Caye Caulker
Caye Calker is the perfect mix of "sit back and do nothing" and having loads of things to do. It's a few hours boat ride to the blue hole where you can go diving and snorkelling. There's also plenty of other snorkelling and diving options too. You can paddle boat, kite surf or rent a jet ski. If none of that interests you then how about relaxing on a desert island paradise. Caye Caulker is the perfect place to relax after a long few weeks on the road. Though be prepared to up your budget!
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| One of the many beautiful skies at Caye Caulker |
Getting There
Getting from Tikal (Guatemala) to Caye Caulker (Belize) was a little more challenging than our first border crossing.We caught a collectivo (30Q) from Tikal at 6:30am heading to Flores and asked them to drop us at the junction of El Remate as we wanted to go to Belize. We then caught another collectivo to Melchor de Menos for another 30Q each.
In Melchor we walked across the border which was about 400 metres from the bus station across a bridge. We got our passports stamped (no charge), and then entered Belize which was another 200 metres, again no charge. At the border to Belize we were given some coupons to the Belize Express Ferry that allowed you to pay in Belize Dollars instead of US Dollars. It essentially halves the price and so it was actually pretty useful.
We changed money with the dodgy guys at the Guatemalan border, we probably didn't get a good rate but they changed coins and then we at least had money to catch the bus in Belize.
Once across the border we paid 10 BZD (about 7 AUD) for a taxi to the BOCC bus stop where we jumped on the chicken bus from Benque to Belize City (aka Belize). It takes about three and a half hours and goes through Belmopan.
We got another taxi to the ferry terminal when we reached Belize City, from there we caught the Ferry Express which was 27BZD return, it took about 45 mins and goes every hour or so.
Where we Stayed
We stayed at Popeyes Beach Resort, we booked through booking.com and got a really great rate of 40USD per night. When we wanted to extend the rooms were all taken apart from a bigger room for 60 USD per night. It had a pool, and wifi that really only worked around the pool.Top Tips
- You don't officially need to pay an exit tax for Guatemala.
- Belize Dollars are used interchangeably for US Dollars with the accepted rate of 1 USD to 2 BZD
- The Blue Hole Dive is great to do but I bet the flight over it would be far more memorable.
Food & Drink
There's plenty of great places to eat and drink on Caye Caulker. Seafood is in abundance and all delicious but there are also quite a few alternatives. Bars are also frequent and all have great (strong) cocktails and music.
- Pasta per Caso - An incredible pasta place, it only serves two mains and two sides a day so every visit is different.
- Caribbean Art Cafe - Surprising look pancakes, and the wifi was great too.
- Gelato Italiano - Sister place to Pasta per caso, great for ice cream though it's opening hours are difficult to work out.
- Crepes and Dreams - Great place for breakfast and the crepes, though the are expensive, are excellent.
- Ice'n'Beans - A tiny place that serves good coffee and food.
- Koko King - A bar on North Caye Caulker (another island) that is great for a change from the main island.
- Lazy Lizard Bar - On the very north of the island at a place called the split, it's a great place for a drink although it also seems to be a hang out for American swingers (very odd).
Things To Do
- 3 Day Raggamuffin tour to Dangriga - for 400USD you get an all inclusive 3 day tour around the beautiful Cayes of Belize. You may see Dolphins, Manatees, Sharks, Rays and all kinds of other cool stuff. Definitely a highlight of our entire trip.
- King Koko wet lounge - Head over to North Caye Caulker to check out this cool bar.
- Blue Hole - Diving or a flight over is a must, though perhaps the flight would allow you to see it a bit more.
- Kite Surfing - we didn't get the opportunity but it's definitely a good place to do it
Journal
Getting There
The bus from Tikal left bang on 6:30am, the driver had told us that it would be 30Q to the junction just after El Remate where the bus would head back to Flores and we would wait for a bus heading to Melchor de Menos which is the border town with Belize. The bus took just under an hour to get to the junction where they left us by the side of the road. I would have been worried but there was a woman already waiting. She asked us if we were going to Melchor (de Menos) so we knew we were in the right place.
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| The game of basket polo is yet to make it big elsewhere |
We had time to set our bags down and take a sip of water (it was very hot already) before the arrived. The driver ran out and put our bags on the top of the bus and we piled in the back. It was another 30Q to Melchor which was about an hour and a half away. The road was mostly pretty good with a few gravely bits but we made very good progress and we arrived at Melchor at around 10:30am; We were making good time.
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| Waiting at the bus stop (the side of the road at the junction between Flores and El Remate) |
The next challenge was the border. When the bus pulled up we were hassled by people trying to exchange our money and offering to take us to the border. I'd checked the map and the border look walkable so we declined the transport. We'd done a bit of research and we didn't think we needed any money to pay a Guatemalan exit tax, but you never know so we didn't exchange our money until we had got our exit stamp. We walked round the corner of the bus station and across a bridge. The bridge didn't have a pavement and also had guards on it so I wasn't sure at first if we could walk across but when I asked they just waved us through. The guards just seemed to be there to check the cars. The bridge crossed a river and on the other side was the border control for Guatemala. We walked up and presented our passports and moments later we were stamped and ready to walk to Belize. It was a very easy process compared to leaving Mexico! At this point we knew we didn't need any Guatemalan Quetzals anymore so we exchanged them at the border with the dodgy men giving bad exchange rates. The advantage is that they also exchange coins so you don't lose money that way.
