We finally arrived in Belize City after a short flight 2-hour flight. I fell asleep almost immediately as the plane was taking off and didn’t wake up until we were about 30 minutes out of Belize city. As the plane was landing, I got my first glimpse of the beautiful rainforests of Belize. The sunlight glinted off the muddy rivers turning them a brilliant golden color as they wound through the dense jungle.
We quickly passed through customs and immigration and were officially on Belizean soil. My excitement began to build as we climbed into the bus and started making our way to the Tropical Education Center where we will be sending the night. We stopped at Low’s convenience store and got snacks for the trip. I can’t wait to try the plantain chips with hot sauce. It was very interesting to see how many American brands and symbols have permeated into Belizean culture. We even saw a truck sporting a Houston Rockets sticker driving down the road ahead of us.
When we got to the research station, it was dinner time. We quickly through our stuff in the cabins and went to dinner. The chicken and the fruit juice was amazing!
When we got back to the cabins after dinner, I had my first amphibian sighting! Luckily, we turned on the light on just in time to avoid stepping on the little frog. Although I am not entirely sure, I believe that the frog was a Smilisca baudinii, commonly known as the Mexican tree frog. After a few narrow misses, I was able to take a picture of the frog and get a close up view of him. This frog had the characteristic large eyes and broad flat head of the Mexican tree frog. Furthermore, this frog was primarily a lighter brown with darker brown spots all along its ventral side. Despite much protest from the frog, I was eventually able to pick up the frog and carefully carry him outside in order to avoid future mishaps.
On the way to write this blog entry, I had my second amphibian sighting. A very large toad crossed our path on the way to the classroom. Unfortunately, he hopped away before I could get a close look at him. However, he was approximately the size of my fist and had large warts all along his body. I am so glad that I have already seen some amphibians on this trip. Initially, I was afraid that I wouldn’t see any amphibians becuase we are traveling in the dry season and they are supposed to be very rare during this time. I hope that my luck will continue and I will be able to spot a Mexican Burrowing toad by the end of this trip.
I am so excited to finally be in Belize and can’t wait for the boat ride to Glovers early tomorrow morning. (I also can’t wait to take a shower tonight as I hear it is the last place with hot water for a while)