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...

Tulum: The Ruins

Me and my honey at the ruins

Welcome to the Yucatan Peninsula in Quintana Roo, Mexico! As you walk through to the exits of the airport you hear of all the tourist attractions from the tour companies trying to strike your interest. This combined with the instant humidity as you walk outside can be a little bit overwhelming....

Cley captured this while I was staring at a nearby iguana!

When we first arrived in the airport in Cancun in 2014 a few things stuck out in my mind, one of them was Tulum. 

At one of the 5 entry points

One of the many happy iguana residents 

This beach is off limits for turtle egg nesting

Tulum is a town about 40 mins south of Playa Del Carmen. It has become a popular place recently particularly for boutique hotels. The main attractions in this area are an amazing stretch of beach, a ridiculous nunber of natural cenotes and of course the archeological ruins. 

Tourists on the path...the umbrella is for the sun!

Some of the ruins still in tact..

I'm not sure this thatch roof is from the 13th century haha

The Mayan ruins in Tulum was a seaport in the 13th Century for trading in mainly turquoise and jade. It is the only Mayan city to be built on the coast and was also one of the few surrounded by a wall.

The view of the beach...this one you can access and snorkel

The ruins themselves are ok, but not my favourite. It is very popular because of it's location (it's pretty close) and because of the views of the sea. I still do recommend going, but if you do, good idea to bring bathers (the beach is awesome!), a hat, sunscreen and some water. There isn't too much shade there and it can get pretty steamy!

White sandy beach in Tulum

If you still have energy afterward I recommend walking along the beach, but remember, you also have to walk back! 

*The picture quality isn't great, this was from 2014, from memory the camera we used was on it's last legs....

Happy World Ocean Day, June 8

Oceans are vital for the worlds survival. They hold 97% of the planets water. They produce more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere and absorb most carbon from it. Only 2.8% of the world ocean is protected, and much less than 1% is in marine reserves. 

Big world, little squid...

We impact the oceans in a crazy number of ways. We take food, minerals, sand and more in huge quantities while pouring in waste and toxins.

There is a huge amount of progress to be made in marine protection. 

Obviously I am a big supporter of the ocean, I live and work in it every day. I can't imagine a world without any life in the water, or no colour. I don't even want to. 

Pillar Coral, Jamaica

I've never really understood why so many things are allowed such as oil rigging, over fishing, shark finning, whale hunting, exposion based fishing, the list can go on and on. There is no one person or one body of people controlling what happens to our greatest gift, which is why we need to look after it ourselves! 

Curious porcupine fish

What can we do to help?

• Don't use sunscreen containing Oxybenzone, switch to Zinc Oxide based
• Make sustainable seafood choices....did you know Grouper start to reproduce after about 20 yrs!
  
• Minimise use of plastics ie. plastic bags, drinking bottles, take out containers
• Don't purchase items or support things that exploit marine life (biggest pet peeve in Mexico is the number of places you can swim with Dolphins)
• Support organisations who are working to protect the ocean
• Spread the word!! 

For more information you can visit National Geographic, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) or the Protect Planet Ocean initiative (www.protectplanetocean.org).

Meeting The Family

Mr Shirley cutting up chickens

When mum and dad arrived at the airport, Cleyon and I were there to pick them up. Luckily, they all get along really well. Cleyon keeps telling me how chilled my parents are haha. After a week of being in Jamaica travelling around they were able to meet Cleyons family too.

Mrs Shirley at school, we disrupted the kids!

Trying to take a selfie with Nathan, the best one I got....

His mum and dad live outside of Falmouth up a dirt road that I hate driving up! After meeting his mum and second mum during the day to help with groceries, we came up in the evening for dinner. His mum had somehow already finished preparing dinner, like the miracle worker she is. Mr Shirley was sitting outside when we arrived and welcomed my parents with a friendly face and barely understandable English! I had already warned them that they probably wouldn't understand much of what he said and perhaps what the rest of the family said too haha. Christine also welcomed them with open arms and a friendly face and soon began chatting with my mum.

Mum holding Skye, the trouble maker...

Dad holding Nathan and Tina nearby

They were introduced to a lot of people, brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, neighbours and had a great time. Christine, or Sharon as she is more commonly known, had cooked up curry goat, fried chicken and stew pork with rice and vegetables! Somehow she managed to serve everyone there including a few extras that rolled up!

