Sailing: Caye Caulker to Dangriga, Belize, January 27-29, 2017

21 passengers and 4 crew left Caye Caulker at 9 am Friday on the Ragga Empress.  We were Americans, Canadians, Germans and Chileans.  Most apparently booked online ahead of time.  I had read about Raggamuffin Tours but only booked while in Caye Caulker, sort of last minute.  Raggamuffin Tours has an excellent reputation, a great crew on board and friendly staff at the office.  The 3 day, 2 night tour cost $400 US and that included 2 nights accommodation, all meals and snacks, snorkeling, fishing, and all the booze you could drink.  The crew was excellent and I would definitely recommend the trip.  

The catamaran we were on easily held the 25 of us-

The Caribbean sea is beautiful and we were pretty much alone the 3 days.  We did see some cruise ships but from a distance.  Being in the middle of nowhere meant the reef was untouched so very healthy.  In some places, you have to lay completely horizontal to get over the coral.  The sponge, coral, plant and fish life was amazing.  So much better than diving at Esmeralda-

We had the opportunity to troll behind the boat.  I caught a small lizard fish that we threw back-

Helmut from Germany, caught 2 barracuda that we enjoyed for supper-

Preparing the barracuda-

The crew bought octopus from a local fisherman for ceviche-

Our first stop was Goff Caye, a super small island.  We walked around it in about 5 minutes.  It made me think of Le Petit Prince and all the different planets he visited.  There's not much there but day trips from Caulker come for the sun-

We went snorkelling on the reef numerous times: Gallows Point Reef and Southern Long Caye Channel and it just got better and better-

I probably saw most of these!

We were on the lookout for conch so we could have another great ceviche.  We found lots - they are really slimy and creepy looking but delicious-

The sharp pointy thing on the top is the fingernail and it feels just like one-

We collected quite a few for a great feast-

Chris ate the penis to gross us out.  It was a clear, rubbery, long skinny thing that's supposed to be an aphrodisiac-

Our first night was on Rendezvous Caye-

where we tented.  I had a horrible sleep-

After a great breakfast on day two, we stopped on Tobacco Caye for a half hour visit.  The sea wall is made of conch shells-

Watching a stingray slip away-

and chasing a dolphin-

Ragga Caye is the private island of Raggamuffin Tours.  We had the option to tent (no thanks) or stay in  beautiful cabanas complete with bathroom for a mere $100 US extra-

Or we could stay for free in the dorms-

I stayed here all by myself.  I had the best sleep listening to the Caribbean waves-

The dining hall on Ragga Caye comes complete with wifi.  It's absolutely amazing to me how good wifi is almost everywhere-

Supper was lobster.  There was more than one for each of us.  It costs $14.42/pound-

Day 3 started with a visit to Bird Caye, where frigates and boobies live.  They were brought from the Galapagos for research purposes.  Today, for whatever reason, they just hang out on this small island-

There are many boobys-

Male frigates have red breasts and females have white-

After Bird Caye, we went looking for manatees.  We saw quite a few but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture.  They live 60-80 years, weigh 200-800 pounds, eat 1/3 of their body weight everyday, feed on grass beds, can hold their breath for 25 minutes and are super docile. 

The Ragga Empress has two sails and two motors.  We probably only actually sailed about half the time because the winds weren't strong enough to move us very quickly-

The front of the boat has a trampoline for relaxing-

And the back has lots of room too-

The kitchen/dining room is quite large-

The weather was great so we didn't spend any time here.  It was a work area for the crew-

who shared the duties:  cooking, cleaning, fishing, preparing snorkel gear, snacks, rum punch, water, juices and driving.  We were treated like royalty!  Elio and Linthon did a lot of the cooking and cleanup.

