Our journey to Caye Caulker can only be described as excruciating. Most of us were feeling a little delicate from the night before, evidenced by the fact that we were nursing some pretty relentless hangovers. The thought of travelling countless hours to our destination was just about unbearable. With a stiff back and an aching head, my attempt to nap peacefully on the coach was a complete and utter disaster. Several uncomfortable position changes later, we arrived at the port of Chetumal; it was time to set sail for Belize. Reluctantly, we dragged our weary selves towards the water taxis that awaited us. The ocean had appeared calm from the dock. Once we were on the boat, however, it was apparent that we had been deceived. Our heads moved back and forth madly each time the bow clashed against a wave. I’m surprised none of us got whiplash. Time seemed to pass us by as Caye Caulker’s white, sandy shoreline began to emerge before our eyes. You could almost hear the sighs of relief from the group as our feet finally touched solid ground. Unsurprisingly, our first night on the island was relatively quiet. We feasted on fresh seafood at a local restaurant while sipping on some exceedingly potent cocktails with cheeky names that alluded to women’s underwear. After dinner, some members of the group opted to investigate what island nightlife had to offer while others (myself included) retreated to their rooms. I was later joined by my new roomie, Miriam, and we spent the rest of our night entering a game of hide and seek with an iPhone. Eventually, we admitted defeat and decided that drinking rum and coke in bed would be a much more productive use of our time. The next morning, we were up bright and early in preparation for our day of snorkelling on the Belize Barrier Reef. I filled up on a platter of fresh fruit and a banana smoothie from a popular breakfast spot before we were instructed to make our way to the dock. Our guides fitted us out with a set of flippers and a snorkel mask prior to boarding our trusty vessel, a speed boat named “Mr Wolf.” We jetted across the water for a good half an hour; the ocean spray cooled our skin in the heat of the sun. The boat soon came to a stop as we reached our first snorkelling spot on the reef. After a quick debriefing, we plummeted into the clear but choppy water at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We battled against the strong current as our guide directed our attention towards the various sea creatures that swam beneath us. Schools of tropical fish and a Hawksbill turtle were within a few metres of us. It was incredible to see them flourishing in their natural environment; I may have uttered a few “oh my God’s” to myself underwater out of pure excitement and awe. We were soon back on the boat and heading to our second drop off point: Shark Ray Alley. “Mr Wolf” halted above a swarm of nurse sharks varying in size. They glided effortlessly through the water as they were coaxed to the end of our boat by the guides with offerings of food. One by one we plucked up the courage to enter their territory. I sat on the edge of the boat as a large nurse shark swam beneath my feet. With eyes closed, I plunged into the water and began to watch the feeding frenzy through my mask. Though nurse sharks are fairly tame in comparison to our ocean’s predators, it was a strange feeling of fear and exhilaration to be able to reach out and touch them – literally. Never in my life would I have dreamed of being so up close and personal with a shark; that’s usually the sort of thing my nightmares are made of. I watched them from a distance, admiring how unfazed they were by our presence. A group of rays also made an appearance as they swam playfully around their spectators, creating the perfect photo opportunity for those with GoPro’s. Our third and final stop on the reef allowed us some time to explore the various coral formations before heading back to Caye Caulker. The journey was accompanied by burgers and rum punch. We had a bit of time to spare before the evening’s activities commenced. My roomie and I wandered around for about an hour popping into local shops, capturing photos of the stunning views, saying hello to the friendly locals and reminding ourselves to follow the island’s motto: “go slow.” It was hard not to feel completely at ease in this little slice of paradise. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend the evening cruising around on a catamaran, eating corn chips and salsa while watching the sunset. Several rum punches later, we were back on the island where we enjoyed another sumptuous seafood dinner before checking out the evening entertainment joints – a sports bar and a reggae bar. The night was spent dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and swinging on rope swings that were strung from the ceiling. Midnight soon approached and after spending a day at sea, I was just about ready to collapse from exhaustion. We headed back to the China Town Hotel and crawled into our beds. Two nights on this enchanting island had passed so quickly. It would’ve been nice to have another day to explore, but we still had so much to look forward to. Tomorrow we would be heading to Guatemala and venturing into the heart of the jungle.
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B is:A 26-year-old tea drinking writer of words trying to find her place in the world.
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April 2020
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