About a hundred metres up the road is the Belizian border control. For this we had to fill in an entry card which was slightly confusing but there were guides there to help so ten minutes later we were getting our Belize entry stamps. At this point we also got given some coupons for the express ferry to Caye Caulker by one of the guides. In Belize they use the Belize dollar and the US dollar with an accepted exchange rate of 1USD - 2BZD. The coupon allowed for us to pay the fare in Belize dollars basically meaning we got it for half price. It seemed odd but Kate stowed the coupons just in case. We were waved through customs and suddenly we were in the Caribbean.
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| The border town on Benque is pretty dusty and quiet. We could immediately feel the change from Latin America to the Caribbean |
We were greeted by a Caribbean style taxi driver, with braided hair and a somewhat Jamaican accent. He was going to charge 10 BZD to take us to the BOCC which as it was a few kilometres was fair. He had his daughter with him who must have been a bit bored. He then offered to drive to Belize City for 80USD (It would usually be 150USD) as his daughter really wanted to see the sea! I don't know if it was the truth or a sales technique. We felt guilty for ruining the girls day, but had to decline as the bus was a lot cheaper.
When we got to the dusty bus station there was a chicken bus (old US school bus) waiting for us with Belomapan and Belize written on the front. I was still attempting to speak Spanish and getting a Caribbean accent back, but eventually I just spoke English and found the bus was 10 BZD each. Not bad for a three hour journey! We had a quick look around to see if there was anywhere to get food but found they were all selling tacos which we didn't want to take on the bus. We got on the bus very hungrily. Soon the big bus started up and lots of people seemed to appear from nowhere and take their seats. For the first few kilometres the bus crawled along presumably so that passengers could run and jump on however no one did and soon the bus was flying along the high way, stopping every now and then to let people on or off.
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| Our Taxi waiting with both it's doors open to stop it bursting into flames from the heat |
When we got to the dusty bus station there was a chicken bus (old US school bus) waiting for us with Belomapan and Belize written on the front. I was still attempting to speak Spanish and getting a Caribbean accent back, but eventually I just spoke English and found the bus was 10 BZD each. Not bad for a three hour journey! We had a quick look around to see if there was anywhere to get food but found they were all selling tacos which we didn't want to take on the bus. We got on the bus very hungrily. Soon the big bus started up and lots of people seemed to appear from nowhere and take their seats. For the first few kilometres the bus crawled along presumably so that passengers could run and jump on however no one did and soon the bus was flying along the high way, stopping every now and then to let people on or off.
We hadn't been on a Chicken Bus in Guatemala as we were often worried about our bags getting stolen. However here the bags were put down below and didn't have someone sitting on them for the whole journey so we were happy our things weren't going to get stolen. The Chicken Bus gets it's name (or so I've read) because of it's wide and varied cargo. Mostly it's just a public bus, but if someone doesn't have a car and they want to take their chickens to market - for example - they would probably take them on the bus. No questions asked or eyebrows raised. It was after about half an hour or so of being on the bus I heard a cluck and realised a woman a few seats in front of us actually did have a Chicken which, every now and then, stuck his head out of it's bag; It was definitely poultry in motion.
The bus rolled through San Ignacio one of the main towns within about forty minutes, then made it to Belomapan - Belize's official capital - after another hour. Then it was another two hours or so to Belize City. Once at Belize City we caught a cab to the docks to catch the boat over to our next stop Caye Caulker. The taxi driver dropped us off at the Belize Express boat, I asked him about the ocean landing (which is the other boat) to which he said the Belize Express was better. I'm pretty sure he got some commission for dropping us off as I'm sure some money changed hands. However due to us having the coupon I don't think we actually lost out.
It was a half an hour wait for the boat, our larger bags were taken first to be loaded on in the hold of the boat as the boats are actually pretty small. There were two boats, one heading to Caye Caulker and the other to San Pedro. We decided to stay at Caye Caulker which is the more laid back and smaller island. We boarded the boat which was more of a speed boat than a ferry, and took our seats at the back off the boat. The boat pulled off and we were soon speeding across the ocean at great speed. Luckily the Caribbean sea was as flat as a pancake so it was a comfortable ride and within half an hour we were docking at a desert island paradise.
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| The Express ferry from Belize to Caye Caulker |
It took about ten minutes for our luggage to be loaded off the boat so we spent our time smiling and looking around at all the palm trees. When our luggage arrived it was about a hundred metres to our accommodation at Popeye's Beach Resort. We were slightly apprehensive about where we were staying as the pictures didn't look great and we weren't sure about the name either, but when we were shown to our room we were pleasantly surprised. It was small, but it was new, modern and extremely clean. Kate was very pleased.
Arrival Day
We were very hungry after our trip so we took the easy option and went straight across the way to Godfrey's, it's a small place and the staff were very friendly. We shared a some fish and chips which were very nice and we also got a 15% discount because we were staying at Popeye's. While we were waiting for the food their dog came and gave me an old coconut husk to play fetch with. I did that for a bit before Kate told me to stop because I was getting sand everywhere, and also because I accidentally threw it too far and it went in the sea. Sorry dog!
After our late lunch we went for a walk in the blistering heat. Belize was back to the heat we'd experienced in Mexico and then some. We did as the locals did and tried to stick to the shade. We walked all the way up to the north end of the island where we found the Lazy Lizard Bar and the Split. The Split is what they call the gap between Caye Caulker and North Caye Caulker. It's about 30 metres across and many people jump in the water from the bar and relax in the water. It was happy hour when we got there so I got a Belikin beer (the beer of Belize) and Kate got a Lizard juice, which turned about to be a florescent green, alcoholic slush puppy. I thought it was pretty tasty, Kate wasn't so sure!
