Belize: Go Slow

Chilled island life

Belize, unlike Mexico, feels like the Caribbean again. My first impressions have been beautiful black Caribbean men, reggaetan and crazy drumming, long bus rides with blaring trance music and beautiful beaches and jungle. It is also rum country again, a nice change after the over consumption of tequila.

When we were heading to Belize with our new friend Dave we agreed on one thing, we did not want to spend a night in the notoriously dangerous Belize city(surprisingly not the capital of Belize). After a few missed buses and a ferry we ended up in Belize city for a night. The taxi driver took us around till we got accommodation for no extra charge because he didn’t feel right leaving us out in the street. My hostel owner wouldn’t leave the hostel which was surrounded by a barbed wire fence. Against the recommendation of everyone, the three of us headed out to find food on a Sunday. Everything was closed but one little shop so a picnic on the balcony was a perfect and safe way to spend the evening. It was only after we left that I realized we were staying on Front street, one of the worst areas for muggings. The next morning we were on the first ferry out of there and off to San Pedro, Ambergris.

Burger bar

The Belize Flag

San Pedro used to be a layed back town in the island of Ambergris. It   has since grown to a resort town with an overflow of shops, golf carts and resorts. It is no Playa del Carmen but, while it retains a layed back feel, it was too expensive and touristy for me. Bernie started her placement here and so the next couple of days our friend Dave and I explored the Island. San Pedro is a surprising place in that it just keeps going. Crossing a bridge at the end of the town we found private condo’s with amazing bars and pools, cafe’s and a brilliant burger bar owned by an Autralian-american couple with an even more amazing deep fried snicker bar: my first and probably my last but unbelievably good. 

Deep Fried Snickers

 Every hour at San Pedro is happy hour and there is a place for everyone. There were cheap deli eats for me, ice-creameries and even a coffee/rum factory with many free samples. Our accommodation was incredible, a hotel room with a pool, wifi, hammocks and a bar. After a long day we would all meet at the pool for a swim. The sunsets were beautiful and the days long and warm. Despite this, I couldn't wait to get away. The place was busy, the golf cart traffic hour dangerous. I splurged on a diving trip(that’s what tropical islands are for right?) and my regulator stopped working mid-dive!! A little scary but luckily my primary(that was tucked away after I’d had problems with the mouth piece) still gave me enough air to get by for 30 minutes. The dive probably wans’t worth the trauma with a few stingrays and a single turtle spotted. I was told that if I didn’t have accommodation at my next location, I wouldn’t find any and there was only one hostel to stay at because the others were terrible(it was booked out for the whole week). Needless to say, I was willing to take the risk and caught a boat the next morning, no accommodation booked.

Beautiful ocean

 

Caye Caulker

Lazy Split days on the beach

Cake Lady: the love of my life

Fresh Fish

Happy hour again

Snorkelling the Caribbean

  Caye Caulker is one of the most wonderful, relaxed and fun places in the world. I got off the boat with two very religious Americans who helped me with my backpack(it takes two people to put it on). Twenty minutes later I was sharing a room with a Russian girl in a hotel next to two Canadian guys. The ex-Russian, Tatyana, is actually an American, owns a bar in St Louise themed solely around bikes and has an aim to make people have fun. Definitely the kind of person I want to bunk with. Caye Caulker is a relaxed, small island with dirt roads,  few golf carts, beautiful beaches and a constatnt sea breeze. My first hour found me seated on a plastic chair with two locals, learning how to play dominos and bantering. This relaxed fun pretty much sums up Caye Caulker. We swam, listened to reggae, ate fresh fish and drank cocktails. I did some of the best snorkelling of my life one morning. We got taken out to the reef and a guide showed us all his favourite places. At one point he attracted a whole lot of nurse sharks and manta-rays which swarmed around him like a pack of dogs, and proceeded to pick up his individually trained ones for us to stroke and feed. Animal cruelty maybe but the animals kept on  coming back... I also spent time bike riding with new friends, drinking the local panty-ripper drink and dancing it up in reggae bars.  

Final Breakfast in Paradise

To sum it up, Caye Caulker is one of the most fun and chilled out places I’ve ever been.