Don’t Stop Belizing!

Nurse sharks!

Yes, I really was that close 

Me with Jose, my fantastic guide

Nothing like a drinking game to bond with your hostel mates! 

            Hello again from Caye Caulker, little Wizards. Today is, sadly, my last full day here in Belize. The past few days here on the island have been a perfect balance of busy and relaxing. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I spent most of the day Tuesday out on a snorkeling tour. That tour was so amazing that I pretty much knew that I’d do it again before leaving Belize. However, I got really sunburned out on that first tour, particularly on my back, so I decided to take it easy on Wednesday to give my body a chance to relax and heal up a bit before getting back out under the sun.

            I spent pretty much all day Wednesday embracing “island life” here on Caye Caulker- walking around and getting a feel for the little island, going to the beach for a while, trying some local food (of course there’s plenty of great seafood here, but I’m surprised that barbecue chicken is also really popular), and reading in a hammock up on my hostel’s rooftop. At first I felt a little guilty about not spending the day in a more productive day, but then I remembered that hey, I’m on vacation- it’s okay to spend the day just relaxing. By the end of the day Wednesday I was still definitely feeling my sunburn from the day before, but I wanted to book another snorkeling tour for the next day anyway. I knew my back would be feeling sore for the next few days, and if I didn’t do another snorkeling tour out on the reef before leaving, I’d regret it. So I went down and talked to the super helpful hostel staff, who booked me on the day long tour for Thursday and took my deposit and lunch order.

            Thursday morning, after making breakfast, getting back into my swimsuit, putting on PLENTY of sunscreen, and putting on a shirt that I could just keep on all day to add a little extra sun coverage, I was picked up again a little after ten and driven down to the waterfront, where we paid our remaining balance and collected our snorkeling gear. I could immediately tell that this tour would have more people than the one I did on Tuesday. That one had only four guests including me, while the one yesterday ended up having eleven. I was super happy, though, when I learned that this tour would have Jose as our guide, who was also my guide on Tuesday. I’d told him on Tuesday that I’d probably come back and do this again before leaving, and I’d been hoping that I’d get him as a guide again since he was so great the first time.

            Of course on this tour I already knew what to expect since I’d done it only two days before, but that didn’t detract from the experience in the slightest. If anything, I think my tour yesterday might have been even better than the first one. It seemed like there were even more nurse sharks than on Tuesday’s tour; there were easily twenty of them swimming around us. Some were only about four feet long, others were up to about nine. Some of them even allowed me to touch them! It was definitely one of my all time favorite travel experiences. I brought my underwater camera with me yesterday, and I’m going to look through the pictures and videos when I get back home, so there should be another blog post with more pictures coming after I get back to the states.

            Thankfully I was much more conscious of the sun yesterday than on my first tour; I reapplied sunblock several times and left my shirt on the entire time, so I didn’t get nearly as burned as on Tuesday. We got back to the dock at around five o’clock, and, after returning my gear and getting a couple of pictures with Jose, I walked back to my hostel. I’d picked up some food from the local supermarket on Wednesday, so last night I just made dinner up on the rooftop kitchen here at Travelers Palm Hostel. By the time I’d made dinner and sat down to eat, it was dark; the sun sets really early here! We’re not too far from the equator, so it’s usually dark before seven in the evening! 

            After eating dinner I was sitting up on the rooftop when I heard some people staying here talking about playing Ring Of Fire, a drinking game I played several times with the other WSP volunteers in Gansbaai. They asked if I wanted to play a round with them, and I said sure. I spent the next couple of hours sitting up there with about ten other people from all over the world- Canada, England, Germany, Chile, Australia and more- playing Ring Of Fire, laughing, and chatting. One of the many lessons I’ve learned from traveling is that transient relationships can still be very meaningful. I only spent a couple of hours with those hostel mates, and when I leave tomorrow I’ll probably never see any of them again. But that’s okay, because for that short amount of time we made each other’s experience here in Belize a little bit better. 

