We're back, if you can Belize it...

Having packed our bags - which we had now come to realise were embarrassingly overpacked - and eaten our final Honduran baleada for a while, we said our hasta luego to Copan Ruinas and we were ready for the next leg of the journey to Placencia in Belize to meet the rest of the girls. After a wander around the town like lost puppies, at 6am we eventually stumbled upon the other bus station where a bus driver took us to the Guatemala border about 20 minutes away and from there, we hopped on another chicken bus and headed off to the city of Chiquimula. There we changed buses and got onto a coach with not only comfy, velvet chairs but air con, a TV and plenty of space - living the life of bus luxury left us all feeling pretty smug about how we were going to travel for the next 4 hours. Later that afternoon we arrived at Rio Dulce where Esther, Izzy and I checked into our hostel 'The Shack' ( what a fitting name). The little house boat hostel was the perfect stop off for the night with a lovely downstairs bar which looks out across the river from where we watched the sunset in the company of a surprisingly large amount of ex-pats and the hostel cat (which kept Esther up all night by repeatedly launching itself at her head through the mosquito net - the cat, not an ex-pat, that is).

The next morning we got ready to leave as we hadn't planned on spending much time in Rio Dulce due to its very real pirate presence and there just really isn't a whole lot on offer there. A quick visit to the bakery and supermarket was then followed by a walk to the boat terminal where we loaded our bags onto a boat headed to Livingstone. The boat tour was wonderful; it took us past the 'Castillo de San Felipe' before turning around and taking us all the way up the river to the next port.

The boat driver also took us to see some secret spots only accessible by boat along the way, such as a beautifully hidden little mangrove cove where the surface of the water was entirely blanketed by lily pads to the point where no water could be seen until the boat gently broke it's way through. Further up river the waterway began to narrow and before long, we were weaving our way through clear, shallow waters alive with little fish, before all of a sudden the water depth plunged far below us and the small mangrove trees were replaced by towering cliff faces which seemed to sprout out of tops of treetops, laden with white storks. It was incredible, like something out of Avatar. However, it didn't last long and we soon arrived at the port of Livingstone where the river meets the sea.

While we had initially planned to stay in Livingstone for a night before travelling to Placencia, we had arrived much earlier than expected so after asking around and making a deal with one of the boat captains called Davis, we jumped into his river boat for a private ride. I'm pretty sure the main reason he offered a private boat ride in the first place was because of how much we had amused him with the fact that we were a group of British girls who had could surprisingly speak Spanish (more or less) - apparently they don't get many of those coming through this neck of the woods so yet again, being young British girls in Central America has proved its use!

Arriving at the immigration office in Punta Gorda, Belize, we were hit with an overwhelming sense of deja vu as we had only just been here about 3 weeks ago for our very messy visa run. The bus station was just next door, so we promptly got on a bus to Independence - a town further north on the coast - where we got lost, again. At this point, we were exhausted and our backpacks were slowly killing us in the 35 degree heat and we were so ready to just give up and find a place to stay there, but alas! An old Belizean woman with a questionable number of teeth on a very rusty bike rode past us yelling instructions about how to get to the boat terminal - we must've looked very hopeless indeed - and thank god for her as we reached the terminal just in time and were soon headed off down the mangrove creek.

Arriving in Placencia felt similar to when we arrived in El Tunco in October - after a hellish day of travel, we were so relieved to arrive, and couldn't have been happier to be greeted with the wooden boardwalk to Lydia's guesthouse and the white sand beach right outside the front door. Lydia's is just as gorgeous - it's a small beachy guesthouse with only a few rooms and white washed wooden walls with little benches out the front where we would spend our evenings before heading out. That evening we cooked dinner with the rest of the girls who had arrived before us and then got ready to go out. Little did we know how fun yet confusing the night would become; we met a group of Americans and ended up at their mansion, eating their food and discussing politics, which now that I think about it was probably not the best idea. So, as we soon realised that our two groups had very different views about some very important things, Flossy, Erin and I made a quick escape on a tiny boat (thanks for your sailing skills Flossy) and then a golf cart buggy and eventually ended up in the sea looking at the stars before somehow making our way home in one piece. Eventful to say the least...

(I'm sorry for squeezing you so hard Iona but I just love you too much xxxxx)

The next day was the first full day we had in Placencia and it happened to be my 19th birthday!! DIECINUEVEEE BABBBYYYY :))) I woke up to Esther grinning and giving me a big hug and some beautiful earrings she had sneakily bought in Livingstone when I wasn't looking, followed by a shower of more hugs and kisses and cards from the other girls and a bar of Cadbury's chocolate from Izzy. I cant explain how much I had been going on about wanting Cadbury's during the last few weeks, so for her to have bought it for me just left me feeling so so satisfied. It sounds stupid I know, but you don't understand, Honduran chocolate just isn't the same. After an emotional voice message from my mum which left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, we walked to the beach to spend the rest of the day chilling and swimming in the clear calm Caribbean sea, and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better birthday. While lying on the sand in the sun, it all started to sink in - I was celebrating my 19th birthday on a Belizean beach with some of the best people I have ever known...how did I get so lucky? After ordering quesadillas for lunch from the beach shack further down, we spent the evening getting ready, bouncing back and forth between our rooms to trade hair straighteners and items of clothing, prepping for a night on the town, or whatever the Belizean beach bar equivalent would be. And boy, was that a birthday, and a night, to remember...or not :'))