We stayed at the Lazy Lizard Bar for a couple of drinks and watched the sun go down. While we were sitting looking over the split an eagle ray swam past and then jumped out of the water! I introduced Kate to the game of corn hole, which they have at a lot of bars here. We then walked back down the island to find somewhere to eat. As we were walking back a very rusty red moon came up. It was very pretty, so we stopped and watched that for a bit too before continuing on.
We found a place called Pasta per Caso for dinner. It's a tiny, tiny place that only serves two main dishes a night of some of the best pasta we've had. They also have two salad dishes, one of which was two big slices of delicious Parmesan and bread. Despite the dishes looking pretty small we were absolutely stuffed by the end. We stumbled back to our room which was luckily just round the corner.
Day 1
For our first full day we decided to go to Amor Cafe, finding that it was shut we decided to walk around aimlessly getting hungrier and hungrier until we settled on a small place called the Caribbean Art Cafe. It had lots of pretty oil paintings up on the wall and lots of mango on the menu so it had a lot going for it, plus it had good wifi.
The main item on our todo list for this day was to book on to a diving trip to the blue hole for the next day. This was one of the big expenditures we'd planned for our trip which also included the Inca Trail, and the Galapagos. We heard from many that the dive itself isn't really up to that much - but you have to tick it off the list right? We went to one of the snorkelling shops that we'd talked to the day before who had told us how important it was to them to look after the reef. We asked them for a recommendation for diving and they walked us over to another dive shop. Because it was low season we were told that it was unlikely for the dive shops in Caye Caulker to have enough people (6 min) to make a trip to the blue hole worth while. They told us to come back at 4pm to see if enough people had showed up. If they had the price would be 470BZD.
We chilled out for a few hours by the pool again before heading to a local rental place to see if we could take out a couple of paddle boards for a couple of hours. It was 15BZD per hour each and we paddled round the other side of the island to see if we could find the sea horses that apparently lived by one the docks. The sun was blistering hot so it was a good job we had a lot of sun cream on. Kate tried to show me some Yoga on the paddle boards which was mostly successful, though did result in us both falling in at some point. We found a very large starfish along the way and also the dock where the sea horses were living. The hotel that owned the dock had set up nets to the side of the dock just below the water. This had created a favourable environment for the sea horses so after pulling our paddleboards up on to the beach we joined the other few people looking intently in to the nets. At first they were hard to spot but once you'd worked out their camouflage they were pretty easy to spot! We saw two floating around!
Afterwards we decided to carry the paddleboards back to the rental, it was about 400 metres across the island and back. They were pretty heavy but at least we saved time and we made it back just before 2 hours was up so it worked perfectly. After we had handled back the paddleboards we headed back to the diveshop to hear if they had made up the numbers. Unfortunately they hadn't so we went in to panic mode and started heading to all the other dive shops we might have missed. We ended up at Black Durgeon dive shop who for 500BZD each would book us on to a boat coming from nearby San Pedro. We took the opportunity and booked on while talking to the man in the shop. He told us he'd sustained a ruptured ear drum from diving and so was just running the shop for 3-6 months until it healed. When I asked him how it happened he replied that he had no idea and that he'd been diving for many years and it had never happened before. This worried me slightly as the answer should have just been that he'd had trouble equalizing and he'd either ascended or descended too quickly. If the divemasters aren't able to look after themselves then they certainly couldn't help us. Kate was even more worried when later she read reviews about a man who had suffered a seizure diving the blue hole and died. To this day they don't know if it was a bad tank (a bad mix - which can happen, and you should always smell your air before you dive to make sure it doesn't smell bad or odd) or just bad timing.
With this weighing on our minds we were a little worried about the dive the next day. We had booked however and we'd dived recently so knew how to dive safely. For dinner Kate took me to a seafood place called Roy's which was great. The staff were great too and we made full use of their happy hour and got their rum punch which was also great. Afterwards we got an early night as we needed to be up early to be on the boat for 7:30am.
Day 2
On day 2 we were up at 6:30am to get ready for the boat. We had been told to head to the Ocean Express boat dock to meet our dive boat. It was with the company aqua scuba and so we were looking for a boat with name on it. 7:30 came and went and by that time we were waiting with about eight other people (which made us less worried. At about 7:40 the man from our favourite snorkel shop turned up to tell us that the boat was at the gas station block and they'd called him to ask if he could get us. Apparently they asked a few other shops too but he was the only one who said yes! We walked across the island with the rest of group where we found our boat docking.
We paid in cash for the trip as it was with the aqua scuba company in San Pedro. Once we had paid we were able to jump on the boat where they were serving breakfast. Breakfast on the boat was just slices of watermelon and pineapple, along with a few slices of cake. We had a few bits, but we didn't find any of it particularly appetising. It was two hours to the blue hole which would be our first dive site. This is often advertised as being quite an unpleasant journey as the seas can be quite rough however we were pretty lucky with the weather. Nonetheless we needed to sit at the back of the boat to make sure. The boat was larger than the boat we'd used in Mexico but still not the biggest. It was pretty much just a small fishing boat with a toilet in the bow, and the steering up top.
When we got to the dive site we were talked through the dive by the main Divemaster. The blue hole is a pretty complicated dive as it involves going down to forty metres. This is far deeper than most dives and much deeper than we'd dived before. In recreational diving usually the deepest you'd want to go is thirty metres. Ten metres more is considered a lot. In diving the deeper you go the less time you can stay under water due to how nitrogen is processed in your body. To get down to forty metres with one tank we needed to pretty much dive down to forty metres immediately, where we'd stay for only a couple of minutes before coming up slowly with an eight minute safety stop at five metres. This is to allow the body to process all the excess nitrogen before coming to the surface.
