Crazy boats, floods & Going Slow in Caye Caulker
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2006
1
75
93
Trip End
Oct 19, 2007
Where I stayed
Caye Caulker,
Belize
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Caye Caulkers moto as soon as you step off boat
. Looking around me l had the feeling this was going to be quite the journey! I wasn't wrong!The rain was so strong and it was so misty that what should have been a 45 minute boat ride ended up taking and hour and a half of pure entertainment and misery combined with relief! About two minutes into the trip our driver stopped the engine as he couldn't go any further due to not being able to see a thing! He looked like he was George Clooney trying to steer the boat in the perfect storm! At that moment the small Asian boy across from me started to make the noise l knew his green and pale looking face was about to make- he threw up luckily just in time as his father grabbed a plastic bag! I turned and looked out the front knowing if l saw or smelt it l too was going to go! Hot, wet and with a boat rocking so hard it felt like it could capsize at any moment of course the little girl sitting beside me followed her brothers lead. I don't know what they had for breakfast but they didn't stop throwing it up for the next 45 minutes! The captain would at times be able to see enough in front of him that he would turn the engine back on and to our relief speed up so that we were not only not rocking anymore but we had some ventilation and air moving around the now very smelly cabin. I was now regretting getting seats as far up the cabin as we did and almost joined the US tourists out in the rain who looked like they might fly away at any moment with their inside out umbrellas ripping in the high winds
Beach wreck
. Surrounded crying babies, exposed breasts on my right and bags filled with vomit and retching green children on my left me and Emily (our tour leader) across from me just began to laugh! It was just too much and we couldn't stop ourselves and l felt terrible doing t next to these sick children but it was all l could do to stop myself from throwing up myself! Amist our laughs the water had started to seep into the boat and soon the freezing water was rushing around my feet and ankles. Looking down pleased that it was cooling me down l heard the boy vomit again and his Dad suddenly shouting something in some Asian language. Before l had a chance to look up to see what had happened l could already guess by what was floating around my feet! That was it for me- this was crazy- l almost thought l would rather jump overboard and swim to the island than stick it out on this crazy boat where l felt more like a boat person (refugee) fleeing with people from a war torn country then someone heading to an exotic island paradise!
We finally made it to Caye Caulker where we were greeted by a sign that read Go Slow, which lam sure would be my usual mentality on a Caribbean island but we were doing the exact opposite and walking as fast as we could up its sandy streets and passed its colorful pastel painted weather board houses and picket fences through the pouring rain we finally made it to our Rainbow hotel overlooking a few palm trees and the Grey and white capped sea we had just crossed and miraculously survived
Hammocks outside hotel
. The weather remained terrible the entire afternoon and evening- yet we made the most of the small 7km long island. We wandered up its three streets, up to the split (where the island was split in two by a hurricane) and as far south as we could go marveling at the island way of life and its rustic charm where the streets and roads were all made of sand so that the locals never wore shoes, there were no cars only golf buggy's or bikes to drive around on and there was no street signs as the island only really consisted of three streets front, middle and back....those names were easy to remember! These streets run north and south parallel to the shore whilst a dozen east and west streets connected sunrise to sunset. Walking up to the Split and Lazy Lizard bar we looked across to the rest of the island which developed a split personality in 1961, when hurricane Hattie expanded a previous narrow cut. The peaceful fishing village of Caye Caulker retains its timeless charm, with a friendly blend of 1,200 Belizeans 21 miles northwest of Belize city. Locals still free-dive (no tank) to harvest lobsters from old-style wod slat pots and skilled shipwrights still build boats the traditional way. And you cannot leave the Caye without sampling the freshly baked banana bread sold by the bicycle vendors on front and middle street. It was delicious and so cheap for breakfast and the pineapple upside down cake was also amazing for breakfast standards as l sat and ate it in bed the following morning overlooking the swaying palms and blue ocean! But great seaside dining doesn't get much better than Bamboo which from the front looks rather dodgy but making your way to the beach front entrance you are greeted with a floor of beach sand and double swings surrounding the bar and tables overlooking the beach a couple of meters away. Sounds like paradise- it was- except for the weather
Me on a swing in the rain!
! For of us were so taken with the idea of sitting on swings whilst eating our dinner overlooking the ocean that we made a booking for dinner that evening. Swinging watching the moon rise over the shimmering water l ate the biggest vege, rice and kidney bean filled Burrito l have ever seen whilst James and Michelle shared a local lobster stuffed with rice and vegetables! It was pure bliss and to top of a great night we joined the rest of the group at the beach front sports bar for a fun filled trivia night whilst it poured outside. I fell asleep praying for good weather the next day!Pirates once used the waters l stood and watched breath taken from my bedroom window, to raid ships in search of treasure. Today l thought l was going to find the real treasure- the beauty that remains hidden lying just below the surface- the Belize Barrier Reef.
