Caye Caulker, Belize

Belize National Flag (from google)

So on the map, Belize doesn't look that big, and maybe it isn't compared to Australia but it is also kind of difficult to get to.

Boats next to the water ferry dock

Cleyon and I did a quick trip to Belize from Playa Del Carmen. We took an ADO bus at 11.30pm which stops over at the border for immigration purposes then takes you into Belize City. We had heard bad things about Belize City in terms of safety, so we planned to head over to the islands.

Local Belikin Beer advertisement....

We arrived at about 8am (yes, it's a long bus ride) and took the water taxi from Belize City to Caye Caulker, a small island with the motto 'Go Slow'. We booked a small place, just a room and a bathroom, which is enough for the two of us. We live pretty simply.

Main street of Caye Caulker

Laying out at 'The Split'

Enjoying a drink at 'The Split'

The island is small enough to walk around, but also can be kind of tiring because of the heat. The main attractions of the island, other than just enjoying the pace, is snorkeling, diving and drinking or relaxing at 'the split'.

Friendly stingray saying hello

As divers, we of course have heard many things about the Blue Hole in Belize. When we asked around at the dive centers, it would cost around $200 US per person and it was a loooong boat ride. So we decided perhaps we would come back to Belize and stay on an island closer another time.

Enjoying the reef

Instead we went snorkeling! We went through Mario's Tours, a small shop on the main dirt road. We decided to go with him because he was friendly to us earlier when we asked for recommendations for places to eat. We paid about $30 each and went to 3 different snorkelling spots; Shark-Ray Alley, Coral Gardens and Hol Chan. It was a really nice relaxing day. The guide was really friendly and fun and pointed out a lot of things.

Our tour guide from Mario's Tours

Smiling nurse sharks

I've never been a fan of feeding marine life, and that is the one point I didn't like about the tour. 

Cley's selfie with feeding nurse sharks in the background

After the feed

A day at 'The Split' is a day well spent. Drinking at the bar there, meeting new people (a ridiculous number of Aussies), jumping into the warm water and lying in the sun, all the while with reggae beats in the background. The exchange rate is $1 US: $2 Belize Dollar and can get you a lot depending where you go. 

Enjoying a good coffee at Glendas Cafe

Breakfast sandwich at Glendas Cafe

There were actually a couple of nice places to eat and a good couple of bars too. We went back to Glenda's Cafe a few times for their breakfast sandwich and good coffee. And to Syd's! If you like Caribbean style food you will love it. The Belizean style food is very similar to Jamaican, as you can imagine Cleyon was pretty happy about it. Especially when he saw the fried chicken come out with rice and peas! 

The drinks were good at this bar! Just be careful on the swings haha..

Dinner with friends we had made during the day. 

There was also a 'club', I can't remember the name, but if you go there, it won't be hard for you to find haha. We had a lot of fun watching others dance, and having others watch us too! 

At the club! 

All tired out after the water taxi back to the mainland...

*We did this trip in 2014, so things could have changed since then...