Thursday 18 April
I’m up early today to have a crack at the
gym again (all those American portions soon catch up to you). We’re flying around lunchtime, so we get
packed up and head for the airport. The
sat nav is being particularly obtuse this morning and we hit a few wrong turns,
but we’ve given ourselves plenty of time.
Once we’ve dropped off the car (which goes far more smoothly than
picking it up) and checked in we settle into breakfast number 2 (1 just isn’t
enough these days).
In the end our flight is delayed by about
an hour, but we do get off the ground and everything goes smoothly from
there. It’s a short hop (a little under
2 hours) down to Belize City. I’m not
sure what to expect, but there’s definitely a Caribbean flavor to things. We’re welcomed by a live band playing from
the middle of the luggage carousel, (with suitcases rolling by around them) and
a sign in the toilets politely asks that you not flush the toilet with your
feet (something that has never occurred to me).
Soon enough we’re outside, entrusting our
lives to a very friendly taxi driver.
It’s a fairly scenic half hour down to the water taxi terminal – for a
lot of the journey we’re winding along a river backed by jungle. Our driver delivers us in tact – which is
some sweet miracle considering some of the maneuvers he pulled. We buy our tickets, dump our suitcases and
get lured into a café for a local beer and a snack.
An hour or so later we’re bouncing our way
at high speed across the ocean. It takes
about 45 minutes to get to Caye Caulker, where yet another friendly taxi driver
meets us. He loads our suitcases onto his
golf cart and trundles us round to our guesthouse. Luckily this taxi journey is a little gentler
than the last one.
We’re staying in a little beachside cabana
on stilts. It’s simple, but with
everything we need (including a hammock on the porch and 2 bikes to get around
on).
Once we’re unpacked we pedal into town to
pick up a few basic supplies (beer, nuts, tea and milk) and to start getting
our bearings. At first glance, Caye
Caulker is fantastic. There are no paved
roads and people make their way along the sandy roads by bike or golf
cart. It’s the very definition of
laidback. We can’t wait to explore
properly tomorrow.
We drop off our shopping and test the beer
and nuts (just to make sure they’re ok), then walk back into town for some
proper food (does it sound like all we do is eat?). Sandro’s, an Italian place, has been
recommended and it doesn’t disappoint.
We sit out in the garden with some of the best food we’ve had in a while
and wonderfully friendly service.
It’s 2 hours earlier in Belize than Miami
and our body clocks are telling us it’s bedtime, so we head back to our little
hut for some sleep.
Janet adds: smiley face
Friday 19 April
Today we slip into island mode, so there’s
not a whole bunch to write about. I get
up early and cycle to the local bakery to get some freshly baked pastries and
fruit for breakfast, which we eat outside.
We’re about out of clean clothes, so we
combine a trip to the local Laundromat with a quick explore of town. We check out the split – about the best
swimming spot on the island. Nick has
cheated and secretly worn his swimmers, so he dives in for a swim while I watch
from the shore.
We also manage to get a tour booked for
tomorrow (yippee!). Once we’ve collected
and hung up our washing I drag Nick back to the split so that I can swim
too. It’s a blast kicking about
barefoot, in shorts on our bikes. I feel
like a kid again.
That’s about it really… We spend the afternoon reading, lazing and
iguana watching.
In the evening we pop into town for some
food (the highlight of which is the resident dog, soon befriended by Nick).
Janet adds: Happy Birthday Matthew xx
Saturday 20 April
We’ve booked a tour to see the Lamanai
Mayan ruins today over on the mainland.
We’re up early so that we can get the 7am water taxi across to Belize
City. We’ve had a brisk wind blowing
since we arrived, but today is as calm as a millpond. It’s beautiful, but also means it’s really
hot.
We’re met in Belize City by Major Tom – a
genuine Major and a delightful character.
He’s an older gentleman, but with a real presence – filled with
vitality, intelligence and mischief. He
fills the hour or so drive with anecdotes, bad jokes and travel advice. He drops us off at the Orange River, where
we’re picking up our boat. Amir is our
capable captain and guide, gracefully assisted by Eduardo, his neighbour’s
young son.