I began my amazing underwater adventure with picture perfect sky's and weather by boarding our small boat Carlos and speeding across the beautiful Turquoise waters to Coral Gardens where l got to experience something l will remember for a lifetime- l got to swim with four beautiful, gentle and graceful manatee. I will never forget hearing the guide shout to us all in the boat ¨hurry up and get in the manatees are here and waiting to meet you!¨ I was so pleased to meet them
Wet and windy Caye Caulker
! To me there is nothing as magical as the underwater world and swimming with and ad mist its mysterious and beautiful creations. Manatees appear in the clear waters of Coral Gardens from April to September, l was just in time, and swimming beside these magnificent creatures was simply amazing! I dove down and at one stage l got so close l could have touched it. They were beautiful and just glided effortlessly through the warm water and every now and then emerging for air and to spray the water out through their nostrils. I didn't think that the day could get any better then swimming with the Manatee but in many ways it did! We swam around Coral Gardens once the Manatee departed for a good 40 minutes exploring its impressive brain, elkhorn, staghorn and other large corals plus tarpon, eagle rays and lobsters. Our guide dove down and lifted a large sea urchin that we all held and l could feel it quickly sucking onto my naked and soft hand. We continued onto Shark Ray Alley where we swam amongst turtles, l got to hold the strange sea cucumber our guide collected and feel inside the smooth pink lining of the Conch shell. Barracuda and some tiny blue fish that glow like neon darted between the corals and delicate purple sea fans swayed majestically in the oceans current. I spent a good hour just admiring the extravagant submarine scenery of Belize, which l think is more colorful than any Bollywood movie with its dazzling neon creatures, subterranean gardens and coral jungles that put on a show that no one should miss
Fantastic beach bar with swings!
! We boarded back onto the boat and whilst l was eating fresh watermelon and oranges l looked out and admired the tantalizing ribbon of white surf that marks the line where the sea crashed against the most prolific barrier reef in the west, which contains three rare atolls, 500 species of fish, 65 stony corals, 350 molluses, assorted sponges and crustaceans and one celebrated Blue Hole. I felt lucky to witness this day a world both mysterious and beautiful, wild and peaceful, comples and primeval. We stopped for lunch and a hour walk around the resorty and flashy island of San Pedro and l was immediately glad that was staying in Caye Caulker. San Pedro´s beaches and jetty´s were beautiful and postcard perfect but Caye Caulke´s sandy streets and laid back atmosphere with no cars felt more authentic and perhaps even a little surreal- like you are living within one of your own dreams. Michelle and l headed immediately to cool down at the homemade ice cream shop where we had an amazing and apparently famous coconut ice cream and l had mine with coffee flavor as well- yumo! The two go together nicely surprisingly! We then walked to the back of the island where the boats were docked within the reeds and around some side streets until taking our time walking back along the white sand beach past the jetty´s filled with local children pier jumping and swimming in between the docked boats
Windy Lazy Lizard Bar at the split
. Leaving San Pedro and its Miami look alike mansions behind we made our way to our last and in some ways most amazing stop yet- Hol Chan (Mayan for narrow channel) Marine Reserve where sponges, corals and fish couldn't´wait to display their colors. I managed to get close and commune with snapper, grouper, queen triggerfish, morayeels and beautiful ledge´s filled with diverse coral and purple and yellow royal fairy basslets. But the most amazing encounter of the day was when our guide caught gently at different times a sting ray and a large nurse shark booth l which l got to pet! The rays smooth and silky body and the sharks sand papery tail and strange feeling warm belly was all amazing to be able to feel let alone witness. It was definitely an experience not soon forgotten- the thrill of reaching out and touching nurse sharks and stingrays was exhilarating! As was being surrounded by a whole group of them whilst they hungrily swam around my legs eating and snatching at the fish pieces the boat guides were throwing around us! Just a little scary! After the adrenaline rush l calmed down by swimming alone amongst the huge coral ledges admiring the huge clusters of yellow fish grouped together under the sun and swaying together in the current. I slowed down and started to move like and with the fish and let the current and magical place take me wherever it may lead. Soon it was time to leave behind the pristine waters and Marine world l longed to be apart of and return to dry land where l could use my feet for what they were intended- walking
Lazy Lizard mural
. Eating coconut and looking for seahorses in the lagoons surrounding the Caye we said goodbye to our guides, showered up and headed to the Lazy Lizard (Split) bar to sit on its roof and watch the sunset over a perfect day and the water that had held it. The night held for us swinging in the hammocks over the water´s edge, watching the full moon rise amongst the palm trees whilst listening to live Reggae and African inspired drumming and singing whilst sitting on the beach front eating coconut rice and cheesecake. A funny guy who run the Regaee club entertained us by dancing the hip moving island dance with some of the tourists and saying the funniest one liners like whilst we ate like `Iam going to go take a shower because its my hour!` We ended the night karoaking, regaging and trying to shake it like a Caribbean woman.....sound like a perfect night- it was! Except for the only two hours sleep part! But hey l got to see the sunrise over paradise!