We weren't feeling so fresh the next day, so after a long lie in we spent another day at the beach, avoiding human interaction and healed the hangover with bagels and cream cheese with the marmite mum had sent me (don't knock it 'til you try it, seriously). Then called family and friends at home to catch up on birthday messages, all the while being interrupted by a very drunk, very happy Belizean man who was very keen to share his severe lack of singing skills with the world, and while I loved it, those on the other end of the phone did not.

The rest of our time in Placencia consisted of stargazing on the beach, night swimming, dancing under lifeguard towers, a few too many supermarket visits, magic tricks in bars, evening beach walks as well as early mornings to catch the sunrise (although Esther and I only managed to do this once as we are too lazy).

When the time came to leave, I really didn't want to go. I know this was just the first place we had visited so far, but I had grown attached to it and its palm trees and smooth sands, and getting up at 5am to catch the bus to Belize City made it even harder to leave.

The only photo I got of Belize City whoohoo

We shoved our enormous backpacks at the back of the bus with the help of the bus boy, and headed to the city. We hadn't heard very good things about Belize City so we were glad to only be using it as a stop off and place to wait before we got the ferry to Caye Caulker. As soon as we were dropped off outside the ferry terminal, some big smiley Belizean men came over to take care of our bags and directed us towards the ticket booth. You see, this was the kind of ferry terminal I had been expecting at Puerto Barriors during our October visa run - official, clean and tidy, with proper tickets and big sturdy looking boats, not crawling with con men in a dodgy neighbourhood. All around us were people from all over the world, and while it was oddly comforting to hear the familiar British and European accents, the sheer amount of foreigners that we were surrounded by gave us a heads up to the kind of destination we were heading to. I had spoken to previous volunteers about visiting Caye Caulker and they had all raved about it so we had decided we had to visit, and the pictures online of its white sand beaches and clear waters made it a pretty easy decision to make. So, we bought our tickets, alongside a group of 4 Irish boys - who would turn out to become a constant during our travels - and we climbed onto the next ferry.

Caye Caulker is a small limestone coral island off the northern coast of Belize and is only accessible by small water taxis or seaplanes. It is definitely a tourist hot spot, you can't deny that, and is full of restaurants and cafes and hotels, however that doesn't take away from the island's beauty. Endless snorkelling packages and boat rides to see the sharks and manatees make sure that the tourists can still experience that. Our hostel for the week was Bella's Backpackers, and upon arrival Dmitri, the owner's son, greeted us, asking us if we were more of the Project Trust volunteers. This took us aback, wondering if we were that obvious, but he then explained how volunteers had been coming to stay here for a few years now so they are able to spot us from a mile off. We dumped our bags and he welcomed us in, showing us around and introducing us to the other guys who worked there and who we would go on to spend a lot of our time on the island with. It is a wonderful place, with a variety of dorm sizes and has a little pier out the back from where you can borrow kayaks and explore the island.

The best fish in the whole wide world, no joke

We met the rest of the girls (Emily, Erin, Iona and Flossy) who had arrived a couple days earlier and unfortunately the weather wasn't too great so we stayed indoors to catch up. Before long the weather took a turn for the worse - gotta say it was pretty atmospheric with enormous black clouds rolling in, swirling above the ocean which had transformed from a clear blue to a cold, harsh grey. Spookyyy. Despite this, some of us decided to go out for dinner so made a mad dash to the nearest restaurant which was such a good decision as I don't think I have had fish as amazing as that ever before in my life. I'm serious. Everyone's food was so good that we ended up coming back again during that week, and plus, happy hour was good value so it was a win-win :)) After scoffing our lobster and fish, we nipped back to the hostel to get ready and met some entertaining Aussie guys before heading out to meet some friends where, low and behold, we bumped into the 4 Irish boys from the ferry terminal! Note the theme here...Anyway we had a great evening, dancing with our new friends and riding around on bike handles on the beach before we eventually made it back to our beds.

The rest of our time on the island we spent doing all the touristy things such as wandering around the endless stalls of shell necklaces and trinkets. We also explored the Split; halfway along, the island is split in two by a narrow waterway which has now become a popular tourist spot to chill and sunbathe by the water with bars and grills only an arms length away. It is gorgeous, however wasn't my favourite place as it felt too commercial and busy so after grabbing a freshly squeezed orange juice from a lovely woman in a tiny juice hut, we then went to book our snorkelling trip!

