Friday, 30 January 2015

Day 36 - Belize (Caye Caulker)

We set off again today, heading north back along the hummingbird highway, through Belmopan, into Belize City and after dropping off the car, caught a boat to Caye Caulker.
Today we passed a bunch of beardy Mennonites but photos were not allowed by my travelling companion. Something about them not being zoo animals. 
Driving through Belize City was quite an experience. Imagine a micro-Calcutta with coconuts and you're in the right ball park. Now I think about it, the resemblance to Bracknell is striking. The socio-economic profile is comparable, the taste for nylon sportswear is identical and the number of police per capita is disproportionate to the rest of the country. I felt quite at home there. 

There are thousands of cayes of the coast of Belize, some mere patches of sand with a few palms, some developed with high end resorts or private villas. By far the largest and most commercial is Ambergris Caye. Stuffed full of American and Canadian tourists on their jollies and the flavour of the island reflects North American tastes. We've been there and liked it but wanted something different and less McAmerican this time around.
Caye Caulker is the much smaller, backpackers Caye of choice, just south of Ambergris. It tends to draw a youthful crowd on the whole. It also hosts the occasional ex-backpacker plus companion in one of the few upmarket hotels on offer. 

Caye Caulker is also the last stop on my travels.

And this will be my last official blog. Look out for the 'DVD Extras' blog posted alongside this for all those brave souls who have stuck with it until the end.

I'm taking a final couple of well earned days off from blogging and enjoying the last couple of days in privacy. There is a high chance of shark swimming, nice food and a bit of beach time thrown in but you'll have to see me if you want any detail on that.

Caye Caulker - Backpacker heaven.


A little misunderstanding at hotel check-in resulted in a hard negotiated upgrade to the penthouse apartment. And today's towelarami is......Swans! 


Given the state of Belizean football, we both fancied our chances of being picked for the national team and have started practicing our anthem stance. 





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