Jaguars, gardens, and guitars.

 

A week of celebrating all things Belize was capped last Saturday morning when my friend Vicky and I saw a jaguar crossing the road on our way to Spanish Lookout (about 40 minute drive from Gallon Jug) to pick up last minute supplies for our Independence Day BBQ.  Naturally it took me not having a camera in the car to see arguably the most sought after photo op in this part of the world.  Wildlife sightings here are so common, that it actually took a few seconds to register that the animal ambling across the road 30 meters in front of the jeep had spots and was indeed a jaguar.  The jaguar hardly took notice of the jeep bouncing down the pitted gravel road towards it, though it did look right at us before it disappeared into the jungle on the other side of the road. 

It was very validating having a Belizean with me when I saw the jaguar, both as a credible witness, and a testament to just how special the sighting was.  The Chan Chich Lodge has several trail cams that track the jaguars and cougars in the area.  Every week there are updates on facebook and the sighting board at Chan Chich that show where the big cats have been seen, but verified sightings by people are rare.  I’ve asked just about everyone that I’ve met here when the last time they saw a jaguar was.  For most it has been years.  It simply comes down to being in the right place at the right time, and lucky for me, after only 6 weeks I got my first glimpse of the elusive cat. 

As if the universe needed to send a reminder of where in the world we are, just a few hundred meters after seeing the jaguar, while still euphoric from the experience, we saw a huge red-backed tarantula crossing the road.  Yuck!

On the topic of missed photo opportunities, my friend Alan shared this one from our Casey Community School parade with me. 

That moment when you have to decide between posing for another photo, and going to get the free pop and chips at the end of the parade route.

Though everyday here holds the potential for something extraordinary, my daily routines are starting to take shape.  I am lucky to have extremely comfortable accommodations at The Loft.  My apartment suite consists of a bedroom/bathroom with an attached living area.  Additionally the four of us living at the loft share a kitchen/ living room.  We are also spoiled in that we get to share the services of our wonder-woman of a cook and housekeeper, Maira.  

Rooms 6 & 7, my new home.

Most mornings here start with the sunrise, a little before 6am.  This is the time that the birds start chirping and the horses and cows start stirring.

Breakfast consists of cereal or toast, and most mornings I try to eat on the deck.  On my second morning at the loft I saw a toucan while I was eating breakfast, and no I wasn’t eating FruitLoops.  Though I have not repeated that encounter, it is still a nice and cool part of the day to get in some quality outdoor time.  

After breakfast I make my trek across the pasture to the school.  

Who needs a scale when you have to fit through gates like these every day?

Reverting back to some of the fairytale aspects of my Gallon Jug experience, I have grown very accustomed to having conversations with the horses, deer, and turkeys I encounter each day going through the pasture to school.  Most mornings, the time that I head to school is when the horses make their way from the pasture to the gate at the stables to get let in for their morning grooming and snack.  Though I would consider myself a bit of an animal lover, I have an innate mistrust of anything larger than me, namely horses and cows here.  I started talking to the horses that I met on my walk to school in the morning, mostly to occupy myself as I negotiated my way through the horses as they surround the slot in the gate that we use to get to the pasture. 

I think that my talking to the turkeys and deer grew out of my conversations with horses.  For whatever reason, the deer and turkeys are much less nervous when I talk to them.  Though I’d like to think that I have some sort of Dr. Doolittle quality, my talking probably just confuses them long enough for me to pass.  My conversations have also yielded a few better photo opportunities, especially with deer.

On the topic of close encounters with animals, I could probably add a category for near misses.  At our school we have a beautiful garden, that for some reason the cows seem to love.  I’m not sure why, but it seems that every time that the garden gate gets left open an escaped cow, or two, or three sneak in.  I feel like it is a tight fit for me to get into the garden through our tree trunk gate, but this hasn’t stopped the cows. 

The students recently started planting sunflowers in the garden, so we’ve gotten a little more vigilant about keeping the gate closed.  It is hard enough protecting our plants from the deer and turkeys.  We don’t need to reward the runaway cows for their efforts.

