I have been visiting Caye Caulker since the 80's. I was there 2 weeks ago. I love the place and hate to say it, but the place is going downhill, fast lately. I read all the comments by the locals and expats and they are jaded by their financial and emotional investments in the caye. Lots of them have become as oportunistic as the "beach-bums" they complain about.
The place has a creepy feel to it these days, you are observed almost like chattel as you get off the water taxi, people sizing you up and fighting over who gets to be your erstwhile "main man". I was taken aback by a blog I recently read on one of your websites, that the locals feel that should only have to fish for 3 months then work 2-3 hours a day, a few days a week for the other 9 months!?! This attitude does seem to be prevalent, there are more and more "parasites" feeding on an ever decreasing amount of tourists in this economy. The people of Caye Caulker, (most of them) need to wake up and smell the cofee, get a job, stop panhandling tourists, get rid of all the undesireables who camp out there preying on anyone gullible enough to lend them an ear. Even the mainland Belizeans complain about the people in the cayes.It has got to the point where it is not worth the hassle of driving off all the mooches. Better to go to the east, where the Gov. is proactive about huslers destroying the otherwise great atmosphere. I have also heard horror stories from expats who try and buy land and build, they are treated like banks to be robbed at will by the would be contractors, realty agents.