17th December – Caye Caulker, Belize

We woke up in preparation to go snorkeling but the wind had picked up. There were white caps everywhere and it was quite cool, though not enough to put more on than just shorts and t-shirt. Snorkelling will have to wait. Instead we did, chores like getting our laundry sorted, getting money and sorting out our next leg of the adventure. Our original plan was to go back to Vancouver on the 22 December for a white Christmas, but then again we didn’t have to. Tan and I opted for the latter and we started planning our next trip in Central America. Cuba is high on Tania’s agenda but flights ended up to be poorly timed and too expensive. So we missed out. Instead we organized a trip to Costa Rica! Yay!!! We updated the blog, already a long way behind on a slooooow connection. Coffee was interesting and Tan’s chai latte was a cracker. Normally chai is a cinnamon based tea but she got an expresso with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Oh well.. we are in Belize and it doesn’t matter.

Mel, our great tour leader, organized a table at Wish Willy’s bar and grill. We love the informal nature to Belize. Maurice, a tall guy with dreds rand the show. The fish was fresh and caught that day. Two dogs lay in the sand under the table and we drank quite a number of Belikin. It was serve yourself, that is if you were thirsty you went to the esky and helped yourself to the beers. The same with the rum punch, it was pour yourself. Ania become quite proficient at making mixed drinks for the team. The fresh fish included a Spanish mackerel and it was brilliant.
The bill was easy, $25 Belizean ($US12.50) each for the feed and he counted up the empty bottles. He wasn’t too worried about the price. The whole Go Slow and everything is going to be alright is quite catchy.

16th December – San Ignacio – Caye Caulker, Belize

We all started somewhat worse for wear this morning and ended up catching our bus one hour later than planned. Central American countries are great because if you like you need a lift you can stand anywhere on the road and flag down buses, vans etc. We flagged down our Belize city bound bus, again on old American school bus but different to the chicken buses from Guatemala. The ride lasted for 2 hours, passing through a small town called Belmopan, the capital of Belize. We saw the Caribbean Sea and it wasn’t long before we hit Belize City.

We got two taxis for the group to go the water taxi terminal. This low rider, yank tank aka the “pimp mobile” turned up and Tan and I immediately approached. The hooch leaf embossed number plate holders were absolute winners. Driving in the sloppy suspension car was a hoot. The electric windows were killers, as you held down the button and then used the palm of your hand to slide the window down. Very funny! Even though we started a bit later, we arrived to catch our planned water taxi 35 minutes before its departure. We hung out eating Pringles and the obligatory Gator-ade (to support the mild headache). The water taxi was a large speedboat and we sat at the back for the smoothest ride. This boat powered through the sea dodging small islands and reef jutting out. At one stage a small long tom flew out of the water as we motored past. We arrived at Caye (pronounced Key) Caulker and it was everything we imagined it to be. Clear aqua water, white sand, palm trees, no cars, and the waves breaking against the reef, 1km out. We walked down the pier and a tile mosaic read “Caye Caulker, Go Slow”. So we did. It was everything we had imagined it would be and better. Tan said “It’s like we died and went to heaven!”.
James, a local, pushed our bags to the hotel, 700m distance. We worked out he probably pushed about 200kg of gear to the hotel. It cost us, $US2 for the service – a real bargain.
We had a late lunch, complete with two very big fruit drinks, to cure my head ache. Dogs walked through the restaurant, which was on the beach with sand floors. The water was warm-ish and fabulous. We walked along the beach to the cut, where the island was split in two after a recent hurricane. Here we swam, chased fish and ended up parking up on the beach on the margin where it became a sandy road. It didn’t matter. Roger, our name for him, was a black dog with a stumpy tail arrived and dug a hole to cool his face and nose.
Dinner was absolutely awesome. The food was delectable at Agave, where I had fish cakes and crab on crostini. Mixed down with some One Barrel rum and fruit juice was a real treat. Typically when Tan and I go out I always choose something different so we can shared tastes but tonight was different. A whole lobster split in two with shrimp (prawns) and a local sauce was mouth watering. Fresh seafood by the sea in Belize, this is what traveling is all about!!