Caye Caulker, Belize...
“Go Slow…But Keep Moving,” is the motto of Belize, and for the most part the vibe of the entire country is just that; chill, laid back, and time is not of the essence… except when you need to make the boat taxi. After another long bus ride from Tulum to the Mexico border town of Chetumal (including a new exit tax of 32 USD/pp), we eventually arrived at the Belize City bus station at 1730, which happens to be when the last boat taxi to the islands leaves. Oh well, Meghan and I had already resigned ourselves the fact that we would miss the boat and have to stay a night in the uneventful appearing town. However, as soon as we set foot off the bus, quickly gathered our packs, and mentioned the words “Caye Caulker,” we were quickly directed to a man who was eagerly awaiting passengers (for commission no doubt) and sternly directing us to, “Get in the van girls, we must go now if we want to try to make the boat!” Without a chance to even assess the situation, Meghan and I were in the van and having quite a wild ride! Now normally, when a man yells, “Get in the van!” our first reaction is generally, “No thanks!” but this time we had to “trust the process” as I say and hopped right in! What I’m sure is normally a 5 minute ride, turned into a two minute ride of being whipped around corners, honking horns, flying curse words, near collisions, and an abrupt stop in front of the taxi station being ushered into the boat taxi office and purchasing THE VERY LAST tickets. An hour later we FINALLY stepped onto the island of Caye Caulker, 10 hours after leaving Tulum…ah travel days, I love them… I swear.
Arriving in Caye Caulker, the immediate vibe is much more vibrant than Tulum; bright colored wooden buildings, hammocks strung from tree to tree, the smell of fresh BBQ seafood in the air immediately making your mouth water, not to mention the beautiful blue waters surrounding the Island. Unfortunately, no amount of seafood or picturesque buildings can make up for the fact that you are constantly hounded to buy trinkets or take a taxi around an island that you can lap in 20 min. We stayed at Go Slow Hostel, which was near The Split, which is one of the few places you can go to escape the tourist trinket trail. With intermittent working toilets, cold showers, strictly monitored AC that left us sweating in the night, and beds that made me fear for my safety when I made my ascent, it wasn’t our ideal spot. But guess what? We paid for three nights, so for 3 nights we made the best of it! So what did we do? Booked a snorkeling tour though our hostel, which was a small group: our guide, Meghan, our new friend Max, and me. We did a half day tour which turned out to be a great day of swimming with sting rays, nurse sharks, and spotting various tropical fish and even a sea turtle. We also spent a couple days lounging around the “beach,” which is essentially a concrete slab dusted with white sand. Seeing how the island is pretty expensive (think $9 margaritas), we decided to throw our budget to the wind for the day and grabbed a table at the Lazy Lizard; beautiful views, decent drinks and food, and awesome lounge chairs for me to work on my sunburn. By the end of our stay we had spent way too much on alcohol and food (we are now on a PB&J diet for a bit), met lovely people: Max from Arizona, Stan from Toronto, and Jasmine from Germany, and gained a new appreciation for the Island. The locals are lovely and definitely know how to make a lady feel welcome, the grilled seafood amazing, and the nights spend watching the stars on the docks will not soon be forgotten. Alas, it was time for these Meg(h)ans to move inland to San Ignacio by the border of Guatemala, needless to say, our bank accounts were ready…
Note: Had we not been on such a budget, we would have flown over The Blue Hole, and had we had our diver certification, we would have done some diving. Goal: Get PADI certified.