Belize it

So yesterday we hit Belize.  We decided to get off the boat with authority and try to go see jaguars. 
We were thwarted by them being too far away so fast changed to howler monkeys.  I haggled the price down a bit, tho jes haggled it back up via tipping.  I told her jem always does the same.

We had a neat lunch of stewed beans and rice at a local restaurant which was v fun and flavorful. 

There was about an hour drive each way which took us through some small towns/ villages and also criss crossed the Belize river a bunch.  We saw some iguanas in the trees. 

At the reserve there was a family group of howler monkeys who had settled in this territory. An alpha male and female, a younger female who had come in, three of the alpha females offspring aged 7, 4, and 6 months, and the younger female's offspring still clinging to her.  We didn't see the younger female and baby but all the others.  The guy took us on a walk and showed us around pretty cool stuff.  There was a leaf cutter ant colony and they had some leaf bits and we saw a soldier and their chem trail.  Also more iguanas two males fighting at the end of the walk next to the river. 

Then the monkeys were eating and resting in the treetops.  Leaves mostly and our taking a nap.  Walking from place to place.  The guide said they almost never come down to the forest floor.  Then the mother and two kids including the 6 month old who was a lot smaller started a wrestling match in the tree, playing around.  There was a lot of lolling back and forth.  The guide tried to call them down with a banana, but they were having far too much fun to bother. 

Eventually they stopped fooling around and one started to descend.   He asked if any of us wanted to feed it so I said yes.  It grabbed your hand and took the food out of it.  I felt its claws and saw its face.  Then the 6 month old came down so we all got to feed it.  It's claws must not have been fully formed because its hands were soft.  It felt delicate and gentle.  It would take small pieces and steadied your hand with its own.  It walked half out onto another woman's arm but kept its hind parts and tail firmly in the tree. 

A big difference from the last monkeys I encountered in India. Those ones would choke you out and mug you.  These ones were friendly but not the dangerous half tame that wild animals sometimes get.  It was a pretty full on day and we were not get this three last people on the boat. 

Jes napped some and I did the waterslide and some hot tubbing and watched the sunset.  Jes showed up and we did dinner and many cocktails from the one real bartender who I worked on befriending.  Found some people under 40 to talk to like 4 separate times.  More than in the rest of the cruise combined.  Went to sleep late, got up early, and now chilling in the sun at Costa Maya.  We made it a low key beach day which was fun.  I saw a guy make an impressive palm leaf hat.  We took a quick dip.