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Joined: May 2000
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You shouldn't change your plans. Although the murder was an absolutely awful event it is not the norm for Caye Caulker.

In regards to malaria and dengue - it is a true and credible concern and you should take the relevant precautions. If you choose not to take the pills (talk to your doctor) at minimum you should wear repellent and suitable attire to avoid being bitten.

Caye Caulker isn't for everybody, and if you decide it isn't for you then you can try the next island over, Ambergris Caye or move to another mainland location.

I am sure your family is going to have a memorable and enjoyable vacation if you come here with an open mind ready for some adventure and new experiences.

Joined: Aug 2004
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There is malaria and Dengue in Belize in certain areas. There is Lyme's Desease on the east coast of the US. There is Rocky Mountain tick fever in the rockies, Swine Flu is everywhere. The point is that is you let that all control your decisions, you would stay home and never go out.
CC is beautiful, although a bit laid back for my tastes. AC is a more active. Both are really safe if you use basic common sense.
If you have children, I can not imagine a better place to vacation with fun for all age groups. I even had my 89 year old Dad here for a while and he loved the bird watching and all the attention that the lovely Belizean people showed him.

Joined: Aug 2008
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You should not discount the travelers advice either. Sometimes residents (locals)view things a little less important and do not understand how the difference in living standards can affect a vacation.
That being said, my wife and I have been to both islands and the mainland many times. CC is a wonderful village with the most laid back people who are welcoming and friendly. AC has more activities, but also more visitors (not crowded though) There is obviously more to explore on AC because it is so much bigger. The mainland is yet another world alltogether. Beautiful and undeveloped (except a few cities). You must take precautions anywhere you go. We have never had any medical issues or felt unsafe, but we take precautions. We don't stagger around drunk at 2 in the morning, waving our wallets. I don't know what your kids enjoy, but have heard from many travelers that AC is more to the younger ones liking.
You are doing the right thing by asking questions. Relax, you will love this trip and plan another right after returning.


Play, Love, Share and Enjoy - it doesn't last forever make sure you get the most out of it.
Joined: Oct 2009
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I am not the sort of person who would try to sugar-coat something as awful as the murder on CC. To the contrary, I have ticked off local politicians by being openly critical of (some aspects of) their response to that sad and gruesome event.
How do I feel about Caye Caulker at this moment? It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. And rhe people are so welcoming and gracious that my wife and I will probably spend the rest of our lives here.
How safe is it? I walk the streets alone nearly every night carrying nothing but a book. I don't feel threatened by the people around me, I feel protected by the people around me.
I am skeptical about the politicians on this island (and everyplace else) but politicians on CC realize that it is in their own best interest to make CC as safe as is humanly possible. Whether they are motivated by morality or greed, EVERYONE on the island is committed to making Caye Caulker as safe as it is beautiful.

Joined: Mar 2007
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Well said.

Last edited by Caye Maker; 11/18/09 08:18 AM.
Joined: Nov 2009
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I thought I would follow up on my original post with a post- vacation message. My son was bit by a dog on the island. As a light sleeper I was awakened many times at night by dogs barking. I had discounted this complaint by another traveler who had reviewed the hotel I stayed in.

I was dismayed that in the middle of the lodging area of the island there was an animal rescue site with excessive numbers of cats and dogs were housed. I love animals. However, on Caye Caulker, the dogs and cats have displaced the native wildlife except the birds that do not live on or near the ground. It seems to me that if the residents and businesses on the island wanted to increase tourism there would be an effort made to protect the island wildlife from introduced species.

Here in Houston people are required to pick up the mess their animals leave. I would think that Caye Caulker, a place where walking barefoot is encouraged should adopt an ordinance that required people to keep their animals on a leash and pick up their mess.

With a little bit of common sense one can have a safe trip to Caye Caulker. It would be nice if the bottler of the water and drinks would create a plastic recycling program for Belize. Litter is everywhere.

I believed that I would have a relaxing and restful time on the island. Instead my son was bit by a dog and I could not sleep because of dogs barking all night. The snorkeling and sailing was very nice. My daughter donated a laptop computer to the new high school.

I understand that I am an outsider. I also recognize that trash and noise complaints exist everywhere. I just believe that if I were given a free trip back to Caye Caulker I would turn it down. If I did not care at all about the residents of the island I would not have encouraged my daughter to donate her laptop. I would not have even posted this note. I hope and pray that Caye Caulker will expend serious effort to enact local ordinances to require their residents to reduce the damage that their animals do to the island.

Joined: Jul 2006
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Boy I am not happy to be hearing about this!! The dog situation mentioned by Cleatus above. Someone saying they would turn down a free trip to Caye Caulker - well that says a L0T!! Better take care of stuff like this, as you have done with the police force, or tourists are going to be scared off of this island. ME INCLUDED........and I am booked to come there for Christmas. Not sounding good at all this year for various things I have heard on this message board since September, when everyone apparently was getting the swine flu.....followed by the argument about poisoning the animals, and then the motorized vehicles you were going to allow, to the murder that took place, to having to monitor your police force, to a fire that destroyed property that we would have maybe booked into, and now above, this person says they wouldn't return due to the dog doo and all night barking. NOT SOUNDING LIKE A GREAT TROURISTA DESTINATION TO ME!!!!!!! Maybe Mexico woud be better!?? And it would be much cheaper!! any comments from the islanders? For many this is your livlihood!!

