LLWorldTour

My tour with Island Expeditions was underway and from hereon out we would be showerless, incommunicado with the outside world, and totally on island time. Our group piled into a motor boat and we zoomed our way to the tiny island of Tobacco Caye (pronounced key). This was the first of many ‘paradises’ to come.

Tobacco Caye is a relaxed, tiny coral and sand island right off the Belize Barrier Reef – the second largest reef in the world. Some say it is the Belize of a decade ago, before big luxury resorts and modern amenities like electricity and running water and satellite television invaded the larger resort islands like Ambergis Caye. Tobacco Caye is the perfect getaway. It has soft, sandy beaches shaded by coconut palms, warm water, world-class snorkeling, and diving right off the beach. And at the very most, you’ll be sharing the island with 100 people.

We bedded down at the cheapest, yet most idyllic place to stay on the island, the Tobacco Caye Paradise - thatched-roofed wooden white bungalows on stilts sit right on the water each with a ‘back porch’ complete with a swinging hammock just beckoning weary travelers to get in and rock their cares away to the sounds of the crashing waves. A separate dining cabana was just steps away where, through the screen door, the friendly resident chef prepared us a fresh and tasty dinner of shrimp, beans and rice with a tall frosty glass of not-so-nice sugar-laden ‘orange drink’ to wash it all down with.

After two lazy days drinking Belikin, the local brew, eating deliciously fresh seafood ceviche, I took the 45-minute water taxi ride to Belize City where the rest of my adventures were about to begin.

My friend, Renee, had convinced me to join her on a week long kayaking/camping/snorkeling trip in Belize and it was, simply, an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Island Expeditions is a Canada-based tour company, which has been leading different Belize adventure tours for 20 years. Our tour was called Mayan Caves and Coral Islands. We were a group of eight, all gals from all over the US and Canada plus one lucky (or unlucky considering he played for the ‘other’ team) guy and our two tour guides: Canadian Dave and hometown Belizean boy, Domasco. Our first night we stayed at some rustically cute cabins at Belize’s fairly new “Tropical Education Center.” We were lucky to go on a night tour of the Belize Zoo, a wonderful facility that only takes in injured or rescued animals and prides itself on never removing any healthy animals from their natural habitats. The well maintained zoo was definitely worth the visit as we were greeted by it’s happy boa constrictor, “Balboa,” a purring leopard and a few wild and crazy guys—the Howler Monkeys.

The adventures really began the next day as we toured Actun Tunichil Muknal, a recently discovered, eight-mile deep cave (about 13 kilometers) full of not only wonderfully preserved Mayan pottery, but actual dead people…well, their bones that is.

The cave, which just opened for tours in 1998, consisted of pitch-black winding passages leading to several large chambers making the headlamps we all wore very handy. To enter we had to swim until we reached a rock ledge inside the cave and about half of the time we were submerged in water. The several-hour Indiana Jones-like tour was, in a word, a thrill. We literally had to climb up and down sharp and slippery walls, shimmy through narrow dark passages and careen down natural rock waterslides on our way through the dark tunnels.

For a good portion part of the tour we had to remove our shoes and just padded around the muddy cave floor in our socks so as to not damage the floor more – either with the soles of our shoes or the oils of our skin. Over 1400 artifacts - pottery, tools, and ceremonial items dating from 1 to 1000 AD - including over 200 vessels, have been cataloged within the cave. The most common artifact - about 400 ceramic jars traditionally used to hold water - has lead to the hypothesis that this cave was most used for ceremonies that pertained to water, rituals to the Rain God. Some not-so-common artifacts were the human remains. So far, skeletons and bones from fourteen folks have been found; 7 adults & 7 children, all under the age of 5. It’s been determined that these poor souls were not being buried here, but instead were sacrificial victims. They were all likely sacrificed in the hopes of appeasing the gods and bringing rain. Hang on a sec…time for me to do a quick rain jig.

Even though we were with a guide, I had to think that there was no way the public would be allowed in a cave like this in the US. And coincidentally, only a handful of guides in all of Belize are trained and permitted by the Belize Department of Archeology to give proper tours of this special site. To this day, the cave has not been looted and nearly all of the cultural artifacts have remained in place as they were originally found in 1989. Right now the maximum tourists per group is eight, but we were told they will soon reduce it to just six people allowed with each guide. It’s nice to see that the Belize government is putting the preservation of such an amazing place over the priority to squeeze dollars from every wet tourist they can fit into it.

What? Yes, I just returned from Belize. I know what you are thinking—‘yeah, Lisa, you really needed another vacation’ (better get a mop because the sarcasm is dripping). What can I say? Traveling is in my new career.

