Day 5: It's a Jungle Out Here

Our guide for the morning's trip to an lookout over the escarpment was one of the most memorable people we met on our whole journey. I'll call him "M".

At first I found him amusing because the way he talked reminded me of one of the aliens in the movie Galaxy Quest. Also when he explained something about the rain forest he would finish by saying...because it's a jungle out here. So...the leaf cutter ants are more active before it rains because it's a jungle out here. It was all I could do to not burst out laughing!


But when I listened to what he had to say, my first impressions were quickly dispelled.

He knew an incredible amount about nature and the environment. He had studied formally and informally. His story was familiar -- similar to my grandfather's tales of frustrated dreams due to poverty and prejudice.

The lodge and farm is setup like a typical company town. Jobs are hard to come by in Belize and working at the lodge is considered a good job - stable and fairly well paid. Not the best as we were told, but still, pretty good.

Employees get to live in the company village. Lodging is free but they can only live there if they are employed at the lodge. If they lose their job, if they get old or sick, they have to leave. As M told is, they know this rule from day 1. But still -- M's father has worked at the lodge for over 30 years and when he retires he has to leave all of his friends.

There are other rules. They are not allowed to have pets, but, as M told us with a straight face, of course the manager has a dog. Sound familiar anyone?

M had studied ecology in college and his final project was doing a bird list for the Chan Chich area. But his and the other guides are not consulted when the lists are put together by a "professional ornithologist" from a university. And the lists are wrong.

The injustice bothered me although M was resigned to it. I suppose people are people everywhere. And I appreciated M's insights and openness with us. And maybe there was some exaggeration. But still, it helped me to appreciate the freedom of choice that I have. Although I do like to complain.

Survivor Moment: In the afternoon we went for a short hike in the rain forest to explore the Mayan ruins. Oops, bad timing, we were caught in a storm. Lightning, thunder, howler monkeys roaring in the midst of an ancient and crumbling Mayan temple. How fun is that?

Belize Trip Back Blips
Day 1: Lost Luggage and Laminai
Day 2: The Ruins of the British (and Mayan) Empires
Day 3: Journey to Chan Chich
Day 4: Jungle Oasis
Day 5: It's a jungle out here
Day 6: We win the Survivor reward challenge
Day 7: Floating down the river to infinity
Day 8: A Military Escort
Day 9: People Watching
Day 10: Toilet Humour
Day 11: Tikal Immersion
Day 12: Roxie and the Machete
Day 13: Communing with Tikal
Day 14: Slash and Burn
Day 15: Swimming with Sharks
Day 16: Passage of the Mangroves
Day 17: Exploring San Pedro
Day 18: Lost and Found