The Unique Belize Zoo and Diving down to Placencia

5 March 1998 continued

I tried to call but the rental car people don't answer the phone.

You can fly to Caye Caulker, Ambergris, Placencia, and several of the major lodges have airstrips. Maya Island Air had 9 airplanes which ranged from 7 to 13 passengers. While you have to fly or go by boat to the outer cays that are islands, Placencia, Cockscomb Basin, the zoo, the other Blue Hole, St. Herman's Cave, Mountain Pine Ridge and the Cayo District are places that are easier to visit when you have your own wheels.

The car we rented

We went to the International airport first and then to the airport in Belize City. We were picked up and taken to the rental car place.

Car rental contract

Rules for the car rental

Accident rules

They gave us a magenta Geo Tracker - a horrible color, with high mileage (95.5 thousand miles) and not new. The car wasn't particularly comfortable on the washboard roads, and the soft top didn't keep out the dust worth a darn, but it did have A/C. It had a plaque on it that indicated it had come from TX. I charged the car rental on AmExp because I was told that I wouldn't have to get the extra insurance that way. We had packed a soft side cooler for use in the car - we could keep lunch and drinks there.

A problem in general with the rental cars here is that they are pretty beat up, and often have flat tires. We talked to a couple that had 4 in one day. We were lucky, and only had one although the tires were threadbare.

After we rented the car in Belize City, we loaded our luggage into the car and headed out on Western highway. We stopped off for a visit at the zoo.

The toucan says "This map is free. It's not your Admission Ticket"

Zoo ticket

The Belize zoo is a most unusual place in that it is for the animals and local people rather than for the tourists. It came about because there was a TV series being considered, and an animal trainer was hired to train the animals.

Zoo history

Then the project fell through, so she begged and borrowed funds and established the zoo.

Zoo map

Zoo animals

Keel billed Toucan

White Lipped Peccary

Puma

Monkeys

Ducks

Crocodile

Margay

Jabiru stork

l

Coati mundi

We didn't see the tapir.

Puma

Apparently now, you can join in supporting the zoo by getting a membership or adopting an animal. You can also stay at the zoo overnight.

Zoo information

We had lunch at the zoo snack bar. There wasn't much seating. The lunch was very expensive. We each had a chicken leg and wing, rice, beans, coleslaw and coke.

Solar Energy Display

I bought the Cockscomb Park book. Then I went back to the bathroom.

Went out the Western Highway to the Southern Highway. We stopped for gas near Dangriga

Above ground tanks

Getting gas

and I wanted to buy frozen water and a dove bar but I discovered I had lost my checkbook which had my driver's license and a lot of cash in it. I knew I had it in the zoo. I guess it dropped out of my pocket when I went to the bathroom. One of the girls at the gas station phoned back to the zoo for me with her cell phone. Someone had turned it in. It was too late to go back for it so we went on to Placencia.

Southern Highway

From Dangriga south, the Southern Highway was unpaved and corrugated. Traveling about 40-45 mph was smoother than traveling at 20 mph. In order to make people slow down, trees or heaps of dirt or large ropes are put across the road as speed bumps. These are called 'sleeping policemen'.

Tradewinds from a boat (from their website)

We checked in with Janice at Tradewinds just before they closed at 5 (1700) and were put in the Queen Conch cabin. I think this was probably a better cabin than we should have had, as it had a nice kitchen with stove, sink, and refrigerator, utensils, etc. It was really nice to be able to put water into the refrigerator and make ice out of bottled water. The cabin also had two double beds (each with a bookcase headboard), and a rack for hanging. There was also a standing fan. There was a private bathroom with a shower. On the porch outside was a table, chairs and a hammock. There were four or five other cabins on the beach. The cabin is cleaned every day and Janice is very nice and helpful.

Disadvantages: You have to walk in about a half block through deep sand, which is hard with suitcases especially. Next door is a policeman with a pet rooster who starts crowing on and off at about 2 or 3 a.m. Sheets were a stiff scratchy chiffon- like material. There is no parking. When we asked where to park, we were told to park anywhere, so we parked in front of the fish market co-op. Apparently we were blocking an access point, but no one said anything to us about it.

One reason why there was no parking is that Placencia's 4,000-foot long “main street” is a pedestrian-only sidewalk.

We walked out to the Gallery for dinner. Lan Sluder of Belize First says:
"The Galley Restaurant and Bar should not be missed by jazz lovers or those who enjoy good food. Cleveland and Julia Berry fix a fine T-Bone (US$8), as well as Creole style lobster (US$12.50). Try their famous 'Seaweed Drink' - similar to egg nog with a pleasing flavor and a shot of brandy for good measure. Locals giggle and say, "It's good for de back mon!" by which they mean it improves a man's performance of his husbandly duties. Who can say?" The Galley and Tentacles are where the action is at night. Unfortunately, when we were there Tentacles was not open.

The lady in charge came out and asked us whether we would eat salads. When we said that we would, she said that many tourists refused to eat fresh vegetables, and that she was tired to serving them to have them ignored. I had conch steak and my husband had steamed shrimp- when we asked if we could have it steamed instead of fried (as on the menu) they were glad to comply. Fresh salad for each of us and grapefruit juice. US$24 for two.