For anyone wondering, during the school days the cowboys patrolling the ranch do a great job of keeping the cows where they are supposed to be.  After 5pm though, when the cowboys head home, cows are a common sight on the school grounds.  One of my scarier episodes since arriving in Gallon Jug came courtesy of an escaped bull.

One evening we spotted this guy on the soccer pitch at the school while enjoying a sunset drink on the deck.  To give some perspective, our soccer goals are 9 feet across and 7 feet high.  This fellow also has a very high SC score (if you are not familiar with cow breeding I will tell you that the C stands for circumference…).

Anyways, about 40 minutes after taking the picture of the bull at the school it dawned on me that I’d forgotten my computer charger in my classroom.  I decided that it would be a nice night for a walk to the school - completely forgetting about the bull - I decided to take the long way down the hill and around to the school on the road, avoiding the pasture after dark.  With the help of my little flashlight, I immediately became aware of an abundance of deer sitting under the trees lining the road, watching me pass on my way to the school.  During daylight this is one of the things that I love about Gallon Jug.  I will admit though, after dark it was pretty creepy.  Three quarters of the walk to the school is on pavement.  As soon as I hit the gravel I remembered the giant escaped bull.  Being well past the point of no return, and with the bull as likely to be behind me as in front of me, I made the decision to keep moving forward.  I quickened my pace, and with the limited range afforded by my small flashlight, I kept close tabs on my immediate surroundings.   

 After quickly grabbing my computer charger, I started back to the stables.  It gets pitch black dark in Gallon Jug early in the evening, and there are no street lights and only one house between the school and the stables.  As I cautiously started my journey home, being sure to stay close to the pasture fence in case I needed to take cover from the bull, I become aware of a scuttling sound ahead of me.  Cautiously I continued on.  As I came around the bend and in view of the lights from house, I saw that I was trailing about 20 meters behind a raccoon.  The raccoon kept scooting on its way, unperturbed by the creepy deer, and as we approached the stables it took a right and headed directly to the stairs leading up to The Loft.  I enjoyed having some company on my walk back from the school, but when the raccoon started up the steps towards my room I had to raise my objection with a “Seriously?!?”  The raccoon took a moment to consider its options before heading down the stairs on the other side and into the pasture.

Well I’ve rambled on long enough.  The guitars will have to wait until my next post.

 

Belize's independence day theme 2012:

Many Faces, Many Dreams, One Goal – Celebrating Belize!

Happy 31st birthday Belize!

Realities of Jungle Life

Living in a place like Gallon Jug, Belize, it is pretty easy fall into a bit of a trance and focus on only the surreal beauty and truly unique atmosphere.  With a nod to realism and transparency, I will attempt to focus this post on the flip side of living in a jungle paradise. 

My first night in Belize was spent in the air-conditioned splendor of The Villa at the Chan Chich Lodge.  After cracking open an ice-cold Belikin beer and bellying up to the private bar, I opened the Villa’s guestbook and began paging through the entries.  All of the past guests raved about Chan Chich’s world-class facilities and services.  Additionally, nearly every entry made reference to at least one, seemingly chance encounter with a scorpion, snake, or giant spider.  Most of these references were made with regard to the thrill of encountering these creatures on their turf; such as a scorpion scuttling across the deck while the guests were enjoying a relaxing dip in the private hot tub or a Mayan Coral Snake seen from the safety of the truck during a jungle safari. 

The reality of living here is that there is not only a chance, but a likelihood of encountering a dangerous animal every single day.  Doubtless, the most sought after company for these encounters is the elusive jaguar or slightly less elusive puma (mountain lion).  After a month in the bush I am still waiting to see one of these apex predators.  I had to wait considerably less long for my first encounter with a scorpion.

Since arriving in the jungle I have been very consciously working to establish habits to minimize the chance of being taken by surprise by a scorpion.  For the first time in my life, making my bed, with what I’d hope is near military precision, has made it into my morning routine.  The same is true for shaking towels, all articles of clothing, and shoes before use. 

