There’s No Place Like Home

            After a May wedding, my wife and I were finally able to go on our honeymoon in November this past year. Despite the many suggestions that were thrown our way and the almost 200 countries we had to choose from, we decided on our original idea of spending a week in the economically diverse country of Belize. Belize is nestled in the north most corner of Central America on Guatemala’s eastern border. With a population of just over 356,000 (population of Houston is over 2 million), Belize is very much so a small country with severe poverty like most in Central and South America. The two main forms of work for those who live there are either working for the government or something within the tourism industry.

            Upon arrival into the Belize International Airport, a three hour drive was imminent for my wife and I in order to make it to our resort nestled in the Mayan mountains on the border of Belize and Guatemala. Along the way, the driver explained much of the natural landscape and the rich history of the Mayan people from long ago, part of what makes Belize such a popular tourist place. On this drive we even had the unique opportunity to visit the Belize national zoo. While much smaller than most city zoos here in the states, the Belize zoo offers an up close and personal experience with the animals and even the opportunity to touch them, as long as the animals allow it. After our stop to see the animals and have a quick bite to eat, we were back on the road for the last hour of the drive to our resort, Chaa Creek Jungle Lodge.

            Like most resorts, Chaa Creek offers many different activities to do while you are staying with them. My wife and I were able to ride horses through the mountains, learn about Mayan remedies and medicines, embark on a sunset canoe trip etc. However, of all the things we were able to do and see, including the howler monkeys that would wake us up every morning with their incessant howling; my most enjoyable experience was our night walk in which our guide helped us seek out Tarantulas residing on the resort.

            We set out well after dark with flashlights in our hands and hopes in our minds of catching a glimpse of just one of these furry eight-legged friends. The guide assured us that weather was right, and with little wind, they were sure to be out feeding on small insects. Just five minutes into our excursion, we spotted one. Not far off the path at all, its small eyes refracted a bit of light from the guides flashlight and gave away his location. A few minutes later, another and another! Throughout our night walk we learned much about the Tarantula; they can live up to 30 years in the wild and nighttime is when they are most likely to be out feeding. All in all, we saw about 20 spiders and were pleased with our detective work.

 The next morning over breakfast I could not help but wonder, were we really that lucky or was something fishy going on? It was not until a few days later as we were headed to the airport that I finally learned the truth. In any industry, there are what is called “tricks of the trade,” small little known facts that can make one’s performance that much better. Little did I know that our Tarantula guide had a little trick of his own. I suppose you could call it a slight of hand technique, but on our walk that night we learned that Tarantulas hunt at night. What the guide failed to mention is that Tarantulas have homes and they NEVER leave them! All the while I was amazed at our guide’s ability to seek out these eight legged, hairy critters, but his ability was nothing more than a trick. Even while feeding, Tarantulas never go past a few inches from their front door, they simply wait for their pray to come to them. Talk about a couch potato. The reality of it was that once the spiders were found, the guides could be sure they would be in that exact spot night after night, year after year. And not knowing any better, the tourists would continue to be impressed night after night, year after year.

All in all, my wife and I had a trip together that we will remember for the rest of our lives. The experiences were one of a kind and will be with us forever. While the habits of spiders can be a source of income for some, they can also be a nuisance for people like you and me. Spiders have a tendency to invade our homes at any time throughout the year. While most are harmless and even beneficial, most people do not want to see them crawling around. Spider control is easily attainable with just a few steps and important to learn about. After all, I am sure you do not want a spider camping out in that same little corner of your living room for the next 30 years just waiting for a meal to walk by!