After an early morning of packing and a quick photo op, we had to say goodbye to the warm sunshine, sandy beaches, and beautiful marine life surrounding South Water Caye. We took one last boat ride back to the mainland and headed towards our last stopover site in Belize, the Tropical Education Center.
Throughout this whole trip, Marie Sharp’s hot sauce and jams have been provided at every meal. During our last day, we had the opportunity to tour the factory of this famous Belizean product. The market manager and Marie Sharp herself showed us the process required to make their delicious hot sauces and jams, and after our tour, we were allowed to try all the flavors. Only the bravest tried the Beware, the hottest sauce with a label that reads “keep away from children.” Several purchases will be traveling back to the states with us, and we cannot wait for Marie Sharp’s to start selling their products in Maine.
Not long after leaving the factory, liquid and steam started spurting out of the bus’s hood. By this point, it was almost expected that we would not have a bus that worked properly. After the problem was handled, Peter educated us as we drove through the capital of Belize, Belmopan. Belmopan became the capital in 1970 after a hurricane devastated Belize City, the former capital. Belmopan is relatively small, and the governmental agencies make up much of the city.
After a second lunch at Cheers, we arrived at Tropical Education Center. We unpacked and got situated, and were soon back at birding. We took a walk through a pine savanna where we saw blue grey gnatcatchers, warblers, and acorn woodpeckers. Also spotted on this walk was a green vine snake about four and a half feet long! If we had missed the bugs at South Water Caye, we were certainly getting our fair share here.
After a great dinner, which provided some much needed calories, we grabbed our flashlights and loaded the bus to go to the zoo for a “nocturnal walk.” We got to hold boa constrictors and see many of the animals that had evaded us in the rainforest. These included jaguars, tapirs, pumas, and many more magnificent creatures, each with there own story of how they got there. Animals that lived in the zoo were incapable of living in the wild, but some were only there temporarily and would ideally be released after recuperation.
Upon arrival back to the Tropical Education Center, we all gathered at the dining hall to listen to Peter play the guitar and sing (a hidden talent)! As we listened, we couldn’t help but think of the looming goodbye that would come tomorrow. Peter will be missed by all of us, but we will try to stay in touch. He’s anxious to hear about the Colby Bird Nerds!
Our time here has been absolutely unbelieze-able! We’ve seen so many cool things and done so much together. It will be hard to go, but we’re all looking forward to seeing family and friends back home. And of course being able to do laundry. Thanks for everything Belize!