CAYE CAULKER
the easy laid back life
The whole idea of this trip was to find a place either of them could possibly retire to someday. They had quite the adventure with buses, car rentals, lodgings, not speaking Spanish and touring around Central America for three weeks. When they returned to Caye Caulker, they felt like they had returned "home". Back to the English-speaking laid-back simple life of relaxing on an Island that they had already fell in love with. Randy's sister returned back to Canada just before Christmas and Randy stayed here on the Caye for three weeks alone until I could join him there. (Yes, Belize is English speaking, another PLUS)
Randy flew to Cancun (Taco Air was running flights then, but is not now) to meet me and we got to Caye Caulker the next day by bus and water taxi. We stayed overnight in Playa del Carmen. I was so excited for the adventure and of course to see Randy, as it was two months of being stuck in "snowville" without him and hearing about the gorgeous weather and experiences he was having without me. Upon first arriving to Caye Caulker it was already dark, so I didn't see much the first night, however we went to one of the best restaurants on the Island for the best lobster I have ever had. Rose's Bar & Grill is an incredible experience, as you pick your entree at the roadside and they put it on the open grill for you, then you order your drinks and side dishes once you're seated at one of the many picnic tables. The place is open-air, has sand for the floor and a thatched roof to keep the occasional rain out. Very Caribbean feel, and so unique, to me anyways, I was in awe to just be there! I felt like I had just landed on a different planet, coming from blizzard-ridden Saskatchewan and then only a little more than 24 hours later, being in a hot, sandy, very laid-back beach village. It was heaven!
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The little cabana he had rented for us was very simple. All 300 square feet of it. It had one room and a bathroom with shower and hot water (i guess some older places don't), a double bed, a kitchenette, a tv and a little sofa. Very simple and we found we didn't really need anything more. We had a deck to sit out on and enjoy our morning coffee, or lay on the hammock and do some relaxing and reading. And the cost was under $500 USD per month.The road this home was on was about maybe one city block long and the sun would rise at one end and set at the other end, it was located at the narrow end of the island. You could look down the road and watch the sunrise and turn around and watch it set at the end of day, paradise for me, the sun worshipper that I am.
We had many conversations about planning our future here.
Wouldn't it be amazing to live here full-time or even just during the harsh winters of Saskatchewan, leaving the snow behind to enjoy the warmth of the island life??
Of course at the time, neither of us for sure could know how we could make it happen, but it sure got us thinking about it... a lot!! I stayed for one month and completely fell in love with the Island and cried when it was time to leave. It was like I was leaving a part of my soul behind. Not one day went by without thinking about Caye Caulker and Belize and how much i missed being there. We both felt the same way, and we knew we had to return, which we did in Jan/Feb of 2012.
to be continued......
