More about Belize...

Belize is amazing. I have been back for 3 days now and am missing the laid-back lifestyle that I was living for my week there. I will post all pics from the trip later this week but for now I want to talk about the whole environment of Caye Caulker, Belize.
There are very few cars on Caye Caulker unless they are doing some kind of construction and need a truck. To go somewhere, you have 3 choices: golf cart, bike, or your own 2 feet. I really appreciated the quietness of no cars roaring by and an unpolluted air.
The people are the friendliest that you might ever meet. If you meet someone and tell them your name, they won't forget it. As you walk down the street and pass a stranger, they will surely say hello and smile. Ladies, the men are very, very friendly. You will feel like the most beautiful woman in the world walking around that island. I had a couple try to get a little too close but I never felt in danger.
The island is so small that you can walk completely around it in less than a half hour. I stayed in the Tropics hotel on Front St. I had 2 full sized beds in my room, a large bathroom and t.v. but no air conditioning. I paid ~150 US dollars for my entire 8 days and 7 nights there. That was a deal. I did see 2 roaches and 1 gecko but I think that can be expected in any hotel in a tropical area.
They were having their Lobster Festival the weekend I was there. Lots of people came to the island for the weekend to eat lobster, lobster, and more lobster. I had never had lobster in my life but now I love it! People set up stands along Front St. with lobster, souvenirs, hair brading, mojitos, and even sex education.
The clubs and bars on Caye Caulker weren't very busy during the week but were packed on the weekend. I & I was a really neat place. The bar and small dance floor were on the 2nd level and there were hammacks and swings to sit on on the 3rd level. It was like a giant tree house for adults. Evidently, the "panty rippa" is their signature drink. Oceanside club was right next to my hotel and had a lot of dancing and music for the weekends. The Lazy Lizard is a bar that is right on the "split". The split is a part of the island where people snorkel people are always hanging around. There was a large tent set up for lobster fest where they held a big dance one night. It was so fun!
Another bar/grill that I went to was the Bamboo Grill. They had really good food. Wish Willy's has amazing shrimp and lobster and every meal is only $15 Bz which is only $7.50 US. Jolly Roger also has a good lobster dinner. Jolly Roger is really big man and one of the nicest on the island. Don Corleone is also a very good italian restaurant but a bit more pricey than the rest of the island.
I went with Ragamuffin Tours to do my snorkeling. Ragamuffin took us out on sailboats to the snorkeling sites. We saw everything from stingrays to nursesharks. I did a 1-day dicovery dive with Belize Diving Services. My instructor, Cal, was very helpful and taught me well. There is nothing like breathing 40 feet under the ocean with creatures and coral everywhere around you. I saw such a variety or corals as I snorkeled and dove. The fish were beautiful and it so cool to see these amazing creatures swimming right next to you rather than looking at them in National Geographic. I love turtles and was so excited to be able to get some great underwater pictures of one.
I will add all pictures on here as soon as possible. Belize is something else. Really. It is a different people, life, environment, and yet, you can feel right at home there.

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