CAYE CAULKER, Day 7

Today was the team’s first full day off since arriving in Belize.

It’s a long weekend, and much of the island will head to the mainland for canoe races and Baron Bliss Day celebrations, so it seemed like a good day to close up shop and visit San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, also known as La Isla Bonita (and rumoured to be the subject of Madonna’s song of that name), a more commercialized island just north of Caye Caulker.

We were lucky enough to have Madi’s family offer their boat (appropriately named Hot and Spicy), snorkels and flippers, and her brother Wilbur’s excellent guidance, and the team split into two groups. The first group boarded the speed boat and drove out to Hol Chan, along the barrier reef, to snorkel, swimming with sting rays, sea turtles, nurse sharks and all sorts of tropical fish. The second group boarded a water taxi to Ambergris Caye, eating breakfast in a small café where it took three or four tries to get our egg burritos right, strolling along the main street and picking up souvenirs – jewelry, postcards, t-shirts.

The morning team arrived at the Ambergris dock at 1pm and the second group headed out snorkeling. A few members of the first group were seasick and returned to Caye Caulker early, while the others stayed on the island to explore. On the way home, the afternoon group had the chance to observe seven dolphins making their way through the water, including a baby who showed off by flipping his tail.

Sunburned, exhausted, and full of saltwater, the team gathered for dinner at The Happy Lobster, calling it an early night.