The KiwiCampaign

As we arrived inBelize City from Tikal, the differences between this Jamaican outpost and the rest of Central America were instantly visible and audible. Belize City danced to the drums of reggae, Garifunga and Creole.  This did not help at all to further develop our rudimentary Spanish attempts. It would have felt completely inappropriate to attempt a Spanish conversation here. Almost as inappropriate as American tourists traveling through the rest of Central America without the smallest attempt of using any form of basic Spanish. Almost.

From Belize City we caught a water taxi to Caye Caulker, the more budget oriented one of the two Cayes, to dive the Blue Hole and expose ourselves to the Caribbean charm of Belize, as much as our budget allowed for it. Compared to the rest of Central America, Belize’s price structure seems aligned with the US, turning it into a surprisingly expensive exercise. The fairytale white beaches, abundant coconut palms, roaming Iguanas, soaring Pelicans, Frigate- and Booby Birds make is a well-worth experience though.

After a late-night change of “hotels/cabañas” due to some unexpected six-legged visitor on our bed, we got up at the crack of dawn to dive the marveled Blue Hole. Belize sports the world’s second largest Coral Reef (after the Australian Great Barrier Reef), and the Blue Hole is the main attraction here, due to its unusual formation. This oceanic sink hole, encircled by coral reefs, drops to 300 meters and attracts schools of the Belize Reef Sharks. As we dove to 42 meters, the walls of the sinkhole transformed to stalactites and stalagmites, as the water turned dark and the visibility dropped to 8 – 10 meters. We swam through the cave-like formations surrounded by eerie darkness, and as we emerged from the rock tunnels, the large silhouettes of the sharks became visible. These reef sharks were much larger than black-or white-tipped reef sharks. A feast for the eyes as they passed us. Kim would have enjoyed them too, if her mask would not have been completely fogged up.

The Blue Hole is a dive experience that you are most likely to do only once, as it is a short and expensive little number. It’s shorter, darker and more physically demanding than the average Caribbean dive, but the setting and uniqueness of the formation makes it a must-do in every log book. Check.

The next two dives, Halfmoon Caye and The Aquarium (all part of the Lighthouse Reef) were crystal clear, colorful sites with abundant marine life and great visibility. Much less memorable than the principal dive of that day, however.

The next day we spent snorkeling with the crew from the rickety sailboat Black Hawk. Two of the three sites were part of a marine reserve, and we cuddled (literally) with Nurse Sharks and Eagle Rays.

As we were burning through money quickly on Caye Caulker, and wanted to experience more of Belize than this backpacker hotspot, we departed early on the third day, without much of a plan as to where the next bus would take us.