             Today has been another pretty chill day here on the island. It’s consisted mostly of going to breakfast at a little restaurant right by the beach, doing a little more walking around this little town, picking up a few souvenirs, and some more relaxing up on the rooftop. In less than 24 hours, I’ll be on a plane back to Houston, and then another back home to San Antonio. This little vacation was exactly what I needed after the past few months, and I’m pretty sad that it’s almost over. But I think I made the most of my time here on Caye Caulker; that second snorkeling tour would have to be my favorite part of the whole thing. I definitely think I made the right choice by coming to Belize. Snorkeling in that reef was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced! See you tomorrow, San Antonio. This post’s food for thought: “The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.”- Isak Dinesen 

You Better Belize It!

View from my tiny flight to Caye Caulker

I took this picture from the second to last row!

The view from my hostel's rooftop. Hard to complain

                      Greetings from Belize! I got in yesterday afternoon, but decided not to make a blog post since I’d just made one the day before and didn’t have too much news to report. Yesterday and today have been a whirlwind of planes, boats, and island life! Flying from San Antonio to Houston and Houston to Belize City was a breeze, as flying usually is for me. I’ve heard a lot of travelers say that their least favorite part of traveling is flying itself, and everything that comes with it (feeling rushed, going through security, delays, etc.). I actually don’t mind flying, aside from one aspect of it: one of my ultimate travel pet peeves is when I see people being rude to airport and airplane staff. Almost every time I fly, I see someone arguing with or complaining to TSA agents, gate agents, and especially flight attendants. Never fails to annoy me.

            On the flight from Houston to Belize City, I was a little anxious about making my third flight, from Belize City to Caye Caulker. I had just under an hour layover in Belize City, and since it was my first point of entry into Belize, I’d have to pick up my checked bag, go through customs, recheck my bag, pick up my boarding pass, and get to my gate in that time. Thankfully, the flight was actually a little early getting into Belize City, and I was able to snag a seat on the second row of the plane, so I was one of the first people off. Customs wasn’t very busy so that only took about ten minutes, and the Belize City airport is pretty small, so I rechecked my bag and got to my gate with time to spare. The flight from Belize City to Caye Caulker was an experience in and of itself! The plane was REALLY small- it was the smallest plane I’ve been on, not including the one I went skydiving out of. I was one of twelve passengers, the plane had five rows, wasn’t even big enough to stand up in, and the flight took all of ten minutes.

            From the Caye Caulker airport (and I use the term “airport” very lightly- it was more like a stand that we went to to pick up our bags after walking off the runway) I just walked to my hostel. This island is really small, so most people get around by bike, golf cart, or plain old walking. After getting a little turned around and asking for directions, I got to my hostel at around 5 pm Belize time. I’m in an eight bed mixed dorm here at my hostel, though I think right now it’s all girls staying in here. After putting my bags down and relaxing for a little while, I went out to get some dinner. Since the island is so small, I didn’t do any planning or researching about restaurants- I just basically walked around until I saw a place that I thought looked good. I sat up on the rooftop of the restaurant (I don’t even remember what it was called), and the meal mainly consisted of enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean, being thoroughly amused by reggae covers of pop songs, and chatting with my waitress about the island. I also got the classic “why isn’t your husband traveling with you” question that I’ve been asked in every single country I’ve visited. That question used to bother me, but I’ve gotten used to it and accepted that it’s mostly due to cultural differences that people ask that. Honestly, it sometimes amuses me when I see people’s shocked reactions to learning that I’m single.

