More POWER OUTAGES in effect for San Pedro Town

**Revised** Scheduled Outages for San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

• Thursday, April 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. Areas to be affected: All that area including Angel Coral Street, Coconut Drive, Sea Grape Drive, San Marcos Area, DFC Area, Escalante Subdivision, Holiday Lands and Boca Ciega Area.
• Thursday, April 22nd from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Areas to be affected: All of Barrier Reef Drive, Angel Coral Drive, San Marcos Area, DFC Area and a portion of Sea Grape Drive.
• Friday, April 23rd from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. Areas to be affected: All that area from Laguna Drive to Boca del Rio including North San Pedro and Pescador Drive.

BEL apologizes for any inconvenience caused by these outages and assures customers that the Company continues to work diligently at minimizing interruptions. These outages are necessary for the company to carry out maintenance works on the distribution system in the area.

GOB negotiates to regain ownership of Los Salones Caye

Little cayes dot the leeward side of Ambergris Caye, a beautiful and serene location that without a doubt rivals the pristine quality of the coral reef environment of the windward side. This area has for years been a haven for migratory and resident bird species, providing a critical nesting and feeding habitat. As tour guides visit the area, as fishermen traverse the lagoon side, much activity taking place in the cayes have for months raised questions and eyebrows as to the ownership of the cayes, in particular Los Salones.

Green Reef signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Belize Audubon Society for the management of two bird sanctuaries (Los Salones and Little Guana Caye) in April of 1998. With financial assistance from a Protected Area Conservation Trust (PACT) grant. Green Reef compiled a management plan for the sanctuary. Work soon began and Green Reef proceeded to carry out bird and vegetation field surveys of both sanctuaries and it became obvious how important the surrounding cayes were to the successful survival of birds in that area.

However, as survey pegs were established in that area as of last year, questions began arising across the community on whether the bird sanctuaries had been sold. Speculation abounds and in order to get answers, The San Pedro Sun had an interview with Area Representative of Belize Rural South Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr. who made the clarification.

Indeed, Los Salones has fallen under private hands and no longer belongs to the people of Belize. The private investor received Los Salones as part of compensation given to him for previous land purchased. When the previous property was discovered to have had actual ownership, the past administration compensated said investor with portions of land spanning across Ambergris Caye. Part of the portions of land compensated included Los Salones spanning 60 acres, according to Honorable Heredia, as well as two adjoining shoals (sandbar) spanning 10 acres each.

Honorable Heredia and the investor have been in constant communication trying to remedy the situation and return Los Salones and the shoals to the Belizean people. It has to be a trade for trade. It’s not what we can give them, it’s what we can agree mutually, explained Honorable Heredia. There is not much government land left to compensate him with. As an investor, he also has to look at the value of what the exchange will be.

When asked what land was being considered for compensation, Honorable Heredia explained that the land being discussed was the only government land available across the Belize Water Services Limited pond on southern San Pedro Town. That part of low land that lies over there, that is the area where we are trying to see if we can reach a compromise with the investor. It’s the only area that remains government land which can be handed over as compensation. If we accrue the value of the three pieces of property in question, the 20 acres in shoals and the 60 acres of Los Salones, that value would be far more than the land which we are considering in compensating him for, stated Honorable Heredia.

The matter remains under discussion between Government and the private investor. The San Pedro Sun will continue following the story and will release more information as the deal gets finalized.
SOURCE: The San Pedro Sun Newspaper

Take the Challenge! Join the Eco-Challenge 2010

The paddlers are off! The Lagoon-Reef Eco-Challenge kicked off this morning at 6:30a.m. A large crowd gathered at the lagoon to cheer for all the paddlers who took the grueling two-day challenge of kayaking around the northern part of the island and back to town the next day. Twenty two teams are participating in this years challenge. This year, take the challenge by its horns! This 42 mile race is a yearly event that is filled with excitement!

It's a Birthday Celebration at the Bikini Bar tonite!

Officials attempt to remove barge from reef

Pics taken off the San Pedro Sun. Island Newspaper

There is a barge lodged on the reef near Ambergris Caye. The barge is estimated to be 30 feet by 23 feet in size and is currently stuck on the reef some eight miles north of San Pedro Town near Blue Reef Resort. With the wave actions, the barge turned upside down and lodged itself where it remains tonight. Authorities believe that it happened sometime during the course of last night since residents travelling in the area, state that the vessel was not there yesterday. Port Authority, Coast Guard and the Department of the Environment has been on the scene since morning investigating the incident. Earl Valerio is the Head of the Port Authority Office in San Pedro Town and told us more.


