Caye Caulker, Belize
Belize is a country which has been high on my wish list of places to visit for some time. I think just the name evokes images of palm trees, blue waters and sandy beaches, or maybe I got that from any photo you ever see of this Caribbean island.We decided to blow the expense and fly from Roatan direct to Belize, at least we thought it would be direct, and easier than 2 days of travel by bus and boat. Our Irish friends had done it and didn't recommend it. So off we set at some ungodly hour (of course) and boarded the first tiny plane to the Honduran mainland. It was the smallest plane I had ever been in to travel any sort of distance. All three planes that day were the same size, seated about 18 people and the luggage came in the cabin with us! Yes I did say 3 planes! We had 2 stopovers on Honduran mainland before reaching our final destination of Belize City. Although none of the flights were more than 1 hour long the journey managed to take 6 hours! We then headed to the ferry terminal and jumped on the next boat headed for Caye Caulker an island 45 mins from mainland Belize. Here we got our first glimpse of the turquoise waters. Beautiful.
It was HOT! So the hunt for accommodation didn't last long as we were close to collapse. Luckily we stumbled across some cabins on stilts right next to the waters edge which we could afford. It was very basic but we had our very own hammock so we were sold.
The idea of Mik jetting from one Caribbean island to the next on his birthday hadn't seemed like a bad idea, with hindsight we could have planned it better as that evening we were both too exhausted to party the night away. So the following night we headed out for dinner at one of the nicer restaurants, sank lots and lots of cold beers and a couple of shots of tequila. One comment to the waitress and a slice of something chocolatey turned up in front of Mik, bless them.This hammock became our haven for the week. I used in the mornings when it was in the sun and Mik was still asleep, then after lunch Mik would take his turn as by now it was in the shade (heaven forbid he get the sun on him!!) and I would wander down to the jetty and lie myself out in the sun again. And so the days passed....! The island had a real laid back Caribbean vibe to it. It is however becoming less of a backpacker place and there are more and more 'posh' hotels and apartments around. Not as many however as Ambergris Caye the more built up island just next door. We visited this island as part of our snorkel trip and it is far more developed with many large resort hotels.
The snorkel trip ended up being the only thing we actually did whilst on Caye Caulker. Lazy gits! We had intended to dive the Blue Hole which is purported to be one of the best dive sites in the world. However when we found out that it was going to cost $400 for us both to dive it we knocked that idea on the head. It is really difficult to make these decisions sometimes as it seems like such a lot of money in the context of our daily budget but then you can't not do the things you want to. But, having realised that we would actually only get a 30 min dive in the Blue Hole itself, and with hindsight, I think we made the right choice. We have of course got to bear in mind what that money would get us elsewhere and it will pay for a lot more diving at a later date.So anyway, back to the snorkelling trip. We went out with a local called Carlos. There were just 6 of us and we stopped at 3 different sites throughout the day. The snorkelling was superb. We saw loads of rays, moray eels, massive tarpin fish, lobsters, big schools of colourful fish (yes that's exactly how Carlos described them!) and sharks!
At the second site a load of nurse sharks turned up right next to our boat obviously looking for food - as in fish heads from our guide, not US! They got themselves into a bit of a frenzy over a couple of fish heads as we watched from the boat, well all of us that is except Mik! He had his fins and mask on before you could say "they won't hurt you" and was in the water with them! Slightly worrying. This worry however was lessened somewhat when later on two nurse sharks found us and swam with us. Carlos was touching them and turning them over and all sorts. Having realised it was safe Mik and I really wanted to touch one (not something I ever imagined myself saying!). They feel weird, kind of like sand paper, but then when they move it goes all soft, and their bellies are much softer than their heads. Surreal experience really. We also saw three massive eagle rays swimming along. They are such graceful things to watch. Luckily for us Carlos had a camera which could take videos as well so we have some great footage. All in all a brilliant day.
As both eating and drinking out was quite expensive we ended up going for the cheaper option of take aways a number of times. One night we decided that we would try the local rum out too. So armed with take away chicken and chips, a bottle of local rum, a bag of ice and some coke off we set for a night in in our delightful cabin. A good night was had by all however the next day passed in a haze for me. I barely made it out of the cabin, I don't think I'll be polishing off another half bottle of rum any time soon. Then again I think I always say that! Once fully recovered we decided to head off for Mexico.
Cara