Our crew was fabulous:  Chris, Elio, Fernando - who lives on Ragga Caye, Linthon and Captain Chris looked after us really well-

To complete the trip, two lanchas took us from Ragga Caye to Dangriga.  It was a rough and wet 25 minute ride-

Dangriga is a rubby town along the coast.  The people are noticeably darker than in Caye Caulker, more Garafuna.  It's Sunday so it's most people's day off so quite normal just to be hanging out-

I caught the 6 pm bus from Dangriga to Placencia where I'll spend the next 5 nights.  The bus was packed and unfortunately all the way was dark so I didn't see anything.  Once in Placencia and after I found Sailfish Resort, I had to ring a doorbell that's connected to the bar so they would come across a 60 foot stream of water to transport me to the hotel!  

Looking forward to more sun and fun for the next few days!

Caye Caulker, January 24-26, 2017

My days are basically the same.  I wake up early, make coffee, read the Star Phoenix (don't ask me why), go for a walk, find breakfast or make it, lay on the dock or the beach, maybe get wet if I get too hot, eat lunch, read a book, lay some more on the deck, go for another walk, have a beer or two, go for another walk, go to bed.  Not too exciting but I'm taking the motto of Caulker to heart:  Go slow!

I have, however, seen a few interesting things.  

The owner of the Roughrider Inn is from Regina but not here right now-

I also found another Rider No Trespassing sign.  The couple that lives there is from Saskatoon and have built 3 minimalist houses to rent out to friends and family.  Also, while buying coffee grounds for the journey ahead, I visited with the former director of education of Compton, California!  I know Nico would have been over the moon to meet him!  Nico used to have on his FB page that he was from Compton High.  The director had 1800 teachers working for him and only 2 were white.  The only part that wasn't 'true' in the movie was the bussing.  No one in Compton gets bussed.  In L.A., yes but not in Compton.  I've not seen the movie so I can't comment.  It's such a cool world.  

The Iguana Reef Inn cultivates sea horses.  They were either yellow or grey.  I've never seen one before so this was pretty special.  They grow to 6 or 7 inches and live 4 to 6 years, according to the guide at the resort-

The Queen Conch is a large edible sea snail that lives inside this beautiful shell.  They have a large muscular foot that they use to slide around the ocean floor.  Only one in 10,000 produce a pearl so needless to say, pearls are very rare.  It takes 3 to 5 years for a conch to become an adult.  The shell grows 3 inches every year.  Adults mate during July to October.  Females lay 300,000 eggs on the beach in sacs and multiple males fertilize the eggs.  During the first year of life, the babies bury themselves in the sand to grow their shell.  A conch can live up to 40 years if it's left alone.  Conch is on the menu today but it is illegal during the reproductive months (July - October).  Shells are plentiful on Caulker-

Tomorrow I leave with Raggamuffin Tours on a 3 day, 2 night sailing trip to Dangriga, Belize.  Activities on the boat include fishing - with rods and spears, helping to sail, snorkeling, eating and drinking.  I am very excited!

Caye Caulker, January 21, 2017

Caulker is basically a one street town-

with hotels and shops on one side and the ocean-

on the other.  There are actually 3 streets running the length of the island with homes, apartments and probably lower priced hotels back from the water.  There is even an airstrip!

There is a bank, 6 grocery stores, a bakery, numerous restaurants of all caliber and cultures, street vendors, food carts and my favorite-

During the day, I swim, read, go for walks and eat.  It's pretty laid back to say the least.  During the day, it's about 30 degrees but there is always a breeze that helps.  The water is clear and warm and the floor of the ocean is sandy.  I've met quite a few people staying at Blue Wave - lots from Canada but so far I haven't met anyone from Saskatchewan.

I ate at Pasta Per Caso, an Italian place that offers one meat and one vegetarian pasta choice as well as a salad that changes nightly.  The wine was good but cost $9.33 for 4.5 ounces!  I couldn't believe the small quantity in the glass when the waitress brought it out!  The food was good but I really liked the lights-

hanging above the tables!

Looking forward to a couple dives tomorrow! 

