Finally, a new adventure!

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After a couple months of isolation and not being able to do anything, we finally got the opportunity to go on a new adventure. A friend of ours invited us to come along with him up to a secluded lake for the day. It was a  beautiful 2 1/2 hour drive on a dirt road up into the jungle. Of course the farther in we got, the rougher the road got, but nothing our truck couldn’t handle. The Jeep would have been fun, but it hasn’t been road tested enough yet.

Next week this road would not be here.
Next week this road will be totally overgrown.

As we approached the lake, the road ended and down in the water tied to a tree was a boat. We packed all our gear onto the boat and headed out onto the lake for some fun.

Talk about parking in the middle of nowhere.

It’s a good size man-made lake that we were told is about 20 miles or so long with lots of side arms that go deep into the jungle. It’s a very interesting lake with one shoreline being all pine trees and the other shore just raw, dense jungle.

A very secluded lake with no one else around.

Around every corner of the lake there was something new and interesting to see. There were shale cliffs, old mahogany trees sticking up, palm trees growing in the water and even a place where there was calcium formations where water was dripping out that they called ‘whisky water’.

A big old mahogany tree in the lake.
You can see the “Whisky Water” dripping out of the calcium formations.

There were so many different types birds on the lake that day and they didn’t really care how close you got to them. That could be because we were in the only boat that’s on that lake.

The Great Egret, one of many birds we saw that day.

We have seen many unbelievable animals and creatures in Belize, but there are a few on our bucket list to see out in the wild. One is the national animal of Belize, the Tapir, which we have seen up close at the Belize zoo, but never out in the wild. As we were cruising the shoreline we spotted one on the bank just standing there eating. We got the boat right up close to the shore and he didn’t seem to care too much, probably because he’d never seen a human before. We took pictures and watched him for awhile before he decided to move on. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience, until we came across another one sitting in the water cooling off. It was amazing that we saw two in one day, something we will never forget.

Up close to a big wild Tapir.

In case you are wondering, the Baird Tapir or Mountain Cow is the national animal of Belize. They are the largest land mammal in Central America and will get up to 600-plus pounds. They are a gentle and solitary creature, that are closely related to the rhino and the horse (I know that sounds weird). Even though they are the national animal, people still illegally hunt them putting them at risk of being endangered.

His nose is sorta like a small elephant snout.

We have seen a lot of amazingly beautiful birds since we’ve been here, but there was one on our list that is rarely seen because there are only a few hundred of them in Belize. Well, we were lucky enough to actually see and get pictures of a beautiful Scarlet Macaw out in the wild. We have seen them in other countries before and at the zoo here, but never a wild one in Belize.

A beautiful Scarlet Macaw.

Another animal on our list of ones to see in the wild is a jaguar. Our friend said that it was just last week, up by the lake that he spotted one. I know it’s just a matter of time before we will see one and hopefully get a few good pictures.

From head to tail the Scarlet Macaw is about 36″

After a great day it was finally time to fire up the grill on the boat for some tacos and a few cold Belikins. We found a nice old tree to tie the boat up to overlooking palm trees in the water and a grassy beach. It was an awesome day on the lake with friends, but it was time for us to start making our way back home. Our two friends decided to stay up there for a couple more days before heading back down. On their way back we invited them to stop by for a cold beer since we knew they would be out of beer and ice by time they got back down the hill. And we were right.

Our lunch spot looked like a set out of a movie.

It’s amazing the friendly and interesting people you meet here who are so willing to share with you their stories and their amazing country. We look forward to meeting more people and seeing more of this wonderful place. And yes I will now say it…It was Unbelizeable!

6 thoughts on “Finally, a new adventure!”

  1. I loved this adventure and actually felt like I made it too. Especially since I would never be brave enough to do it. It was written so great and made me understand and picture every scene better than a movie. You both know I love you and have for years. 👍

    1. Thank you Peggy, you know we love you too. As soon as we can get back to Arizona we will stop by and take you out to lunch somewhere special.

  2. Wow, what a cool spot! I love that kind of place, almost like you’re the first ones to ever be there (well except for the boat…).
    While hiking with Brice and Brennan in the desert near our house yesterday we found a US General Land Office survey marker from 1916! Pretty amazing

  3. Once again, living vicariously through both of you with your beautiful pictures and adventures.. .. what a very cool experience and trip! Thanks for the ride :)))

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