Sun + Sand = Paradise
What a great weekend! After Michael's birthday Thursday, we were set to head out to Caye (pronounced 'kee') Caulker for the weekend. Being in the heat of Belize City minus the beach had taken it's toll on me and it was time to bask in the sun on the sand. My birthday gift to Michael would serve us well. The private flight in a four seater plane would only take 20 minutes to get us to paradise.
The flight was great. Michael and I got into our small Carib-Bee plane with the flight sevice's owner, Arthur, and our pilot, his son, Arthur Jr. I had arranged the flight with the help of our new friend David. He was very generous. Picking us up from our apartment and giving Michael the gift of a bottle of wine and a snack. We were very thankful. The plan was to head into the skies, do a quick loop around Belize City for the view and then head over the Caribbean Sea to the caye. Sounded great to me.
Michael was smiling the entire time and he couldn't stop talking about how cool it was. It was a beautiful clear sunny day. The colour of the sky and the sea was bright turquoise and totally unreal. The only turbulence we felt was coming down for the landing and it wasn't bad at all. One of my favourite parts of the experience was upon landing there was a girl on her bike on the runway. The pilot and his dad laughed mumbling 'only in Belize'. They went on to tell us about the cows that they usually spot. They have to radio down to someone to get them out of the way. The filght was great. We got a bit of a tour and a lot of beautiful scenery. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish it was a longer flight.
Once on the caye we had to get a golf cart taxi to take us into the main town. There are no cars on Caye Caulker so all you see is bikes and golf carts, it's part of the island's charm. People kept telling me that Caulker had a 'small town' feel. That's exactly what it felt like. It is a small Caribbean town where you can see the water on either side of the island at the same time. We were staying at one of the nicer hotels in, Barefoot Caribbe. It was your basic room with a great little balcony and hammock. The caye doesn't have all inclusive resorts. The hotels are small and there are a variety of restaurants to choose from all along the main strip. The seafood was incredible and unbelievably cheap.
After lunch at a spot with a fantastic view, we set off to find a snorkeling trip for the afternoon. I was finally going to tackle my fear of the great big things that live under water. I was a little nervous, but optimistic. Belize has some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world. I had to give it a try. Our afternoon tour would take us to three different locations, the close by and shallow coral reef, Hol Chan reserve and Sting Ray Alley. Our first stop was only a five minute boat ride from shore. It was shallow enough that us beginners could put our feet down while getting used to our masks and fins. I started off with a life jacket around my waist. That only lasted a few seconds. Once I got in the water I realized that 1) the water was only four feet deep, 2) fins are great and 3) I can swim. I guess I was just a little nervous at first. Within a few minutes I left the beginners group to check out the coral reef. It's a whole new world. The water was so clear making visibility perfect. The fish were beautiful and the colours amazing.
Our second stop at Hol Chan reserve was even better. The water was deeper, the reef was bigger and there were more fish to see. Michael saw a huge, six foot, black fish, but I missed that moment without regret. We think it might have been a big barracuda. Scary! The tour was kind of funny. There were eight of us on the small speedboat with Edgar, our tour guide. In the water Edgar would point out different fish and corrals with a stick and then surface to inform us of the name. The funny part was his stern and mechanical repetition, "That is a Blue parrot fish, blue parrot fish!" Maybe you had to be there.
Our last stop was definitely the most memorable, Sting Ray Alley. The water at this stop was at most three feet deep allowing only a foot between you and the fish. Once we were all in the water, Edgar started throwing dead fish off the side of the boat. This resulted in a serious feeding frenzy of not only sting rays, but nurse sharks as well. There had to have been at least 50 rays going crazy and a few sharks in the mix. Everyone was pretty close to the underwater riot and I was backing away thinking 'what are these people doing'. Now, sting rays don't bother people unless they feel threatened but the ten foot nurse sharks were enough r
eason for me to stay at least a few feet away. I actually didn't get really nervous until the huge eight foot ray swam directly underneath me leaving less than a foot between us. Other than that moment of totally paralyzing fear, I was completely fine. I didn't realize how crazy Sting Ray Alley was until later that day when Michael told me, with all his diving and snorkeling experience, he had never seen anything like that. Usually, you might see a couple of rays, not 50. Either way, I loved it and can't wait to go again next weekend. It was a wonderful new experience for me and I am happy Michael got to see something new.
That night we walked down to the Split, home to the Lazy Lizard. It's a great little open air bar on the beach. Bob Marley and everyone just talking and having a great time set a great scene. It was so relaxed. We sat back and enjoyed the sunset without a care in the world. After a very potent drink called Lizard juice, lime and rum slushy, some food was necessary. Dinner on the beach at a restaurant called Bamboo served up great local creole seafood. You just couldn't look at any of the stray cats or they would hang out by your table for half the night. We went for a walk at night, something we haven't done for a while (not recommended in Belize City but completely safe everywhere else in the country). It was a fabulous day I will not easily forget.
The next morning we awoke to the expected cold front. The sky was grey and the wind was howling. Michael's diving trip was cancelled and we decided to head back to the city. Our boat ride back was quite treacherous. The sea was rough. Even on our closed passenger boat everyone sitting near the open rear had to move to the front after getting soaked. They boat caught some air on quite a few waves. We just felt bad for the open air boat that left the dock at the same time as us. I'm sure they were all soaked to the bone. Upon arrival in the city, we were happy to be home. It was a great 24 hours in Caye Caulker. Michael couldn't get over the idea of feeling like we were on a major vacation but we were only gone for 24 hours and could go back so easily. I loved the whole experience and I can't wait to go back!
