I met Debbie and Dalen around 8:15 and we walked over to the Guest House for breakfast. Only, the Guest House doesn’t serve food any more. They’ve moved their restaurant out to the Biltmore just outside the city.

So, we stopped at the National Handicraft Center where we all purchased some gifts. I bought a beautiful sailboat, a manatee, and a dolphin all for about $75. I ran these purchases back to my room and we went to the Raddison for breakfast.

This is where we met Victor. He is a freelance tour guide (licensed of course) who offered to take Debbie and me to the Belize Zoo and drop her by the airport on the way back. But, in order to make Debbie’s flight, we’d have to leave soon.

Debbie quickly packed the remaining of her luggage and we both said goodbye to Dalen. Our group of nine was now down to two—Debbie and me.

Victor took us by Scotia Bank, then Barclays, so Debbie could get some money. Then, we left for the zoo. We drove out the Western Highway in Victor’s van. It’s a ’91 Ford with over 200,000 miles on it and is in great shape—especially for Belize. Victor is quite proud of his van and will show you his sound system—a 300 watt Sony CD, AM/FM radio, etc.—at a moment’s notice.

The Zoo is about halfway between Belmopan and Belize City. A lady who had to take care of some native animals that had become relatively tame after a documentary was shot about them started it. Not knowing what else to do, she took them in herself and from that humble beginning the Belize Zoo was begun. Now, some 20 years later, the zoo covers 26 acres and has the finest collection of native Belize animals, I suspect in the world.

Victor took us through the zoo, showing us the deer, the spider monkeys, ocelot, jaguar, tapir, and all the other animals. He gave us information about the animals, where they are found in Belize, and how they behave. It was very informative and a real treat to see.

We left the zoo and took Debbie to the airport. On the way, I asked Victor if he could take me to Altun Ha, a Mayan ruin to the north of Belize City. It’d be expensive for one person--$75—but he could do it.

We arrived at the airport around 12:30 and dropped off Debbie. She and I said goodbye and with a quick hug, she too entered the airport bound for the U.S. and then on to Canada.

Victor and I then picked up one of his girls—more on relationships in Belize later—and dropped her off in Vista del Mar, a new development outside of Belize City. He then took me to a local restaurant near the Coca Cola factory for beans and rice.

After lunch, we went out the Northern Highway past Hattieville to the turnoff for the old Northern Highway. Victor called this the "chicken road." It’s called this because it is a one-lane road. When an on-coming car is heading down the highway, one of you has to decide to "chicken out" and pull over to let the other pass.

The trip to Altun Ha took about 45 minutes during which Victor regaled me with stories of his sexual exploits (complete with pictures of his naked girlfriends), an occasional joke, and riddles.

We got to Altun Ha around 2:00 and took a short tour. Altun Ha is older than Lamanai and less impressive. The plaza with the four temples is cool and the large temple and plaza next to it is also something. But, that’s about all that’s left. Altun Ha wasn’t discovered until the 1960’s and the limestone had either washed away or been used for roads before anyone realized there was a Mayan city here.

I climbed to the top of the large temple with Victor, taking the route the priests would have taken, right up the center of the front face. What a climb! There were probably 50 steps (more or less) and each step was about a foot tall. It was something you couldn’t do in a hurry or without contemplation—which I assume was the intent.

It was at Altun Ha that I saw my first avocado tree. They were falling from the tree as we stood there talking. It began to rain, so I quickly paid the $2.50 entrance fee and we headed for Belize City. On the way, we saw a tarantula crossing the road. For a spider that is feared in the United States, it’s not much to look at in the jungle.

We got back to Belize City and stopped at Barclays to get some money to pay Victor. The ATM connection to my bank wasn’t working though. So, Victor took me to the casino at the Princess Hotel where—after taking my name, address, and picture for their database—I was admitted to the casino. I was able to get a cash advance on my credit card and we were at the Guest House 20 minutes later.

I paid Victor, made arrangements for him to pick me up in the morning to take me to the airport, and head in to relax.

I had dinner at the Raddison—Fettuccini Marinara—and sent Clifton a postcard. I then walked back to the little park near the Guest House and smoked a Cuban cigar while watching neighborhood kids playing soccer.

I really like it here in Belize, but am ready to go home and see my wife, my dog, and my boat.

I started to pack for the trip home and was in bed by 9:30.