Aztec Trek Part 12 - La Isla Bonita

On my previous visit to Caye Caulker, a small coral island in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Belize, I was greeted by a huge stingray floating by the pier, and a nice young man who carried my hefty backpack along the sand to my hotel.  After a relatively smooth crossing to San Pedro town, completing customs and immigration there (I hoped they wouldn’t find my secret stash of tequila!), this time we were welcomed by a stunning sunset and music pumping from the bars along the front.

Things had certainly changed here in the last 15 years, but I hoped that CC had still retained its Caribbean charm and laid-back atmosphere.  Hopping on a golf cart taxi (the only vehicles apart from cycles allowed on this sand spit of an island) we bounced along puddle filled sandy lanes alongside mangrove forests to our new home for the week.  It was pitch black by then, and the trees were lit up with tiny fireflies as we finally reached our destination at the far end of the island.

It was a relief to be able to communicate in English again (Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America) and our convivial host Abel, showed us to our quirky little apartment and gave us some tips on where to eat.  He offered us bikes to use to get around, but since it was very dark by then, we thought it would be safer negotiating the huge puddles by foot that evening.  Donning our head torches, we belatedly found our way to the Sunset Paradise bar for locally caught fish and chips!

The following morning dawned wet and cloudy (I promise…no more moaning!), but soon cleared up and we set off on two wheels to find a supermarket and bakery to stock up.  We paid a quick visit to The Split, a channel between the north and south of the island, dug back in the 50’s by local fisherman to get their boats through and then widened by a hurricane.  After a couple of drinks at the Lazy Lizard bar, watching the locals spearfishing and the pelicans eyeing up their spoils, we came back for a swim at the pier outside our lodgings.

The Belize barrier reef is the second largest in the world and runs for almost 200 miles along the coast from Mexico to Honduras.  Just a short boat ride away from CC, we were intrigued by an area named Shark and Ray Alley, so we booked a snorkelling trip to explore. The corals and sea life here, again weren’t a patch on Thailand, but the visibility was amazing.  Our captain anchored up at our final snorkelling spot and threw a load of small bait into the water.  Within seconds we were surrounded by dozens of nurse sharks and large stingrays and it was a delightful experience to be in the water with these graceful (and relatively harmless!) creatures.

We were so enthused, that we booked a dive trip for the following day, which would take us up the coast to a dive site named the Esmerelda Canyons. We try to keep up our skills by diving at least once a year if we can, but I must admit that as I get older and less fit, the effort of gearing up and remembering all the safety procedures is making it less appealing.  Plus, the fact that I have been lucky enough to have seen an amazing variety of sea life and underwater landscapes over the years – maybe it’s time to cherish my memories and hang up my fins??

The dives were interesting and Ian got to see some white tipped reef sharks (although sadly we were out of season for the whale sharks), but I struggled to get out of my gear in the choppy sea, and we both ended up totally exhausted!

The rest of our stay was spent chilling out, cycling and walking around this small but enchanting island, enjoying the sunsets and watching the pelicans flying low over the water.  Our amiable host Abel dropped us into town one evening, and we ended up having drinks and dinner with him, and chatting about his enviable life.  Belize was a British colony up until the early 80’s, and apart from giving them our language (although a very creole version of it!), it seems the islanders are also quite fond of our royal family (they even have the late queen on their bank notes).

Caye Caulker made a very welcome change from Mexico, which we felt we’d seen enough of for now, and we felt extremely relaxed here. It was more expensive to eat out, but the food was home cooked and delicious and the freshly caught fish was to die for.

But sadly, it was time to move on, and return to Mexico for our final few weeks.

Next stop:  Knocking on Heaven’s door…