Belize 2006 - part 2

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We went snorkeling with nurse sharks and stingrays. That was really neat. Now I can officially use the mafia term “swimming with the sharks!” We got completely baked – to the point that it hurt too much to even think about snorkeling on another day. We didn’t want to use sunscreen because we were concerned with polluting the water – especially swimming around the reefs and its inhabitants. I guess that’s the price we had to pay.

Caye Caulker used to be a reef. In fact, that's how some islands are formed. A reef builds up with dead & alive life forms. Eventually it surfaces, some mangrove trees grab hold and begin to grow, detritus and soil/sand are laid down and voila! a barrier island is born.

So we spent the rest of our time laying in hammocks, riding bikes, sitting on the beach, looking at the plants…
We rented bikes, just for fun, because we actually didn't need them in order to get around the island - seeing how the only portion of the island we needed to travel was only a mile in length. And, Caye Caulker is only about 1/4 of a mile wide! As a note, CC is actually two islands now because Hurricane Hattie split it in two. The northern half has no electricity, etc. and is only inhabitated by Rastafarians (as far as I could tell). The spit isn't too wide, but the few people who live on the northern portion take a shuttle boat across in order to buy and trade goods. These two pictures were taken at the spit. Look further down this entry for an aerial photo of Caye Caulker and the spit (in the center of the island). It is interesting to see where the development is, and also to note that at least half of the island retains native habitat.

One day, we took the ferry over to Ambergis Caye to San Pedro. It was not impressive. Very busy with all the golf carts zipping around. And loads of tourists - such as ourselves! It still retains a bit of island charm, but seems to probably be losing a lot of it with the hectic urbanish lifestyle. We didn't stay there long. Just long enough to walk around a bit and eat lunch. We were very glad when we made it back to "home" Caye Caulker. (Vince on the ferry returning to CC).

Although CC probably can't claim sunsets as good as Tucson, Arizona, they can claim some good sunrises. Vince and I woke up at dawn in order to catch a sunrise for our memory banks! We were actually cold. The temperature was around 60-65 degrees. What can I say...we're wimps!

As time neared for our departure - and a return to our "real world," we tried to soak up every bit of CC that we could. We stayed out most of the day just walking around the island. We splurged for a nice dinner by candlelight and a late night walk on the beach.
When it came time for us finally to depart, we put our backpacks on, and walked to the airport. I wish it were that easy at home! We followed the beach path to the airport and caught a jungle plane back to the Belize City International Airport. The flight was interesting because we could see the reefs, the layout of Caye Caulker, and finally the mainland.

I found it very interesting also to view the land use patterns on the mainland. Lots of jungle areas around Belize City have been cleared out for development or agriculture. Luckily, conservation is a high priority for the Belizean government. Forty percent of the country is protected, and their population is small enough right now, which keeps development pressures low. Let's hope that Belize can continue to place a priority on conservation and ecotourism.