Belize It Or Not

Central America Caribbean » Belize » Belize Barrier Reef » Caye Caulker
April 23rd 2016

Published: June 1st 2016

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Delek Delek

Black Fish

Lucas manages a great shot here.

Another blog entry, another country.

Crossing the border from Guatemala in to Belize was a formality, although just a couple of days afterwards, the border was closed as long, ongoing territorial disputes flared up again between the two countries. Good timing for me then! Such is the ill-feeling between Guatemala and Belize, that some Guatemalan maps actually show Belize as part of Guatemala.

Somewhat of an anomaly, Belize is the only country in Central America where Spanish is not the official language. This is because of the British pirates that used Belize as a safe haven during the 17th century and who then stayed on to dominate the territory’s logging industry. With Britain protecting the loggers’ interests on what was still Spanish territory, such became their domination that the local population were for all intents and purposes, British in culture and in 1798, a British force defeated the Spanish Armada off the coast of the country.

Which is why the official language of Belize is in fact, English.
Reading all the signs on the side of the road, it felt kind of nice to be in an English-speaking country again – I have appreciated the opportunity to learn

Lucas...And Stingrays!

They were everywhere.

and practice Spanish but naturally, it was easy and comfortable to be able to speak freely to everyone in your native tongue.
Not that English is the only language spoken here. With perhaps one of the most cosmopolitan populations I have seen, Belize’s ethnic make-up includes Creoles (mixed descendants of African slaves and British pirates), mestizos (mixed descendants of European and Central American ancestry), Mayans, who ruled the roost here in pre-Columbian times, and the Garifuna, or Black Caribs, who are of indigenous South American and African descent. This cross-pollination of ethnicities over the centuries very much reminded me of the ethnic make-up of Brazil, and what happened there in very similar circumstances.
Add to this immigrants from neighbouring Guatemala, North America, Europe and the Caribbean, and you end up with quite the heady mix.
There are also quite a few immigrants from China and Taiwan too, explaining the plethora of Chinese restaurants and shops that I saw on the way from the border to Belize City.

With me on the bus was Frenchman Xavier. A little older than most backpackers – I would guess late thirties – he certainly seemed to dress like it too. Think polo shirts,

Playa Asuncion

The beachside main drag of Caye Caulker.

cargo shorts and white running shoes. Always the white running shoes. He certainly looked and seemed like he should be in a suit selling space in a data centre or working in a private equity firm (which he actually did) rather than backpacking. (Well, I say backpacking, but he was actually rolling along a giant suitcase – not the greatest choice when you are in rural Guatemala or on the cobbled beat of Flores).
I am being mean here but I am devoting some space to Xavier because he no doubt contributed to my trip, having by chance every time, been on every shuttle I was on since Antigua.
A clichéd Frenchman – always smoking, kinda doing what he wants, when he wants – he was a funny guy to be around. He was also intelligent, knowledgeable and interesting to talk to.
But he was also a little annoying and just a little bit sleazy with any girl he encountered. He also felt like he had to talk to anyone and everyone. It was a bit like hanging out with an embarrassing uncle. And he did display some behaviour befitting of someone who has a bit of money and is

Me & The Reef

Me snorkelling over a beautiful section of the reef.

used to a higher standard of living than that of the average backpacker – like trying to bribe our shuttle driver so that he could smoke inside with 10Q (US$1.40!) and asking a lady at one hostel if he could use the wifi so he could find another hostel and compare prices. Oh, Xavier.
We eventually went our separate ways once we got to Belize – but he was certainly an interesting, unforgettable character.

Arriving at Belize City’s port was a little intimidating. The city centre is pretty sketchy and is lot poorer than I was expecting. The majority of the houses are built on wooden stilts and there are very few modern buildings. At the port itself, you have all manner of people trying to sell you taxi rides, ferry rides, tours, transport to Guatemala, food, drinks and souvenirs. Everyone there, the waiting tourists apart, just didn’t seem very trustworthy.

The reason I was at the port was because I was to catch a ferry from here to my ultimate destination in Caye Caulker.
An island surrounded by crystal clear water and a barrier reef, the vibe, look and feel of the place was very similar to

Streets Of Caye Caulker

Typical street in Caye Caulker. Nice, huh?

Roatan Island, but without the beaches.
There aren’t any cars on the island – everyone gets around by bicycle, motorcycle or slightly amusingly, golf cart. There are therefore no paved roads and the whole place is much less developed and commercialised than Roatan. All of the flashy hotel resorts are further north, on Ambergris Caye. Instead, there are hundreds of wooden shacks housing dive shops, tour agencies, restaurants and cafes. Like Roatan however, Caye Caulker also has a rich Caribbean flavour, a population of tourists and expensive prices!
It all added up to feeling like the perfect place to chill for a few days. Or maybe less, given these prices!

