Today we made a mistake! We followed our plan to go to Caye Caulker for the day.
Now, before I get angry replies from those who love Caye Caulker, let me add that we absolutely loved it too�and we could even imagine staying there for at least several days. The reason it was a mistake was that the day turned out to be HOT HOT HOT without any breeze or clouds whatsover. It was the one day during our trip when we absolutely should have been in the water.
Alan particularly got too much sun yesterday�and his feet were sore from all the walking our first couple of days and ill fitting sandals�not a good combination for a day trip to walk around Caye Caulker, as we realized later on.
After breakfast and a bit of beach/shade/reading time�.
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We headed out to town to cash some travellers checks at Milo's and send email from Coconets Internet Café and then catch the water taxi from Shark's Pier at 11. The boat ride was great�it was the only breeze we would feel all day!
On Caye Caulker, Alan headed right for some shade to wait for me while I went to meet Lee (Silk Painter) and have a delightful chat with her. She has a great shop with beautiful wares and is a terrific source of knowledge about the caye. We then headed over to the Rainbow Grill on the beach for lunch, at Lee's suggestion, and had a great meal overlooking the water in relative comfort out of the sun.
Afterwards, we walked through town, taking in all the sights of shops and people, until we arrived at the "split" - the area where the caye is divided in two by a channel of water, which I was told happened maybe 30 years ago when a hurricane came through. Now, it's a lovely spot to swim and on this hot day, it seems that everyone has the same idea�lots of people hanging out by the waterside bar, wading in the water and even playing volleyball in the shallows out from shore.
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There really isn't a lot of beach space here but Alan found a shady area to rest and I immediately waded into the water to cool off. It felt great and I was beginning to envy anyone who was out snorkeling the reef right now!
The heat was just too much for Alan. He decided he'd just find a shady spot near the pier for our return trip and wait for me since I was determined to explore the shops in town a bit more. I ended up buying most of my small gifts & souvenirs to bring home, including a small print from Silk Painter�and I found a great sun visor and good flip flops for Alan for the rest of the week! Should have had these when we arrived!
Wish I had taken more pictures - it was a beautiful place with lots of interesting sights. Prices were lower than Ambergris Caye for just about everything and the pace was even slower, if that's possible. We both agreed that we would have loved to stay here for a vacation.
The rest of the day is a bit of blur. Back in our room late afternoon, we welcome the A/C for the first time! Have a dip in the pool and pass out for a nap. Went to town and stopped at Fido's for a drink and to watch the Chicken Drop at Spindrift but we were really feeling wasted, so we caught a taxi back early and enjoyed the A/C and a bit of TV before turning in for the night.
I didn't think there was such a thing as too much heat in February�but we realized it can come as a shock to an upstate NY system! Hoping for a breeze tomorrow!
To be continued