the afterthoughts of Belize

So I went and came back only to be depressed by the gloomy end of maritime march weather. I was so happy there...

An update to the earlier list

1. no sleepling nets required. the dry season weather combined with the fact that our cabins were screened in was enough to out weigh the need for harmful permethrin chemicals to be on my face all night

2. the tape recorder didn't work. I chucked it behind a tree off an animal trail overnight and it just didn't work. its alright, I had no great expectations. the sound of 50 peccarie (wild boar like animals) moving through the bush toward the water as I hid low listening closely was enough to allow me to remember it forever.

3. I did sit on the ground and I walked everywhere without shoes and it was great. And I'm happy to report excellent onsite outhouse conditions. Probably better than most dorm bathrooms I've seen in Hali.

Only our bathrooms don't have lizards. My project was to research lizards and the first I found was in the outhouse. Leslie was screaming at me from the bathroom to get the net and I flew out of the cabin and almost caught it. I baited it for 2 days and nothing. She was named Latrina. I couldn't identify her because she was covered in outhouse dirt. ew.

4. The camera guide wasn't read. But with everything there, the beauty overcame my poor photography.

5. For the most part I ended up wearing a sports bra and bottoms. I procrastinate.

However, that crackhead turned in all my id to st pats and it was returned to me last week.

6. & 7. I ended up being more fearless than I though I would be. I surprised myself by the things I took on.

- swimming beside a 1.5 m width caribbean ray in the wild
- jumping off a 30 ft waterfall!
- not freaking out at the coral snake that slid past my feet

- I also enjoyed telling my paranoid mother every detail

8. I did bring back a couple of tiny periwinkles. I held back because I hate the idea of removing conch shells and such from the beaches. I also took home an allspice leaf that the guide picked off the tree at Altun Ha, the mayan ruins. I unfortunately left a pair of binocs in a citrus grove, a bottle of sunscreen that wore off me over the period of a week (and onto the reef), and I'm sure more than enough to disgrace the leave only footprints rule. damn.

9. Had the time of my life, and I'm going back straight away!