Last night we had a firefly attach itself to the tent. We spotted it when we went to the bathroom. Then we came across frogs hopping all around us. This morning we had a dragonfly in the Caranex, which Charley and Jaxon tried to catch. I think it got squashed in the process. So, no shortage of wildlife for entertainment.
The El Grand Mestizo Riverside Cabins proved to be a very peaceful overnight spot. After porridge we set off for the 123 Supermarket. Our first supermarket in Belize. Plenty of choice here, which bodes well for the rest of our stay.
It has been decided we will get a boat out to Caye Caulker from Belize City tomorrow.
Tim and Sarah wanted to head straight for Belize City to find somewhere secure to leave the vehicles and to get information on the ferry.
We decided not to rush as Belize City was only just over 100 kms and we had all day. Turning off the main road, we headed for the Crooked Tree Wild Life Sanctuary. About 8 kms away along an unpaved road.
This is a wetland area with lagoons on either side of the road. A haven for migrating birds. 276 different species have been recorded here. We stopped and got out our binoculars, as from the elevated position on the road we could see all sorts of birds in the water.
Large ant’s nest. 
Continuing into the sanctuary, I went to pay the entrance fee. The ranger told me it was too hot and the wrong time of day to see many birds. Despite this, I thought we should go for a walk and have a look. We needed some exercise.
The ranger was right, we saw few birds walking along beside the lagoon. We had seen far more from the road driving in. Disappointing. We stopped at a lodge for a cold drink.
It was full of American tourists. Probably “Twitchers” on a bird watching trip. Taking a different route back to the car park, we were no luckier in seeing any more wildlife.
Back on the road we headed for Belize City. Just outside the city we stopped by a river for lunch. On the way into the city we visited four different stores to see if there was any possibility of getting another fridge. There were some small domestic fridges but these are not suitable for Poki. There is obviously no market for camping fridges here.
We had agreed to meet at a camp by the old marina. However, Sarah sent me a message saying they had decided to stay in the parking lot beside the Radisson Hotel.
We drove around the city having a look, but we got into an area of one way streets. The Sat-Nav kept wanting us to go the wrong way. Having gone around the same streets for the third time the locals started to comment and obviously wondered what we were doing. Dennis asked for directions and we managed to find a way out of the maze.
Finding the Radisson Hotel we parked right by the sea wall and I was just about to get out a book when Tim and Sarah turned up. Sarah and I decided we would have a look at the hotel facilities. Finding the bar, we thought the others wouldn’t miss us, so we stopped for a tequila sunrise.
The hotel security man said he would keep an eye on our vehicles if we left them there while we went to Caye Caulker. Neither Sarah or I felt like cooking, so we decided to have dinner in the hotel restaurant. The food was good and plentiful and we had an excellent singer for entertainment.
Back to Poki for an early night, as we are catching the 8am ferry to Caye Caulker in the morning.
Visits: 36