Belize

Border formalities done (painlessly) we drove straight for Belize city. Here we offloaded at the harbour (17 29 42.76 N, 88 11 11.42 W) to catch a boat out to the small island of Caye Caulker.

Belize city is a very unsafe to be in, so we hurriedly unpacked our stuff and entered the ferry port. Meanwhile Grif drove the truck to a safe parking spot, before returning to us and our speed boat to the islands.

Fast boat

The best description of the boat that we took, for the 45 minute ride out to Caye Caulker, is that of a Miami Vice (the TV show) drug runner's offshore power boat.

Caye Caulker (17 44 18.90 N, 88 01 31.50 W) is a low lying island just off the coast of Belize. It caters for the less affluent travellers (we passed several other islands [cayes] that were for the rich. These had airconditioned villas, their own airstrips and golf courses) and had a very Caribbean feel to it. Our accommodation, for the three days we were there, was in a simple, concrete built, non-airconditioned hotel on the beach front. It did have, though, the essentials of door locks on the rooms, insect screens on the windows, ceiling fans, fresh water showers, and the owners did laundry.

Rum

The small township on Caye Caulker has been built around the landing stage, and caters for backpackers. It boasts many bars, restaraunts and dive shops, plus some (airconditioned) internet cafes. None of the buildings were particularly well, or expensively built, and some were simply logs with thatched roofs (and plastic sheeting for when the rain got really heavy).

I spent my time at Caye Caulker nursing the infected bug bites I got in Pac Chen, I eventually got rid of them with antibiotics after seeing the island's nurse. Life on the island was very laid back. I would get up late, wander along the beach to the Rasta Cafe, where I would eat my breakfast, while chatting to the locals and enjoying the view (the cafe was built of logs and thatch right on the beach). Then I'd wander around the island, enjoying the sun (not to hot, thanks to the ever present clouds) and basically doing nothing. A quick hour on the internet in the afternoon would bring news from home and cool airconditioning. In the evenings I'd join up with others of the group and bar hop. One we frequented was two stories up (open on all sides) and had swings instead of bar stools (great fun after your second or third rum cocktail). Getting about (everywhere was within very easy walking distance, although you could, if you wished, hire a motorised golf cart) was easy and safe, although you had to time each move to coincide with a break in the monsoon like rain. This I didn't always do, which left me soaked, but hey, it was just water.

Caye Caulker also offered some exceptional scuba diving, which others in the group took great pleasure in doing. I would have to wait for later on in the trip to learn to scuba dive.

All too soon it was time to stop chilling out and get back on the road. We left Caye Caulker by the same boat we had arrived on and were soon back in Belize City. Grif went off to fetch the truck, while we all loitered around the ferry port, trying not to look worried. Thankfully nothing happened and we were soon out of the city.

A short drive brought us to a zoo, which was quite interesting and whose main claim to fame was its support by Harrison Ford. Then it was onto San Ignacio where we stayed at a nice hotel, complete with pool and bar. It was also where Clair attempted to bollock the group for not keeping the truck clean. I have done a fair bit of truck trips and have never seen a trip leader that was so bad as Clair at giving a bollocking. All I felt was embarrassed for her.

Rubber tyres

Various side trips were organised from San Ignacio. Short trips into the local village (very third world Americas), horse riding, and I went on a cave tubing trip. This consisted of walking several miles through the tropical forest, insects buzzing all around, carrying a truck tyre inner tube, to the start point of a river cave system. We all then sat in our inner tubes and drifted downstream through the caves. At points we needed to paddle one way or the other, to navigate the cave system, which was easy for me (thanks to my size), but several of the smaller people in the group had great problems gaining any purchase on the water with their hands. At one point a side eddy had several people pinned against a rock wall, while at another place one of our group got pinned against the rocks and nearly drown. As Prayank (one of the Brits on the trip) said, "that's more than enough near death experiences for one day". But for me, it was a fun day out. We finished off by swimming in the river and diving off boulders (I learnt, the hard way, to keep my arms by my side while jumping feet first into the water from three meters up).

On the way back to the trick I did, however, make a huge mistake.l I tried to re-apply some bug repellant spray to my upper arms. The skin there had been chaffed by the rubber inner tube and it stung like hell. I spent some frantic moments washing the spray off my stinging arms.

From San Ignacio it was short drive to the border and Guatemala.

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