Earl Valerio; Head, Port Authority Office

“We were trying to get it off the reef. We are trying to separate the sections of the barge because it has three sections. They have cut some of the metal that holds the barge together; there was a section that was under water. It was cut with a hag saw. It looks like it floated in because it is sitting firmly on the reef and there are some cuts on the top part of the barge. It has no markings on it. The barges in Belize are marked; they have some markings with numbers and sometimes the name of the mother ship on them but that barge has no marking on it. We are only speculating but maybe it broke away from a bigger convoy and then floated into Belize. It is highly unlikely that it belongs to a Belizean because where it is lodged right now it seems as though it floated out from the high seas and landed directly on the reef.”

The barge has no markings and authorities believe that it is a part of a larger vessel that may have drifted in the open waters outside of Ambergris Caye. Authorities are working in dismantling then removing the barge before it causes more damage to the reef.

LoveFM

Sportfishing law to be amended

The enacted Sport Fishing Law has stirred quite a controversy in the past few weeks nationwide. From North to South, people have voiced their concerns about the Law. In San Pedro Town, the San Pedro Tour Guide Association has taken a stand, in conjunction with other related agencies countrywide, and circulated a petition which will be delivered to the Ministry of Fisheries. Signatures were requested up to March 10th and according to Billy Leslie, President, over 1,000 people placed their names on the dotted lines. Strong voices that are standing together for one purpose which will be made clear in a draft of suggested amendments which will be presented to Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI).

A press release issued by CZMAI has recognized the fact that amendments need to be made. A press release was issued on Thursday, March 11th stating the following: The Coastal Zone Management Authority wishes to inform the public about certain changes that will soon be made to the new Sport Fishing legislation, S.I 115 of 2009.
    The term ‘Sport Fishing’ will now be amended to define in more detail what sport fishing is and those groups that will be required to hold sport fishing licenses.
    A Sport Fishing license will now be needed by two main groups of fishermen. Visitors (non-Belizeans, non-permanent residents), and Sport fishermen (Belizean or otherwise) who are looking to target the main Sport Fish species as listed in the Fisheries legislation (S.I.114 of 2009).
    Exemptions are now being granted to all tour guides of Belize who possess a valid tour guide license upon application to the CZMA. Consideration is now being taken for full exemption for these tour guides.
    In an effort to stimulate the love of fishing in our young people children under the age of 16 and ease the burden on elderly persons over the age of 65, exemptions for these two groups of anglers will also now be granted.

    Exemptions will also now be granted to anglers who are simply fishing from a dock or pier as well as those who are fishing from the sea shore.
    Another amendment to S.I. 115 of 2009 will only require the angler that is fishing to hold a sport fishing license. Other passengers who are not fishing will not need a sport fishing license.
    The CZMAI remains committed to working closely with all stakeholders to allow for a smooth implementation of the new regulations.
    Any questions about these new changes can be forwarded to the CZMA offices on Princess Margaret Dr. in Belize City or telephones: 501-223-0719, 501-223-5739 or 501-223-2616.
San Pedro Sun

San Pedro raises Over $50K+ for EarthQuake victims

In an effort to aide the victims of the 7.1 Magnitude Eartquake that devastate Haiti, Ambergris Caye residents stepped up to the plate once again. With a community effort, the Reef Radio in San Pedro, in collaboration with the San Pedro Red Cross, conducted a Radiothon yesterday morning, asking island residents to extend their kind monetary donations. “$50,103 has been raised for Haiti earthquake victims,” states Eiden Salazar of the Reef Radio at 5:00p.m. “Thanks San Pedro, and God bless everyone for your contributions. More donations are still coming in!” says Salazar.

House Hunters International features dream home in Belize

Amber is a very busy business woman from San Diego who is looking for a second home in Belize, Central America. She had traveled to Ambergris Caye in the past, and knew she wanted her first vacation home to be on the island and turn-key.  Click on link to see Part 1 of 2





The three condos that Amber has chosen to view are at Sueno del Mar, Brahma Blue Island Oasis, and Coco Beach, all located within Ambergris Caye, Belize. House Hunters, Belize Part 2 of 2

Christmas Island Show at the Bikini Bar beachfront!

