"Going Slow" in Caye Caulker

Caye caulker

For the first time in several journeys, our mission to the next destination is rather short. Within 5 hours we have crossed the boarder from Guatemala to Belize. Before we know it we have jumped off the boat to the beautiful Caye Caulker - a Rastafarian paradise. The strangest part of this journey was seeing everything in English for the first time in 2 months. Belize's national language is English it was so bizarre crossing boarders and being able to read again!

After being on the road so much in Guatemala we were ready to fit into the "go slow" motto (they have plastered all over the island) and booked our hostel for a minimum of 5 nights. We ended up staying 7. Our hostel was basic but it had everything we needed including private bathroom, kitchen and wifi. Plus the lady who managed the place was a total legend!! It was easy to settle for so long.

After a few hours we were pleasantly reunited with some of Dave's work friends from Whistler and other friends we had met along the way. What better way to celebrate with a few ice cold crevasses to catch up on each others travels!

Unfortunately, we finally met the brunt of the rainy season into our second day in Caye Caulker. We had been so lucky the rest of the trip, copping only afternoon storms to clear muggy skies. But here we only got 3 out of 7 nice days.

However, the sunniest day of our time here, was the day that we did the Ragamuffin snorkel trip with our Whistler mates. To think we almost didn't go due our sore heads and slightly squeamish bellies from a few too many rum punches the night before. Thankfully we followed Shaan and Nom's lead and booked the tour last minute (it was the last sunny day we had in Caye Caulker).

The ragamuffin tour was fantastic! We all jumped aboard a small sailboat captained by a local Rastafarian man, and off we went on the stunning Caribbean waters to find nurse sharks and stingrays. We stopped off at several snorkeling spots and got to see a wide range of coral, fish and a few turtles. The highlight was when we arrived at shark and stingray ally. Here we got to swim with 20 plus massive rays, nurse sharks and countless tuna fish who swam right next to people swimming. These docile sharks don't actually bite, they use suction to eat their food and we were able pat them and the rays. The animals were amazing, they were so tame not surprising though as they get fed every time a boat comes. The trip also included a Caribbean style lunch and rum punch and ceviche for the sail back. This was definitely a trip worth paying for!!!

We were lucky enough to be in Caye Caulker for the opening of Lobster season. We were told that on opening day fisherman would bring fresh lobsters up to sell on the shore, we thought this sounded too good to be true. We certainly weren't disappointed with the first catch of the season. Everyone’s restaurant board now had an added dish containing lobster, even the pizza shop. Randomly, our first taste of lobster for the season came from a Jewish couple who had been given a free lobster to try. Since it wasn't kosher they thought best not to waste and yelled out to us and friends of ours walking buy... Free lobster?? Yes please!!!

We also purchased two beautiful BBQ lobster tails the following evening that were BBQ for us and came with endless amounts of rum punch ( although we were skeptical of the amount of run in this sweet cordial) all for $10!

There were many culinary delights in Caye Caulker especially the bbq's set up along the main street where you are able to get a wide variety of Caribbean flavored meats that come with sides for about $5. The best advice is to wash these meals down with a cold beer while sitting in the water at the lizard bar. When it wasn't raining we took every opportunity to relax at this funky bar made on the water.

If the weather is good there is a lot to do in Caye Caulker considering how small it is. However due to weather and let's face it, a quickly diminishing budget, we took it pretty easy here. Dave got his fishing and kayak fix and we even caught a fish that made for a tasty (free) lunch. Even though it was a relaxed 7 days, Caye Caulker was one of our favorite spots. Oh and if you don't like Bob Marley this is not the Island for you - they literally play it on repeat 24/7 and thats no exaggeration!! (Luckily we are fans!)

Next stop our final country in central, Mexico!!!

Caye caulker breakdown

Travel - buy your boat ticket either round trip or onward depending what way your coming from (heading North or South) and you’ll save money and boarder fees.

Accommodation

Jeremiah’s Inn - $23 a night for private with bathroom ( ask for one of the top floor rooms they are cooler)

Food:

Terry's grill $6 for jerk chicken

Pig on the spit place $9 all you can eat

Enjoy cafe popular free drinks with meals

The bakery at the back of the island

Activities

Ragamuffin tour $50usd

Hire kayaks and fishing reel $10 for 2 hours

Swim and have a few drinks at the Lazy Lizard Bar