From Chetumal in Mexico we are taking the Belize Express (which is a fairly small ferry) to the island of Caye Caulker. After approximately two hours on the water we arrive at San Pedro island to go through customs and immigration.
It’s a straightforward process where we walk in one door, get our passport stamped and walk out the other to get back on the boat!! The customs officer looks at our passports and says “Elaine and Shane”, “Shane and Elaine” and smiles at us as if he’s just come up with this rhyme!!! He’s so friendly and asks Shane where he’s from in Australia but doesn’t seem to have any interest in Ireland!! He does give us a very warm welcome to Belize.
We have a few minutes before getting back on the boat so we walk to the other side of the immigration building and take a quick peek around San Pedro.
It’s a very nice island from what we can see and we see a lovely sunset but I’m pretty confident the island we are heading to will be even nicer!
Belize, formerly British Honduras, became a country in its own right in 1973, formally gaining independence from its British overlords as recent as 1981. The official language is English although most people speak Creole. The population is just 400,000 in the whole country and on Caye Caulker the population is merely 1,500 plus a decent number of tourists of course!
On Caye Caulker, there are no cars, no fumes and no hassles, just balmy breezes, fresh seafood, azure waters and a fantastic barrier reef at its doorstep. That’s a quote in case you didn’t realise but it’s very accurate. There is a strong Creole presence on the island which results in a very easygoing attitude and the mantra of the island is “Go Slow” which we will come to “appreciate” over our 4 days here.
It’s already dark when we get off the boat but the island is so small we reckon it’ll be a short walk to find our accommodation. We have a landmark to go by, and people are very friendly, so when we mention we are looking for Turtleback hideaway and get a blank reaction, Shane mentions that the street we’re looking for has a brewery pub on it, we are sorted! Once we get settled in to our very cute home we head out to find a Friday night beverage. A rum punch at Benders bar hits the spot!
We walk through the Main Street (if you can really call it that) which is covered in sand and choose a brightly blue coloured restaurant for dinner. Shane has lobster and I have some fish in a very tasty sauce.
Next morning we are excited to get up and out to explore the island. The streets or roads look like this…
We’ve heard about the very popular “House of Fry-Jacks” for delicious golden fry-jacks (deep-fried dough) filled with any combination of beans, cheese, egg, bacon or chicken. We walk past and there is quite a queue, I reckon we’ve got to try these. I go for bacon and eggs and Shane chooses egg and beans. They are really popular and I can see why – delish!
We have a few bits of business to attend to… find the nearest laundry, Shane needs a haircut – that kind of stuff is essential when you’re travelling for a month!! So once our work is done we continue around this tiny island and see all it has to offer. Back at the water (on the east side) we see some fishermen gutting and cleaning fish – they tell us they are red snapper and as they clean them they throw bits to the pelicans who are just waiting for a feed.
The main reason people come to this island is for the water sports so after our morning exploration we head down to the Split and check out the beautiful azure waters. The water is such a nice temperature.
Now let me tell you a bit about the Split.
The Split is a stretch of water that divides the island in two. The split was created by Hurricane Hattie, a 1961 cyclone that hit Belize with tremendous ferocity. This storm brought 165-mph winds that ripped through Belize’s coastline. After it passed, the caye had a wide channel of water running through it and it became known as The Split. We are staying on the south side where most of the action is.
It’s time for lunch and as Caye Caulker is known for its fresh Caribbean fish, we go for a water-side grill and order lobster and snapper.
After lunch we need a little respite from the hot sun so we have a little rest in our air conditioned casa. Later we go back to the split, this time with our snorkel gear, although that’s really just for me to practice ahead of tomorrow.
A quick change as we want to see the sunset so we take a short walk to Iguana Reef (on the west side) where we get to see some giant stingrays.
They were swimming around me and at one point 3 of them were rubbing off me… they are huge!!! Shane and I both feed them – you put a little fish underneath and they take it from you!
After the sun goes down I walk along the dock and see the giant Tarpon fish.
Tonight we go to CHICKS BACKYARD for dinner. They definitely work with the island vibe in mind i.e. “Go Slow” as we are waiting a full hour for our food.
I have a shrimp curry which is tasty but cold but Shane’s jerk chicken is straight off the grill and roasting! We do enjoy the rum punch and a few beers though!
We check out the craft beer bar that just happens to be at the end of our street and listen to some live music to round off the night.
Next morning we go to Caveman Tours for our day adventure on the reef. The reef is the second largest in the world (the largest being Australia’s Great Barrier Reef) and is UNESCO protected. The owner of the tour company – Mr Caveman 😀 is quite a character and he chats to everyone guessing where they’re from. He says a prayer to the “big man upstairs” for a safe journey for us all today in this amazing place.
We are a group of 11 – Shane and I, plus a group of nine archeological students from the USA. Everyone is excited to get out on the water. We start by sailing through the Split and west toward Iguana reef to feed the Tarpon. These are the huge fish I saw last night. We each get a turn to hold a small fish over the edge and the tarpon jump and grab it. The fish gave me such a strong whack on my hand, I had a little red mark for ages! It was really cool though!
We swim at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and see turtles and so many different types of colourful fish.