On December 24th, the beachfront at Big Daddy's will come alive in christmas spirit and holiday cheer! The Bikini Bar is having its first Christmas Island Show where X-mas Carols, Belizean music and dance are the order of the day! Plenty of prizes and giveaways will be given out the brave children who get on the mic and sing a christmas tune and carols. Music will be provided by Fiya Links and the Punta Boyz! There will be plenty to eat and drink, so bring the family along! We will have beach games such as table checkers, beer pong, corn hole and much more.... FREE on the beach!! Happy Holidays and a Prosperous 2010 from the Bikini Bar Staff!!

Panama Artists to perform on La Isla for reggaeton concert!

Directly from Panama, the Dancehall Duo, La Factoria will be on the island entertaining fans on December 19th. The spectacular show has already been booked and the headliners are eager to visit La Isla Bonita. Having topped the charts worldwide, it is expected that their performance will be one to remember. They Duo will arrive on the island on midday today and are expected to ber bombarded by their fans.

Ticket sales for the show have been going well and prices are as follows: Children – $20 (advance) $30 (at the door); Adults – $50 (advance) $60 (at the door). Tickets are available Sundancer, Reef Radio and Stadium Sports Bar.

Annual Boat Parade on Saturday!! Don't Miss it!

A must event for ALL of Belize and every one visiting Belize! Now in its 4th year, the San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade brings a wonderful night to San Pedro with lighted boats decorated in themes that rival some of the best landlubber parade "floats" - no fake floats here, our parade "floats" truly float with some of the most artistic designs on each boat.

The nighttime flotilla of brightly decorated boats has become a premier event to kick off the holiday season. Free to the public, the shores will be lined with happy viewers watching the equally enthusiastic boaters compete for both trophies and prize money!
 

This year's festivities include the wonderful viewing of the lighted boats, Santa visiting the docks with goodies, face painting, DJ Debbie spining the evening's music, the Lion's Club hosting the bar, awards and more - Let the kids get their picture taken with Santa. We will also have a variety of Children's Games with Lots of Prizes! Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy a family night out and kick off the holidays in style!

 

Read more at http://www.sanpedroboatparade.com/

AIDS Solidarity Walk this Sunday!

AIDS Solidarity Walk this Sunday

The San Pedro AIDS Commission invites all youths, families, schools, organizations, businesses - EVERYONE to its Annual AIDS Solidarity Walk in commemoration of World AIDS Day. The walk will commence from Central Park on Sunday, November 29th at 9:00 a.m. and will go through the principal streets of town. The Solidarity Walk will culminate with an HIV/AIDS fair at Central Park with information booths, food sale, rapid HIV testing, music and more!Everyone is invited to participate in this endeavor as we march for one common good; to reduce the stigma and discrimination of HIV/AIDS.

San Pedro Garifuna Calender of Events

San Pedro National Garifuna Council Calendar of Events 2009

- Friday November 13th, 2009:

*All day Huduth Sale @ 11:00am to 6:00pm

*Cultural Foods fundraising, Cultural Drumming

-Saturday November 14th, 2009:

*Uraga Night / Garifuna king @ 7:00pm

*Story telling night

*The Mr. Garifuna Competition at the Lions Den

-Sunday November 15th, Monday November 16th 2009:

*Garifuna Awareness day @ 10:00am to 5:00 pm

*Cultural Garifuna Exhibition

*Drumming at Central Park Palapa

- Tuesday November 17th, 2009:

*School Talent Show @ 7:00pm

*Cultural talent show at the Lions Den

- Wednesday November 18, 2009:

*Battle of the Drums / all night drumming. @ 7:00pm

*Cultural night Show at central park

*Jankunu Dancers from Dangriga

*Live band Punta rock music

- Thursday November 19th, 2009:

*Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations / Award ceremonies @ 2:00 pm

*The reenactment of the Garinagu, arriving to Belize @ 6:00 am

*Cultural Parade around San Pedro Town

*Live Band Punta rock music

*Cultural Activities at the Central Park

Rapper Busta Rhymes 'Shines' in San Pedro

Moses Leviy or Shyne as he is known celebrated his 31st birthday yesterday. Reports are that he did it with family and close friends in his penthouse at the Renaissance Towers. Two of those close friends were rap star Busta Rhymes and Hot-97 deejay from New York City Angie Martinez.


They arrived on Saturday and flew straight to the La Perla Resort in North San Pedro. They returned to Belize City Sunday for what one family member described as a quiet and emotional dinner. Busta Rhymes and Angie Martinez made an appearance on Wave Radio last night. Before leaving yesterday he told Wave Radio why he came to visit Shyne.

