June 15, 2007

From a culinary perspective, it is hard to beat the simple fare at Fran´s Grill on Caye Caulker.

The Grill is really just an outdoor barbecue and a couple of communal picnic tables on the side of the main road.

But these basic amenities don't stop Fran from serving up perfectly grilled fresh seafood of your choosing, along with healthy portions of baked potatoes, garlic bread, coconut rice and veggies, cheese-cake and rum punch. All for $10.

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After crossing the Mexico/Belize border it had been an easy 90 minute drive on the Northern Highway to Belize's capital and largest city, Belize City (pop. 70,000).

The guidebooks say that there is not much to see in Belize City and that it can get sketchy at night.

While it was actually less intimidating than I expected it to be, we did read about a murder being committed in Belize City each day we were in the country.

Nonetheless, we didn’t linger and instead passed through the tiny city that spills with life from every corner, and headed a few miles west to the Old Belize Cucumber Beach Marina, where we made arrangements to park the van for a couple of nights.

We then caught a ride back into town so we could catch the last water taxi of the day (4:30 pm) to Caye Caulker.

Caye Caulker is one of the hundreds of islands that dot the Belizean coast near the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest reef in the world.

As we splashed through the turquoise Caribbean waters on the hour long ride from Belize City, the sun started to wane and the wind whipped hard, but the air was still warm on our faces.

It was one of those quintessential, "It is exhilarating to be on the road/traveling" experiences.

Belize is known as an expensive Central American country so we were happy to find a room in the Barefoot Caribe Hotel for $25/night that had two fans, a bathroom, a TV, and a shared balcony with a slightly obscured water view.

Although very small - the roads are sand and most people use golf carts or bikes to get around - we found enough to do to keep us occupied for four days, which was just long enough to welcome in the start of lobster season on June 15.

Other than Fran's Grill, the highlight of the island for us was a budget-blowing, all-day sailing and snorkeling trip on the Dis and Dat, one of several boats that offer such tours. Reef sharks, the rare manatee, stingrays, barracudas, moray eels, you name it, they were all there for the viewing, followed by freshly-caught conch ceviche, jugs of rum punch and reggae music on the slow sail back to the island.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Ferry to Caye Caulker: $12.50/person
-Barefoot Caribe Hotel: $25/night
-Parking, Old Belize Marina: $5.50/day
-Dinner, Fran's Grill: $10/person
-Snorkeling, Dis and Dat: $45/person