Blog for March 4, 2007 - Howler Monkey Lodge
Waking up this morning, I was surprised to see that I hadn't been carried off by ants in the middle of the night. While checking to make sure that I had all my fingers and toes, I had to laugh at the previous night. Going to bed in our "jungle" abode was a hilarity that I should have caught on tape. As many people know, I'm not a huge fan of bugs...
Upon arrival to our cabin, we turned on our bedroom light (which took almost five minutes to turn on) and began to unpack our bags. After the lights took their sweet time turning on, I almost regretted that they were because what I found in the room. Much to my great upset and almost loss of bladder control, a significantly substantial lizard (who I immediately named Lizardo) was perched on our wall. After Dustin dealt with Lizardo, I went on a DEET purification mission to the extent that I thought my body was naturally producing the product. Heads up to squeamish travellers, the cabins at the Howler Monkey Lodge are not the best place to avoid creepy crawlies.
In bed that night, I was inundated with jumping fleas that took great pleasure in bouncing over my notebook, then disappearing into my not-so-clean green sheets. I don't remember the last time I was in bed with so many things! Also to my great pleasure (note the sarcasm), our room was supplied with a fan that made more noise then blow air. If I were to go back to Howler Monkey Lodge, I would make sure to request a "river" cabin (specifically the small yellow cabin with air conditioning).
As the word "jungle" implies, our cabin was a central location to hear some of the local wildlife. In the middle of the night, the symphony of Dog a la Monkey played outside our window. Some sort of beetle colony provided the baseline, and I practically joined in with my own scream! As I'm sure you've read in other blogs, the "howl" of the monkey is one of a kind and can only be described as hair raising.
Luckily, the food at Howler Monkey was excellent. At each meal we were provided with heaps of food and interesting menu items. The owners, Melissa and Edward, cooked the food themselves and served us at a long table that was nicely set for every meal. Although you do not have a choice of what is served, I don't think I could have asked for anything better!
Without Melissa and Edward, along with their full time guide/assistant Russell, the experience at Howler Monkey would not have been desirable in the least. Russell was an extremely valuable guide as he provided unique insight on both on our jungle walk and canoe trip. He also shared stories of the area and taught us how to make a traditional bug swatter made out of the Cahoun tree (obviously my favorite part)!
Overall, the experience was memorable for the many reasons as mentioned above. I'm loving every minute of seeing the native animals in their natural habitat and learning more about the Belizean culture. Hope all is well at home and I'll be seeing you soon!
Kim