Belize is one of those places that some backpackers skip–mostly because it’s quite expensive compared to the rest of Central America. But compared to the Caribbean islands, it’s one of the cheapest destinations around. Home to the hammock, unbelievably blue Caribbean waters and the second biggest barrier reef in the world (after Australia) - Belize is just too good to miss. Previously a British Colony (remember British Honduras?), this tiny nation (roughly the size of Massachusetts or Belgium) was granted independence in 1981. I’ve got to be honest, I wasn’t even sure where Belize was (besides somewhere in Central America) before this trip. Now I know it’s the tiny nation jammed in between Mexico and Guatemala. But apparently Madonna knows because she sang about it in her 1987 hit La Isla Bonita: ‘last night I dreamt of San Pedro …´ (one of Belize’s Caribbean islands’ main cities). This being perhaps the most played song in Belize after various Bob Marley tunes.

My American Airlines plane careened down the airstrip in Belize City, I walked down the metal stairs and onto the tarmac into the warm, Caribbean air, and went through immigration and customs in all of about 5 minutes. I had a connecting flight in about an hour to one of dozens of Belize’s off shore islands or Cayes (keys). I approached the counter for Maya Island Air where a relaxed chocolate skinned, beautiful Belizean girl greeted me with a grin.

“Where ya headed today?” she asked with a charming Caribbean accent.

“I’m going to Caye Caulker or Caulker Caye,” I forgot which way it went.

I started to fish my passport (love that thing) out of my backpack when she said, “Lisa Lubin?”

Confused by how she knew my name, I enquired while literally looking down at my chest to see if I was wearing a ‘Hello, My name is…’ tag that I’d forgotten about. She slyly replied, ‘magic’ and continued to grin. Laughing, I asked again.

“You are the only one getting off there, love.”

Okay, you know you are in a small place when they greet you at the airport counter by name.

There were twelve other passengers, but I was the only one getting off at Caye Caulker.

“Ya know,” I said, “when I check-in at Chicago O’Hare, odds are they are not going to greet me by name.”

(Cut to interior of tiny 12-seat propeller plan)

“Ma’am, there are no seats left so you have to sit upfront with the pilot.” One of the friendly ground crew said to me as I saw my bag being stowed underneath. He escorted me around to the front passenger seat right next to the pilot. How cool—I was riding shot gun.

When he told me this, one of the other male passengers offered to go in my place, assuming I was a timid ‘flower-of-a-gal’ who would be afraid to sit upfront or something.

“No way!” I exclaimed, as I held up the whole flight while I scrambled to dig for my camera in my carry-on which I’d have to leave in the back (there is no “under the seat in front of you” when you are in the cockpit with only the windshield and nose of the plane in front of you).

In my life, I’d ridden in small planes, a helicopter, a blimp, and once, the backseat of a Cessna, but I can’t recall ever having the chance to ride shotgun. Like a toy plane, we skitted down the runway and took off as if we were as light as a feather. It was a beautiful, 15-minute ride over turquoise blue waters and other islands and before we knew it we were gliding down to the tiny airstrip of Caye Caulker flanked by what looked like a clapboard shack which turned out to be the ‘airport.’

I caught a ride in a ‘golf-cart’ taxi to town with another American expat, who just so happened to own one of the most popular bars on the island: the Lazy Lizard. I thanked him and pledged to catch up with him later.

Caye Caulker is a beautiful, relaxing, palm tree bit of paradise. It is a bit more of a sleepy, laid-back destination compared to the larger, more touristy Ambergis Caye to the north. It’s only about 5 miles long and a few blocks wide. There are now a good amount of hotels lining the main streets. I bedded down in Trends Beachfront Hotel, a pastel colored wood, shingled building trimmed with front decks and hammocks. There is no shortage of good, local eateries serving up tasty seafood and also a good amount of Mexican specialties. Some of my favorite spots were for breakfast. Glenda’s restaurant is a humble, tiny place with a screened-in porch at the back of the island. Here you order off the chalkboard menu as you enter and start your sunny day with a great cup of coffee, sweet fresh-squeezed OJ, eggs with onions and tomato and most likely Belize’s best homemade cinnamon roll all for five bucks.

I enjoyed a few lazy days in the sun on Caye Caulker. As promised, I ventured down to the Lazy Lizard to say ‘hello’ to my new friend from my flight over. His bar was right on what they call the ‘split’ on the edge of the island where it once was attached the island just a few yards to the north but is now ‘split’ in two. The tiny beach here is sprinkled with picnic benches and tanned bodies lying in the sun. I made some new Canadian friends, quenched my thirst, and again, felt at home in the world.

I haven’t slept in my own bed in nearly two years. In fact I don’t even have ‘my own’ bed anymore. It was one of the things I gave away before I left. The good part about this is I’ve become a very low maintenance sleeper and can sleep basically anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Ok, I’m joking about the last one, but you know it’s best to write in ‘threes.’

During my travels around the world, I’ve slept in all kinds of places and in all kinds of beds. From hostel bunks to homestays to cabins to boats to tents to trains to airport chairs. And, no, I never once was bitten in bed…at least not by a bug.