Travel Tips

The boat trip from Caye Caulker to Belize city was a bit chilly but it was stunning as we zoomed between the mangroves with huge flocks of birds flying out as we passed. The dock at the swing bridge was filled with fishing boats, each with about 4 canoes pile dup on the sides – I guess this is for laying the fishing nets.
We got a taxi to Novelos. Again we realized we should have got the first boat as the connecting bus from Dangriga to Hopkins was only at 5pm, we had missed the earlier one. We had an hour to wait and then did a mad dash for the bus, there were so many people but we managed to get seats. There is no space under the bus to but bags so we had to take then on with us and there is a space at the back of the bus to stash them. The bus was very basic, no aircon, plastic seats and crowded and it is quite a bone jarring ride, you would never imagine these big buses could go so fast as well!!
When we got to Belmopan more people got on than got off so the aisles were packed. The so-called express bus seemed to stop all along the way so we soon emptied out a bit, luckily it was very hot. The road between Belmopan and Dangriga is called the Hummungbird highway and is beautiful… mountains covered in palm forests with orange groves at the base, it was so lush and tropical. When we got to Dangriga we decided to geta taxi to Hopkins instead of staying overnight.

Hopkins is a small fishing village on a lovely beach. It does not cater to tourists particularly, it is an authentic Garifuna village, rundown and dilapidated but that is half the charm. There are places to stay and restaurants but it is not geared to just tourists the way the Cayes are. We got a really nice beach cabana (whispering seas vacation inn), the owners are very nice and they have lots of advice to give. We finally got to see CNN and the news about the Tsunami. I sat there with tears streaming down my face. We got to see the devastation on Phi Phi and Phuket which I know are the least devastated but because we have been there and loved Phi Phi so much it is pretty heart breaking to see that is hardly even exists anymore.

We later took a walk along the one village road and came back along the beach with the sun setting behind us. It is a huge bay with a narrow palm fringed beach. The sand is fairly coarse and the waves are so small its like being on a large lake. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of debris and rubbish on the beach. We met some students who were with a non profit organisation from the US to clean up the beach and school play ground.

At the hotel restaurant you get whatever Peta decides to cook that night, very homely! We had curried chicken which was delicious and so beautifully presented.