And these prices didn’t help, given that my wallet was stolen in Guatemala and that I still hadn’t received my new bank cards, and that I have underestimated how much this trip is costing and am more heavily in debt than I had anticipated.
Bargains can still be had here though and there were some interesting edible items on offer. The food here is more Caribbean than Central American which meant less rice and beans!
The best cheap find was probably a culinary phenomenon known as a fryjack – a slightly sweet, fried bread in

Making Thai Ice Cream Rolls

Scraping the hardened deliciousness off the plate.

the shape of a pita stuffed with your choice of fillings which included melted cheese, chicken, eggs, ham and of course, beans. Between US$1-US$3, they were delicious and cheap! A perfect way to start the day.
Burgers can be found for US$2.50 (nice ones too) and small bottles of rum in the convenience stores for just US$2 a pop. A cheap night’s eating and drinking!
At the other end of the price scale, I had jerk chicken for the first time since leaving London although what came out wasn’t what I was expecting and I was ultimately disappointed.
But totally worth it, was something I have never seen before; “Thai ice-cream rolls”. At US$3 for a small cup of rolls, this was definitely a treat – but what a treat.
Basically, this ice-cream mixture that looks like pancake mix is poured onto a metal hotplate (though the plate isn’t hot, obviously) and you then can have two fillings/toppings mixed into it. The ‘chef’ then mixes it up and chops it up several times, like you would with scrambled eggs, and then spreads it over the whole plate. The mixture then hardens and sticks to the plate – but is then

Parrot Fish

My favourite one. So colourful.

scraped off and forms rolls in the process. These are then put into your cup and topped with marshmallows and chocolate sauce. And it was maybe the best US$3 I have ever spent. It is also a bit of a show for the passing tourists and draws a crowd – many of which, like me, can’t resist and end up ordering a cup. A brilliant and unique idea – something I may have to export somewhere!

Being an island surrounded by beautiful water, water sports are naturally the principal activity undertaken by visitors. So despite being poor, it would have been criminal to come here and not follow suit.
Something I have always wanted to do was paddle-boarding and with the calm waters and rich marine life, this seemed as perfect a place as any to give it a try.
It is pretty easy to pick up, especially if you have kayaked before, and it is a breeze once you get the hang of it and you manage to stand up and form a good base with a solid stance. It was peaceful and fun, being out on the water with next to no noise and being completely by

Coral Reef

From the first spot where we snorkelled.

yourself. And I actually think that it is less strenuous and more comfortable than kayaking.
You get pretty hot out in the sun though – but no matter, you can just put your paddle down and fall overboard for a cheeky dip.
However, while my first hour was fun, the second hour certainly was not. Passing through “The Split” – where the island is split in two by a channel of water – the wind decided to pick up and I was paddling right into it. Well, trying to paddle into it, as I was literally going nowhere. It was a bit embarrassing too as there is a huge bar right on The Split where patrons are drinking, watching and swimming - and now laughing – and I had an audience to witness my struggle.
Once through The Split, I then had to contend with waves. I had to go down onto my knees to keep balance and make myself less wind-resistant. I wanted to go out to the reef but it would have been too much effort against that wind. Rather annoyingly, I had also missed a spot I was told about that had some huge tarpon fish.
I

Coral Close Up

Luca's GoPro took some pretty clear pictures.

did enjoy it a lot overall though, and is something I will certainly do again.

The other water activity that you should really do here, is some snorkelling.
If you scuba-dive, then the famous Blue Hole is just two-hours away by boat; you can snorkel there as well, but with prices starting at around US$150, it was definitely out of my range.
A half-day snorkelling trip to the reef to snorkel with colourful tropical fish, reef sharks and stingrays for just US$27? This was more down my alley.
A group of us from the hostel all decided to go together which included Americans James, Lacey and Rebecca, and Australians Jaz and Lucas – with Jaz having been someone I had actually met before back in Antigua.
Taken by boat out to the reef some fifteen minutes offshore, at our first stop we saw loads of vibrant coral and colourful fish, many the same as I had seen off the shore of Roatan. It wasn’t so shallow here either so it was easier to snorkel.
We then went to a second spot where we had stingrays, sharks and barracuda swimming among us. That was a pretty cool experience, not something

The Beach

Of sorts - it is more about piers and jetties here in Caye Caulker.

I’ve really done before. We could stand up here as it was shallower, but you had to be careful not to step on a stingray. They were literally everywhere and with Steve Irwin on my mind, I was a little nervous!
We then hit a coral garden which was like those underwater videos you see in electronics shops that are used to show off the latest HD TVs. The water was just as clear as Roatan.
Finally, we then went to see the big tarpon fish that I had missed while paddle-boarding – and man, they are big. These ones that we saw were just babies apparently but some were a good metre and a half long. The biggest fish in this school is thought to weigh about 25kg, but this breed is known to get as large as 75kg! And if you wiggle your finger just above the water, they come leaping out of the water Free Willy style to nab it! Lucky they have no teeth!
Our tour was the cheapest on the island and it was tremendous value. Worth every cent. Our guide Lee was very good too.
Snorkelling is pretty exhausting though, so we all had

Reflektor

I love how the surface of the water is reflecting what is below.

a siesta back at the hostel afterwards.

Rather unexpectedly, almost everyone at the hostel was really geed up about going out on the town on my last night. It was a total change from the previous two nights.
In normal circumstances, I might’ve joined in but budget constraints and an early start the next day swayed my hand.
As it turned out, I didn’t get that much sleep in the end – a couple who decided to come back to the dorm to have sex put paid to that. FFS. Come on, you guys.

Overall, I thought that Caye Caulker was a great place to chill but in terms of similar places I have visited, Puerto Viejo still has my heart.
It is a touristy place, so you do get a bit of hard-sell here – most of it friendly enough and most of it for ganga – which does take away from the place a little. There is more of it here than in Roatan.
But in the end, I had to move on. If I did have extra time to chill and catch up on blogs then I would have done so here – but it would