After the talk the Divemaster announced that we needed to put on our equipment and jump in. At this point I hadn't even located and tried on my equipment. When others raised this issue it was replied with "You've had two hours to check you equipment, so it should all be good, put it on and jump in". While I agreed with him I couldn't help thinking this was the sort of attitude could lead to accidents. While yes, the responsibility is with the diver, the reality is that everyone is of different levels and and the divemasters should do their best to reassure everyone and pass on their expertise. This was definitely the most abrupt diving experience I'd had and it didn't set our minds at rest. I told the diving instructors I often had trouble equalising had he said he'd give me a thirty second head start. It all sounded a bit "gung ho".
We were shortly in the water, at this point Kate was very worried so I stayed on the surface to make sure she was OK. My thirty second head start turned in to a thirty seconds late. We started our decent and sure enough I had trouble equalising. Shortly after I was alone as the rest of the party descended in to the blue hole. Kate attempted to stay with me only to be told by one of the other dive instructors to follow them. I was then left by myself trying to equalise, which is definitely not good diving practice as you should always have a buddy near you in case there are any problems. I eventually managed to rejoin the group down at forty metres.
At forty metres the blue hole opens up a shelf where huge stalactites drop down from. They are absolutely massive and we spent a minute or two swimming in between them before ascending as a group. We did this very slowly and we swam along the sheer cliff face edge of the blue hole. In the darkness below we saw a shark which quickly disappeared but other than that there were hardly any fish at all. Because the blue hole is so large, it's also impossible to see the other side so unless someone told you you were there you'd probably wouldn't know. We had an eight minute safety stop at five metres to allow as much nitrogen to be expelled from our bodies as possible before ascending.
After the blue hole we went to the next dive site which was about fifteen minutes away. It was a lot shallower at 20 metres and there were large reef formations and also a few reef sharks. Kate has a fear of sharks so she spent her time hiding behind me and was often spotted swimming in the opposite direction. This is opposite of what you should probably do and the sharks merely became more inquisitive. Sharks are very intelligent and for the most part are just interested in divers. Attacks do happen, but that is most probably when the sharks have been baited and have got in to hunting mode, or when the person is on the surface of the water as sharks are often surface feeders. These sharks though were just having a nice day at the reef. That didn't calm Kate much though.
For lunch we stopped at a beautiful Caye (A Caye is a low lying sand island that has developed on top of a reef). We had a buffet that we just took to the island and then we had half an hour to sit in the water and enjoy the scenery before jumping back on the boat. It was definitely a picture perfect island with turquoise water and shallow sand. The toilets on the island were also a nice break from the boat. The toilet on the boat was in the bow meaning it was by far the roughest part of the boat. You had to hold on for dear life while you did your business and cross your fingers that it landed in the right place (don't actually cross your fingers though because it makes it harder to hold on for dear life). The other issue with the toilet is that is only locked from the outside. This meant you needed some one to lock it for you then guard the toilet so no one else would try to go in. If the person you asked to lock the door forgot to stop others they would open the door to see you holding on for dear life with your underwear around your ankles. Not always a good look, but I think I made it work.
The last dive was imaginatively called the aquarium. It was another shallow dive and Kate was very glad we didn't encounter any more sharks. Just a couple of stingrays. After that we headed back to Caye Caulker which was three hours away now. We stayed in the shade and tried to drink lots of water and discussed what we'd like to do next. We were either going to try and head down Placencia in order to get the weekly boat to Honduras or book on to a three day boat trip down the coast of Belize. Snorkelling, eating and drinking our way through the many beautiful Cayes along the coast. We were hoping there would be a boat on the next day (Wednesday) so we wouldn't lose too much time. When we arrived back I went straight to the company "Raggamuffin Tours" to ask if they'd made the numbers. They told me they hadn't and the next boat was Friday (another two days away). This was definitely blowing our time and budget so we didn't book on and decided to go away and discuss our options.
For dinner we headed to a fresh seafood place called Roses. They had lobsters and fish outside that you could pick and they grilled them for you on a barbecue. I got a lobster for 30BZD and Kate got a snapper and they were both delicious. We discussed our options and decided it would be better for us to head to Honduras and skip the boat trip. It sounded amazing, but it was an extra 400USD each and we were already way behind schedule.
Day 3
In the morning we packed up our stuff and headed out to Amor cafe for breakfast which was finally open! The coffee was good and I got a grilled sandwich which was really good. Despite making a decision to move on we kept on discussing about the boat trip. Was it worth the money? Should we get a move on? It became pretty clear that despite the cost and the time it was something we wanted to do, and we weren't here to miss out on things. We had to go.
I had to run to the ATM so I could get some cash to pay at the cafe as their card machine wasn't working (hardly any card machines work on Caye Caulker and they also usually charge a percentage so the ATM is often better). I got a bit more cash out just in case we needed to put down a deposit for the boat and then we headed to the Raggamuffin office (which is actually just a colourful shed on the beach) to book on to the Friday trip which was definitely going. Luckily there was space so we booked on immediately and put down the deposit of 100BZD each.
