While we've truly enjoyed our trips to Mexico, we felt it was time to stretch our wings a bit and start checking out that wonders that the rest of the Caribbean has to offer. Belize was a natural first choice. On our first trip to there we stayed in Caye Caulker, a tiny island about 20 miles from Belize City. It's sits right next right next to the world's second longest barrier reef and boasts several outstanding marine preserves. The island itself has sand streets, no cars, and a "no shoes, no shirt, no problem" attitude also make this a great place to relax. We spent 10 days enjoying the excellent food, the friendly people, and the incredible scenery. It is a remarkable place and we had a wonderful trip. Can't wait to go back. |
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We flew from Belize City to Caye Caulker in a little Cessna Caravan. Gelina rode behind the pilot and got some great shots. |
Landing strip in Caye Caulker - the runway is the only thing paved on the island. |
The terminal, such as it is. Golf carts are the main form of motorized transportation. A cart "taxi" picked us up and took us to our hotel. |
We stayed at the Seaside Cabañas on right next to the ocean on Front Street. |
Newly rebuilt after a fire in 2003, Seaside has hotel-style rooms as well as cabañas, and the only pool on the island. |
Our cabaña had a top-floor palapa where we would sit at night and watch the stars. |
Gelina hanging out in our hammock. |
They also had a neat little bar (here in infrared ) where we enjoyed the local Belikin beers and One Barrel Rum. |
Our friends Mary and Trent came down from Mexico to visit us for a few days and help Dave celebrate his birthday. |
This is a picture of about all we did some days. |
The main dock was on Front Street right next to our hotel. Most folks come to Caye Caulker by boat from Belize City. |
The back dock on the other side of the island (a whole 3 blocks away) is where a lot of goods come in. Note the truck - it was about the only one we saw there. |
Cleaning the day's catch. Fishing is still a big part of the economy. |
 We saw lobster traps like these stacked everywhere. We had just missed the end of the season by a few days. The lobsters were busy mating and didn't want to be disturbed. |
Front Street looking north - there are only three streets on the island: Front, Middle, and Back. |
Front Street facing south. This is our idea of paradise - more bicycles than cars and more locals than tourists. |
Glenda's was one of our favorite places for breakfast. She serves it right out of her house. This is where we first had the very tasty Marie Sharp's hot sauce. |
The town is just alive with color - here's a very blue building and a couple of locals demonstrating the most common way to get around the island. |
The colorful Friendship grocery store. |
 Blue house, yellow fence, red flowers - a typical island color scheme. |
 Green and orange was popular, like this combination on the Peach on the Beach Guest House. |
Auxillou Beach Suites is a rainbow of lodging choices. |
Even this iguana is getting into the festive colors. |
And, of course, the hammock dealer. |
Pink, green, and orange. |
Even houses that looked to be abandoned were brightly painted. |
Colorful laundry was hung out everywhere to dry. |
 This Land Rover had seen better days, but the yellow house was newly painted.The 3-wheeled bike is how a lot of goods get transported around the island. |
These bougainvillea added splashes of color. |
Here are some more by our room. |
This little shop was particularly bright. |
The one monotone street we saw in the whole of Caye Caulker. |
The center of town, if there is such a thing. |
 Happy tree stump guy. |
 A lot of the water on the island still comes from rain barrels like this one. |
 Kitty getting a drink from a bucket that someone left out for him under one of the barrels. |
 Puppy lunch? No, this guy was just taking a nap during the heat of the day. |
This kitty says "hi." There were lots of cats around. A gentleman called KennyKat takes good care of them. |
School's out for the day. There's one Catholic school on the island. |
This little guy hit the water as soon as he got home from class. |
The ocean was always the most amazing shades of blue. In the distance you can just see the barrier reef. |
Trends Hotel had some of the best views of the water. |
Hard to beat this kind of outdoor dinning. |
And this boat looked like it couldn't wait to get back on the water. |
 Gelina wanted a fresh pineapple. The little girl who sold it to her thought the curly leaves on top looked like dreadlocks and called it "rastapiña." |
Our bartender cut it up for us - man, it was good. |
 Because of the reef, the water is pretty shallow and most places have long dock to get to deep water. |
The Seahawk is a traditional Belizean sloop. It was hand-built in Caye Caulker. |
We took a all-day snorkel trip with Raggamuffin Tours aboard another wooden sloop, the Ragga King. |
Captain Harry and his first mate took us out to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. |
The Ragga King had a handmade gooseneck, a bamboo boom, and a sail from Stanford, Connecticut. |
The mast was an equally odd combination of hardwoods and PVC pipe. |
Gelina enjoying the trip stretched out on top of the cabin. |
Gelinafish. |
A nurse shark. They can get to be about nine feet long, but they only eat crustaceans, not snorkelers. |
There were lots of southern stingrays in the shallows. |
This one had rake marks, probably from another ray. |
This guy came up looking for treats. Their skin in like very fine velvet. |
We saw lots of elkhorn coral outcroppings. |
They call this part of the preserve the Coral Garden. |
More elkhorn and some brain coral. |
These yellow snappers were hiding out from something. |
More yellow-finned snappers (very tasty BTW). |
 Grunts (I think) and finger coral. |
An almost perfect elkhorn coral head. |
A brittle star. A relative to the starfish, but its arms are very long and flexible. |
The eagle rays were the star of the trip. |
They just soared through the water below us. |
Unlike most rays, these patrol more open water instead of hugging the bottom. |
 We watched these rays sail through the Hol Chan cut, a gap in the reef that attracts lots of marine life. |
Caye Caulker is divided in the middle by this stretch of water know as "The Split." |
The Mayans opened up a small channel years ago, but Hurricane Hattie tore it open to its current size. |
 Damage to the old causeway caused by Hattie in 1961. |
The Lazy Lizard Bar has kind of sprung up in the ruins at the end of the split. |
Heritage Tour boat, palapa roof and all, docked at the split. Ras Creek, the boat's owner, helped pioneered marine tourism here. |
The Lazy Lizard gets pretty busy with locals and folks coming off of snorkeling tours. |
On the one day it rained during our trip, we got stuck in the Lazy Lizard. Had to wait there until it cleared, damn. |
 It rained so hard the water was just pouring out the downspouts. This little guy decided it was as good as time as any for a shower. |
This trail runs around the south end of the island, past the landing strip. |
Here there are more mangroves and they attract a lot of seabirds. |
 One little mangrove shoot hanging on for dear life. If he's successful, in twenty years there'll be an island around him. |
A white egret and a little mangrove caye. |
The same little mangrove caye shot in infrared . |
Palm trees reflect the near red spectrum and glow brightly. |
 Go Slow is Caye Caulker's unofficial motto. Here's Gelina on the day we arrived in Caye Caulker. |
 And here's the "after" photo - notice how much more tan and relaxed she is? A great trip will do that to you. |
Sadly, we had to leave. They sent a tiny 4-seater to fly us off the island. |
Dave got to fly co-pilot. The pilot warned him not to try any barrel rolls. |
Taking off. We only flew a hundred or so feet off the water, so we got to see a lot of other small islands. |
Nearby Caye Chapel is one big golf course - yuck. |
This is more like it - Hick's Caye has lots of streams and tidal flats. |
Back to reality - landing in Belize City. |