Monday Feb 26 to Thurs Mar 1, 2007
We could not get out of San Ignacio fast enough! We caught the 8:30 am local to Belize City and arrive by 11:30ish. It is still not the paradise we are looking for but we are getting close. I know it is here. We hop onto Noon launcha ($7.50 US per person) and hit Caye Caulker by 1pm. The beach is hot hot hot! After wandering in the wilting heat we end up in a cute little rustic cabana at Lorraine's guest house for $17.50 US a night and it has a private bath and a view of the ocean. Yeah!
Caye Caulker has an area called The Split where the island was divided in two by a hurricane. There is now a deep waterway in the middle and the north end is almost entirely private land or marine reserve. We wander through town popping in and out of stores and tour shops until we end at the split. The water is very clear and moves rather quickly through the area but people still swim and snorkel here. This is also a popular place to watch the sunset and there is a little bar right at the point. Walking back to the guest house we run into Rob from Holland who we traveled with for a week in Guatemala. He is a bit frantic as he lost his mp3 player with all of his photos on it and runs off to look for it. (We hope you found it Rob) We ate dinner at the Bamboo Lounge on the beach and had some rum drinks while listening to the ocean. It is quite a nice setting for dinner.
The next day we booked a trip on Ragamuffin tours for an all day sailing and snorkeling trip. It is a bit pricey at $85 US for the two of us but includes 3 snorkelling stops, lunch, Ceviche, and rum punch. We are on a 32 foot sailboat with 11 other guests and 3 crew members. The minute he shuts off the motor and we are floating with the breeze in silence I am in heaven. This is my first time on a sailboat and I now understand why people love sailing. You actually feel like you are a part of the sea as opposed to an intruder speeding over it's surface. The boat silently glides along the water and is so peaceful that I become totally relaxed as if I were meditating. This was truly a great experience for me and I am now obsessed with learning how to sail.
The tour makes three stops at three different areas of the reef. The first place is called the Coral Gardens which has massive coral formations and many small fish. This place is a bit of a warm up to get used to the snorkeling equipment. The water in Belize is incredibly warm, really clear and very refreshing. The second stop is called Shark-Ray alley. The fish here are so conditioned to snorkelers that as soon as the boat turns on it's motor dozens of fish and a few rays appear. Amongst the fish are a dozen nurse sharks between three and six feet long. Our captain throws some fish in the water and the sharks and fish start to get into a little frenzy. I'm pretty opposed to this because it creates situations where people and animals can get hurt but I have to admit it was pretty amazing seeing the sharks suck up the food. Once he stops feeding the fish we all jump in the water and swim amongst them. The rays and nurse sharks are a mere few feet away and the captain even plays with one of the rays. We swim with all of these fish for about 45 minutes before getting back in the boat. Check out the photos - we used Kay´s underwater housing & camera.
On the way to the next stop we eat fish sandwiches for lunch and some of the crew members dive for fresh conch for the ceviche. It will be the freshest ceviche I have ever had. They picked up a few dozen (5 or 6 for our ceviche and the rest for them to bring home for dinner). At the next site our captain acts as a guide and leads us around because there are many boats in the area. This is the Hol Chan marine reserve and it is a very popular stop for all the tours. The area has been a reserve for 20+ years and the fish are very large. We swim out over a rather large trench and check out some eels and some large tuna swimming close to the reef. Off in the distance we see a spotted eagle ray gracefully swimming by. They are one on my favorite things to see when diving or snorkeling. Kay and I actually lose our group for a minute or two when a bunch of different tours cross paths but eventually find them and catch up. No Open Water II for us. (movie about divers left behind by their group) We snorkel this area for over an hour and never run out of things to see. If you do a snorkel trip in Belize make sure it goes to the Hol Chan reserve.
On the way back we watch one of the crew make ceviche from the live conch and sip on the very strong rum punch. One the boat we become friends with Kerri and Walker from New Jersey (she is originally from Boston and he from Wisconsin) and have a great time hanging out and drinking rum punch. Did I mention the rum punch? It is really good and I think the four of us are trying to drink our $85 bucks worth. The captain passes out large tortilla chips and we all partake in the fresh ceviche. It tastes incredible and there is enough so everyone can have seconds. We have some more rum punch (I think I just like saying that) while enjoying the sunset sail back to the dock. The cost of the tour was worth every penny. Belize redeemed itself a little today.
Back on dry land, we joined Kerri and Walker for a few more sunset drinks at a bar called The Split. We had several more cocktails and beers and watched a beautiful sunset. After the bar, the four of us head to the Rainbow Cafe for dinner (an amazing seafood dinner!) and the I&I bar for a final drink before we head to bed (or pass out whichever way you choose to say it). We had great fun with Kerri and Walker and I owe them a few beers when we get to Jersey. Thanks for the great company and fun! (Thanks also for the suntan lotion - my skin and shaved head thank you too!)
We woke up the next morning feeling a little parched and I'm not sure why. (Rum Punch? Nah...) We decided to have a nice relaxing day before we leave. It was mostly spent reading, sleeping, and lounging in the hammock. That morning we swore off booze forever, but somehow in the evening we headed out to Happy Hour to have a few final Cuba Libras and found them to be too weak. So off to the market I go for a liter of One Barrel Belize Rum (not to be missed while in Belize) and bring it back to the bar where we kick our drinks up a bit. Before long we are hungry and end up at an aptly named place called Munchies for some greasy tostadas and a burrito. With full stomachs and a little buzz we head home and crash for the night.
It is great to be 21 and on spring break in Belize...wait a minute it' not spring break and I'm sure as heck am not 21...but it is still great!
It is officially month two of our travels and we leave on the 8:30 am ferry to Belize City and on the 10 am bus to Independence on the way to Placencia.
Check out our next journal for further adventures (or Rum Punches) in Belize.
Cheers,
Frank
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