We awoke early this morning to a fog as thick as split pea soup. Some of us adventurers decided to join Vladimir and Marcos for some sunrise birding, so we made our way out to the fields just outside our sleeping cabanas. Armed with personal binoculars and three spotting scopes, we searched for any sort of bird life, learning their species and calls along the way. We were rewarded immediately with the sighting of two bat falcons, and a flock of oscillated turkeys, which happen to be an endangered species. For the next hour and a half, Vladimir and Marcos toured us around the grounds and impressed us with their extensive ornithological knowledge. We saw Montezuma Oropendulas, a roadside hawk, and an olive-throated parakeet, among several others.
After some hearty breakfast burritos, we took off toward the Motmot Trail with Marcos, where each student had an hour of solitary reflection within the rainforest at different points along the trail. We found ourselves surrounded by 40-foot cohune palm fronds that rippled with the wind through the canopy, and the noises of various insects and birds of the rainforest. We took the time to reflect on our immersion into this new environment, free from all distractions.
Reflections in the rainforest
After returning to the main lodge for a discussion of our rainforest observations, we ate some delicious chicken with rice and beans, which we also learned is very different from the beans and rice we had for dinner. Apparently in Belize, rice and beans involves the mixture of the two before serving, while beans and rice remain separate. Next was our guided ethnobotany rainforest tour, in which Vladimir and Marcos described all the native medicinal qualities of the flora encountered within the forest. It was here when we discovered a terrific jaguar print in the middle of the trail.
The cats are out there
We set up motion-censored camera traps on trees near the tracks in hope of catching one of these wild beasts on camera. We also learned to avoid certain plants like the black poisonwood and the bastard tree, so named when a British soldier tripped and grabbed the tree only to find it covered in sharp thorns. He proceeded to call the tree a bastard.
In search of the elusive jaguar
We got some much-needed rest and then rejoined for nighttime activities. The group split for either a trip out on the lagoon in search of crocodiles or a night hike through the rainforest. The crocodile search party was treated to three sightings of the elusive reptile. The night hikers were frightened by the unfathomable number of wolf spiders they spotted among the grass, but were also rewarded with many exotic insects and amphibians.
The end of the day
Needless to say, we were all enamored with our first day in the Belizean rainforest, and were certainly stoked for the rest of what will be an amazing trip.