Page 4 - Mexico and Belize Motorcycle Adventure -
Heidi lands in 5 days. the guidebook talks about a Jaguar sanctuary high up in the mountains. I must check this out. The plan is to spend only a day here but after one hike into the sanctuary my plans instantly change. Wow, if you are into the ‘Gilligan's Island scene’ complete with Howler monkeys, 100 foot canopy rain forest, real swinging vines and water falls with idyllic swimming holes, this is It! 10 miles off the main road down a dirt path is the a ranger station and base-camp. There are cabins to rent and a jungle camping area with a few palapa lean-tos. With the motorcycle and the tent under a lean-to, I am ready to explore the area. The base-camp area is surrounded by tropical fruit trees that are filled with birds making loud exotic sounds.
The Jaguar Sanctuary has a maze of trails leading into the jungle hills. There is a map of the trails posted at the ranger station that indicates difficulty levels and points of interest. Most of the trails loops can be hiked in one day. The ranger suggests a guide for the overnight hikes.
The end of the trail on top of a mountain peak. Some trails include semi-technical climbing and swimming holes alongside tropical waterfalls.
A fantastic clear water swimming hole only a half hour hike from the base-camp. This Sportster adventure is beyond what I could have ever imagined. Two rangers I talked with at base-camp told me of a hidden waterfall and swimming hole. It was a bear to get to but well worth it.
OK, I'm hanging out at a swimming hole eating lunch and reading a book. I haven't seen anyone up on the trails for over two and a half days. All of a sudden, I’m hearing chattering female voices coming closer and closer. Before I know it, I am surrounded by native girls. My mind is racing a mile a minute, already visualizing shirts and pants flying and girls jumping in the water........But Noooo. I guess they are more conservative then I had envisioned. They just hang around and have fun posing for my photos. It was all good. I say " The boys back in WiscOnsin ain't gonna believe this!" They were on a school outing. Belize, with help from the British has done a great job with education, having one of the highest literacy rates of the developing world.
Heidi lands in Belize City. We spend the night at the city casino right on the Caribbean Sea. This is great, we have two weeks together here. With cocktails in hand and a sea in out view, we celebrate our time in Belize.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course skip all the dribble if you like and just check out the photos
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I guess word is out that I have a camera. The father in this photo rode a bicycle up to visit me at my camp. He asks if I will take a photo of his house and family. He invites me inside his house so I can sit on a tiny chair and write everyone’s name down on a tablet of paper. This is so they have a record of how to spell their names. I immediately feel the temperature change inside. The roof is made from palm leaves and the floor is dirt. There is one large bed near the middle with no mattress. The cooking stuff is in the far corner and a few chairs are near the bed. Everyone seems very proud of their house, yard and garden. While I'm having everyone repeat their names so I can guess how to spell them, his wife is topless, feeding a baby in a chair across from me. OK, now I'm waiting for National Geographic to call, I can't believe what I'm witnessing. People are so friendly and real! 
Jaguar Sanctuary:
Hang on! Much more to come …
Continued: ---> Page 5 <----