Placencia, Belize

Yesterday I left San Ignacio in the morning and got a shuttle ride to Belize city. I got to drive through the City cause the guy had to pick up some people coming in on a water taxi from the Cayes. The city looks pretty rundown. Glad I didnt spend any time there. Then I went to the airport to meet my parents. Their plane landed from Houston, but they were not on it. The ticket agent confirmed that they missed the flight, but got on the next one (surprised that there WAS a next one) and would be in at 4pm. I figured out that they could still catch the last flight to Placencia, and since we had agreed earlier not to wait for each other if one of us missed a connection, I boarded my flight to Placencia. The plane was a 10 seat propeller plane, and I sat directly behind the pilot! No 9-11 security in effect here. The flight was cool. The plane dipped and dived for landings like a WWII fighter plane. I got it all on handycam.
Placencia (pop. 458) is another quiet one-street town, though this one is entirely geared to American tourists. Lots of Americans here. Our hotel, Tradewinds, is a little cabana just 30 feet from the ocean. It is a lot like the place in Fiji, except it's concrete and we are located next to a kennel of barking dogs. Not a bad place for $50 a night, right on the Caribbean. That's pronounced ca-rib-BE-an, right Dad?
Today it rained most of the day. Ive just been hanging with the folks. We've enjoyed Omar's restaurant, Cozy Corner Cafe, Purple Space Monkey restaurant, and Tipsy Tuna barefoot bar.

Today we went on a boat ride and hike up the Monkey River. As you can see, Mom got some sun. We rode a small outboard boat a few miles down the coast and then stopped at a tiny village to pick up our local guide. We then slowly motored up the river looking for wildlife and seeing birds, small crocs, turtles, big iguanas, and bats. After a while we pulled ashore and hiked into the jungle. Our machete-wielding and knowledgeable guide pointed out every tree and it's function to the indigenous Maya. Finally he located the highlight of the trip. He ran ahead to scout out the area, then called us over. Once we reached him, he paused for effect, then slapped the side of a big tree with his machete. Immediately several howler monkeys exploded into a chorus of screams and grunts. They were less than pleased to see us, and very vocal about it.

After we left the monkeys we had lunch in Monkey River Town (pop. 100), then saw some manatees on the thrilling ride home through dense mangroves.