It takes and hour or so to cruise up the
river to Lamanai. The start is not great
and is a bit of a reality check. Amir
points out the sugar processing plant on the horizon pumping out smog. He tells us that the river is not naturally
this colour (a smoky green). The sugar
plant uses the river to flush their mills.
Although all the waste is organic, the water that is dumped back into
the river is warm. This heats up the
river, kills off the fish and leaves it all a little smelly and nasty. Luckily the further we get from the sugar
plant the more things clear up.
We get some great sights along the way: an
abandoned rehab centre built by an American – the business failed as it was
sited next to a rum distillery; a cheeky spider monkey that pops down to snatch
some crisps and then races through the trees alongside the boat; a close-up
look (and in some cases a taste!) at the birds, bats and vegetation that line
the river; and even a glance into a Mennonite community. The Mennonites moved into Belize in 1958 and
are now a cornerstone of the economy, producing milk, meat and corn.
Then we arrive at Lamanai, set on the banks
of the lagoon and cloaked in forest.
Amir is full of facts, stories and history. He’s also able to tell us about the local
plants and how they’re used. The ruins
themselves are magnificent: adorned with carvings,
steeply stepped and towering above the trees.
There are not a lot of people around and
we’re even allowed to climb up the temples.
Some more entertainment comes in the form
of a couple of troupes of howler monkeys.
They’re threatening to get into an almighty scrap over territory and boy
do they howl. It’s a chilling, guttural
sound – not really suited to the cute, fluffy monkeys we can see. We even manage to catch a fleeting glimpse of
a Toucan. Once we’ve had a good look
round we’re treated to lunch prepared for us by Amir’s mother. It’s lovely to get some fresh, home-cooked
food.
The boat trip back is a little less
leisurely and before we know it we’re on the bus back into the city. Major Tom pulls up at some street vendors so
that we can load up on mango, oranges and fresh coconut water (served in
knotted plastic bags with chunks of the flesh floating in it – you’ve got to
bite a hole in the plastic and suck), then he puts his foot down to get us on
the earlier ferry. By 5.30 we’re back on
our little island. I’m overheating and
decide to have a swim off the end or our pier.
It’s heavenly. We have a beer on
the porch before walking to one of the beachside restaurants for cheap and
delicious nachos, burritos and quesadillas.
We seriously over-order, but it’s all so good. On the way back we spot Juni out on his
porch. Juni is a bit of a local legend - at 74 he still runs regular snorkel trips out to Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We’re both a little intimidated by him and
don’t want to disturb his evening, but as he’s a one man show and doesn’t
really believe in the internet, he’s a little hard to track down and so we pluck
up the courage to strike up a conversation.
He agrees to take us out on Monday (extra yippee!).
Janet adds: our guide casually mentioned
today that it’s very easy for tourists to buy land/property in Belize. Hmmmm….
Sunday 21 April
Yip, it’s another lazy day for us. We start with a cycle into town to find something
for breakfast and then a catch-up skype with Bronwen (yay!). It’s dead calm again today – which also means
very hot – but the kayaks are free and so we grab them for a paddle.
We go out for an hour or so, stopping at a
conveniently placed ‘stick’ where we can tie up the boats and hop in for a
snorkel. There aren’t many fish about,
but we do find the ruins of a golf cart…
Back on land we retreat to the shade for a
bit, then decide to explore the back end of the island by bike. It’s not very developed here and there’s an
interesting mix of posh houses, swamp and mangroves – we even spot a little
croc.
After lunch we grab 2 shady hammocks to
while away the afternoon.
We’ve got to take a short trip into town to
confirm with Juni and along the way we spot this little fella (although I’ve
already forgotten what he is!):
In the evening we find a Lebanese
restaurant (naturally), which does cheap, fresh food (falafel and hummus –
yay).
Janet adds: found toasted pumpkin seeds in
the local shop today just like mom used to make…
Monday 22 April
I hate to be predictable, but we started
today with a cycle into town for breakfast.