Next up on the todo list was to sort out accomodation. By this point it was about 9 o'clock and we needed to be out of the rooms by 10. We went back to Popeyes to ask about spare rooms they had, we knew most of them were gone and the ones they had left were slightly more expensive but we wanted to see if they could give us a good deal. They gave us 60USD a night for a twin double with an ensuite and kitchen. It was above our budget but was easier and was only for two nights so we went for it. They allowed us to leave our things in to the room and to hang by the pool, so we spent a couple of hours by the pool catching up on the world.
For lunch we went back to Godfrey's opposite and got a couple of fish and chips which again were delicious. Then we decided to head over to North Caye Caulker which is a separate Caye to Caye Caulker and requires either a swim or a water taxi. At the moment the only thing on North Caye Caulker is the Koko King bar and wet lounge (which I think just means it has a pool). The water taxi over is free if you buy a couple of drinks. The taxi leaves and returns about every twenty to thirty minutes. We caught the taxi over and found the place to be very cool. It has lots of chairs out and in the sea there are free tubes and obstacles you can climb over and jump off. We played around in the sea for a little bit before we set up at the beach and got a couple of drinks. As it was happy hour from five to seven we decided to get our moneys worth as spirits and mixers were only 5BZD. We got a couple of gin and tonics and enjoyed our books and the beach.
We watched the sunset at King Koko's before deciding to get the taxi back to Caye Caulker. While we were waiting for the boat we were set upon by a lot of mosquitoes so I was glad I brought the DEET. We were also accosted by a gentlemen who I can only describe as dread-locked and under the influence of some distinctly herbaceous substances. He told us the same story about twenty times -something about how he thought white women had money and so he went out with one only to find out she didn't have money and now he spends his life trying to get money so he can support her - which was a sad story and I'm sure there are at least a few morals in there too.
We got the boat back and decided to head back to our favourite pasta place "Pasta de per caso" again for dinner. To keep the price down we only had two mains though the sides were very tempting as were the desserts. Instead we went and got ice cream from one of the shops nearby which concluded a very chilled out day on Caye Caulker.
Day 4
Our last full day at Caye Caulker started slowly. We had a lie-in and as the room had a kitchen I made us some coffee as we still had the ground beans from Mexico (the best 17 pesos ever spent!). Once we were up we headed out to a crepe place as Kate was craving them. There was a very nice place just round the corner where I got a cheese and ham crepe and Kate got an omelette. They were extremely tasty.
As we hadn't explored the south of the island we decided to do that. What resulted was a very hot and sweaty walk along a beach with a few rental properties on it. There wasn't much down there. When we reached the airstrip we walked along it, back inland past the baggage claim area (which was a rope), and back up the island. Which was even hotter! From there we continued up the island to see if we could perhaps get a Kite Surfing lesson however we found in the heat of the day most places were closed. So we got a drink instead... We went back to the hotel afterwards and used the pool to cool down until quarter to three meant we needed to head to the Raggamuffin office to get a briefing for the three day tour we'd start the next day.
We got to meet the crew who all seemed really nice, and they told us what we'd need to pack and where. We needed a small bag with sun cream, and change of clothes and things we would want for the journey and everything else in our big bags would be packed away. We met the other people who would be on the boat who also seemed very nice. It was a good mix of people with people our age, a few slightly older people and one family.
We decided to go and grab another couple of drinks at the Lazy Lizard Bar at the Split after the meeting. We sat and watched the sun go down again and enjoyed a few beers. As we were sitting there Kate commented that it would be impossible to climb out of the water where we were sitting as it was too high. We were sitting at part of the Split that was part jetty and part seating area. So it was pretty high, but not that high. I disagreed and set about proving her wrong. After a couple of minutes I was laid out next to Kate, with a couple of bruises, scratches and a big smile on my face. I amended Kate's statement: It was definitely possible, but ill advised. As we needed to go back and pack we had a quick dinner afterwards at Happy Lobster which was a great last dinner on Caye Caulker before we went back to pack and get a good nights sleep.
Day 5
We got up at 6:00 as we needed to pack and get to the Raggamuffin office for 7:30am. We'd leave our big bags there to be loaded on to the boat and then have time to go and grab some breakfast. We'd meet back at 8:30 to get on to the boat aiming to pull anchor and set sail at 9am. Weirdly I woke up with a strange rash on my leg, on the inside of my right thigh. I didn't know exactly where it had come from but it didn't seem to much to worry about. I decided to keep an eye on it, besides we needed to go get on a boat so there wasn't any time to worry!
For breakfast we went to Ice'n'beans I got an iced coffee and grilled sandwich which both were really good, and Kate got some yogurt and granola with fruit, as well as a cold brew. We were really surprised how nice the drinks and food were as it really doesn't look like much from the outside. At 8:30 we headed back to the boat, got fitted for some fins and snorkel, before jumping on the boat and finding a prime space as the front. We were busy chatting away to the other passengers and didn't even notice we'd started moving as the engine was so quiet. And so, we looked up about fifteen minutes later and said goodbye to Caye Caulker as it disappeared in to the distance.
Arrival Day
We were very hungry after our trip so we took the easy option and went straight across the way to Godfrey's, it's a small place and the staff were very friendly. We shared a some fish and chips which were very nice and we also got a 15% discount because we were staying at Popeye's. While we were waiting for the food their dog came and gave me an old coconut husk to play fetch with. I did that for a bit before Kate told me to stop because I was getting sand everywhere, and also because I accidentally threw it too far and it went in the sea. Sorry dog!