The family

I can't believe that after so long talking to my parents on Skype with Cleyon they have finally been able to meet him AND come all the way across the world to see the countries culture and delicacies and meet his family too. I'm not sure if they will ever be able to come back but I am so happy that they had the opportunity, and now can see or know who I am talking about! After all, we are all family now.

The whole family!

Dunns River Falls and an Art Class

Another day on my family vacation in Jamaica!

Trying to be a pirate

Mum relaxing on our journey

We drove to Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios. It was $20 US per person for entry. The last time I had done this, there were shoes for hire inside however now there wasn't. Mum, Dad and Cleyon all bought the water shoes which were available for $10 US each at the office. I am more comfortable bare foot than with shoes! We hired a locker, put our stuff away and walked to the bottom of the falls where it meets the ocean, my favourite part. When my foot first touched the water I practically squealed it was so cold! Thankfully the ocean was warmer and it was easy to escape. Mum and dad stood right under the cold waterfall at the bottom to refresh from the hot and humid weather, they're not acclimatised to the weather here!

Mum and Dad at the bottom

Me and Cley

Mum and dad both have bad knees and decided to skip the beginning, which is the most difficult part. Cleyon and I looked at each other and decided to go anyway while they walked around. The most difficult part is navigating around all the other people on the falls. People come in tour buses, private tours and catamaran tours so you can imagine there are a lot of people there! We managed to sneak around quite a lot but there were parts where the flow of the water was so strong I had no choice but to patiently wait behind people. We got to a point where mum and dad decided to enter too. The black parts on the rock are slippery but I think more so for my bare foot self than for those in water shoes. With Cleyon and I checking the way with our steps we made it to the top.

The family :)

We took a short drive into Ocho Rios and stopped at a place for food where I had taken my sister and her fiance' a few years back. It was pretty expensive for the 4 of us but we were expecting that in the touristy town! We came out and went into the jewellery store nearby that stocks Pandora. Mum bought a couple of Jamaican charms for herself and my sister whilst I am hopeful I can find another charm that they had ran out of. Whilst walking around dad became charmed with a sign '6 tshirts for $20', of course it ended up being a lot more haha! We got back in the car and headed back to Montego Bay.

Me climbing the falls

I had organised to go to an art class with mum that evening in Montego Bay. We sat down with our complimentary glass of wine and looked at the artwork the artist had prepared earlier and followed her through steps to recreate it. The artwork subject was a royal palm tree with a sky blue background. I think we sat too far away to see the real details the artist put into her artwork. From where we sat her clouds looked perfect, but when we got up to look, they looked much different. Mum and I had some serious cloud envy haha. We had fun painting, and were happy with our pieces, despite me painting leaves in the wrong direction. I hope mum can take back the experience to Australia to the shop she has opened with her sister 'Art on Ormerod'.

Mum painting clouds...

A Jamaican Wedding

Me and Dandre and his cheeky smile

Before my parents arrived, I was lucky enough to be invited to a Jamaican wedding. Cleyons brother, Craig, got married to his beautiful wife Marsana. The ceremony started in the afternoon in a big church in Falmouth. Everyone was seated but the traditional family and friends of the groom on the right and those of the bride on the left does not apply in Jamaica. Shortly after, the bridesmaids started to walk down with the groomsmen. My sexy fiance was paired up with another bridesmaid; they were dressed in a dark peachy orange colour and the men had ties to match. The groom and the bridesmaid though had a turqouise dress and a turq

Men looking smart

Me and my man

ouise tie to stand out. Then of course the bride, Marsana always looks fantastic, but in the dress and with her makeup she looked beautiful! Craig walked down the isle a little to meet his bride, shake the fathers hand then continue to the alter.

Big Jamaican wedding party

After the ceremony was over, I managed to sneak into the bridal party cars with the groomsmen to take photos. There were multiple poses, lots of laughs then we continued to the reception at Martha Brae River with a quick stop at Sharons small shop for a couple of drinks and a spice bun! I was starving at that point haha.