The flight was great. Michael and I got into our small Carib-Bee plane with the flight sevice's owner, Arthur, and our pilot, his son, Arthur Jr. I had arranged the flight with the help of our new friend David. He was very generous. Picking us up from our apartment and giving Michael the gift of a bottle of wine and a snack. We were very thankful. The plan was to head into the skies, do a quick loop around Belize City for the view and then head over the Caribbean Sea to the caye. Sounded great to me.
Michael was smiling the entire time and he couldn't stop talking about how cool it was. It was a beautiful clear sunny day. The colour of the sky and the sea was bright turquoise and totally unreal. The only turbulence we felt was coming down for the landing and it wasn't bad at all. One of my favourite parts of the experience was upon landing there was a girl on her bike on the runway. The pilot and his dad laughed mumbling 'only in Belize'. They went on to tell us about the cows that they usually spot. They have to radio down to someone to get them out of the way. The filght was great. We got a bit of a tour and a lot of beautiful scenery. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish it was a longer flight.
Once on the caye we had to get a golf cart taxi to take us into the main town. There are no cars on Caye Caulker so all you see is bikes and golf carts, it's part of the island's charm. People kept telling me that Caulker had a 'small town' feel. That's exactly what it felt like. It is a small Caribbean town where you can see the water on either side of the island at the same time. We were staying at one of the nicer hotels in, Barefoot Caribbe. It was your basic room with a great little balcony and hammock. The caye doesn't have all inclusive resorts. The hotels are small and there are a variety of restaurants to choose from all along the main strip. The seafood was incredible and unbelievably cheap.
After lunch at a spot with a fantastic view, we set off to find a snorkeling trip for the afternoon. I was finally going to tackle my fear of the great big things that live under water. I was a little nervous, but optimistic. Belize has some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world. I had to give it a try. Our afternoon tour would take us to three different locations, the close by and shallow coral reef, Hol Chan reserve and Sting Ray Alley. Our first stop was only a five minute boat ride from shore. It was shallow enough that us beginners could put our feet down while getting used to our masks and fins. I started off with a life jacket around my waist. That only lasted a few seconds. Once I got in the water I realized that 1) the water was only four feet deep, 2) fins are great and 3) I can swim. I guess I was just a little nervous at first. Within a few minutes I left the beginners group to check out the coral reef. It's a whole new world. The water was so clear making visibility perfect. The fish were beautiful and the colours amazing.
Our second stop at Hol Chan reserve was even better. The water was deeper, the reef was bigger and there were more fish to see. Michael saw a huge, six foot, black fish, but I missed that moment without regret. We think it might have been a big barracuda. Scary! The tour was kind of funny. There were eight of us on the small speedboat with Edgar, our tour guide. In the water Edgar would point out different fish and corrals with a stick and then surface to inform us of the name. The funny part was his stern and mechanical repetition, "That is a Blue parrot fish, blue parrot fish!" Maybe you had to be there.
Our last stop was definitely the most memorable, Sting Ray Alley. The water at this stop was at most three feet deep allowing only a foot between you and the fish. Once we were all in the water, Edgar started throwing dead fish off the side of the boat. This resulted in a serious feeding frenzy of not only sting rays, but nurse sharks as well. There had to have been at least 50 rays going crazy and a few sharks in the mix. Everyone was pretty close to the underwater riot and I was backing away thinking 'what are these people doing'. Now, sting rays don't bother people unless they feel threatened but the ten foot nurse sharks were enough r
eason for me to stay at least a few feet away. I actually didn't get really nervous until the huge eight foot ray swam directly underneath me leaving less than a foot between us. Other than that moment of totally paralyzing fear, I was completely fine. I didn't realize how crazy Sting Ray Alley was until later that day when Michael told me, with all his diving and snorkeling experience, he had never seen anything like that. Usually, you might see a couple of rays, not 50. Either way, I loved it and can't wait to go again next weekend. It was a wonderful new experience for me and I am happy Michael got to see something new.That night we walked down to the Split, home to the Lazy Lizard. It's a great little open air bar on the beach. Bob Marley and everyone just talking and having a great time set a great scene. It was so relaxed. We sat back and enjoyed the sunset without a care in the world. After a very potent drink called Lizard juice, lime and rum slushy, some food was necessary. Dinner on the beach at a restaurant called Bamboo served up great local creole seafood. You just couldn't look at any of the stray cats or they would hang out by your table for half the night. We went for a walk at night, something we haven't done for a while (not recommended in Belize City but completely safe everywhere else in the country). It was a fabulous day I will not easily forget.
The next morning we awoke to the expected cold front. The sky was grey and the wind was howling. Michael's diving trip was cancelled and we decided to head back to the city. Our boat ride back was quite treacherous. The sea was rough. Even on our closed passenger boat everyone sitting near the open rear had to move to the front after getting soaked. They boat caught some air on quite a few waves. We just felt bad for the open air boat that left the dock at the same time as us. I'm sure they were all soaked to the bone. Upon arrival in the city, we were happy to be home. It was a great 24 hours in Caye Caulker. Michael couldn't get over the idea of feeling like we were on a major vacation but we were only gone for 24 hours and could go back so easily. I loved the whole experience and I can't wait to go back!
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