On first impressions....
In attempt to avoid Belize city, we decided a little side transit to the island of Caye Caulker was the best route to Guatemala. Arriving off the boat, we walked into a town that reminded us of an American film set. Rastafarian English speaking locals, old Louisiana style houses, street BBQs with fresh fish and lobster on every corner!

On further examination…
Caveman’s snorkelling tour started off on a grateful note with a well told story by a dread headed, Rastafarian patriarch.
“This morning, I am the luckiest man in the world. Already in this day, I have been given a gift. I woke up”.
The day of snorkelling that followed blew us away. The first stop a coral reef where we were told we could independently swim around 50 metres away from the boat to explore. We were absolutely loving this independence in the ocean until Adam decided to free dive down a few metres and surprisingly met a nurse shark resting under a coral outcrop. Let’s just say, the boat was not 50 metres away for long!

After returning to the safety of the boat (where we were reassured said shark was completely harmless) we were quickly back in the water to witness a rare siting of a peacefully gliding, 500kg Manatee or sea cow! Seeming as this was the first time we had heard of the existence of such an animal, we were pretty chuffed by the adventure of swimming alongside it.

Next stop was pretty incredible...jumping into the water, sans flippers, to witness at least a dozen brown nurse sharks, huge sting rays (Steve Irwin get out of my head) and a gigantic barracuda only metres from our hands. The frenzy only amplified by the National Park approved sardines that were being thrown by the crew from our boat.

We had been told about the cheap lobster on the island but when it was so cheap that we could afford to eat it in a burrito, we were like kids in a lolly shop! Only 36 hours on this island was clearly not enough but we did our part and managed to eat our way through three lobsters (Little Kitchen Restaurant a highlight).

In the end...
Although initially disappointed by our room which was literally four white walls with no window, a quick walk up one flight of stairs changed our thoughts immediately, arriving on the most spectacular roof top balcony with a view over the island. Sunset beers (from a laundry bucket of ice) and bellies full of lobster, Caye Caulker was the best stop over one could hope for!