My first scorpion encounter, though comical in hindsight, taught me a few valuable lessons.  On my first visit to the school I was making an inventory of books and reference materials in my classroom.  I reached up to grab a particular volume off the top of the bookshelf.  As I tilted the book towards me to pull it down I fell victim to a slow motion attack.  I registered the shape sliding off of the book and falling right towards my face as that of a scorpion and flight response took over.  I knocked over student desks and a trash can to evade my pursuer, though when I looked back I saw that the scorpion was in reality only the dried, molted husk of a scorpion making a featherlike decent to the classroom floor.

I am happy to report that since my initial fail, the score is currently Sean 6 – Scorpions 0. 

Most encounters have been as follows:  enter room, see scorpion on floor, dispatch scorpion with sandal. One evening I walked into the bathroom before going to bed to brush my teeth.  When I flipped on the bathroom light I was just in time to see a scorpion duck for cover under my tube of toothpaste.  I have since invested in a toiletry holder that hangs on the wall.

I have adapted a policy of live and let live with scorpions that I encounter outdoors and away from the loft and school.  I think this shows a lot of growth in a month’s time, all things considered.

Oh yes, there have been encounters with spiders, snakes, and a giant bull, but they will have to wait for another post.

Deer and Turkeys and Scorpions Oh My

Arriving in Belize in August is an experience in itself.  Though I am no stranger to heat – having spent 3 years living in the Dubai desert – my experience in Belize has been a bit different.  Aside from two nights spent in air-conditioned luxury at the Chan Chich Lodge’s spectacular Villa, my time in Belize has been almost completely void of AC.  

The Villa, and yes that is an enclosed, private hot tub.

The Villa's private bar.

 In my experience thus far, air-conditioning is about as easy to come by in this part of Belize as soft-serve ice cream.  Both can be found, but require time, effort, and expense.  With some well-informed packing, drawing from my experiences living in the Middle East and traveling in East Africa a couple summers ago, I feel that I have come up with some workable strategies to beat the heat.  Admittedly my first sizeable purchase in Belize was a large fan, preceded by several Gatorades. 

We have a thermometer affixed to the well-shaded deck at the Casey Community School.  While school has been in session the past two weeks I have yet to see the temperature register below the mid-80s between our first recess at 9:45am and the end of the school day at 3pm.  Our classrooms have ceiling fans and lots of open windows.  My students seem to have no complaints about the heat, hustling out the door every time the recess bell is rung to play soccer (I refuse to call it football).  We have been selling a lot of bags of water and bottles of juice at our little school store though.  Despite being the only person at the school, student or teacher, that has spent any considerable time north of the Mason-Dixon Line, I really feel like I have acclimated rather quickly and well to the hot and humid jungle climate.  Handkerchiefs and fast drying clothes work wonders.

The thing about my new home in Belize’s jungle that I am not sure I will ever get used to is the unbelievable abundance of wild life.  Since passing the gate that marks the entrance into the Gallon Jug estate on August 9th I have had non-stop sensory overload of Belize’s stunning flora and fauna.

Admittedly, being a Minnesotan, I have been absolutely captivated by the oscillated turkeys and Yucatan white tail deer that are so prevalent here.   The oscillated turkey is arguably the most elusive of the turkey species and subspecies required for the fabled turkey hunting ‘world slam’, though you wouldn’t know it here.  I personally would describe the oscillated turkey as being 2/3 turkey and 1/3 peacock.  They have spectacular coloring that really isn’t done justice by photography. 

I’ve been told by guides at Chan Chich that it is not uncommon for visitors to inquire about turkey hunting.  One guest went as far as offering a substantial amount of money – think three zeros – to hunt and kill a turkey.  So far all offers have been denied.  I was assured that the lodge brings in a supply of Butterball turkeys for American Thanksgiving, so my hunting plans are on hold.

As for the deer, they are simply everywhere.  Before moving to Gallon Jug from Chan Chich we would do unofficial deer and turkey surveys during the 15-minute drive from the lodge to the school.  Typical sightings for deer were in the 30s, and these were mostly sitting in the shade along the road.  Now that I am living on the ‘farm’ full time I see considerably more.  The pasture between the loft and the school always has dozens of deer, and there are almost always deer hanging out in the shade of the playground equipment before the students arrive in the morning. 

