1th Oct. 2016
Four years ago in Indonesia we spent a week on the very laid back Gili Trawangan Island. One of the specialities there was scuba diving and that is where Dave got his PADI advanced diving qualification. Today, we are heading for Caye Caulker (pronounced ‘Key Caulker’) a car free small island off the coast of Belize not much more than a sand spit, which is even smaller and more laid back than GiliT.
First however, we decide we should visit the museum in Belize city. It was on our to do list yesterday but it was shut! It has a section on Mayan history which is fitting for me as I have already written about Tikal and Caracol. We do get to see a replica of the enormous Jade stone six inches high and carved into a head called Kinich Ahau, which is believed to have great significance to the Mayans.The original Jade stone found in 1968 is now kept in a vault and only put on display for special occasions.
The was also an exhibition on the Slave trade from Africa to Belize in the 18th Century which was very thought provoking. There were drawings of the shops which brought the slaves over the ocean with men having a space of 6ft 1in by 1ft 4in to lie in and head roof of about 2ft was just unbelievable. Also to think it was not until 1948 that the UN declared that no-one shall be held in slavery. If only that was the case.
The insect room was slightly less depressing if you can cope with many dead butterflies and spiders pinned to boards. We passed by the tarantula and admired the colourful butterflies but soon decided it was time to move on. We had a boat to catch.
We took the noon ferry to Caye Caulker, a trip of less than an hour speeding across the sea until we doomed on a rickety wooden jetty leading to the beach. Golf buggy taxis lined the beach ready to transport the new guests to their accommodation (hotel is maybe a bit upmarket for here!). Our bags were unloaded and we were soon ready to hit the main street, well sandy thoroughfare.
Our hotel was at the most northern point of the island, about a ten minute walk but reception was shut for lunch so we retired to a nearby restaurant. After a tasty lunch it started spitting with rain which turned into a torrential downpour and thunderstorm right overhead. We were going nowhere for the time being so just plugged into the WiFi and sat out the storm. It was quite scary when we contemplated that we are sat on a tiny speck in the middle of the sea where the highest point is about 1m above sea level.
Eventually the storm stopped and the sun came out so we were able to check into our room, which came equipped with a broom to sweep the rain away which had flooded under the door! The floor mat was soaked too. Time for Dave to do some housework. In this heat the floor soon dried.
It will be difficult to meet our step target here as that would involve walking around the island twice! We meandered around town deciding where to eat. It is still low season and many restaurants have signs to say closed until later this month or even November. There is also a lot of construction work going on repairing buildings and building new ones. We decided on The Happy Lobster restaurant for dinner and as expected freshly caught and cooked fish was a good call. The motto “no shoes, no shirt, no problem” works here, quite amusing when followed by “no money, big problem”!