Jungle Ride

Our last planned adventure in Belize was a jungle horseback ride. Valerie had never ridden a horse before but she was willing to humor my burning desire to be horseback once again! After another gorgeous morning, with coffee and sunrise swim, we headed to a nearby stable.

This will remain one of my favorite places to drink a morning cuppa!

Val enjoying her first coffee of the day

We were each assigned a horse and then in the company of three guides, off we went. We rode through several orange groves and then into the jungle. Several of the guides have seen jaguars, but we were not so lucky (although perhaps we were lucky not to see them!) Partway through the ride, we dismounted and had the option of a cooling dip in the Sittee River. I was the only one crazy enough to go in the river completely, and it was worth the slightly damp clothes on the return ride. 

Sittee River

Silver and I

Upon our return, Michelle, the owner of the stable, gave Valerie and I some fresh starfruit! I have never seen this fruit on the tree before.

Following Michelle's advice, we decided the best way to combat saddlesore-ness was to spend the remainder of our day in the water :) 

The only challenge was deciding on which way we wanted to enjoy the water. The day, as you can see, was gorgeous.

Zip Line

On Thursday, the sunrise was gorgeous and the water stilled, giving us a break from the windy days we had been having.

We celebrated with a morning swim off the dock, partly to avoid a really thick black muck that had unfortunately washed up on the beach. The rain the night before had apparently washed it into the sea from the river system. Still, swimming off the dock allowed us to avoid it. And what a way to wake up! After breakfast, we hopped into the truck and drove to Bocawina National Park.

Here we had our long awaited zip line adventure! We had nine separate zip lines that traversed the jungle. It was a delightful experience!

Our guide, Victor

Step off the platform! 

I loved this adventure. There is something amazing about flying through the air. Each zip line ended too quickly for my tastes, and I would have gladly done it a second time!

Belize is taking care to try to promote tourism but simultaneously preserving the environment. Each excursion we took had an element of education, thanks to our knowledgable guides. We learned that almost half of Belize is national park land, and every organization we encountered is taking care to preserve the natural beauty of their land. It is wonderful!

My mother has slowly won me over. I now love plants. It fascinates me to see the variety of flora in different locales but also the similarities. I was surprised to see plants that I knew from Zimbabwe in Brazil. Arizona offered a wonderful array of plant life in its many landscapes. I particularly liked this pink-tipped grass, which I've learned is called muhlenbergia.

In Sedona, we saw prickly pear cacti, a familiar sight for this Zimbabwean.  We also saw century plants, agave americana. 

Prickly Pear

Century Plants

Near the end of the century plant's lifecycle (which is about thirty years, not a century as the American Pioneers thought), the plant grows a really tall stalk, which looks like a giant stalk of asparagus. This stalk can be up to 30 feet tall! That tall stalk you see in the picture below? Yep, that's a century plant!

Of course, one can't be near the Sonoran desert without noticing the incredible Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea).  I did not expect to see hills covered with Saguaros, nor did I realize that they are so tall!!!

Apparently, the tallest recorded Saguaro was 87 feet tall before it was blown over in a storm. They don't grow arms until they are least 75 years old, and some never do! Most live about 150 years. Saguaros have expandable ribs to help them store water. A large Saguaro can store up to 6 tons of water, accommodated by expanding its ribs, but it can also lose up to 2/3 of its water and still live. I also learned from the Phoenix Botanical Gardens that Saguaros have "rain roots", which are additional roots that grow within an hour after rainfall to allow the Saguaro to absorb as much rainwater as possible. 

Val and I also learned about the relationship between the Palo Verde tree and the Saguaro cactus. Apparently (I wouldn't know), it was observed that a Saguaro often grew under a Palo Verde tree. Birds might have been feeding baby birds in the branches of the Palo Verde tree, and seeds dropped. The Palo Verde tree then acted as a "nurse plant" for the Saguaro. Eventually, the Saguaro might outlive the Palo Verde, because the Saguaro has a shallower root system and the Palo Verde will not get enough water. 

Palo Verde and Saguaro

Sometimes, noticing the plants had additional benefits...we saw a jack rabbit! 

The Sun is Back!

Rio Savane is a peninsula, but it looks deceptively like an island upon approach.  Approaching, I might add, is part of the fun.  After parking the 4x4 in the parking garage (read: palm branch shade), the next step is to wait for the boat.  Depending on the tide, the boat may or may not be able to come all of the way to the shore.  If it can't reach you, you go to it.  

The destination across the inlet looks like it was designed by the Swiss Family Robinson.  The only boundaries on land are made of bamboo and palm branches.  Most of the buildings are only a thatched roof with support beams.  Walls would block the ocean breeze, and we can't have that.  

After paying the entry fee (about $2.50 USD), the next stop can be placing your order at the restaurant for lunch, the toilet, or else going straight onto the beach.  The path to the beach has conveniently placed boards to provide support.  Once on the beach, the choice of sun or a shady, thatched baraca is yours.  I always choose sun first! 

While visiting, it's also possible to see Josephine, a delicate little duiker.  She will lick the sea salt from your hand.  I loved rubbing behind her ears.  The skin there is so soft!  I don't like seeing wild animals in captivity, but I will say that she does have a very large enclosure.   

