Sibun River and Goff’s Cay, Belize
Last night, Leo prowled the darkening sky. Scorpio scuttled along the horizon, and hung below the moon. Then, as if the great arachnid were feasting on its light, a gap appeared in the moon’s perfect disc. The darkness waxed until the moon hardly emerged from passing clouds; it showed only a dusky copper glow. From our pleasantly breezy “amphitheater” atop the ship, we viewed the lunar eclipse.
Today we explored the flat country of central coastal Belize.
Day began with a trip up the Sibun River. By kayak and Zodiac we traveled past the tangled branches and prop roots of red mangroves. While a simple system compared to tropical rainforest, the mangrove thicket was not without its unique charms. Warblers and vireos chattered and sang from the dense foliage. Ringed kingfishers, the largest in the Americas, flapped by, and pygmy kingfishers, tiny piscivorous jewels, perched on streamside twigs. Most of us saw the manatee, the rotund “aquatic horses” that graze the river bottom.
We napped in the heat of the day and roused ourselves for a trip to Goff’s Caye. To our surprise, recent winds had reshaped the island and left its dock high and dry. No matter, our Zodiacs are made for beach landings, and the dock made a convenient spot to perch, along with a tolerant cormorant, and watch the rich reflected sunlight sparkle around our distant ship. Most of us relaxed in the shade of rustling palms, and many snorkeled around the island’s reef. Goff’s Caye, nearly a cartoon caricature, satisfied our fantasy of time spent on a deserted tropical isle.
Flying toucans and resplendent fishes, humid jungle around ancient stone carvings, palms swaying over coralline strands, these and more are the memories of time spent among the Reefs and Rivers of the Maya Coast.
Last night, Leo prowled the darkening sky. Scorpio scuttled along the horizon, and hung below the moon. Then, as if the great arachnid were feasting on its light, a gap appeared in the moon’s perfect disc. The darkness waxed until the moon hardly emerged from passing clouds; it showed only a dusky copper glow. From our pleasantly breezy “amphitheater” atop the ship, we viewed the lunar eclipse.
Today we explored the flat country of central coastal Belize.
Day began with a trip up the Sibun River. By kayak and Zodiac we traveled past the tangled branches and prop roots of red mangroves. While a simple system compared to tropical rainforest, the mangrove thicket was not without its unique charms. Warblers and vireos chattered and sang from the dense foliage. Ringed kingfishers, the largest in the Americas, flapped by, and pygmy kingfishers, tiny piscivorous jewels, perched on streamside twigs. Most of us saw the manatee, the rotund “aquatic horses” that graze the river bottom.
We napped in the heat of the day and roused ourselves for a trip to Goff’s Caye. To our surprise, recent winds had reshaped the island and left its dock high and dry. No matter, our Zodiacs are made for beach landings, and the dock made a convenient spot to perch, along with a tolerant cormorant, and watch the rich reflected sunlight sparkle around our distant ship. Most of us relaxed in the shade of rustling palms, and many snorkeled around the island’s reef. Goff’s Caye, nearly a cartoon caricature, satisfied our fantasy of time spent on a deserted tropical isle.
Flying toucans and resplendent fishes, humid jungle around ancient stone carvings, palms swaying over coralline strands, these and more are the memories of time spent among the Reefs and Rivers of the Maya Coast.
