| As the engine roar melted to a kitten purr
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| | adjourned to our secluded patch of
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| and our boat nuzzled up to the Caye
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| | waterfront paradise, soaked up the
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| Caulker pier, we did a quick inventory
| |
| | afternoon sun, and flipped through back
|
| check. Dancing palms, tick. Sun bleached
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| | issues of Mexican celebrity gossip
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| beach, tick. Island motto, "Go Slow",
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| | magazines found discarded in our room -
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| painted lazily on a signpost stuck in the
| |
| | anything to keep our minds off the fact
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| sand, tick. I gave my partner in crime a
| |
| | that our days of sloth were numbered. Back
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| private smile. This was the place. We'd
| |
| | at the bungalow we hatched our plan. We
|
| escaped...for now.Bobbing up and down
| |
| | were not giving up our life of leisure
|
| against a tiny Belizean island on the
| |
| | that easily. We would go down partying.
|
| Caribbean Sea wasn't in the original
| |
| | Caye Ambergris awaited and I had a
|
| script. The plan had been to fly into
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| | birthday to celebrate.As the largest, most
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| Belize for a quick taste of eco-adventure
| |
| | developed, and most expensive of the
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| before slipping over the Guatemalan
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| | Belizean islands, Caye Ambergris caters
|
| border. But we'd got greedy, and four days
| |
| | well for the first class holiday seeker,
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| later, we were still there with our hands
| |
| | with a range of villas, luxury home stays
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| caught in the action jar. Jungle hikes,
| |
| | and resorts to choose from. To prepare for
|
| eco-tours, Jaguar spotting, cave tubing,
| |
| | our last stand, we checked into the
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| Mayan ruins and mountain bike treks. Where
| |
| | mysteriously named Sun Breeze Beach Hotel,
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| would it end? The equatorial heat was on.
| |
| | close to the main town of San Pedro, for
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| We'd needed a place to lay low for a
| |
| | some pampering and creature comforts. The
|
| couple of days. Somewhere a man could find
| |
| | spacious rooms, resort style swimming
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| a secluded beach and lie back and think of
| |
| | pool, Jacuzzi, massage studio, swanky
|
| England, or anywhere else he'd rather not
| |
| | outdoor bar, and international flavoured
|
| be. After making a few discreet inquiries
| |
| | restaurant were a world away from the
|
| we knew there was only one place to hide,
| |
| | Gilliganism's of Caye Caulker, but at only
|
| and only one man powerful enough to help
| |
| | USD125 a night, my inner Thurston Howell
|
| us get there. The man known only as, "The
| |
| | the third was calling.Pandered, pleasured,
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| Marine Terminal ticket booth guy".So we
| |
| | and fed in ways that only money can buy,
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| paid for our boat passes in small,
| |
| | we climbed to the lookout over the hotel
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| unmarked bills, jumped aboard the first
| |
| | bar. Slipping in the hammock, we witnessed
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| vessel bound for the islands, and left the
| |
| | one of the most beautiful sunsets the
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| spoils of mainland adventure in our wake.
| |
| | Caribbean has to offer. Swinging back and
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| Not that the warm blue coastal waters were
| |
| | forth with a birthday cocktail in hand, I
|
| fooling us. Home to more than one hundred
| |
| | could truly appreciate how delightfully
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| and seventy islands, or cayes, and the
| |
| | far we were from anything resembling an
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| world's second largest barrier reef, it
| |
| | office cubicle. Contemplation over, I made
|
| wouldn't be easy to keep our hands off a
| |
| | my final charge into the night. Crazy
|
| bounty of aquatic fun that has tempted
| |
| | Canucks Bar, crazy Canadian in tow, we
|
| travellers since Blackbeard and his
| |
| | drank, laughed and danced embarrassingly
|
| Buccaneer posse cruised these waters back
| |
| | to reggae music until sunrise.The
|
| in the 1600's. Yet, as we stood on this
| |
| | following days we gorged on water sports
|
| unassuming wharf and watched our getaway
| |
| | as fast as Caye Ambergris could dish them
|
| vessel pull out of dock, the captain
| |
| | up. There was diving amongst some of the
|
| turned to us with some re-assuring words
| |
| | world's most beautiful coral reefs,
|
| of advice, "Relax mon. You're on Caye
| |
| | sailing tours around the island, deep-sea
|
| Caulker time now".If Gilligan had ever
| |
| | fishing for sailfish and barracuda, jet
|
| taken up real estate development, Caye
| |
| | skiing and paragliding off the sun-tickled
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| Caulker town would have been his Big
| |
| | beaches. Oh how we feasted!Our hunger for
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| Apple. Dozing peacefully on this slip of
| |
| | aqua adventure finally satiated, we
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| an island, the cluster of brightly painted
| |
| | wandered into town, plonked our behinds on
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| ramshackle beach hideaways, deserted beach
| |
| | the nearest bikes for rent, and peddled to
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| lots, scattered fishing boats, palm trees,
| |
| | the far reaches of the island. Crossing a
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| sand floor restaurants, dive huts, and
| |
| | small river by
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| salty old sailors propping up bars at 11am
| |
| | man-pulling-rope-very-hard-powered ferry
|
| in the morning, makes for the perfect
| |
| | to the less populated north island, we
|
| getaway haven.The jewels in Caye Caulker's
| |
| | cycled along remote dirt tracks lined with
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| crown are it minimalist pleasures. No
| |
| | sweeping palm trees. Emerging from the
|
| international resorts, flashy nightclubs,
| |
| | bush onto the beach at the edge of the
|
| or peak hour traffic. Remember the motto?
