So... tailbone still aching from my mule ride, blisters still healing from hiking, Ivan and I decided to take a quick "recovery detour" into Belize for some beach-time convalescence.
Arrival in Belize
It was nice to be on some improved roads. But strange to be speaking English and hearing Creole. Stranger still was the prices and scarcity of decent food and water. All we could find were convenience stores locals call the "China stores", which offered some limited produce, lots of canned goods (not all of it "good"), cuts of meat I have never seen before, and broken potable water machines that hadn't been fixed in a long, long time. But hey, it's what was available, so we loaded up on bottled water, processed meats, toasted pumpkin seeds, cabbage and carrots, and headed to the coast.
Gayle's Point
Our first stop: the Happy Manatee - an isolated resort by the ocean at Gayle's Point. Here the shores were regularly patrolled by stingrays and the thousands of shimmering minnows escaping predators. There were only two vans there: us and a young German couple who have been traveling for five years working out of their van. Plus the owners, an early-retired now-carpenter Canadian and his wife, and their two dogs.
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| VannyBoBanny at our campsite by the beach at Happy Manatee |
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| Just one of many many stingrays. You have to remember to shuffle your feet at this beach! |
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| Our view in the morning. |
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| Our view at sunset |
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| Manatee rib bone! |
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| My "coworker "shares the deck with me while I finish a report for Tiree |
Heaven, right? And it was. Until the wind let down and the sandflies came out. No netting was fine enough to keep them out of the van. The owner sold us a small bottle of coconut cream with neem oil, and advised us to put on long pants and sleeves, which we did. But dear God, it was a long and torturous night. Who knew such small things could do so much damage. So much for the R&R we'd hoped for in recovering from the jungle. When we woke up after two days of low wind our legs were aflame. Time to get moving again.
Caye Caulker
Our next stop was the super-chill, laid back mecca: Caye Caulker. It's a small island in the Caribbean sea known for its incredible snorkeling and bohemian tourist scene. The only way to the island is via ferry or boat. There are no cars, so everyone drives around in golf carts or on bicycles, including one shirtless gentleman, navigating unsteadily on his ten-speed, sporting sunglasses and a hat made of braided reeds, who kept telling everyone he saw, "I love you man! I was born of love, you were born of love, and I just love you man." And that, in essence, captures the Caye Cauker vibe.
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| On our way from Belize City to Caye Caulker! |
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| Ivan on the Caribbean Sea |
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| I was told this was Leonardo DiCaprio's Island... Cannot verify. |
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| Landed! Beer on the beach - you can see the golf carts in the distance |
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| Returning from a swim from our hotel's dock |
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| "Love man" riding his bike and sharing his message of love with all |
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| Local restaurant, "Chef Kareem's Unbeliezable Lunch Bar" for coconut shrimp curry. But the main reason we were there - the main reason anybody goes there - is for the snorkling. We decided on a full day seven-stop tour that would hit all the main "hot spots" on the Belize Barrier Reef, part of the Mesoamerican Reef - second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. We went with Salt Lake Ecotours, a plastic-free tour operator that didn't feed the wildlife. We were paired with a mother and child as well as four twenty-something British girls in very small bathing suits, leaving Ivan the only man besides the two young, horny tour operators whose playlist was, well, anything but subtle. Then again, there is nothing on the island that is subtle; the first sign I saw in the first bar I stopped in at was: "free shot if you flash us your tits".  On the boat  Huge tarpon - Belizean game fish known as "the silver king - jumping at my hand. And this is just a baby!  Eagle ray  Coral  Nurse sharks in "shark alley"  School of fish in Ho1 Chan Marine Reserve  Sting Ray  Karaoke bar where everyone went after the snorkeling The day was amazing and the crew were a ton of fun, though I was feeling my age, not to mention my burnt ass, which I blame on the poor protection of barrier-friendly kids sunscreen, and my forgetting to reapply between the seven snorkels. We decided to spend two days simply relaxing in Caye Caulker, watching the epic sunsets at the Pelican Sunset Grill, staying in a jungle resort in our own bungalow, just enjoying the heat and getting the courage up to try the famous Caribbean "Rude Boy" beverage - some sickly sweet concoction of vodka, "horny goat weed", caffeine and ginseng, that locals swear will make you fly.  On a call with my CBC podcast producer, Leah, from our hidden jungle retreat, Jungle Cocoon  View from the non-tourist side of the island  Lobster crates, stacked  Lizard  Band playing at Salty's  Ivan and I perched on logs outside Pelican Sunset Bar  Sunset at the Pelican Sunset Bar  The pelican at the Pelican Sunset bar:)  Rude Boy Original. Even Ivan couldn't drink it and we ended up leaving behind a bottle at our campsite. Just for context: in 25+ years of marriage, I've never seen Ivan say no to an alcoholic drink before... We returned to land via ferry after a 10 am golf cart ride from a driver with a lit-spliff in one hand and a bottle of beer in his coffee holder, and headed back south. We finished our Belize tour by staying at an expat couple's jungle retreat just outside San Ignacio called Parrot's Peak (see images on this blog). Bill and Lori were super friendly, greeting us right away with a hug. And Lori is an astounding cook - her pork chops almost made me cry. They seem to love it here, although Lori's tales of fighting the forest fire a few years ago - having to stay up all night to hose down embers that breached their road - does make you realize how small a country Belize is, and how limited their emergency responses. I noticed the same limitation when I had to go into town for a doctor's visit after coming down with a severe infection. The doctor, after diagnosing three separate infections (it has been a long trip people and those seas ain't that clean), and giving me the antibiotics I'd come for (one of which came as a shot in the sunburnt ass), I also got instructions on not walking on "cold marble floors" in my bare feet. Which made me wonder, having had nothing but 30+-degree days: where in God's name would I find cold floors in Belize?  Belize cows. I just loved them!  Dory, the Shepard, who had a "barking problem" and so would grab a rubber chicken to "self-soothe" and stop her barking  Our van at Bill and Lori's Parrots Peak  Tarantula in the toilets!  Lori's 2-inch pork chops. I can't begin to tell you how good these were  The final product... grilled over the BBQ  Dinner with Bill at the table the couple call "the Overlander Table". In all honesty, it was tough to leave Parrots Peak, what with the pool, the INSANELY good food, the wonderful dogs, but though I was medicated, I had to do a follow-up check in somewhere with real medical equipment. So it was back to Guatemala and Antigua for a quick scan - (not to worry, all came out well) - and then hit the road into El Salvador, where I am (finally) writing to you from today. I hear spring has sprung, so hoping you are all enjoying the weather at home. It's turned into summer here, which I found out is between March and May. Already, though, the skies at night are full of lightening, and the locals have warned me that the April rains are a-coming.... |
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