After our late lunch we went for a walk in the blistering heat. Belize was back to the heat we'd experienced in Mexico and then some. We did as the locals did and tried to stick to the shade. We walked all the way up to the north end of the island where we found the Lazy Lizard Bar and the Split. The Split is what they call the gap between Caye Caulker and North Caye Caulker. It's about 30 metres across and many people jump in the water from the bar and relax in the water. It was happy hour when we got there so I got a Belikin beer (the beer of Belize) and Kate got a Lizard juice, which turned about to be a florescent green, alcoholic slush puppy. I thought it was pretty tasty, Kate wasn't so sure!
We stayed at the Lazy Lizard Bar for a couple of drinks and watched the sun go down. While we were sitting looking over the split an eagle ray swam past and then jumped out of the water! I introduced Kate to the game of corn hole, which they have at a lot of bars here. We then walked back down the island to find somewhere to eat. As we were walking back a very rusty red moon came up. It was very pretty, so we stopped and watched that for a bit too before continuing on.
We found a place called Pasta per Caso for dinner. It's a tiny, tiny place that only serves two main dishes a night of some of the best pasta we've had. They also have two salad dishes, one of which was two big slices of delicious Parmesan and bread. Despite the dishes looking pretty small we were absolutely stuffed by the end. We stumbled back to our room which was luckily just round the corner.
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| Pasta at Pasta per Caso - one of our top picks! |
Day 1
For our first full day we decided to go to Amor Cafe, finding that it was shut we decided to walk around aimlessly getting hungrier and hungrier until we settled on a small place called the Caribbean Art Cafe. It had lots of pretty oil paintings up on the wall and lots of mango on the menu so it had a lot going for it, plus it had good wifi.
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| Getting breakfast at the Caribbean Art Cafe |
The main item on our todo list for this day was to book on to a diving trip to the blue hole for the next day. This was one of the big expenditures we'd planned for our trip which also included the Inca Trail, and the Galapagos. We heard from many that the dive itself isn't really up to that much - but you have to tick it off the list right? We went to one of the snorkelling shops that we'd talked to the day before who had told us how important it was to them to look after the reef. We asked them for a recommendation for diving and they walked us over to another dive shop. Because it was low season we were told that it was unlikely for the dive shops in Caye Caulker to have enough people (6 min) to make a trip to the blue hole worth while. They told us to come back at 4pm to see if enough people had showed up. If they had the price would be 470BZD.
We chilled out for a few hours by the pool again before heading to a local rental place to see if we could take out a couple of paddle boards for a couple of hours. It was 15BZD per hour each and we paddled round the other side of the island to see if we could find the sea horses that apparently lived by one the docks. The sun was blistering hot so it was a good job we had a lot of sun cream on. Kate tried to show me some Yoga on the paddle boards which was mostly successful, though did result in us both falling in at some point. We found a very large starfish along the way and also the dock where the sea horses were living. The hotel that owned the dock had set up nets to the side of the dock just below the water. This had created a favourable environment for the sea horses so after pulling our paddleboards up on to the beach we joined the other few people looking intently in to the nets. At first they were hard to spot but once you'd worked out their camouflage they were pretty easy to spot! We saw two floating around!
Afterwards we decided to carry the paddleboards back to the rental, it was about 400 metres across the island and back. They were pretty heavy but at least we saved time and we made it back just before 2 hours was up so it worked perfectly. After we had handled back the paddleboards we headed back to the diveshop to hear if they had made up the numbers. Unfortunately they hadn't so we went in to panic mode and started heading to all the other dive shops we might have missed. We ended up at Black Durgeon dive shop who for 500BZD each would book us on to a boat coming from nearby San Pedro. We took the opportunity and booked on while talking to the man in the shop. He told us he'd sustained a ruptured ear drum from diving and so was just running the shop for 3-6 months until it healed. When I asked him how it happened he replied that he had no idea and that he'd been diving for many years and it had never happened before. This worried me slightly as the answer should have just been that he'd had trouble equalizing and he'd either ascended or descended too quickly. If the divemasters aren't able to look after themselves then they certainly couldn't help us. Kate was even more worried when later she read reviews about a man who had suffered a seizure diving the blue hole and died. To this day they don't know if it was a bad tank (a bad mix - which can happen, and you should always smell your air before you dive to make sure it doesn't smell bad or odd) or just bad timing.
With this weighing on our minds we were a little worried about the dive the next day. We had booked however and we'd dived recently so knew how to dive safely. For dinner Kate took me to a seafood place called Roy's which was great. The staff were great too and we made full use of their happy hour and got their rum punch which was also great. Afterwards we got an early night as we needed to be up early to be on the boat for 7:30am.
Day 2
On day 2 we were up at 6:30am to get ready for the boat. We had been told to head to the Ocean Express boat dock to meet our dive boat. It was with the company aqua scuba and so we were looking for a boat with name on it. 7:30 came and went and by that time we were waiting with about eight other people (which made us less worried. At about 7:40 the man from our favourite snorkel shop turned up to tell us that the boat was at the gas station block and they'd called him to ask if he could get us. Apparently they asked a few other shops too but he was the only one who said yes! We walked across the island with the rest of group where we found our boat docking.
We paid in cash for the trip as it was with the aqua scuba company in San Pedro. Once we had paid we were able to jump on the boat where they were serving breakfast. Breakfast on the boat was just slices of watermelon and pineapple, along with a few slices of cake. We had a few bits, but we didn't find any of it particularly appetising. It was two hours to the blue hole which would be our first dive site. This is often advertised as being quite an unpleasant journey as the seas can be quite rough however we were pretty lucky with the weather. Nonetheless we needed to sit at the back of the boat to make sure. The boat was larger than the boat we'd used in Mexico but still not the biggest. It was pretty much just a small fishing boat with a toilet in the bow, and the steering up top.