| |
| | lapping blue Caribbean, it was a leisurely
|
| Go slow. Our mission, and yes we did
| |
| | ride along long stretches of white squeaky
|
| choose to accept it, was to find a
| |
| | sand to the "money" end of town.The north
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| bungalow for as little as forty dollars
| |
| | beach plays host to luxurious resort
|
| per night on a quiet stretch of squeaky
| |
| | bungalows and private beach villas. I
|
| white sand, treat our palates to an array
| |
| | pondered ambitiously over the For Sale
|
| of seafood delights, and then debrief over
| |
| | sign standing outside one particularly
|
| a drink at a beach bar watching the sun
| |
| | hedonistic abode. Apparently, the former
|
| slip beneath a sheet of Caribbean blue
| |
| | owner wasn't happy about motoring his 80ft
|
| sea. This message will self-indulge in
| |
| | cruiser around all that coral nonsense to
|
| five seconds.Before long, we'd slipped
| |
| | moor outside his beach palace. Being the
|
| into the "no shoes, no shirt, no problem"
| |
| | entrepreneurial type, he'd used a few
|
| and "sarong, swimsuit, smile" dress code,
| |
| | sticks of dynamite to blast a neat little
|
| and immersed ourselves amongst the
| |
| | driveway straight through the reef.
|
| welcoming band of eclectic castaways. It
| |
| | Unfortunately, the government didn't see
|
| soon became clear that the local brew of
| |
| | it that way and sent him a fine big enough
|
| Creoles, Central Americans, and Europeans
| |
| | to clear the Belize national debt. He was
|
| posed little threat to our relaxation
| |
| | last seen paddling a canoe in the
|
| plans. However, we'd have to keep tabs on
| |
| | direction of Cuba.A little further along
|
| the North American retirees swerving along
| |
| | we stumbled across Captain Morgan's
|
| the streets in rickety old golf carts,
| |
| | Retreat, setting of the original
|
| sending dogs, children and loitering
| |
| | Temptation Island show. As we stood
|
| tourists running for cover.For three
| |
| | outside the Mecca of televised drama, so
|
| perfect days we hid behind sunglasses,
| |
| | many touching memories came flooding back.
|
| cocktail umbrellas and lobster menus,
| |
| | Amber and Troy whispering under a palm
|
| wondering if maybe, just maybe, there
| |
| | tree, probably discussing the effects of
|
| would be no more calls to action, and life
| |
| | global warming. Shawana ditching Gary and
|
| really was a beach after all. Then one
| |
| | confessing to Chad 'you had me at "are
|
| night, whilst minding our own business
| |
| | those things real?"' At that moment, I
|
| over a couple of tall Panty Rippers at
| |
| | couldn't help but appreciate the truly
|
| Popeye's Bar and Restaurant, the bartender
| |
| | important things in life. I turned to the
|
| told us a man had been in asking
| |
| | ski bunny and told her she had a smile so
|
| questions. "Did he know anyone who might
| |
| | beautiful it could almost pass as
|
| like to explore the reef?" "Had he seen
| |
| | cosmetically enhanced.Peddling across the
|
| any tourists dance so badly to the reggae
| |
| | beach towards town for the last time
|
| band they couldn't possibly show their
| |
| | before heading back to the mainland, we
|
| faces around the island?" The next
| |
| | waved goodbye to all the things we loved
|
| morning, we went to see a man about a
| |
| | about the cayes. The lazy palm trees, the
|
| snorkelling tour.Whilst experienced divers
| |
| | ivory white sands, the aqua blue waters,
|
| prefer the more exciting sites in the
| |
| | the hammocks swinging in the breeze, the
|
| waters off Caye Ambergris, the beautiful
| |
| | friendly faces, the plastic whale and
|
| calm reefs of Caye Caulker offered the
| |
| | dolphin fountain splashing water over
|
| ideal setting for first timer submariners
| |
| | Jesus outside the pink Jehovah's Witness
|
| like my nervous companion, a Canadian
| |
| | mansion...the what? Anyway, for a couple
|
| mountain girl, much more at ease in a set
| |
| | of repeat adventure travel offenders, it
|
| of ski's than a pair of flippers.After the
| |
| | sure made a nice place for a day pass or
|
| initial disappointment of learning that
| |
| | two.Some have said I spend too much time
|
| this wasn't my chance to wear a tight
| |
| | living in a fantasy world, that I need to
|
| rubber body suit in public, the reef
| |
| | get a grip on reality. Sometimes I think
|
| snorkelling trip turned out to be a
| |
| | they're right. But then again, they've
|
| fantastic experience. We goggled and
| |
| | probably never been to the Belizean
|
| gawked at the amazing array of fish, eels,
| |
| | cayes.Simon Hillier is a freelance writer
|
| and spectacular coral formations. The
| |
| | based in Sydney, Australia. His company,
|
| highlight of the three-hour tour was Shark
| |
| | Get There Writing Services, provides
|
| Ray Alley, where Nurse sharks circled our
| |
| | copywriting, travel writing, feature
|
| wary group from a distance before weaving
| |
| | articles, scripts and ebooks that will
|
| in for a closer look, and the Southern Ray
| |
| | have your readers clicking and streaming
|
| stingrays slid their expansive wings over
| |
| | for more. For further information on
|
| our bodies. Both proved to be fairly
| |
| | Simon's article services, visit the
|
| harmless, if perhaps a little fresh for a
| |
| | feature articles and travel writing
|
| first date.For the rest of the day hardly
| |
| | section of the Get There Writing Services
|
| a word was spoken. Mountain girl and I
| |
| | website.
|
