The third port of call on our trip was to Belize. Belize was very interesting–as the only Central American country where the official language is English, all of the signs were easy to understand (although kind of funny because the English in Belize is slightly different than the English in Ohio. 
) In Belize, we boarded a bus to take a tour of Belize City before heading off to the Belize Zoo for the afternoon.
One thing about the Belize Zoo is that it’s not like a typical American zoo. All of the animals in the zoo are native to the country and were rescued due to injury, death of a parent, poachers, or people who illegally purchase the animals as pets. So, the zoo was a great way to learn about Belize’s native animals.
The other interesting thing is that if you’re used to the cages and barriers of an American zoo, you have to be pretty careful in Belize. The cages are a lot less…thick? Many of the animals were able to reach right through the cage, and there are no barriers between the cages and the guests. Watching little fingers to make sure there aren’t any near the puma’s cage was a pretty big task for the day. 
Belize, from the cruise ship. It was raining at this point, and the ship also has to anchor a few miles from shore. So, we had to take a tender in, which was an interesting ride--it was pouring rain and windy, so the poor little boat was being tossed around!
This cracked me up...a tiny shed acting as an immigration office.
Some houses in Belize
These were some of the houses in the area of town where teachers and lawyers tend to live
Downtown
Jedi and Bug on the tour bus
One of the grocery stores in Belize City
This was a huge church where some middle school kids were doing cross country practice on the sidewalk
Bikes in the rain
Small markets and restaurants near a park
This reminded me so much of our time in Vietnam....people just working on the sidewalk quietly while the hustle of city life surrounded them
The channel that separates the two parts of the city
Jedi and the Boa Constrictor
Dave wanted to hold it as well
Tapir
Spider monkey waving hi
Pretty native flowers
This was a really unique looking bird!
This bird was just gorgeous!
Ocelot
I couldn't believe how close we could come to this one!
I think this is the Gibnut
Jedi trying to see how the wingspan would compare with his own size
An alligator
But found an alligator to ride on
Leopard
After the trip, the kids found a playground to play on for a couple minutes
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