When we got to the dive site we were talked through the dive by the main Divemaster. The blue hole is a pretty complicated dive as it involves going down to forty metres. This is far deeper than most dives and much deeper than we'd dived before. In recreational diving usually the deepest you'd want to go is thirty metres. Ten metres more is considered a lot. In diving the deeper you go the less time you can stay under water due to how nitrogen is processed in your body. To get down to forty metres with one tank we needed to pretty much dive down to forty metres immediately, where we'd stay for only a couple of minutes before coming up slowly with an eight minute safety stop at five metres. This is to allow the body to process all the excess nitrogen before coming to the surface.
After the talk the Divemaster announced that we needed to put on our equipment and jump in. At this point I hadn't even located and tried on my equipment. When others raised this issue it was replied with "You've had two hours to check you equipment, so it should all be good, put it on and jump in". While I agreed with him I couldn't help thinking this was the sort of attitude could lead to accidents. While yes, the responsibility is with the diver, the reality is that everyone is of different levels and and the divemasters should do their best to reassure everyone and pass on their expertise. This was definitely the most abrupt diving experience I'd had and it didn't set our minds at rest. I told the diving instructors I often had trouble equalising had he said he'd give me a thirty second head start. It all sounded a bit "gung ho".
We were shortly in the water, at this point Kate was very worried so I stayed on the surface to make sure she was OK. My thirty second head start turned in to a thirty seconds late. We started our decent and sure enough I had trouble equalising. Shortly after I was alone as the rest of the party descended in to the blue hole. Kate attempted to stay with me only to be told by one of the other dive instructors to follow them. I was then left by myself trying to equalise, which is definitely not good diving practice as you should always have a buddy near you in case there are any problems. I eventually managed to rejoin the group down at forty metres.
At forty metres the blue hole opens up a shelf where huge stalactites drop down from. They are absolutely massive and we spent a minute or two swimming in between them before ascending as a group. We did this very slowly and we swam along the sheer cliff face edge of the blue hole. In the darkness below we saw a shark which quickly disappeared but other than that there were hardly any fish at all. Because the blue hole is so large, it's also impossible to see the other side so unless someone told you you were there you'd probably wouldn't know. We had an eight minute safety stop at five metres to allow as much nitrogen to be expelled from our bodies as possible before ascending.
After the blue hole we went to the next dive site which was about fifteen minutes away. It was a lot shallower at 20 metres and there were large reef formations and also a few reef sharks. Kate has a fear of sharks so she spent her time hiding behind me and was often spotted swimming in the opposite direction. This is opposite of what you should probably do and the sharks merely became more inquisitive. Sharks are very intelligent and for the most part are just interested in divers. Attacks do happen, but that is most probably when the sharks have been baited and have got in to hunting mode, or when the person is on the surface of the water as sharks are often surface feeders. These sharks though were just having a nice day at the reef. That didn't calm Kate much though.
For lunch we stopped at a beautiful Caye (A Caye is a low lying sand island that has developed on top of a reef). We had a buffet that we just took to the island and then we had half an hour to sit in the water and enjoy the scenery before jumping back on the boat. It was definitely a picture perfect island with turquoise water and shallow sand. The toilets on the island were also a nice break from the boat. The toilet on the boat was in the bow meaning it was by far the roughest part of the boat. You had to hold on for dear life while you did your business and cross your fingers that it landed in the right place (don't actually cross your fingers though because it makes it harder to hold on for dear life). The other issue with the toilet is that is only locked from the outside. This meant you needed some one to lock it for you then guard the toilet so no one else would try to go in. If the person you asked to lock the door forgot to stop others they would open the door to see you holding on for dear life with your underwear around your ankles. Not always a good look, but I think I made it work.
The last dive was imaginatively called the aquarium. It was another shallow dive and Kate was very glad we didn't encounter any more sharks. Just a couple of stingrays. After that we headed back to Caye Caulker which was three hours away now. We stayed in the shade and tried to drink lots of water and discussed what we'd like to do next. We were either going to try and head down Placencia in order to get the weekly boat to Honduras or book on to a three day boat trip down the coast of Belize. Snorkelling, eating and drinking our way through the many beautiful Cayes along the coast. We were hoping there would be a boat on the next day (Wednesday) so we wouldn't lose too much time. When we arrived back I went straight to the company "Raggamuffin Tours" to ask if they'd made the numbers. They told me they hadn't and the next boat was Friday (another two days away). This was definitely blowing our time and budget so we didn't book on and decided to go away and discuss our options.
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| As we were walking up the beach we saw a women wearing a GCC top! It's the company where Kate and I met and used to work! In Belize?! |
For dinner we headed to a fresh seafood place called Roses. They had lobsters and fish outside that you could pick and they grilled them for you on a barbecue. I got a lobster for 30BZD and Kate got a snapper and they were both delicious. We discussed our options and decided it would be better for us to head to Honduras and skip the boat trip. It sounded amazing, but it was an extra 400USD each and we were already way behind schedule.
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| Fresh Lobster and Snapper at Rose's |
Day 3
In the morning we packed up our stuff and headed out to Amor cafe for breakfast which was finally open! The coffee was good and I got a grilled sandwich which was really good. Despite making a decision to move on we kept on discussing about the boat trip. Was it worth the money? Should we get a move on? It became pretty clear that despite the cost and the time it was something we wanted to do, and we weren't here to miss out on things. We had to go.
