A Weekend In Paradise

Caye Caulker 

We were told by the doctors at the office that we HAD to take a day off to go explore Belize. They said this trip should be equal parts medicine and exploring this beautiful country. We were not complaining about a day off. 

We had planned on going to Lamani, a local Mayan Ruin. We were up bright and early and sitting outside our hotel waiting to be picked up at 8 AM. We waited for 30 minutes until we came to realize they were probably never coming... I was incredibly disappointed and had really wanted to spend our day off on an adventure. Karilyn was determined to make the best of the beautiful day and suggested we head to a local island off the coast of Belize, Caye Caulker. 

waiting.... 

I am so glad we decided to go, because this ended up being a day trip that turned into a whole weekend getaway.

Taking the speed taxi to the island 

One of the first signs off the boat 

We were welcomed to the island by sunshine, a salty breeze, and the promise of a great day. Our first stop was a restaurant for some breakfast, we were desperate for some food and coffee (a reoccurring theme in our lives). The restaurant was so cute! We sat in swings while enjoying a traditional Belizean breakfast consisting of eggs with salsa, beans, stewed rice, and fry jacks as well as some banana pancakes. I'm not sure if it was just because I was hungry, but that was one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long time! The stewed chicken in the spicy cajun seasoning paired with the crispy fry jack (essentially fried dough) was an unexpected, yet surprisingly delicious treat for breakfast. 

With an added view of the ocean! 

After breakfast, we headed to the beach. A little unprepared for this spontaneous trip, we laid directly on the sand without a towel or sunscreen ready to soak up the sun. The later decision was a major mistake. I blame the fact that the breeze was strong and it wasn't too hot by the water. Regardless, advice for anyone heading to Central America during the winter, wear sunscreen!! The sun is much stronger here in Belize than home at the beach in Connecticut. I sit here writing this blog post 5 days after the day trip and I am still burnt. 

& a margarita for the beach too

The hammocks caught the ocean breeze and were in the shade, a perfect combination

After suffering first degree burns in the morning, we spent the remainder of the day exploring the island. Caye Caulker is approximately 1 mile in length and incredibly easy to navigate by foot. Everyone on the streets is either walking, riding bicycles, or driving in golf carts. There are no cars on the island! 

little speed bumps on some of the back roads to remind people to "slow"

Even the taxi's are golf carts! 

Cruising down the street

The atmosphere was relaxed and people of Caye Caulker were very laid back. Locals walked down the street with no shoes, sipping on a Belikin, walking in and out of shops to talk to all of their friends. We spotted the "temporary" locals who make a yearly trip down to the island to avoid the snow mingling with those who have lived in Caye Caulker all of their life. Everyone seemed to be embracing the local phrase "go slow" as they spent their day in total relaxation. I have to say that even though we were on the island for only 5 hours, the day felt so much longer after getting to relax and not worry about anything going on around us. 

I love the hours of this store! 

We were sad to leave the island, especially since we ran out of money by noon (again, underprepared for this spontaneous day trip) and we were not able to purchase some souvenirs and eat at certain street venders. It was a quick choice to change our weekend plans and come back to Caye Caulker for the whole weekend. 

After telling the doctors we had to spend at least half the day at the clinic (they called us "loca" for even coming in on a Friday) we headed back to the island on the speed taxi by midday. 

We only packed the essentials for the weekend 

We spent Friday night out enjoying happy hour, local street food, and dancing with the locals and tourists at the sports bar. We have both been missing home, seeing other people and going out with friends so being able to talk and meet other travelers and hear their stories gave us a breath of fresh air. We met two girls from University of Texas who came to Belize during their winter break. We also met two guys, one younger from Austria and the other with his son from Michigan, who had met earlier in the day on a fishing trip. No matter who the people were, we all seemed to have a common interest: a love for this island. 

I wish this photo did justice to the BEST falafel pita I've ever had.
We ended up coming here 2 times during the course of our stay. 

2 for $7 BZ drinks, we couldn't complain 

Saturday morning came quick and we woke up with a desire to go exploring. We walked the streets enjoying the houses and scenery. And of course we stopped into the stores to buy all the things we couldn't on Thursday. 

One of the many hotels on the island 

sand streets, palm trees, and an ocean breeze.... I couldn't ask for more 

This was the more quiet, back side of the island. It was perfect for swimming and watching the sunset

Local venders 

We loved all the colorful accessories available to buy  

Hand made jewelry

We even stumbled across a local animal shelter. Karilyn has been obsessed with all of the dogs roaming around the island. She tried her best to convince me that we needed a cat to bring back to Staten Island. I almost agreed to this crazy idea, but the thought of traveling with this cat back to Belize City for 2 weeks, through the El Salvador airport on the way to Guatemala, and in Guatemala for 1 week didn't sound fun. I made the promise we can get a cat when we get back in America.

(Zac & Tim if you are reading this get ready for our new family member!)

They were all so perfect! 

This was the most chill, relaxed cat. We even had a name picked out for him. We will miss you!  

We traveled back to the hotel to relax. If anyone goes to Caye Caulker, we stayed in the Caye Caulker  Beach resort and we highly recommend it! While the rooms were nothing special, the views from the top of the hotel were incredible. Plus the hotel had hammocks, a picnic table, and wood lawn chairs on the roof to lay and relax in. 

We had views of the entire island! We saw the ocean on the back of the island (left) the main strip with restaurants and hotels (center) and the ocean in front of the island (right) that heads out to the coral reefs

Plus we got to relax in these awesome hammocks! 

Half the time spent in the hammocks was spent planning where we could hang one in the house 

The final adventure of the day included watching the sunset. Our hotel in Belize city does not give us any good views of the sunset or sunrise, so we were both so excited to watch one. It was the perfect end to a perfect day on Caye Caulker. I could not have asked for anything more! 

Heading to the dock to set up our spot

Location: found 

We look composed in most photos we take, but in reality we spend the entire day laughing.
Waiting for the sunset to start and listening to all the people around us was no exception.

Being on the water and watching the sun go down felt like home  

Sunday was a whole new adventure... stay tuned for the next post about our day trip snorkeling!