A walk on the beach might reveal a number of little treasures.  Yesterday, I found a sand dollar.  

The boat back across the inlet leaves at 3, 4, and 5.  Waiting for the boat yesterday was the prefect time to see a gorgeous setting sun.

The evening tide does not let the boat reach the shoreline.  Instead, everyone has to make an ungraceful exit over the side of the boat and walk to shore.  I hopped over the edge gladly.  The girls behind me (apparently first time visitors) squealed when they saw the water reached the middle of my thighs.  

Before you drive off,  you need to pay the daily fee of $0.90 for parking.  Then it's off to home after another wonderful day in Mozambique.

lavanderia (laundry)

Today we needed to fit laundry into our schedule.  Mom doesn't have house help (as is typical here) so she does all her own cleaning and washing.

First, meet her washing machine:

I used something like this when I was in Egypt for 4 months.  The left side of the washing machine is the "washing" part, and the right side is the "spinner."  The machine is lightweight and energy efficient, at least as far as electricity is concerned.  The energy needs to come from the operator! 

First, you have to fill the washing machine with water, by using a hose.  Mom keeps hers in the kitchen, so she can just slide the machine over to the sink and connect a short hose. 

After it is filled with water, the soap and clothes are added and the washing begins.  To change the water for rinsing or just to release water after the "spinning," there is another hose on the side that drains the water.  We drain it into a bucket because we don't have an inside drain.  (We can't just drain it directly into the sink because the water is drained by gravity alone.)

After that, the clothes go the dryer, which is a good old clothesline.  No tumble dryers here.  

The key is to start the laundry early in the day, so that they dry quickly in the early part of the day.  The spinner works well to get the extra water out and with temperatures of the day creeping up already, they will be dry in no time.  

In some ways, I really appreciate this way of doing laundry.  It certainly is better for the environment.  It uses less electricity and less water.  In England, I got used to energy and water saving washing machines.  Drying was accomplished by hanging the clothes outside to dry (on a nice day) or inside on a drying rack by the radiator (most days).  My frustration with that was the length of time it took clothes to dry!  (Also in the winter, it can block the precious heat from getting to the rest of the room.)  Obviously, heat isn't a problem here! :)  I won't deny it, the American way of doing laundry is definitely easier and faster, with our large washers and dryers.  While the washing we are doing today may not be as easy, I can't help but think it is a better use of our resources.

UPDATE:

I love conservation.  I believe we are responsible to care for the earth, a task we have fallen far short of accomplishing.  As I was hanging up more clothes, I realized that if I want to be even more environmentally friendly, I could wash all of my clothes by hand on a regular basis.  I confess, I'm not there yet!  :)

Fora e marinha (Outside and Sea)

Today is a gorgeous day in Sofala Province.  Mom and I decided we needed to have our breakfast outside to enjoy the lovely breeze.  There is a daycare or a school nearby and we can hear the kids playing outdoors.  I thought I would just send a few pictures of our peaceful pequeno-almoço fora (breakfast outside).

This is our view from Mom and Dad's veranda.  As you can see, they live in an enclosed complex, as most people do here in Mozambique.  I think some might feel claustrophobic to live within walls, but it feels normal to me.  It is a standard security measure here.  The tenants prior to Mom and Dad added nicely to the garden, leaving a peaceful green space for them to enjoy.  

This is not your typical garden gnome.  This is the skull of a sea turtle, tartaruga marinha.  Sea turtles live in all of the world's oceans except for the Arctic, but like many creatures, have been hunted for food to the degree that their populations are dwindling.  In some cases, they are hunted for their shells as well.  (I should add, this skull was in my parents' garden they arrived.  I'm hoping it was just found on the beach.  Hunting of most species of sea turtles is illegal.)  Did you know that sea turtles can live eighty years or more?  I also learned they are immune to the sting of the box jellyfish.  Sea turtles can then eat the poisonous jellyfish, which helps to naturally control the jellyfish population.  

I really love learning about natural systems.  The balance in the world is so delicate.  It is amazing when it functions as it should and heartbreaking when the natural order is disturbed.  Consider these examples of the connection of the sea turtles to their world.  Sea turtles return to the beach to lay their eggs.  Some even return to the specific beach where they were hatched.  The nutrients from the nests they create and from the eggs they lay help to fertilize the sand dunes and beaches, which in turn provide better growth of vegetation.  The vegetation is vital to prevent erosion.  I read that on one 22 mile stretch of beach in Florida, sea turtles lay 150,000 pounds of eggs annually.  If that number diminishes due to hunting of the sea turtle or her eggs, the beach will also be affected.  A sea turtle will lay about 100 eggs in a nest.

Sea turtles also eat the sea grass on the bottom of the ocean.  Sea grass needs to be cut back in order to grow.  The beds of sea grass are where many types of sea life lay their eggs.  Fewer sea turtles would mean less growth of sea grass.  This would then impact other marine life, including some which are a food source for humans.  

Well, now you've had your lesson in ecosystems for the day!  I hope it has been a helpful reminder to take care of our world.