The happy couple

When we arrived, Cleyons family quickly ushered me with them to a table before they ran out of room. There were a lot of people. Between drinks, dinner, speeches, dances and everything it was a really nice night. I am so thankful to be apart of such a beautiful, kind and generous family. I wish Mr and Mrs Simpson a lifetime of love and happiness!

Quick food stop!!

Jamaica Vacation!

I'm on VACATION!!! The internet in Jamaica is pretty terrible, but I'm missing writing in the blog, so here it goes...

I have lived here for a year previously which is how I met my other half. This time, my parents have come to see the country, meet Cleyon and his family! I have been living away from home for 3 years now and this is the first time they have come to visit me, needless to say I was excited for them to come.

After they got over their jet lag, it's a long way from Australia, we ventured out to the Rose Hall Great House, Appleton Rum Factory and YS Falls.

Photo of a photo for a view of the Rose Hall Great House

We thought we would take it easy with the tours for the first few days while my parents recover so we chose an easy introduction with the Rose Hall Great House. We went in the evening for a night tour! It was $20 US per person. They take a photo of you in front of the house on entry which is available for purchase later for $10 US. You are told a whole heap of information about the settlers and of course the infamous Anne Palmer aka. The White Witch. This tour was a lot of fun but it is not for the faint of heart. We all jumped a few times, there were a couple of screams within the group and I was laughing a lot of the time. The tour guide we had, 'Curly', did an excellent job and also the actors in the house; the men and women dressed up as slaves in rags, carrying machetes, cleaning the floors and walking around. The tour was really informative but honestly I spent most of the time looking around corners and for hiding places for people to jump out of. If you get scared easily and are looking for something a little more peaceful, perhaps during the day would be better, but you will be missing out on a lot of fun!!

The next day we were off to the rum factory and falls.

Appleton Rum Factory

I have worked in bars all through my University study and therefore love tasting different alcohols and mixes. Although I have lived here before and tried most of the alcohols on offer at the rum factory, there was one I haven't tried; Berry Hill Pimento Allspice Liquer by Wray & Nephew. Pimento, or allspice, is a berry that once dried tastes like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The drink is kind of sweet, intense but really tasty and they say it's good for an upset stomach. Of course I loved all the other rums and rum creams, oh rum cream....mmmmm.....

Cleyon and Dad at the beginning...

Serving the sugar cane juice, the juicing machine behind.

We paid $25 US entry each, received a rum punch on entry (which was very strong and refillable as soon as you finished it!), we then tried freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, literally, like we watched 2 tour group members push the machine around to squeeze the juice! Then we tried molasses, the first stage of the rum producing process. We then proceeded inside for the samples of white rum, dark rum, coconut rum, rum cream and the pimento liquer.....they let us pour our own drinks and we could have as much as we liked! Very well worth going, my only recommendation, go with a tour company or taxi driver so you don't have to drive!!!

Donkey demonstrating how to juice sugar cane....by eating it! 

Old Sugar Cane Cart

At the end of the tour....

I carefully drove from the Appleton Factory to YS Falls, probably another 20 minutes and made it just in time at 3.25pm, they close at 3.30pm! We paid the entry, from memory $15 US, and boarded a cart pulled by tractor to the falls. The grounds are beautiful, grassy areas with tables and chairs and a few huts for shops. We wished we had packed a picnic to sit down and enjoy the surrounds. We climbed up the side of the falls up their wooden stairs. The walk isn't far or difficult. The falls were nice and flowing quite rapidly. After many photos we walked back to the bottom. As mum was taking photos of all the different flowers and plants I dipped my toe in the water in a natural-made pool at the bottom, it was beautiful but really cold! If you're going to the rum factory and you have time to see the falls, they are nice, but I personally prefer the falls on the othervside of Jamaica from Ocho Rios to Port Antonio. The water seems to be more blue and clear over there than YS Falls.

YS Heritage...beautiful scenery

The tractor cart ride to the falls

Dad admiring the tranquility haha

So peaceful

Cleyon, Me and Mum at YS Falls

If the water wasn't so cold maybe I would've swung in! 

After a long day, I drove back however, took a 'shortcut'. The roads to get to Appleton and YS are pretty bad. Lots of potholes, very narrow and very windy. We made it back to Montego Bay, all in one piece but a little weiry and some of us a little tipsy...