Getting the Belize bug (literally)

Luggage lined up ready for the sniffer dog on the pier in Chetumal Mexico ready to cross a bit of the Caribbean Sea to Belize 

Hang on to yer hats

Arrival in San Pedro, Belize, a customs check and then back on the boat again to get to Caye Caulker.

Diezel the Belize customs dog guarding our bags

Our adventures in Belize did not start off on the best of terms. We had booked accomodation with a very fraught and stressed sounding lady. Given the apparent confusion we decided to email prior to our arrival to ensure we all knew what was what, so to speak. It was somewhat predictable then that when we turned up the room we thought we booked was only available form the next day onwards. Given this was two days before New Years Eve hence the whole island was booked up it was not the greatest news we had ever heard.

After being shown to an alternative (but sadly also full) hotel by the people hanging around outside our cabana we walked the street until accosted by someone who said they had a spare private room in their hostel - ideal we thought.

As we put the sheets on the bed we noticed a large bit of graffiti stating WARNING: Bed bugs. Somewhat foolishly we dismissed it as a joke and headed into town.........

Cocktails

Amzing coconut curry at Habanero

After dinner, (an amazing dinner by the way) we strolled around Caye Caulker trying to ease the feeling of fullness from our distended bellies. It is at his point we meet up with Coco Loco and Prince an entertaining twosome of coconut drink salesman and his dog.  Coco loco lives on the other side of the gap (the northern portion of the island previously protected by a sea wall - but now a 230 ft stretch of water dividing the island). Every night Coco Loco crosses the gap, according to him with Prince faithfully following behind - in reality we watched (stifling laughter) as he canoed back and forth for twenty minutes trying to convince poor Prince to follow him into the dark water

Coco Loco trying to convince Prince to swim home

So, one amazingly delicious meal later we returned to find our bed covered in blood sucking parasites (bed bugs / not lawyers). It was nearly 12pm and we couldn't face sleeping there having seen them all in our mosquito net - luckily we found a really nice cheap hotel run by locals even at this late hour - annoyingly we never got a refund.

Spongebob Palm pants

It seems our favourite dog has started up a business

We went on a guided snorkelling trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark and Ray alley

Snorkelling with huge southern stingrays.  Even though we knew they wouldn't hurt us it was unnerving having huge rays swim underneath us.

Old discarded conch shells covered the bottom.  Its the fishermen cleaning out conch shells that attracts the sharks and rays to shark ray alley.

Loggerhead turtles fighting for scraps of conch

Elkhorn coral

A sea fan

Nurse sharks

Blue whale

Brain coral

Tarpon - v huge

Notice on police station

standard restaurant decoration- a bouy

they should have these signs in Devon

coco-loco

Chocolate, a local fisherman who helped manatees gain protection as he saw their numbers dwindle due to injuries from boat collision and even people riding them, now runs tours to see them.  Sadly our tour was cancelled due to bad weather, it rained most of our time in Belize and the water was very rough

A breadfruit

Chocolate is piecing together a manatee skeleton

The ear bone of a mantee

not sure what type of lizard this is

the nice hotel we arrived at at nearly midnight having left the bed bugs to the cool student types

its pissing it down but you can't really tell from this photo

How cool is this? The money actually has wildlife on it

There are a lot of Kite boarders in Caye Caulker - we were tempted to try it but ran out of time