Thank you Caye Caulker - Travellers synopsis part 2. - 12/18/01 04:19 AM
I see that someone ("Soldier Crab") recently posted my travellers synopsis from last years visit to Caye Caulker. Well, Tracy and I just got back from trip #2 and once again I can only rave about the wonderful time we had.
Thanks again to Tina (our landlady, good friend and one-time 1st runner-up beauty queen! - it was rigged, you should have won Tina) and to the gaggle of semi-resident young women she introduced us too, it was really nice to meet you all, cheers to Charlie, Jessica, Sarah's 1 & 2. Hi! to Wendy & your Mum as well Tina.
We also finally met Tina's sister Diane who just opened a great Italian restaurant - I forgot what it's called but it has bright yellow walls and it's on a corner on front street next to the hurricane bar, awesome pizza Diane, just the right amount of pizza base & delicious toppings, not to mention nightly pasta specials ....ooops! just drooled on my keyboard.
OK! personal stuff aside the island is looking great, I can't believe the transformation it has undergone in the past year. It has lost none of it's charm but has regained a lot of it's natural beauty. Palm trees are dripping with palm fronds and are loaded with coconuts, all the trash from last year has gone and the ground vegetation is plentiful and blooming.
The windward beach is wide, sandy and has many new thatch roof palapas scattered on it for anyone to relax and enjoy some time out of the sun.
The split is still a great place for a swim and sunset drink and as we were leaving the lazy lizard was building a small breakwater around the bar to increase hangout space! The sea wall at the split is still half up & half down, there is still some underwater debri left over from last years hurricane which is not really a problem, its just a shame that it can't be cleaned up (then again - you should see my street in Oakland), the fish seem to love it.
If anyone from the village council is reading this please invest in fixing up the split, it's the only quality swimming spot on Caye Caulker and it deserves to look a little better.
Tina once again organized or hooked us up with some wonderful trips and outings , highlights this year were our sunset sail with Jimmy on the Stone Crab and two amazing snorkelling tours with Carlos (his shop is sort of attached to the Sand Box bar & restaurant). Carlos was just amazing, he loves the reef, and his knowledge of the local sealife is just amazing and he delights in sharing it with you.
We did the Hol Chan tour and the Goff Caye/Manatee tour, the Manatees were awesome and Carlos shows the utmost respect to these gentle endangered mammals, but the highlight for me had to be the amount of dolphins we saw on the way to Goff Caye and on the way back, I actually got to snorkel with 4 wild dolphins, their underwater antics included clicking and squealing at me, coming within 5 feet of me to check me out and generally just casually amusing themselves while I swam in and around them - awesome, I'm smiling again.
Carlos' wife also has a great little cafe, I think it's called Peggy's anyway! just ask him where it is, if you want fresh, soft and lite bagels with cream cheese and fresh tomato or cucumber + a scrambled egg this is the best and only place to indulge ....drooling again! Americans please note, in typical British form, butter comes on everything - if you are appalled by butter on your on your bagel, just request to leave it out.
The reef was also looking really good, a lot more sea life (or maybe Carlos is just really good at finding it). If you would like to see some photos let me know and I will point you to a website with my album on it.
Thanks again Caye Caulker for a wonderful vacation, my only complaint is that reality back home is harder to deal with after every trip - Love you guys!
Thanks again to Tina (our landlady, good friend and one-time 1st runner-up beauty queen! - it was rigged, you should have won Tina) and to the gaggle of semi-resident young women she introduced us too, it was really nice to meet you all, cheers to Charlie, Jessica, Sarah's 1 & 2. Hi! to Wendy & your Mum as well Tina.
We also finally met Tina's sister Diane who just opened a great Italian restaurant - I forgot what it's called but it has bright yellow walls and it's on a corner on front street next to the hurricane bar, awesome pizza Diane, just the right amount of pizza base & delicious toppings, not to mention nightly pasta specials ....ooops! just drooled on my keyboard.
OK! personal stuff aside the island is looking great, I can't believe the transformation it has undergone in the past year. It has lost none of it's charm but has regained a lot of it's natural beauty. Palm trees are dripping with palm fronds and are loaded with coconuts, all the trash from last year has gone and the ground vegetation is plentiful and blooming.
The windward beach is wide, sandy and has many new thatch roof palapas scattered on it for anyone to relax and enjoy some time out of the sun.
The split is still a great place for a swim and sunset drink and as we were leaving the lazy lizard was building a small breakwater around the bar to increase hangout space! The sea wall at the split is still half up & half down, there is still some underwater debri left over from last years hurricane which is not really a problem, its just a shame that it can't be cleaned up (then again - you should see my street in Oakland), the fish seem to love it.
If anyone from the village council is reading this please invest in fixing up the split, it's the only quality swimming spot on Caye Caulker and it deserves to look a little better.
Tina once again organized or hooked us up with some wonderful trips and outings , highlights this year were our sunset sail with Jimmy on the Stone Crab and two amazing snorkelling tours with Carlos (his shop is sort of attached to the Sand Box bar & restaurant). Carlos was just amazing, he loves the reef, and his knowledge of the local sealife is just amazing and he delights in sharing it with you.
We did the Hol Chan tour and the Goff Caye/Manatee tour, the Manatees were awesome and Carlos shows the utmost respect to these gentle endangered mammals, but the highlight for me had to be the amount of dolphins we saw on the way to Goff Caye and on the way back, I actually got to snorkel with 4 wild dolphins, their underwater antics included clicking and squealing at me, coming within 5 feet of me to check me out and generally just casually amusing themselves while I swam in and around them - awesome, I'm smiling again.
Carlos' wife also has a great little cafe, I think it's called Peggy's anyway! just ask him where it is, if you want fresh, soft and lite bagels with cream cheese and fresh tomato or cucumber + a scrambled egg this is the best and only place to indulge ....drooling again! Americans please note, in typical British form, butter comes on everything - if you are appalled by butter on your on your bagel, just request to leave it out.
The reef was also looking really good, a lot more sea life (or maybe Carlos is just really good at finding it). If you would like to see some photos let me know and I will point you to a website with my album on it.
Thanks again Caye Caulker for a wonderful vacation, my only complaint is that reality back home is harder to deal with after every trip - Love you guys!