Ambergris Caye

Friday and Saturday, May 20 & 21, 2011--Caye Caulker to Ambergris Caye

Our hotel at Caye Caulker had a checkout time of 10:00.  The boat wasn't until 10:45, so we stopped at a bakery and had a cinnamon roll as a snack until we could get to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye for lunch.

Winds were heavily blowing against the route of the boat which was coming from Belize City.  It arrived about 15 minutes late.  Then just a short time after we left, it died in the water.  It was obvious that the two employees on the boat had no idea what the problem was.  Fortunately, a boat with the same company going in the opposite direction saw us and pulled up.  One of the men there immediately diagnosed the problem as a dead battery.  He attached a new battery, and we were on our way.

Ambergris Caye is a bigger island and more developed island than Caye Caulker.  The main streets are paved. There are condos and large resorts.  There are many more tourists.  And the prices are MUCH higher.  However, the main town of San Pedro is still essentially a small village only three blocks wide and about 8 blocks long.  The condos and private homes that people have built here extend along the roadway that goes further up or down the island from the main village.

After checking in at the Changes in Latitudes B&B just south of town, we headed into the village to find lunch.  A place recommended by one of the owners of our hotel seemed way too pricey.  A burrito was $12 US!  As we explored, we realized that very few places post prices.  Apparently the town operates on a two-price system:  They list the items they sell; if you are a tourist, you pay inflated prices and if you are local you pay lower ones.  We ended up eating at a taco place where 4 small tacos cost $5 US, but there were too many tacos going out of that place wrapped in foil for local people to be ordering them at those prices.

The town has a nice, quaint feel to it.  The airport is right in town with two airlines serving it.  The terminal for Tropic Air is small, bright, and new.  It would be romantic to arrive and depart here via it.  The sand is very white and powdery everywhere.  The waters are warm and green.  Apparently beaches up to the high tide line belong to the public so that one can walk up the island along them.  That's the best way to go, because the breezes hit you and keep you cool.

Our place has an agreement with the Belize Yacht Club next door to use their pool, so we went there around 16:30 to relax and cool down.  Then we went back into town to explore.  For dinner we went to a small, local place that does not have the two-tiered price system and ate a combination of a fish burrito, two empanadas (chicken and beef), and a salbute (a puffy taco topped with cheese and chicken).  Town at night seemed a bit dead just like it did at Caye Caulker.  We were told that there are a few "in" spots that are very popular.  Unfortunately, that means there are many places here that open and just hope for customers.  Wes enjoys finding misspellings and oddities when we travel.  While wandering through the village, he was impressed by the banners promoting Child Stimulation Month.

The B&B serves great breakfasts.  We had coffee, a bowl of fresh fruit, a plate of eggs and black beans, and two fry jacks with jam.  Fry jacks are made like flour tortillas and are deep fried and sprinkled with powered sugar.  They had the texture of a sweet pie dough--nice and flaky.  They were great with the pineapple and the mango jams we were served.

There are free bicycles for the use of the guests at the B&B, so we took two and went northward to see the development out that way.  I wasn't impressed.  The roadway is unpaved and quite ugly.  The condo situation is one of over development so that some seem to be abandoned.  There are some wonderful private homes that way, but many are for sale.  My guess is that this is a paradise that doesn't prove to be so wonderful with time.

Coming back in town, we went further south to find the Victoria House Resort where Merryl stayed when she was here.  It supposedly is one of the original places for high-end tourism on the island.  It's a beautiful white stucco and wood complex with multiple buildings, multiple pools, great beach front, and nice pier.

After swimming in the late afternoon, we returned to town for an early dinner since we hadn't eaten anything after breakfast.  On the way, we bought meat pies from a man on a bicycle that were quite delicious.  We returned to the same place as last night for more burritos (one chicken and one ground beef each).  We searched for the dock for boats to take tomorrow and confirmed the times.  We sat in the local park and watched people for a while.  We returned to the hotel and visited in the outdoor seating area after that.

Monday is Commonwealth Day here.  We saw a sign referring to it as Kama Mama Day in Creole slang.  I guess Queen Elizabeth is the Kama Mama!

I gave up reading one of my books.  It was Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coatzee.  Even though the book won the Nobel Prize, it was pitiful as a novel.  What it actually was is a type of book I have noticed that many authors eventually write--one that pieces together all their philosophical thoughts and writings they have had over the years without a format that tries to tie them together inside a story.  In this case, Coatzee who has written some very good novels has created a character who is a well-known author.  She is a vegetarian and an animal rights advocate.  He follows her from speaking engagement to speaking engagement reporting her speeches which are really his own musings on these topics.  BORING!!!  I gave it 1 star out of 4 and considered the purchase a waste of money.