There’s a bakery that does delicious, sticky-sweet things, which are
very hard to resist…
We’re up early, so there’s plenty of time
to get packed up and ready for our trip out today. We meet Juni and get loaded onto the
boat - a sailboat that he made completely by hand.
There are 7 of us on the tour. We get the sail up, but there’s not much
wind, so we need the motor running too. As
we make our way out Juni talks a bit about the sea and about how much it means
to him. He feels a very real connection
with the fish/creatures (and therefore
won’t eat them!) and there are some individuals that he has been visiting
nearly daily for 30 years. He makes it
clear to us that we’re entering their territory and that things will be done on
their terms.
We reach our first snorkel spot known as
shark ray alley – no need to ask why: before we get in the water we can see a
couple of giant stingrays and some nurse sharks circling. We get our masks on and jump in – it’s
fantastic. The sharks keep their
distance, but the rays swoop up just underneath us (and my heart jumps every
time they do).
These are some of Juni’s old friends and he
happily plays with them – lifting them up and letting them swim up and over our
bodies. They must be enjoying it too as
they keep coming back for more.
We all follow along behind him as he shows us around his reef. There's plenty of brightly coloured coral and fish
and Juni keeps pointing things out to make sure we don't miss anything.
June has told us not to be afraid of anything in this water, but it's hard not to be a little bit wary when you see a shark.
We jump back on the boat and putter along a
ways. We’re followed by a shiver of
nurse sharks – it’s quite a sight.
Juni pulls up next to some fishermen
friends of his. They’re gutting their
fish and throwing the waste over the side.
This has attracted some giant skates and 2 turtles. We get in for a swim with them too – which is
pretty weird as the water can’t be much more than a couple of feet deep. It’s a bit of an adrenaline rush too as one
of the turtles is a biter and nearly takes my little tootsies off before I can
even get into the water.
Back on the boat Juni surprises us with
cold, peeled oranges and lets us eat our lunch while we cruise over to our next
snorkel spot. One of Juni’s old mates is
waiting for us again: a giant, grumpy looking grouper that keeps coming up for
cuddles with him. It’s weird and quite
touching to see – he definitely has a way with fish and they follow him
wherever he goes.
There are some more stingrays and a few
turtles lazily munching on sea grass. We
snorkel out over bright coral with fish everywhere, and Juni stops to lure a
beautiful green moray eel out of his home – he claims he’s been living there
for 30 years.
By the time we get back on the boat for the
trip back we’re blissed out. It’s been a
long day, with a lot of excitement. Juni
definitely seems at home on the ocean and starts telling us about his family,
his grandkids, his childhood and even the ghost of his father. By the time we get back we almost feel part
of the family and he gives us all a hug and a kiss (well, Nick manages to dodge
the kiss and settles for a hug).
We’re both knackered after a long day in
the sun so we grab a bite to eat and crash out.
Janet adds: Drat. Despite about a 100 layers of sun cream I’ve
still managed to get snorkeler’s (pink) bum.
Ah well, it was worth it.
Tuesday 23 April
You guessed it, it’s a lazy one again
today. We had planned on doing another
snorkel tour, but figure nothing could beat yesterday, so there doesn’t seem
much point. We’re also a bit sunned out
and spend most of the day trying to stay in the shade.
We’re in need of clean clothes again, so we
put a load on at the laundry mat (as they’re known in Belize) and get some breakfast
at Glenda’s while we wait. We get lovely
eggs served with cinnamon buns on the side.
The rest of the day is spent kicking about:
we swim, take a walk round the island, cycle into town a couple of times and do
some planning. I also finally manage to
get a picture of one of the gorgeous tiny hummingbirds that have been flitting
about.
Tomorrow we’re moving south to Placencia.
Janet adds: If you’re ever planning a trip
to Caye Caulker, make sure to look up Juni.
He doesn’t believe in the internet, so just take a walk along front
street till you see his house and ask him when he’s next going out.
Cabanas on the beach with everything you
need (bikes, kayaks, wifi) and gracious hosts Colin and Linda.
