From Flores, I took a bus the day after Tikal to head to the border with Belize. Made the crossing without a hitch, and were dropped off at the busy pier for a water taxi to a nearby snorkel/hangout spot.
Instantly as we crossed the border into Belize, people began speaking English more, now with a creole accent. It was as if we were not even in Central America any more. A lot more folks from the States as well.
I arrived on the caye just as a storm was coming in, and friendly, dread-sporting Gilbert led me to my hostel. I wandered around and found an incredible bakery with fresh Creole buns (spiced with raisins and cinnamon) and a next door a great little Cuban coffee shop. I learned that cuban espresso has a paste of brown sugar and coffee in the bottom, and is made from Cuban beans of course. Quite good!
That night I reserved a night snorkeling trip for the next day, and found some of the best lobster I have ever had, grilled outdoors and served with rice and vegetables. Amazing, and cheap too, 2 tails for $9.
The beach, from Front Street
The backyard of our hostel, on the hostel boat. Andy from Germany accompanied me on a little paddling tour through the mangroves.
Eventually the time came for the night snorkeling trip. It was actually an unusual trip for Tsunami Adventures, in that in addition to night snorkeling, the trip began with a trip to Shark-Ray Alley. Both creatures (of the Nurse and Bat varieties, respectively) are very up-front, thanks to fish-filled conch shells dropped by the guides into the 5´ water. I was able to dive down and pet everything down there, including a couple roaming conches.
As the sun set we relocated to deeper waters to see the aquatic nightlife, including many lobsters, a giant crab, sleeping parrotfish, an eel, a cuttlefish, and bioluminescent worms--turn your light off when they get near or they reportedly will latch on and try to suck your blood!
Our final destination for the snorkel trip was by boat, thankfully; we used our high-powered flashlights to look for the eyeshine of crocodiles lurking in the mangroves around the caye. I had the privilege of finding the first glowing red eye, not a half mile from our hostel.
Sunset: Time to jump in!
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