Belize

Our next stop in Central America was Belize, which we entered by boat. From our hostel in Mexico we were able to walk to the small boat dock that takes care of international transfers. We were taken to the small island of San Pedro to go through customs and pay our entrance fee into Belize. We then waited over an hour under the blazing sun while the boat crew had beers with their friends from San Pedro. It was then a short boat ride to the island of Caye Caulker Belize. There isn't much to do on the actual Island except for relaxing, drinking and eating seafood. The main attraction is the beautiful barrier reef and marine national park which can be reached on a short boat ride. Aaran decided to go diving while I went on a snorkeling tour. The reef was very healthy and full of wildlife. 

The main industry on the island is tourism. This creates good competition and makes it easy to get a deal on tours. 

The island of Caye Caulker has 3 roads (front, middle and back). They are connected by small alleys. It takes about 5 minutes to cross from one side to the other. 

The island is filled with delicious restaurants and cafes. Our favourite was a small shack that sold small bags of fresh sugary donuts. 

The beautiful clear water in the middle of the ocean where Aaran went diving. 

Lunch stop on a gorgeous island paradise. 

A turtle nest, well marked to give the turtles the best chance of survival on the beach.

Believe it not I jumped in the water with these sharks! They were 1-2 meters long and not interested in humans at all.

Beautiful island. 

We only had one week in Belize, so after spending 3 days on the island we took a boat the mainland. We had organized for a shuttle to the small town of San Ignacio and waited for a few hours at the boat dock for our ride. Belize is somewhat of an anomaly in Central America because its official language is English. Not only that but it has a strong Caribbean influence, making it easy to forget that you're in Latin America. 

We were dropped off at our hostel in San Ignacio while the rest of our shuttle continued to Guatemala. The town is quite small with a population of just over 15,000. It was just touristy enough to have a few good restaurants and tour agencies to make our lives easier. We loved that the majority of the town felt very authentic. It was incredibly hot, but we managed to walk to some ruins near the centre of town one morning. There were only a handful of people in the whole park which made for great pictures. 

Walking through a tunnel in the Ruins near San Ignacio.

We basically had the whole area to ourselves. 

It's great to walk through a market that is not totally aimed at tourists. 

Delicious market pineapples. 

Market stall. 

The entrance to ATM cave and archaeological site. 

Our absolute favourite thing in Belize was exploring the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave. It takes about an hour and a half to reach the park by car, followed by a 45 minute walk in the jungle. The walk includes 3 river crossings with water up to your waist. You then reach the mouth of the cave, with beautiful crystal clear water and hanging stalactites. In the first section of the cave you have to swim because the water is quite deep. For about 2 hours after that the water level goes up and down. You alternate between swimming, walking and wading through the water. Some sections were so tight that you have to strategically place your neck through narrow gaps in the rock. The best part is when you reach the centre of the cave and start to climb. Hidden away through small passageways are ancient Mayan sacrificial chambers. Because it was only recently discovered, it never got the chance to be looted. There are pots and bones which were left untouched by the Mayans themselves. Mind blowing!