I’m always nervous getting into the water but with the life jacket it’s easy peasy and I love it!! It helps that there’s very little current and the water is nice and calm.
The coral is beautiful and we see a tiny fish called a remora, which to me looks a bit like a seahorse but it’s really tiny and hard to photograph. We see barracuda’s which are huge and I do manage to snap one of those.
Shark Ray Alley in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve attracts nurse sharks and stingrays. Nurse sharks are considered harmless—most of the time! As we arrive to a certain spot the boat is surrounded by sharks before we get into the water
Underwater they look like this…
And I swear this one was looking straight at me. I held my breath and stayed brave!!
We had hoped to see some manatees but unfortunately none were around today but over all it was an amazing day with a lot of time in the water.
I’m so happy with the amazing day we’ve had, it’s definitely been the best snorkeling experience I’ve ever had (and I’ve snorkelled in some very nice places including the Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii). We decide to stop for a cocktail at a beachside bar and see they have conch fritters on the menu so we try these. I’ve never had conch before and honestly it’s somewhat masked in the fritter but I can report these were really tasty. [Conch is a sea snail that is found in those huge shells that you hold up to your ear to hear the ocean. They sell the shells all over the island]
Tonight we go to a restaurant called Meldys. Now I’m not really sure this qualifies as a restaurant as we know it, more of a case of food being served from someone’s house on their porch!!
In fairness the food is very good – I have a lobster curry which is a massive portion with a lot of veg and Shane has a whole snapper. There’s no booze here so we happily have homemade lime juice which is really good. [note to self lobster is best served grilled and not hidden in a curry!]
The next day is our last full day on the island so we grab some bikes and take the ferry to the north side.
It’s about a 15 minute cycle to the end of the island along dirt track roads and some spots are quite mucky!
The whole island feels like it’s under construction but it’s fun to cycle albeit roasting hot!!!
We get to the end of the island and to Bliss beach which is aptly named. We park up the bikes, find a comfy bed in the shade and then it’s straight into the water.
We relax for a bit and have a delicious lime daiquiri. There’s no admission or cost to use the beds so the price of a drink is all you have to pay for this bit of luxury. It really is a blissful place.
The cycle back is just as fun and I’m feeling confident on this push bike (no gears and no chain just a belt) to take some action photos and even a bit of video!!
We have built up quite the sweat so we need a quick cool down before having some lunch at Chef Juan’s which is the neighbour of our accommodation. It’s Shane’s turn to try a curry – he opts for the shrimp and I order a grilled fish sandwich which is delicious.
I’ve wanted to have a massage since I came away but I haven’t managed to make it happen, but today’s the day. There’s a cute tiny salon called La Chel and the really friendly lady says she can fit me in at 5pm which is about 40 minutes from now so I decide to walk over to Iguana reef for another encounter with the stingrays.
After my fabulous massage I head back to Shane at our Casa and we have a nice handy evening with a few drinks on the porch. I squeeze in a video call with my “Americans” (Megan, Molly & Lynny) as I’m meeting them in a few weeks and we get takeaway fish and chips from Chef Juan delivered to us as he’s just a few feet away!! Apparently Chef Juan is famous for his key lime pie so we have a taste of that too – very nice. We have a lovely chat with our host Claudia who has been fantastic and if anyone comes to Caye Caulker in the future I would totally recommend this Airbnb.
Next morning it’s time to pack and get the ferry to Belize city. We have a quick brekkie at Ice and Beans, which is a very popular place on the island. It must have really good coffee as the food was very ordinary. Oh and a quick meal is impossible on the island – everything moves at such a slow pace you really do need to factor that in if you’re in anyway on a schedule!! Goodbye Caye Caulker!
We make it in plenty of time for our 10:30am ferry and after less than an hour we are in Belize city and meet our guide Sergio who will drive us to Xunantunich to see some Mayan ruins. We get a drive-by glimpse of Belize city including the city’s cemetery, which the main road passes through, as we drive southwest toward the ruins and the Guatemalan border. We stop for lunch at a place called “Amigos Where Friends Meet” and have a really nice lunch – Quesadilla for me and stewed chicken for Shane.
We drive through some really nice countryside and Sergio gives us lots of info on the local agriculture, points out schools etc. We drive through San Ignacio and then come to a small water crossing which we need to ferry over to get to the ruins. We get out of the car and walk on and the car follows.
The ancient Mayan city of Xunantunich was abandoned in the 10th century following an earthquake. There are 26 temples around the site, dominated by El Castillo pyramid which you are still allowed to climb.
We’re able to climb on pretty much all of the structures here… cool for us, even factoring in the safety risk!!
It’s really hot but we continue to climb!
Another little jaunt on the hand cranked cable ferry and then it’s only ten minutes to the Guatemalan border at a place called Melchor. Sergio leaves us on a queue which surprise surprise moves at a snails pace and this is to leave the country!!! We have to pay an exit tax of $20 USD – it was free to get in but you must pay to leave!! Eventually we get through and meet our Guatemalan driver Giovani. He walks with us the across the few metres between borders and we enter Guatemala – fast and efficient, passport stamped – we’re in!
So that’s the end of our Belize visit, it has been fabulous and I would definitely recommend it, just expect everything to go a little slow!
odohertyelaine 