            This morning after breakfast here at the hostel I went downstairs and spoke with the hostel staff about booking a snorkeling tour. I’d heard some of my roommates mention that they’d recently done one that was booked by the hostel and loved it. I booked the all-day tour and, along with Patricia, another one of my roommates from Chile who’d also booked a tour today, was picked up (in a golf cart) a little after ten by someone with the tour company. I think the snorkeling tour warrants a blog post all for itself- if I tried to put it in this one, it’d be ten pages long! But I’ll just say that it was one of my top five favorite travel experiences of my life, and I’m almost positive that I’ll be signing up for another one before I leave! I’m pretty sunburned, so I’ll probably take it easy tomorrow and enjoy being on island time. I’ll do another snorkeling tour either Thursday or Friday, and that’s all I really know about the remainder of my trip so far. That’s all for now, little Wizards! Another blog post will hopefully be coming in a day or two. This post’s food for thought is a quote I’ve used before, but I just have to use it again because it’s so true: “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”- Freya Stark

See You Soon, Belize!

One of my favorite pictures from round one of South Africa. Can't wait to return to the ocean! 

            Hello again little Wizards. It’s less than 24 hours until I board my flights to Belize, so time for one final blog post! This will probably be a shorter one- like I said, I have less than 24 hours until I leave and I still haven’t packed! It seems like now, at the beginning of each trip that I take, I realize how much I’ve grown and learned throughout my travels. I used to be the girl who started packing a week in advance and would pack seven outfits for a four day trip. Now, I pack the day before leaving and will probably bring three or four outfits for this five day trip. Overpacking is one of the most common beginner travel mistakes- a lot of first time travelers will go on to realize that they don’t need half of what they’re bringing!

            As I mentioned in my last blog post, I’m pretty sure this is the least planned out trip I’ve ever taken, and I’m actually really looking forward to that aspect of it! Just “winging it” can be scary if you’re not an experienced traveler, but now that I have a decent amount of solo travel experience, the idea of not having plans is super freeing. I love the idea of just showing up, walking around the island (fun fact- there are no cars on Caye Caulker), and finding the hidden gems that pretty much all destinations have if you’re willing to look for them. Based on the pictures and videos I’ve seen on Belize, I can predict that the majority of the trip will consist of snorkeling and swimming around the reef, relaxing on the beach, and eating a lot of seafood- and after months of working a lot and not having much relaxation time, that sounds like just what I need!

            I’ve looked up the weather in Belize for the time I’ll be there, and it sounds like just about perfect beach weather- sunny/partly cloudy with temperatures around 80 degrees. I’m definitely packing plenty of high SPF sunscreen since I know I’ll need it. I’ve heard that lobster is one of the main dishes I need to try in Belize, but I’d prefer to not also become a lobster while I’m there!

            It seems like my last couple of blog posts have been on the longer side, and I suppose I should start packing, so I’ll end this post here. I’ll be landing in Belize in just about 24 hours- super excited for my next ocean adventure! This post’s food for thought: “There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.”- Charles Dudley Warner

Exciting News! Next Trip Announcement

            Hello, little Wizards! I know my last post was a really sad one, and like I mentioned at the end of it, I do have another trip coming up- now it’s just a few days off- so it’s time for some happier news! I didn’t mention this here on the blog, but I switched jobs back in September- DEFINITELY the right decision- and because of that I knew that I’d have to focus more on smaller, shorter trips that didn’t involve volunteering or working in other places, but rather just exploring and the more typical style of traveling that I haven’t done a lot of. I’m not saying that I’m giving up volunteering abroad or long term traveling as a whole, it’s just not something that I’ll be able to do for a while. I also knew, of course, that my itchy feet wouldn’t let me go completely travel free for a long time, so back in early March, I booked my flights to my next destination!