Joined: Nov 2000
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More knowledge through the internet is not always a good thing.

Going to a new destination with an open mind and an open heart, is a good thing.

If you go prepared to be annoyed and you will more likely be annoyed.

So instead, go prepared to enjoy yourself and you are more likely to enjoy.

Last edited by seashell; 11/29/09 03:16 AM.

A fish and a bird can fall in love, but where will they build their nest?

Joined: Oct 2003
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trash is a problem everywhere in Belize, and other Central American countries as well

Joined: Sep 2008
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Well, I for one won't put one foot in Mexico again, I'm likely to get murdered as so many other North Americans have lately and the Mexican police will just cover it up. Maybe Jamaica again? Oh right, I can't get out of my 'compound' because I'll get robbed or just harassed to death and have to pay exorbitant prices for an 'excursion' which includes being put on one of twenty buses along with a hundred other tourists to see a 'point of interest' while being hit on by all the hustlers. Friends of mine went to Cuba recently but were very disappointed and say it's no Caye Caulker. I have introduced a number of friends to Belize and Caye Caulker in the last several years and every single one of them has felt safe and been absolutely blown away by the unspoiled beauty, the gracious and friendly people, the ability to get in touch with a different culture which in turn, allows them to educate their children about how other people live and allows them a hands-on experience with nature, and frankly, if you add up everything you spend versus what you get in return, it's an incredibly inexpensive experience when you factor in the permanent life-changing effect this all has on one's soul and overall life-experience. I don't get this 'full package' deal from anywhere else in the world and I have travelled extensively. I have never touched a stingray or shark before, or held an iguana. As someone, until now, who had a phobia of water, I am lost in amazement under the ocean thanks to some very skilled and trustworthy tour guides. I've seen and heard howler monkeys in their natural habitat, I can eat lobster on the beach, I can hang with the locals, I can't possibly list all the amazing mind-expanding things I've seen, heard and experienced.

I meet the most interesting people from all over the world in Caye Caulker and Belize in general, many I am still in touch with. I have never had that happen since I was a 20 year old backpacker. Belize attracts interesting people who want real life experiences.

Some people are made for all-inclusive compounds and Disney World facilities. All safe and squeeky clean with all the comforts of home. Personally, I'll take the stray dogs, the roosters far too early in the morning for my liking, the daily trips on the rusty bike to the local grocery store with the chain snapping off just as a rain storm kicks in, all balanced out by the sounds of wind and waves at night as I fall asleep instead of the overly loud 'forced' entertainment into the night at the Holiday Inn Sunspree, the 24 hour traffic of New York, the inconvenience of constant rain and bone chilling cold of London, being robbed in Rome, being highjacked on a bus in Spain, the rudeness and corruption of Mexico, beaches so groomed that children can't find anything of interest to discover, in fact I can find issues almost everywhere I have travelled, if I wanted to. And some trips just simply have better 'karma' than others, and that's my problem not the place I've visited.

No, I don't like the treatment of animals in Belize or in a number of other countries, the neighbor's noise late at night or early in the morning, but I think if one came from Caye Caulker and stayed in your home the traffic, the honking cabs, the constant glow of our city lights, our heating systems, the garbage trucks, the construction noises, the buses, might be disturbing their sleep as well. I have a friend who moved to the country and found the nights too dark and quiet so she couldn't fall sleep easily and then the birds too noisy in the morning. I think when you stay somewhere long enough you eventually get used to the noises in that particular place. Believe me, if the locals heard the noises the same way you did, they would do something about it. They are not being rude, they just most likely aren't bothered by it and most of them have to be up in the morning to work and their children need sleep as well. And if biting dogs were an ongoing issue, I'm sure the local children would be bitten as well and again, something would be done about it. Our children have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the stray animals. Fire happens everywhere, it's not even worth mentioning here as a reason not to visit. Nor is swine flu, which all the children had in my neighborhood last month in our big city community. If a dog is disturbing you at night in your hotel, I think it's more effective to talk to the hotel owner directly rather than posting it here. The last hotel I stayed at in Europe had TV issues so bad the guests had to turn them up loudly in order to make out the words, so you can imagine the noise through the walls late at night when you're trying to sleep before your neighbor is. A simple call to the hotel desk fixed the problem. They couldn't do anything about the constant honking and garbage trucks outside the window though since that was simply life where I was visiting. Yet I found no need to post anything for the world to see. Too often I see on this board a litany of minor complaints by travelers (tourists?) who could likely find a hundred issues anywhere they travelled in the world that would equal or far surpass what's noted here, but for some reason think that Caye Caulker should be exempt from these isolated issues. I don't mean to minimize any acts of violence, but has anyone read the papers recently??? And how safe is it where you live?

Is the crime going up in Caye Caulker? Of course, as it is in all areas of the world (my car has been broken into twice in the last four months sitting in front of my house). But nowhere have I seen so many citizens stick together as a community and make positive changes when things do shows signs of change for the worse. I don't see that in my own city community. There is not one negative thing you can say about Caye Caulker that you can't say tenfold about almost every other place in the world, yet few places give so much in return.

So yes, Caye Caulker, be vigilant, your paradise needs to be protected, there is always room for improvement, but you are still at the top of the list for us and many others.

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