Hopkins to Belize City and Back

David and I headed back to Belize City today to get Amanda who was coming in on the 4:00 flight.  Having driven from Belize City to Hopkins in the dark on Sunday, no one in the rest of the family was interested in providing taxi service.

We left soon after breakfast so we could stop at a bakery to get rolls and such for Christmas breakfast, drive around Belmopan a bit (the nation’s capital), and stop at the Belize zoo. 

The bakery visit was tasty and cheap.  We found not only sweet rolls for Christmas breakfast, but ham and cheese or sausage rolls for our lunch (and a snack for Amanda).  A bag with all we wanted was less than $10US.

Belmopan was busy, but not as busy at Belize City.  We took the outer loop and saw quite a few stores and government buildings including the Caribbean Climate Change Center.  Belize is one of the nations which will be particularly impacted by climate change in its northern part because it is so flat and close to sea level.

Our stop at the zoo was a treat.  The animals are all local animals who have been rescued for various reasons and could not be returned to the wild.  They are caged, but the cages are as unobstrusive as possible and contain very real habitat.  We enjoyed seeing the tapir (national animal) coatimundi, various cats, spider and howler monkeys, and the jabiru stork. There were also lizards, various birds, and gibnuts (we think) running wild.  It was a great little zoo, but not cheap at $10US pp for an adult.

We found Amanda at the airport and made the trip back without too much trouble.  The hassle and danger is that through the mountains (by which time it was dark) the roads are narrow and winding and lots of people are on unlighted bicycles or walking.  We made it in time for an amazing Chinese themed dinner that Andrew and Steven had made for us.

It was very hot and still so we all took a dip before bed.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)