            I went back and forth for a while about which country I wanted to visit next. Like I said, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go for a long time so I wanted to pick a place not too far away so it wouldn’t take too long to get there. That meant I mainly had my eye on the Caribbean or Central America. I went to both Costa Rica and Cancun last year (I didn’t blog my trip to Cancun since it was just a vacation and I wanted to disconnect for a while), and while I loved both of those places, I wanted to try somewhere different for this trip. I’ve always really loved the ocean and any destination that gives me access to it is especially appealing in my book. I’d been hearing about Belize from friends and family for a few years- a couple of my zoo friends have been on trips there, and two years ago my sister and brother in law spent their honeymoon there- and some travel Youtubers that I follow have also recently talked about trips there that they’ve loved. I was also considering some other destinations, but after looking up some pictures of Belize and learning that it has the second largest coral reef in the world, I officially made the decision to go there next. Now, two months after booking the flights, the trip is nearly here- I leave in four days!

            Usually before a trip, I’ll post a rough itinerary of what my time there will look like. With this trip, I actually have very little officially planned out, but here’s what I know so far. This upcoming Monday, May 6^th, I fly out of San Antonio a little after noon. After changing planes in Houston, I land in Belize City at 3:45 pm Belize time- they’re one hour earlier than SA time. About an hour later, I have a very small flight- it’s literally scheduled to take ten minutes- from Belize City to Caye Caulker, the island where I’ll be spending the majority of my time in Belize. I’ve booked in for the five nights of my trip at the Travellers Palm Backpackers Hostel in Caye Caulker. This will be the seventh hostel that I’ll be staying at in the nearly four years that I’ve been traveling internationally- I’ve stayed at three in South Africa, one in Peru, one in Costa Rica, and one in Amsterdam. I’ve had a lot of really interesting and memorable experiences while staying in hostels, and overall I’ve really loved my time spent in them- my two favorites would probably be Atlantic Point in Cape Town and Dutchies Hostel in Amsterdam.

            Like I mentioned, I’ll be staying in Belize for five nights, all of them on Caye Caulker. On Saturday, May 11 shortly after noon I’ll be getting another very short flight from Caye Caulker back to Belize City, then flying out of there at 3:45. After again changing planes in Houston, I’ll arrive back home in San Antonio at 10 pm- thankfully I have the next day off work to do some recuperating!

            Other than the flights and hostel stay, I don’t have anything at all booked or officially planned out for my five days in Belize. I’ve done some online research about things to do on Caye Caulker, and written down some recommendations from my sister and brother in law. I think this will probably be a very simple trip- my guess is it’ll consist mostly of swimming in the ocean, snorkeling among sharks (yup, that’s a very popular draw there) and other reef life, and relaxing on the beach. Just based on the pictures I’ve seen on the internet, the water around Belize is some of the clearest, bluest you’ll ever see, and yes, snorkeling among the nurse sharks, rays, sea turtles, manatees, and other ocean life is one of the most popular things to do there. I’ve also gotten recommendations from people about where and what to eat in Belize and other little tips like that, but I think the majority of my time will be spent in and around the water. I’ll be bringing my underwater camera with me on this trip so hopefully I can get some nice pictures to share here in the blog. Obviously, as usual, my laptop will be coming with me and I’ll make at least two or three blog posts during my time there.

            Thinking about my plan for this upcoming trip really makes me think about how I’ve changed and progressed since I first started traveling solo a few years ago. With my first international trip, I had pretty much every detail of those nine weeks planned out- I knew where I was staying for each and every night, what I was going to be doing, how I was going to get from one place to the other, where I needed to be at what time, everything. I thought that was the way to do it. Now, nearly four years and six international trips later, it’s a very different story. I’ve learned that you don’t have to plan out every minute of your trip- and in fact, it’s often best that you don’t. Opportunities pop up all the time while traveling that you don’t foresee, and it’s nice to have the ability to say yes, which you can only do if you aren’t tied down with other plans. Over the past few years, I’ve learned a lot and grown confident enough in being a solo traveler that I find having an open schedule while traveling very freeing rather than scary.

            Well, that’s about all I have to say in this post! Hopefully I’ll make one more blog post before I actually leave for Belize. Four days and counting! This post’s food for thought: “Nostalgia in reverse, the longing for yet another strange land, grows especially strong in spring.”-Vladimir Nabokov