Underwater Heaven
At the hostel, I met Lacey and Isaac who recognized me from Lanquín. I realized later that they were the couple who stayed in the dorm next door, but had left the day after I had arrived. On the island as well were more of the gang from Lanquín and Flores.
Caye Caulker was what I had been hoping Bocas del Toro would be. You could see the gorgeous water as you strolled down the sandy main drag while rastas rode by on their old skool white walled bikes and golf buggy taxis trundled about carrying tourists. Though hugely touristy, it never felt crowded and maintained its chilled out vibe. A great part of this vibe had to be credited to the rasta type folk there who spoke their pidgin English. Dreads were worn everywhere, sometimes tucked under big knitted hats.
While Isaac spent the day diving at the legendary Blue Hole, Lacey joined me and Nicole on a Raggamuffin snorkeling tour of Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Reserve.
As soon as we arrived at Shark Ray Alley, the fish appeared to meet the boat and get fed. So did the grey nurse sharks. A couple of people felt a bit apprehensive at the idea of getting in the water with the sharks as they fed, and for a fleeting second, I felt a bit of that. But they looked just like a big bunch of catfish and I knew they were harmless, so in I jumped. Unfortunately, as soon as people got in the water with them, they swam away, so I wasn't able to get an underwater shot of them.
But there were many other things to look at; big fish teeming around us, smaller colorful tropical ones, a couple of sea turtles and sting rays, a green moray eel and of course, a beautiful coral reef. Our guides would lead us about, point at something then swim to the surface to tell us what it was called. After a lunch break, we headed a little further out to Hol Chan Reserve. It was similar in underwater life though we didn't see as much. The coolest thing was how deep some of the reef cliffs dropped.
On the way back, we tucked into some Belize style cebiche; prawns, tomatoes and herbs marinated in lime juice and served with tortilla chips. By the time we arrived back on Caye Caulker, everyone was at least a bit tipsy on the rum punch. A fantastic day.
Caye Caulker was what I had been hoping Bocas del Toro would be. You could see the gorgeous water as you strolled down the sandy main drag while rastas rode by on their old skool white walled bikes and golf buggy taxis trundled about carrying tourists. Though hugely touristy, it never felt crowded and maintained its chilled out vibe. A great part of this vibe had to be credited to the rasta type folk there who spoke their pidgin English. Dreads were worn everywhere, sometimes tucked under big knitted hats.While Isaac spent the day diving at the legendary Blue Hole, Lacey joined me and Nicole on a Raggamuffin snorkeling tour of Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Reserve.
As soon as we arrived at Shark Ray Alley, the fish appeared to meet the boat and get fed. So did the grey nurse sharks. A couple of people felt a bit apprehensive at the idea of getting in the water with the sharks as they fed, and for a fleeting second, I felt a bit of that. But they looked just like a big bunch of catfish and I knew they were harmless, so in I jumped. Unfortunately, as soon as people got in the water with them, they swam away, so I wasn't able to get an underwater shot of them.But there were many other things to look at; big fish teeming around us, smaller colorful tropical ones, a couple of sea turtles and sting rays, a green moray eel and of course, a beautiful coral reef. Our guides would lead us about, point at something then swim to the surface to tell us what it was called. After a lunch break, we headed a little further out to Hol Chan Reserve. It was similar in underwater life though we didn't see as much. The coolest thing was how deep some of the reef cliffs dropped.
On the way back, we tucked into some Belize style cebiche; prawns, tomatoes and herbs marinated in lime juice and served with tortilla chips. By the time we arrived back on Caye Caulker, everyone was at least a bit tipsy on the rum punch. A fantastic day.
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