On Wednesday, March 5th my sister Jamie and her boyfriend John were in Belize City. They were taking a Cruise which made a stop here in Belize. We have been communicating for weeks organizing and planning for their brief visit. I had been in San Ignacio Town the day before and was able to catch a ride all the way to Belize City with a friend, of which I am very grateful. I arrived in Belize City around 7:00pm Tuesday evening and went to dinner with some Peace Corps friends. I spent the night at a PCV’s apartment in Belize City. I woke early Wednesday anxious and excited. After a short walk to the tourist village I waited for Jamie and John to arrive. The tourist village is a collection of shops, restaurants, bars, tour operators, and other commercial enterprises all with the common goal of charging cruise ship passengers the highest possible price for mediocre goods and services. I was amazed at the inflated prices, items which can be purchased for $10 BZD ($5 USD) any where else in the country cost up four times as much. Needless to say I did not purchase much, actually the only thing I tried to buy was a Beliken Beer Lighter for $1 USD, when I went to pay and handed the cashier a $2 Belize note I was informed they only accepted US currency. I became upset and might have made a small scene by asking what country I was in and how could a business in Belize refuse Belizean currency, lucky John was there to give me a dollar.
So, Jamie and John arrived around 8:30. During my wait I located a tour operator that would bring us out to Caye Caulker for a snorkel trip out to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley. The trip was scheduled to leave at 10:30, so Jamie, John and I took to the city. I gave them a quick tour of downtown Belize City, we made it into a few shops and purchased some gifts. They both were amazed at the difference between the Tourist Village and the City, I would compare the Tourist Village to a shopping mall while the city is more like the unsavory neighborhood that most people do not care to venture into. We returned to the Tourist Village with plenty of time, boarded the boat and were off to continue our adventure.
The boat ride took about 40 minutes. We docked at Caye Caulker to let some folks off for a day of sun, I took this opportunity to purchase a few Belikens. We were soon off for the snorkeling. The water was incredibly clear, it was the best I have ever seen it (please note this was only my second time snorkeling off Caye Caulker). We swam for about 45 minutes at the first stop and then took the short boat ride over to Shark Ray Alley. Shark Ray Alley gets its name from the abundance of sharks and sting rays that make the are their home, in the past fisherman would stop here to clean their catch before bringing the fish to market. To this day many rays and sharks still live in this area. The water was about waist deep, it took some encouraging but everyone got into the water. The tour guides attracted some rays (about 15)
with small fish. After everyone got over their initial concerns of life and limb the rays were being petted and held by all. It was quite an experience. Following the snorkeling we went ashore for a quick bite to eat and a short swim. Personally I could have spent a few more days relaxing on the beach!
We left Caye Caulker around 2:00 and headed back to Belize City. Along the way we saw two dolphins swimming, a mother and her baby. I remained at the tourist village with Jamie and John until about 4:00, they boarded a shuttle boat back to their ship and I took a taxi to the Belize Municipal Airport. I flew back to Punta Gorda, the flight took one hour during which time we made 3 stops. The typical bus ride takes about 6-7 hours. Thanks for the flight Jamie! I had a wonderful time and hope that the next time Jamie and John visit they can stay for longer.