Caye Caulker, Belize, January 18-29, 2017

Breakfast was at Nerie's, known for the best rice and beans in all of Belize!  The flat jacks are also pretty good, sort of like a spud nut!  For breakfast yet!

The National Museum of Belize has a great slavery exhibit and I learned a lot.  

Manufactured goods such as weapons, gun powder, iron pots, glass beads and textiles were taken from Europe to Africa where they were traded for slaves, gold and spices.  Then, those goods were traded in the Caribbean for raw materials such as timber, sugar, rum, tobacco and cotton which were taken back to Europe for use in manufacturing-

The museum was the former jail so the display rooms are cells-

A cell door-

Leaving Central Africa, slaves were squished into boats.  Every man was supposed to have 6 feet by 1 foot 4 inches, every woman 5 feet by 1 foot 4 inches and every boy 5 feet by 1 foot 2 inches but this rarely happened.  Usually they had to lie down spooning naked and were chained on top of their urine, feces and vomit for the two to three month voyage!  The ships were called "Slavers" and were licensed not to exceed 350 slaves but usually there were at least 800 on board.  Slaves were delivered to Jamaica and Bermuda.

An advertisement for a forthcoming slave auction in Jamaica-

There were three tiers in British Honduras, as Belize was formerly called:

     Elite

     Colored = Poor whites = Free blacks

     Slaves

The Elite made up laws, including the Location Laws (1765-1787).  Of course the laws favored the Elites and gave them rights to accrue large tracts of land.  One of the laws required applicants to own at least "four able Negro men slaves" if they wanted to qualify for Mahogany works.  They already owned a lot of land, so getting into the mahogany business was just the next step.  

Slaves were emancipated August 1,1838 but before that, there was an apprenticeship period of 4 years (1834-1838) when the Masters 'taught' the slaves how to be free.  Of course, this just meant maintaining control for 4 more years.  Once free, they had no other way to make a living, so most continued working for the Elite for poor wages.  Eventually a proper labor system was developed:  work hours, salaries and eventually the Trade Union Movement. 

The museum also has a huge stamp collection-

And a permanent Maya display.  I really liked that part too because I saw some real artifacts from Caracol. This necklace is carved from shell, pyrite and jade and dates to the Late Classic Period-

Earflares, made of jade, were worn in the earlobe of Elites during rituals.  This particular pair is very large and date from the Classical Period (300-600 A.D.)-

The Altun Ha jade head is the crown jewel of Belize.  It was discovered in 1968 in a tomb along with flints, ceramic pots, shell ornaments and the remains of an elderly male.  It's believed to be from 600 - 650 A.D. - 

It weighs 9.75 pounds and is 6 inches tall.  It's the largest single carved piece of jade in Central America.  It has crossed eyes, fang-like things on either side of the mouth and the Ahau glyph on the forehead.  All of this identifies it as a precedent action of the Maya sun god Kinich Ahau who was one of the most important deities in the Maya world.  It was carved with stone tools and would have taken many months, possibly years to make.  It's carved from one solid piece of jade.  The head is still the most important icon to the Beliziens and can be found on the currency-

Leaving the museum, I passed a typical school.  I've seen quite a few and they are either Baptist or Roman Catholic-

I boarded a small boat for Caye Caulker-

45 minutes later-

I'm staying at the Blue Wave Guest House and have a great room, again on a corner so I have air flow on 2 sides.  If I turn my bed-

I will see-

I wandered around town, which isn't very big, checking out dive shops and finally had lunch: fried conch and fresh watermelon juice-

I also came across the 'pie woman' and had a great piece of chocolate/coconut-

She is very famous!  Anyone who's been here knows her!

I ran into Dave and Bill, my two American friends.  They're staying next door and planning to dive The Blue Hole on Friday.  Hmmmmm.....

There isn't a lot to do here so it might be a few days between posts.  I leave for Placencia January 29th so......