Caye Caulker, Belize

When we last left you, dear readers, we were waiting at the port for our trip to Belize. We soon boarded our vessel and crossed the border by speedboat, ably ushered by Belize's answer to Graham Norton. Though he took on a slightly creepier persona when he began offering us his homemade cookies... Our destination was Caye Caulker, one in a long chain of islands that stretch the length of the Belizean coastline.

Beautiful Belize

The sights, sounds and smells of Caye Caulker are dramatically different from Tulum and Mexico. Gone were the paved roads, traffic and Spanish; instead replaced by sandy lanes, golf buggies and barefoot rastas speaking a mix of English and Creole (which sounds mostly like Pirate). At one point Babs was even convinced she saw Jack Sparrow. The pace here is seriously slow, with reports of locals actually telling new arrivals, "slow down - you're walking too fast".



Local bar for local people

After finding a room and freshening up, we set off for our first Belizean culinary experience - and we would not be disappointed. The food in Caye Caulker is truly exceptional, with most restaurants offering fresh lobster for as little as six or seven pounds, as well as lots of other tasty seafood. The highlight was definitely a coconut lobster curry from 'The Budget Man', a street-vendor originally from New York who has retained his Bronx accent and seems to know everyone on the Island thanks to his cries of, "the Budget Man is here!".

Delicious barbequed lobster

Unfortunately we would soon discover that we were not alone in our room, and Ali's bravery would once again be put to the test. This time his opponent was a cockroach so big it really should have been paying for its own room. This would be a test of nerves and of the sturdiness of the sole of Babs' Toms. But there would be only one victor, and the bath would bear the scars of the assault. Despite a hiccup where the 8-legged beast played dead for a few minutes, the job was finished off in style with a full-force wallop that left no doubt over the monster's death. Satisfied with his efforts, Ali quickly appointed Babs undertaker and retreated to the safety of the bedroom while she disposed of the body.

Celebrating the victory!

The following day saw one of the highlights of our trip so far: a sunset and stargazing cruise, with unlimited rum punch and some delicious nachos with a spicy pico de gallo. The sunset from the sailboat was impressive, but the stars were unbelievable. We could see all the constellations and the milky way galazy cutting across the entire sky. As we lay back on the deck of the boat in the balmy evening air, the only sound was the lapping of the water against the sides of the boat and the only sight the millions of stars above. Pure bliss.

Gorgeous sunset

We had pre-booked a snorkelling trip for the next day so we set off the next morning with 2 others to the coral reef that runs the lenth of the country. This was the best snorkelling either of us has ever done. We saw countless fish, swam with turtles, touched the slimy skin of a stingray and even stroked the side of a nurse shark (which is a lot like sandpaper). The coral itself is magnificent, with all sorts of shapes and colours on display.

Relaxing at the Split

After our return, we made our way to the Split, which is a narrow channel cut midway through the Island by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. Here there is the most popular bar on the Island that fills up with a mix of locals (pirates) and visitors to watch the sunset while sipping on a cold beer. This was the perfect way to end our stay in Caye Caulker and our time in Belize. Tomorrow we will set off for Guatemala and the 3rd country of our trip...