2005 Daily Journal

Day Five: Saturday, July 23, 2005

2005 Q & A

Contrasting environments were our morning and afternoon. We traveled from the rainforest of Cockscomb River Basin Jaguar Sanctuary to the coral beaches of Placencia. The distance from the mountains to the sea is 30 miles as the crow flies.

Last night, after we arrived at the Jaguar Sanctuary, we searched for nocturnal wildlife. We heard Red-eyed Tree Frogs peeping to attract mates, and found eggs, tadpoles and adult frogs. It rained all night on the tin roof of our cabin which was not unexpected since we were in a true rainforest which gets 130 to 180 inches of rain per year. Do you know how many feet of rain that is?

We woke in our bunks to a chorus of active birds. Along with all kinds of songbirds, we also observed hummingbirds and Long-tailed Chachalacas. After hiking through the forest, we jumped into a refreshing pool below a waterfall. Although we didn't see jaguars here, we saw remains of the jaguar research site of the 1980's, including jaguar traps and a crashed plane that had been used to track jaguars.

After changing our 3rd flat tire, we had a long ride down a peninsula so narrow that we could see water on both sides. Finally we arrived at Kitty's, a resort in Placencia on the Caribbean Sea. In the afternoon we practiced using our snorkel gear to prepare for the exciting adventures of the next few days.

2005 Daily Journals
Day One: July 19
Day Two: July 20
Day Three: July 21
Day Four: July 22
Day Five: July 23
Day Six: July 24
Day Seven: July 25
Day Eight: July 26
Day Nine: July 27

Previous Years' Journal Entries
Belize Institute 2003
Belize Institute 2004