Yucatan white tails look just like their midwestern cousins, but are considerably smaller.  To give an idea, in all the time I’ve been here I’ve observed one deer, a large buck, jump over a field fence.  Every other deer that I’ve seen cross a fence line has ducked under or snuck through the middle of the wires.

Embarrassed to say this is the best picture I have of deer close up.

Since I have arrived I can honestly say that I have been too busy with school preparations and schoolwork to take full advantage of the wildlife watching that is available here.  And quite frankly it is too hot right now. I’ve wandered the jungles enough to see an abundance of beautiful plants and birds and a few somewhat evil monkeys, but most of my nature watching has taken place while driving or walking from one place to another or while working on the computer and eating on the deck at the lodge where I’ve spent hours watching hummingbirds and spotted a fox.  

Evil Monkey

Probably the smartest thing that I packed for my Belizean adventure was a headlamp of the mining variety.  My brother Bobby picked it up for me at Scheels before I left.  My only requirement, it needed to be bright enough to spot a jaguar at the top of a tall tree at night.  Though I am yet to spot a jaguar or puma, my headlamp has not disappointed.  Several people had told me about the beautiful night sky in Gallon Jug.  It dawned on me after my first week that I’d yet to look at the stars, though I’d spent plenty of time outside after dark, which is to say after about 6:30pm.  I realized that all of my time outside at night had been spent using my headlamp to spot creepy-crawlies and other critters on the ground as I walked, mostly lizards, and toads - one of which was literally the size of a toaster.  I also had a streak of four straight evenings that I saw tarantulas.  I was very happy when that ended.

Well I realize that I have not gotten to the scorpions yet.  That will have to wait for the next post.   

Stay tuned.

Settled at Last

I'm just short of a month since my arrival in Belize, but as I have just officially unpacked and stowed my suitcases, today has a bit of a settled in feel that has been lacking and therefore it seems fitting to make my inaugural blog post.
Blogging is new to me, but at some point over the summer it seemed like a good idea.  An idea that I've shared with too many people to back out now.  So, while I live and work in the jungle, I will be attempting this scary adventure into uncharted territory, the internet blog-o-sphere.  

A bit about my new home:

Gallon Jug, the 'city' where I live, was the brainchild of Sir Barry Bowen, a visionary entrepreneur,  who purchased a tract of land making up roughly 1/6 of the country of Belize in the 1980's.  The Gallon Jug area, named for discarded gallon jugs discovered at an abandoned Spanish camp, presently consists of 130,000 acres of mostly jungle.  
Though Sir Barry Bowen passed away in a tragic plane crash in 2010, his vision for this beautiful area continues.  At present the Gallon Jug farm includes a working cattle operation, with around 900 head of cattle, by my count 17 horses (they are my neighbors), a 150 acre coffee plantation, a lumber operation, the world renowned Chan Chich Lodge, and a sauce factory where delicious hot sauces named Maya Fyah, Mango Tango, and my personal favorite Lissette's Secret Sauce are made.
The Chan Chich lodge, home for my first two weeks in Gallon Jug, is simply breathtaking.  The lodge was built in the plaza of an ancient Mayan city, with the original intent of dissuading looters that had been pillaging the ancient ruins.

The villas and casitas that provide housing for the guests of the lodge are interspersed around unexcavated Mayan temples.

The exotic feel and world class accommodations bring to mind Jurassic Park.  You get the distinct feeling that Sir Barry Bowen was the sort of guy that said 'Spared no expense' a lot.  Additionally, the jungle around the lodge gives the look and feel of a place dinosaurs would hangout, along with the sounds...that is until you learn that the loud moans and groans that can be heard often during the day are howler monkeys.

My permanent home at Gallon Jug is The Loft, which is situated above the stables.  While I spend my days helping to educate the youth of the area, real live cowboys patrol the Gallon Jug ranch on the horses that are my downstairs neighbors. 

The loft is in the process of being renovated.  With a new deck that has given new meaning to 'million dollar view' and an almost complete two room suite for me, the place is feeling more like home everyday. 

Especially with a Belikin in hand at sunset.