1 post tagged “monkeys”
About 45 minutes outside Belize City is the "Baboon Santuary". So named because it is a sanctuary for howler monkeys (which are not baboons). It's basically a bunch of people's backyards who have collectively agreed to leave a bunch of trees there for howler monkeys. The land-owners (and guides) all derive some benefit from visitors and the monkeys get a place to stay.
On our guided tour it was just Angela, me and our guide. Awesome. Our guide looked like a homeless guy in San Francisco, but had perfect English and grammar (not perfect for the way he looked, unqualified perfect). It was almost jarring to hear him talk about how the leaf-cutter ants made their trails from formic acid or how the howler monkeys have a special bone in their throat that they make vibrate when they're sucking air in--I just didn't expect someone with teeth that bad to be that smart. If I'd been listening better, I would've learned a lot about native plant species as well.
Made me doubt that I could get to where I am today if I'd been born in the country-side of Belize.
Anyhow, the point of this trip was the monkeys. Check this out:
Notice our goofy expressions? That's because it was really cool to be so close to these animals and we were giddy with excitement. Another one of the monkeys was just inches from my face when he reached out and gently touched my nose. It was a nature-communing experience. Maybe he was checking out my birthmark.
