Belize - Black Howler Monkey 21st Dec 2008

Leaving Caye Caulker was a shame, but at least there was no rush for the boat.
We arrived at the dock for the 10am crossing, then waited another 45 minutes whilst the driver chatted and joked with some of the locals from the island.

After arriving back into Belize City, we had to kill some time before being picked up by a driver who was to take us to a monkey sanctuary.
We managed to find a local cafe, that only sold ice cream and waffles even though it advertised a full menu from the entrance.
For once, the driver turned up right on time.
After an hours drive, we arrived at Howler Monkey Lodge.
We were soon checked in and shown to our room ( see below ).
This was one of the better rooms on the lodge, although we weren't here for the comfort.
That said, the bed was one of the worst I have ever slept on. In hind sight it may have been better to have used the floor !!

We only had the one night here, so as soon as we were refreshed with a cold drink we headed off out to the visitor information which we had seen back on the main road as we approached.

We were greeted at the information centre by a local guide, who convinced us to do a 2 hour walk around the local area to look for the local Howler Monkeys.
He explained that the area was a nature reserve that the locals had set up without any government involvement.
It was all very simple. The locals who signed up would leave 20 feet at each boundary to grow wild. This would leave a 40 foot wide strip between each land owner which with over 90 involved, has created a natural environment for the Howling Monkeys to thrive.
Our guide walked us through peoples gardens, until he eventually found a group of Monkeys.
They had no fear of humans, as they had never been threatened.
The younger ones immediately climbed down from the trees to investigate, which meant that at times we were at eye level and only a foot away.

After our introduction to the monkeys, our guide them walked us around the edge of the forest pointing out different plants which were still used by locals as medicines.

After completing the walk, we decided that we would also give the night walk a go, where we would actually get to walk inside the forest but a night !!

We had our evening meal at the lodge, then set out again for the visitor centre to meet our guide.

This time we were met by a really old man who had worked for the last 20 years as an assistant to the many organisations that were involved with the Howling Monkeys.

This old guy was dressed in a bright yellow fisherman's wet weather coat, black welling boots and a beard that had never seen a razor. He looked like he was about to take us deep sea fishing, when in fact he was about to walk us into the forest in the pitch black.

The walk started from the local grave yard, which was the entrance to the forest.

We were told to follow our guide as quiet as possible, and to turn our torches off when he signalled to do so.

With two over weight brits traipsing through the forest, it was hard for us to keep quiet.

The old guy never made a sound as he walked over the fallen branches, which is not quite what could be said for us two.

We managed to catch sight of a armadillo for a split second, as it made for cover.

We also heard what we were told was an ant eater, but that was about it.

Our guide kept making us turn off our lights so we were standing in complete darkness, so that he could listen for the animals before heading off in their direction.

I think that our not so light feet might have had something to do with the fact that we didn't see a great deal that night.

The best part of the walk, was the fact that this old guy was able to take us right to the edge of the forest where our lodge was, even though we had not been following any laid out path and in complete darkness.