We were in the boat at 7:00 a.m. and arrived in Belize City around 7:35. We were a bit early so we walked around. I bought some "crabu?" (a small yellow fruit about the size of a large pea) from a street vendor. We all tried a couple of pieces. I didn't think they were that bad. Most of the rest of the group hated them.

Dennis, our tour guide, met us with the van at 8:00 and we started the journey to Lamanai. He drove us out the Western Highway nearly to Orange Walk. There, we met our boat skippered by the very capable Vincent. He showed us birds and plants along the way and we even saw some crocodiles. A mother and some babies were warming themselves on a log on the riverbank. Vincent, trying to be the tour guide that he was, tried to catch one of the baby crocodiles to show us. We, on the other hand, kept reminding him that mamma croc had only submerged and was sure to be around somewhere. He never did get a hand on any of the babies, which was just as well for us. I'm not sure any of us wanted a crocodile in the boat with us no matter how small it was.

Lamanai was amazing! Researchers estimate there are 700+ structures in Lamanai and only about 10% has been unearthed. Only 3 temples are being restored/excavated at the present. Lamanai was founded in about 300 BC and continuously inhabited until the Spaniards arrived in the 1600s.

We had lunch of rice and beans, coleslaw, tortillas, and Fanta! I was never so excited to see a soft drink in my life. After a week of drinking tepid, filtered rainwater, the carbonated and sweetened beverage was received like nectar from the gods.

After lunch, we saw the temples. I climbed to the top of the mask temple and we also saw the tall temple and the Jaguar temple. It was all very amazing. During our tour we saw a group of Howler Monkeys in the trees. They are very black and about 3 feet tall. We even saw a baby Howler Monkey climbing in the vines.

After another exhilarating boat ride back to the van, we returned to Ventura. We paid the $65 for the tour, and said goodbye to our guides. At Ventura, Caryn gave me the pictures of the manatee I saw yesterday. I thought his paddle was ragged-turns out a big part of it is gone! We left Ventura around 5:00 and came back to Spanish Lookout Caye. Pam made us some pasta and we had guests! Mr. Gilroy joined us for dinner and regaled us with his stories.

Mr. Gilroy is a force to behold. Gilroy is his first name and I don't think I ever heard his last. Sort of like Madonna and Cher, Gilroy is known by one name alone. This unimposing man of about 5 foot 6 can be your best friend or I suspect a formidable foe. He'll argue with you for hours on whether he's the skipper of the boat or the "boat operator" as he likes to be called. Try as you might, you'll never pin him down to anything you can hold him to later. He lives on the island supporting the resort and maintaining our living quarters.

He's an accomplished skipper (he'll hate that I call him that) that can fearlessly navigate the resort's vessels to safety in the face of a hurricane. He's a master diver, a terrific handyman, a great conversationalist and an all around good guy. If you ever make it to Spanish Lookout Caye, offer Gilroy a bottle of beer, a cigarette or two, and sit back and prepare to be engaged and entertained for the rest of the evening.

Tonight, Caryn briefed us on Tropical Storm Chantal-an almost hurricane in the eastern Caribbean. Seems she is beginning to strengthen, with winds in the 65 to 70 mile range, and is currently on a track that will bring her close to us here in Belize. Of course, tropical storms are unpredictable, so who knows. We'll keep up with the weather for the next few days.

A night of music, stories, and scrabble ended at 11:00 when we head to bed, exhausted from a day filled with adventure.