Belize, Central America……April 3-10, 2000 (Part 2 of 2)

Bike Trip with the Pull Ferry in the background!

One afternoon, the entire group rented bicycles.  We went for a 3 hour ride to the end of Ambergris Caye. As we traveled down the strip, we came to a water crossing.  There was a ‘pull’ ferry to get us across the narrow canal.  We all loaded our bikes on the wooden barge and pulled it across to the other side.  I have read that the pull ferry was recently replaced with a bridge. 

The Great Blue Hole was amazing!!!

A highlight of the trip was our excursion to the Great Blue Hole.  It takes a day to get out to the Blue Hole by boat.  Our excursion included diving and snorkeling during the day, an overnight stay on Half Moon Caye, and a morning dive at the Great Blue Hole. 

Nurse Shark                       Turtle                                   Ray            

Our morning started at 5:45am.  We loaded the boat and headed to Caye Caulker to pick up another diver.  There were several stops during the day for the divers (Rondavue, Long Caye Aquarium at Light House Reef, Half Moon Caye Wall) where snorkelers could jump in and swim around. 

Boobie Birds

In the late afternoon, we arrived at Half Moon Caye, where we would camp for the night. Half Moon Caye is a national monument and home to the famous red-footed boobie birds.  You are actually no longer allowed to camp there.  The Boobies live on the caye for about 10 months of the year. Flying fish are their favorite food, caught at night when the fish are nearer the surface. Half Moon's Boobies are a bit special because most are white, instead of the normal brown color found around the Caribbean. Over 120 other types of bird have been seen on the caye.

Half Moon Caye

Tent Camping on Half Moon Caye

You must bring everything you need with you on the island, and take everything with you when you leave.  Our diver masters and crew made us a barbecue dinner (chicken, beans, coleslaw, and bread), and we washed it down with Panty Rippers (coconut rum and pineapple juice).  We all slept in tents.  As soon as the sun goes down, the hermit crabs come out.  There were thousands of them crawling around at night in search of food.  We had to zip up our tents to keep the critters out. 

Ready to explore the Blue Hole!

We were the first boat to arrive at the Blue Hole at 7am in the morning!  The Great Blue Hole is a site made famous by Jacques Cousteau.  It is 984 feet across and 480 feet deep!  It is home to reef sharks, black tip sharks, bull sharks, and hammerheads.  The dive masters throw chum into the water to bring the sharks to the surface.  The snorkelers are able to get in and swim around while the divers get ready.  It’s a relatively quick dive for the scuba divers.  Our particular group of divers descended down to about 140ft.  At those depths, narcosis becomes noticeable, and you need more time to decompress before reaching the surface.  The divers are not able to stay at the lower dept for long.  Amazingly, the water was just as clear and blue at 140 feet as it was at the surface!  On our long trip back to Ambergris Caye, we stopped at Caye Caulker for lunch.

                 Turtles                                               An Eel

Belize and its surrounding islands may be small but have so much to offer.  Divers, sunbathers, snorkelers, anyone wanting some relaxation while looking out into the clear, blue water, this is a place for you!

Belize, Central America……April 3-10, 2000 (Part 1 of 2)

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Wow, this trip was so long ago!  It was our first time to Central America and this Caribbean getaway.  We flew into Belize City and caught a VERY small plane to Ambergris Caye, San Pedro Town.  Ambergris Caye is the largest island in Belize, and San Pedro is the only town.  It is the dive capitol of Belize and Central America with the Great Blue Hole, Shark Ray Alley, Hol Chan Marine, and Turneffe Atolls. 

Sunbreeze Hotel

We flew on a small plane like this!

We stayed at the Sunbreeze Hotel (sunbreeze.net), right across the street from the airstrip.  We walked off the plane with our bags and wheeled them to the steps of our hotel.  It was not an all-inclusive resort.  The purpose of this vacation (for most of the travelers) was diving.  I was not certified at the time, but it certainly peaked my interested to get certified later on.  There were dives planned for each day, which left time for the non-divers to relax in the sun, shop for treasures in town, and snorkel. 

The Reef Restaurant

The food in Belize is very good and inexpensive.  Many of the restaurants offer only fresh fish and ingredients.  It was not unusual to be out to dinner at night and have the power go out.  We would finish dinner by candlelight.  One of our favorite places to eat was the Reef!  We sat in white plastic lawn chairs, and the floor was sand!  The fresh fish was amazing and the prices were very inexpensive.  Conch ceviche is a favorite any where you go including the Reef!

This was a ‘dive’ vacation, and there were times when snorkelers could go along in the boat too!  The blue water was so beautiful!  My favorite trip with the divers was to Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Marine Reserve.  There were dolphins everywhere!  I jumped in the water and they swam all around me.  You could hear them talking!  It was the coolest thing!  We used Aqua Dives during the trip and the dive masters and crew were the best!  (www.aquascubabelize.com)

Dolphins

Aqua Dives

When the non-divers were not tagging along in the boat, we would walk through town and snack on jerk chicken at a local eatery!  There were many homeopathic remedies you could buy in the gift shops, and we purchased a few to bring home. 

San Pedro                          Sunbreeze Hotel