The Village on Caye Caulker

Now that I am living on a fixed income, I daydream incessantly about travel. My latest pipe dream is about visiting Belize with Martine. She has decided she doesn’t like Mexico, so maybe Central America is more her style. I would love to spend a week on Caye Caulker in Belize, which is a 45-minute boat ride (or 10-minute flight by Cessna) from Belize City.

The advantages of Caye Caulker are beguiling to a traveler like me:

• The island is made of coral and is very near the Belize Barrier Reef, second only to Great Barrier Reef of Australia in size.
• It is a relatively inexpensive destination with few of the all-inclusive resorts that suck dollars from U.S. tourists in places like Cancún.
• There are no cars, just bicycles and battery-powered golf carts.
• The whole island is walkable.
• At both the northern and southern extremes, there are interesting wooded areas for hiking.
• There is an intriguing mix of places to stay, eat, and drink—with the main drinks being Belikin Beer and local rum.

On the minus side—though not really from my point of view:

• There are no sandy beaches as the island is made of coral.
• One must protect against ankle-biting sand flies in the hour just before sunset.
• The water close to shore is full of irritating sea grass, necessitating water shoes for comfort.
• It can be really hot and humid. (Hey, it’s the tropics!)

Most people who go to Caye Caulker go for the diving, snorkeling, and other water sports. None of these are interesting to me because I am too old for that sort of thing. It would be fun. however, to relax with a good book; splash around a bit in the water; try Belizian, Mayan, and Caribbean food; and take walks. If it’s too pokey for Martine, we could even spend a day or two in more heavily populated Ambergris Caye, which is 30-45 minutes north by water taxi.