I had to run to the ATM so I could get some cash to pay at the cafe as their card machine wasn't working (hardly any card machines work on Caye Caulker and they also usually charge a percentage so the ATM is often better). I got a bit more cash out just in case we needed to put down a deposit for the boat and then we headed to the Raggamuffin office (which is actually just a colourful shed on the beach) to book on to the Friday trip which was definitely going. Luckily there was space so we booked on immediately and put down the deposit of 100BZD each.
Next up on the todo list was to sort out accomodation. By this point it was about 9 o'clock and we needed to be out of the rooms by 10. We went back to Popeyes to ask about spare rooms they had, we knew most of them were gone and the ones they had left were slightly more expensive but we wanted to see if they could give us a good deal. They gave us 60USD a night for a twin double with an ensuite and kitchen. It was above our budget but was easier and was only for two nights so we went for it. They allowed us to leave our things in to the room and to hang by the pool, so we spent a couple of hours by the pool catching up on the world.
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| Enjoying the Popeye's Beach Resort Pool |
For lunch we went back to Godfrey's opposite and got a couple of fish and chips which again were delicious. Then we decided to head over to North Caye Caulker which is a separate Caye to Caye Caulker and requires either a swim or a water taxi. At the moment the only thing on North Caye Caulker is the Koko King bar and wet lounge (which I think just means it has a pool). The water taxi over is free if you buy a couple of drinks. The taxi leaves and returns about every twenty to thirty minutes. We caught the taxi over and found the place to be very cool. It has lots of chairs out and in the sea there are free tubes and obstacles you can climb over and jump off. We played around in the sea for a little bit before we set up at the beach and got a couple of drinks. As it was happy hour from five to seven we decided to get our moneys worth as spirits and mixers were only 5BZD. We got a couple of gin and tonics and enjoyed our books and the beach.
We watched the sunset at King Koko's before deciding to get the taxi back to Caye Caulker. While we were waiting for the boat we were set upon by a lot of mosquitoes so I was glad I brought the DEET. We were also accosted by a gentlemen who I can only describe as dread-locked and under the influence of some distinctly herbaceous substances. He told us the same story about twenty times -something about how he thought white women had money and so he went out with one only to find out she didn't have money and now he spends his life trying to get money so he can support her - which was a sad story and I'm sure there are at least a few morals in there too.
We got the boat back and decided to head back to our favourite pasta place "Pasta de per caso" again for dinner. To keep the price down we only had two mains though the sides were very tempting as were the desserts. Instead we went and got ice cream from one of the shops nearby which concluded a very chilled out day on Caye Caulker.
Day 4
Our last full day at Caye Caulker started slowly. We had a lie-in and as the room had a kitchen I made us some coffee as we still had the ground beans from Mexico (the best 17 pesos ever spent!). Once we were up we headed out to a crepe place as Kate was craving them. There was a very nice place just round the corner where I got a cheese and ham crepe and Kate got an omelette. They were extremely tasty.
As we hadn't explored the south of the island we decided to do that. What resulted was a very hot and sweaty walk along a beach with a few rental properties on it. There wasn't much down there. When we reached the airstrip we walked along it, back inland past the baggage claim area (which was a rope), and back up the island. Which was even hotter! From there we continued up the island to see if we could perhaps get a Kite Surfing lesson however we found in the heat of the day most places were closed. So we got a drink instead... We went back to the hotel afterwards and used the pool to cool down until quarter to three meant we needed to head to the Raggamuffin office to get a briefing for the three day tour we'd start the next day.
We got to meet the crew who all seemed really nice, and they told us what we'd need to pack and where. We needed a small bag with sun cream, and change of clothes and things we would want for the journey and everything else in our big bags would be packed away. We met the other people who would be on the boat who also seemed very nice. It was a good mix of people with people our age, a few slightly older people and one family.
We decided to go and grab another couple of drinks at the Lazy Lizard Bar at the Split after the meeting. We sat and watched the sun go down again and enjoyed a few beers. As we were sitting there Kate commented that it would be impossible to climb out of the water where we were sitting as it was too high. We were sitting at part of the Split that was part jetty and part seating area. So it was pretty high, but not that high. I disagreed and set about proving her wrong. After a couple of minutes I was laid out next to Kate, with a couple of bruises, scratches and a big smile on my face. I amended Kate's statement: It was definitely possible, but ill advised. As we needed to go back and pack we had a quick dinner afterwards at Happy Lobster which was a great last dinner on Caye Caulker before we went back to pack and get a good nights sleep.
Day 5
We got up at 6:00 as we needed to pack and get to the Raggamuffin office for 7:30am. We'd leave our big bags there to be loaded on to the boat and then have time to go and grab some breakfast. We'd meet back at 8:30 to get on to the boat aiming to pull anchor and set sail at 9am. Weirdly I woke up with a strange rash on my leg, on the inside of my right thigh. I didn't know exactly where it had come from but it didn't seem to much to worry about. I decided to keep an eye on it, besides we needed to go get on a boat so there wasn't any time to worry!
For breakfast we went to Ice'n'beans I got an iced coffee and grilled sandwich which both were really good, and Kate got some yogurt and granola with fruit, as well as a cold brew. We were really surprised how nice the drinks and food were as it really doesn't look like much from the outside. At 8:30 we headed back to the boat, got fitted for some fins and snorkel, before jumping on the boat and finding a prime space as the front. We were busy chatting away to the other passengers and didn't even notice we'd started moving as the engine was so quiet. And so, we looked up about fifteen minutes later and said goodbye to Caye Caulker as it disappeared in to the distance.
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