I arranged to do a dive tomorrow. Showered and got stuff out.

Expenses in US$
$227.91 car rental, tax and insurance
2.50 tip maid
15.00 admission to the zoo for two
20.00 Jaguar book
10.50 Lunch for two
12.24 gas
2.50 food
1.00 phone call
24.00 dinner
unk plane trip
unk room in Placencia
$315.65 total in US dollars

Friday, 6 March 1998

I left Bob asleep in bed and took my stuff over to the dive shop.

I did two dives with Seahorse Dive Shop.

Brian Young is a local Belizean who had a very respected dive shop with local dive masters. The other dive shop was run by New Yorkers and they were not appreciated by the local populace. Brian's shop offers snorkeling, Mayan ruin, river tours, fishing etc. Whale shark tours are also one of their specialties. Brian's wife supplies lunch to those who don't want to bring their own.

They have 3 boats. The 25ft boat is powered by one 115 hp Evinrude and is capable of servicing four to six divers at one time. The smaller 19 ft skiff is powered by a 85hp Yamaha outboard and is capable of carrying two to four divers for a more individualized dive experience. The two smaller boats are also outfitted for fishing and trips up the spectacular Monkey River.

The main boat is a 33ft craft powered by twin 150 Yamaha outboards. This boat is capable of carrying 14 divers. That was the one we used as we had both divers and snorkelers. It takes longer to get to the reef from Placencia than it does from the northern cayes like Caye Caulker and Ambergris.

I rented a BC, fins and tanks. I brought my own mask, snorkel, regulator and dive computer. Unfortunately, because Brian was involved in doing a check out dive on the beach, we went with another dive master. He was very passive aggressive and seemed to be somewhat prejudiced against fat old ladies. He refused to give me the right size fins until I'd gone back twice, and he completely refused to give me a BCD that was large enough - he said they didn't have a size larger than an XL, and I needed an XXL. The XL wouldn't meet across the front. They gave me 18 lbs of weights.

He told me that I should be his buddy. After all of us got suited up and signed the forms, we assembled at the boat. In addition to myself there was a couple from Canada, and an unattached man-a retired Navy (CPO I think), a young German girl with a mod haircut and a couple from Boston. He was a supply officer in the Navy. A total of 8 divers counting the guide and 10+ snorkelers and their guide. A lot of them came from the Green Parrot with their own lunch. Among the snorkelers from the Green Parrot were Penny from Dallas and a couple from Washington State.

We ran out to the cay and dropped off the snorkelers, and then did our dive.. It was to be the usual drift dive with the boat following and picking up people as they ran out of air. I got in first and by the time we started out I was down to 2500 lbs. There was some current and the guide set a cracking pace. I kept up but at the end of about 30 minutes I was down to 500 lbs. I was comfortable, but at the end I was too light and came up a little fast. The divemaster may have been surprised that my air lasted almost as long as his.

Placencia Diving

Angelfish

We saw this shark sleeping in the bottom of one of the canyons and I swam down to take a pictures,

Shark

which the divemaster didn't approve of.

Shark

We came back to the cay for lunch. As we were coming back to the caye, we saw one of the older ladies in the snorkeling group had been caught by the surf and couldn't get up. The dive guide laughed at her predicament and made rude remarks about it. (He was not a nice person.) The lunch had been prepared by Brian's wife and it was very good. Fishballs, beans and rice and coleslaw with watermelon and cookies. OJ or water. I used the end of my film up snorkeling.

snorkeling

The boat ladder came down on my foot at the lunch stop. Ouch.

We did another dive. The Canadian couple didn't go this time. This time they added 4 more lbs, and I had to have a little air in my BC. We saw some more sharks

Shark

and a green trigger and a spotted moray that I didn't get a picture of.

Placencia Diving

Placencia Diving

Little blue fish

Surface of the water

When I surfaced, I handed my dive light to the guy in the boat, and he dropped it. I couldn't get down to it because I'd already handed up my weights. I couldn't get the dive master's attention either, because just about that time, a school of wild dolphins came around - one a big male with a scar on his back. The dive guide was very excited about the dolphins. He was the only one in still in the water.

After we all got aboard, the dolphins followed the boat for some time. Unfortunately I was out of film. We picked up the snorkelers and returned to Placencia. I was really tired, but I felt that I had kept up pretty well for a fat old lady, and I was also getting the hang of the camera.

Walked home and found Bob in the hammock reading a book. He had walked around the village - cracked open a coconut, done some laundry (by hand and hung it to dry on the porch), done some marketing and had a relaxing day. He also collected some coconuts and left them on the porch. THey disappeared. Apparently all the coconuts off the trees are spoken for.

We tried to go to Tentacles for dinner but they were closed. A cruise ship is anchored offshore. We walked up to Omars for dinner. A long walk for me.

Omars

They were out of everything. There was one girl doing everything, and there was a long wait. I got a chicken burrito which was very good, but HUGE and tea and lime juice. They were out of pineapple juice, soft drinks, beer and ice cream

Tomorrow we drive all the way back to the zoo to get my checkbook/driver's license/money.