sordid little schemer
Seems to think that money grows on trees
He's a whiner, he's a loser, he's a pothead, he's a boozer
He's just another gringo in Belize

Well he used to have a girlfriend that now he can't afford
Since one of his investments got busted at the border
He wasted all his money paying bribes and fines and fees
And he's just another gringo in Belize

Oh, he sold his motorcycle, somebody stole his boat
They ran it on the reef and now the damn thing just won't float
The only thing's that free is mud, mosquitoes and the breeze
And he's just another gringo in Belize

Okay, so it's just a song, but it's tempting.

However, two half built condos across from us convince us not to make real estate decisions while under the influence of sun and coconut vodka.

Pedal Boat

We haven't had the chance to pedal boat since we left the lake in Pistcataway,  (We considered living by the river in  Riverside, but couldn't find it).

We did have to disturb some cormorants when we pedaled out to a raft.  After some discussion, they let us on.

Back to Belize: Cayo Espanto

We returned to Belize a third time for Mike's 60th. Since we liked the overwater villa in Fiji, we decided on Cayo Espanto in Belize that has one overwater villa.  

Getting there is half the fun. (Or is it getting there is half the trip).

Here's one of the reasons we came to Belize

Photographed while having rum drinks on the veranda.

Birding at Belcampo

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Keel-billed Tuocan



Collared Aracari

It's been a busy day; there's barely time to blog. Here are some photos from today's adventures.

Wow, birding at Crooked Tree Sanctuary

Blue-Grey Tanager eating a papaya

Squirrel Cuckoo

Rose-thriated Becard

Yucatan Jay

Laughing Falcon

Black-collared Hawk

Limpkin

Bare-throated Tiger Heron


Green Kingfisher

We took a boat tour of the lagoon the first thing in the morning. We saw a laughing falcon and the Limpkin and many other birds on the boat. We thought our captain, Robert, was quite knowledgable, so we booked him for a private land outing for the afternoon. Once back from the early morning boat birding, we explored the grounds around the lodge and were pleasantly surprised by some papaya trees - we love papayas, they are a super food after all, and many of the birds were enjoying them which keeps them in one spot for a bit longer than some of the smaller warblers. We were reminded of the saying, make new friends but keep the old, because some old bird friends from our time in New Jersey were here in Belize along with us, i.e., the gray catbird and the northern Cardinal. We spotted the bare-throated tiger heron on our own. Around 12:30 it finally got too hot for us even in the shade, so we took a break until heading out again with Robert at 3:30. Mike spotted the becards and Robert helped us find many new life birds for us including a squirrel cuckoo and Yucatan Jays. Not too bad for our first full day out. At the end of the day, we found out why the laughing falcon got its name. When we saw it in the morning, we didn't hear it's call at all. In the afternoon, we heard one calling in the distance and it sounds just like a laugh.

Arrival at Crooked Tree Lodge

After 6 hours of flying and an hour of driving, we arrived at Crooked Tree Lodge about an hour before sunset. We got settled and got in 30 minutes of bird watching before it got dark. We are looking forward to tomorrow, there are lots of birds around.






Northern Jacana



Little Blue Heron