Snorkelling was probably the best thing we did while on the island and is definitely something I would recommend. Fortunately the first company we approached had space that afternoon, so after a quick shop for things for dinner, we kitted ourselves out in our swimsuits and snorkelling gear and headed out to the reef. We were so lucky as it was only three of us plus an adorable Italian couple and the two snorkelling instructors. Along the way, one of them explained that we were approaching the Belize Barrier Reef which is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. The reef starts in Cancun Mexico, continuing all the way down to Honduras, and at 900km long, it is the second biggest reef in the world. We spent the afternoon in and out of the boat, swimming with fish while the instructors grabbed our hands and lead us closer, pointing at the Angel fish and eels swimming and slithering by, as well as the huge conch shells which littered the seafloor. It was amazing to swim alongside all the different kinds of fish but one of my favourite moments was when he dived down to grab a conch, all grey and cream coloured on the outside, but as soon as he turned it over, we were stunned to see that the inside was a glorious baby pink, smooth and pearly and just absolutely beautiful.

While eating a lunch of fresh watermelon and pineapple, the two guys went spear fishing for Lion fish as we had spotted a couple of them a bit earlier. When they told us what they were about to do, we were slightly shocked as they are such beautiful fish, but he then explained how they are pests and are destroying the ecosystem of the reef as they eat everything in sight - eek. Later on we went swimming with sharks and stingrays. I know, it sounds crazy and terrifying to the point where Esther and I weren't even sure if we could get in the water until the instructor calmed us down by reassuring us that they were just Nurse Sharks, and despite their rows of sharp teeth and the fact that some of them were 12 feet long, they are harmless to humans. I still wasn't entirely convinced, especially not after he threw in a can of sardines and they all went wild, forming a frantic writhing scene in the water...didn't look very docile to me...Either way I forced myself in, only to be immediately greeted by some very very big stingrays gliding beneath my feet. This took me by surprise, causing me to shriek into my mask and inhale water through the breathing tube, spluttering and spitting out salt water as a result. We soon calmed down and slowly by surely got used to being surrounded by them and soon started to enjoy their company.

(A photo taken by one of the local guides of the Nurse sharks - they look small here but don't be deceived)

Being so close to something as elegant and peaceful as those stingrays and being able to run your fingers down the spine of a shark passing by is something you don't get to do everyday, and is definitely something I won't forget. The rest of the day we went in search of seahorses at Iguana Reef - one of the hotels on the other side of the island where we spent a lot of time in their hammocks - and then fed some Tarpons. I had no idea what a Tarpon was until one leaped out of the water towards the bait in one of the instructor's hands. They are big scaly silver fish, quite scary and dinosaur-looking actually, and Izzy was the only one brave enough to feed one as I was too nervous about losing a finger to do it. We ended the day with the pelicans, watching the sun start to set as the boat pulled back into the small harbour, saying goodbye to our Italian friends, promising to one day come visit them at their new B&B in Sicily :))

Hey Kevin :))

On our last day in Caye Caulker, we decided to rent bikes and after a wobbly start of relearning how to actually ride one, we went in search of the famous french bakery which Dmitri had recommended to us. We had been talking about how much we had been craving pastry over the last few weeks, so we were determined to find this place and after asking quite a few locals and taking an embarrassing amount of wrong turns, we eventually stumbled upon it. Pain au chocolats and freshly made croissants while sitting under a canopy of fairy lights and hummingbirds really is the definition of paradise. However, yes I realise that seeking out a french bakery on a Caribbean island doesn't make a lot of sense so during our time there, we made sure to try the Fry Jack - a traditional Belizean dish - which is fried dough with any filling you choose, so greasy but so so good. Our bike ride took us around the southern end of the island where we discovered numerous empty mansions with 'for sale' signs in their front gardens as well as the tiny single-runway airport before heading back to chill in the hammocks at Iguana Reef for some downtime and a snooze. When we finally biked back to the hostel, we discovered that we had a new group of people in our dorm, and yes, you guessed it - it was the Irish men!

The next day we packed up, said our goodbyes to Dmitri and Alex, who we had come to know during our week with them, and grabbed a quick bagel for breakfast before getting in line for the next ferry. Our next destination was Flores in Guatemala which meant we would have to cross a border, but the journey was very smooth - once again accompanied by the Irish boys - and although it was long, it couldn't have been easier.

During the drive I was able to think back about our time on the island of Caye Caulker. It was nothing like I had expected; it had been expensive, full of tourists and a lot more commercialised than I had initially imagined. However, at the same time, it was more beautiful than I could ever have predicted, with water unlike anywhere else, and the people were so welcoming - I'm going to miss you banana bread man and Lilo with your mysterious coconut concoctions. Although I couldn't make up my mind during the week, I have now decided that I would really love to go back again, if only to see the elusive manatees that we sadly didn't get to see this time round.

Until next time Lilo, we'll go skiing again one day I'm sure x