By Sunday, we had been on Caye Caulker for 3 days, but we hadn't really explored it. We'd just been using it as a home base for day trips. So on Sunday, we spent the day checking out all the island has to offer!
When Nick & I had first stepped off the water taxi onto the island our first day, we were unsure of what we had gotten ourselves into. There were no cars. There were no resorts. There was nothing upscale or luxurious. It was tiny & it was very non commercial. And even though I read so many travel blogs & books & I knew that it was considered a 'backpackers island,' we were still in complete CULTURE SHOCK!
But all those things are exactly what we grew to love about it!
It's a beautiful little place
with dirt roads
where everyone either rides bikes, drives golf carts
or simply walks.
And barefoot at that!
There are animals all over the place.
Including iguanas
crabs
and dogs!
Matter of fact there are dogs everywhere! I'm not sure if most of them are strays or their owners allow them to wander around, but they they're all friendly & seem well cared for.
And the abundance of seashells is amazing!
Whole clamshells, some even with both sides still attached.
Conch shells laying up and down the beach.
And pieces of coral from the reef.
The island's motto is GO SLOW & they take that seriously!
Matter of fact, a local called Nick & I out while walking to dinner one evening for walking too fast, lol!
It's really more than just a motto, it's their way of life...
We started our day with tacos from a street vendor & then walked around and checked out some of the shops.
Here are a few things we saw....
Di Big Kahuna Stress God
a mayan calendar
and the biggest jar of Grey Poupon I've ever seen!
Then we headed over to The Split to swim & snorkel.
Caye Caulker used to be one continuous island, but now it's split into two sides, the north & the south. The south is where the village is located & the north is mostly uninhabited, but that is starting to change. The government recently gave land on the north side to lifetime local residents & had just run electricity to the north the week before we were there. The waterway where we went to swim, the Split, is what divides the two sides.
Most people say that a hurricane in the 60s ripped the island in half, but I've also read that The Split is actually man made. I don't know which one is true, but it's a great place none the less!
On the north side looking back towards the village on the south side.
We swam for a couple of hours, ate lunch & then decided to go for a bike ride.
We started at our hotel & rode south along the beach until we reached the airport and then followed the trail that goes around the perimeter of the island.
Here are a few things we passed along the way that we liked...
After our bike ride, we went back to the hotel to freshen up & then went back to The Split to eat dinner at the restaurant there, the Lazy Lizard
and to watch the sunset over the water on our last night in Belize.