Busta Rhymes, Visiting Shyne

“I just came out here to support my man Shyne and you know, just show and see him after this long stretch. The last time we saw him, we know it was in New York, it was winter time, it was cold, it was ten years ago so I just wanted to come out here and show love to the brother and make sure the people understood that the support for him is extremely importantly, especially at this time.

He is an incredible, number one. Number two, I think he has a greater purpose than just music. It is obvious what he is doing, running around speaking to the kids, trying to bring a whole another life to the city. You can see he is bringing people like us to the city.

We coming back in a couple of weeks because I am coming back for several reasons. I am coming back to spend more time, I am coming back to again visit my brother Shyne, and I am also just coming back to just enjoy the country a little bit longer because the trip was brief, I want to come back and sponge some of the culture a little more.”

Busta was very friendly with the locals on Saturday in San Pedro and after a quick interaction with his fans at the Tropic Air terminal he headed to BC’s Bar where he enjoyed a Belikin Beer while he waited for his skiff to take him up to his resort in North Ambergris Caye.

Seafood cook-off a succulent success!

The Lime Bar held its fourth installment of their cook-offs this past Friday night. The menu for the nights cook-off was strictly seafood. Seafood lovers and chefs put their best dish to test, whipping up their best flavors, sauces and spices. Despite the inclement weather, a hand full of people came out for the tasting. At only $10 Belize, attendees were able to sample all dishes and ate 'til yu belly full'. It was a great success for the Lime Bar who graciously donated the proceeds of the night to New Horizon School.

YUMMMM....the seafood fare was magical....finger lickin' good! Cant wait for the next cook-off, Sharon! What will it be??!!

Reward!!! For Info on Fugitive!

If seen, you are asked to contact the nearest police station!

FOTHS Calender Launched!

What do you need for the perfect party? Free beer, free burgers, free hot dogs and balloons? Or how about a group of sexy men and women? Or maybe some great music, fun games and fantastic prizes? Even better – what if it is all for a good cause?
On Sunday the 4th of October, Friends of the Humane Society (FOTHS) will be hosting the launch of their 2010 Humane Society Calendar at Lime Bar and Grill (opposite Tropic Air Terminal) from 12 noon until 6pm. The calendar features some of San Pedro’s most gorgeous pet owners posing for glamorous shots with their pets to help raise money for the SAGA Humane Society.
The calendar sells for $20, but especially for the launch, every calendar sold will include a choice of a free beer, free burger or free hotdog. Special preview copies of the calendar have been viewed and comments include ‘Wow – That’s hot!’, ‘Holy Moly!’ and ‘I’ll take ten please!’, so you are sure not to be disappointed.
With lovely ladies, bare chested boys and their adorable pets featured throughout, the calendar has something for everyone. The stunning shots were taken by Conch Creative and are all glossy and beautiful black and white portraits. The calendar is tasteful and makes a great Christmas present as not only does it show off the models and their pets but shows off some of the best of San Pedro.
Don’t miss this chance to have a great day out with free beer, burgers, hot dogs and the most gorgeous party crowd on Ambergris Caye. For more information or to donate a prize call Lime Bar & Grill on 226 4152.

For more information contact Sharon Boyd at Lime Bar & GrillPhone: 226 4152Email: fothsbelize@gmail.com
Calendar models will be available for photographs throughout the event.

Food Cook-off - The Belizean Way!

The Lime Bar's trend of hosting cook-offs has been the buzz around Town for some time, and on Friday hosted yet another spectacular culinary cook-off. This time, Belizean Cuisine was the subject of scrutiny as over ten culinary enthusiats took to the challenge to dish out their best Belizean meal. Food critics and those that stopped by for the benefit tasted food such as salbutes, black bean soup, beef enchiladas to delcious chicken tamales. The number 1 dish was the overall winner which were the Salbutes from El Fogon, Miss Susana won an green Ipod Shuffle!

yummo....
Over ten dishes were submitted

(Pics courtesy BoydiesBlog)

Lime raised over $500bz for Foths/Saga Humane Society which was ok as it was a quieter time of year and had been Independence day so a busy week for drinking and partying. The next cook off will be Friday 16th October and is likely to be a pizza one as that has been requested many times and there are a few out there that can go against each other and prove who really has the best pizza in San Pedro.

Diving the Great Blue Hole, Belize

Article in an Australian Paper on diving the Great Blue Hole, March, 2001

Deep and meaningful ... the Blue Hole is a wonder of nature, formed when subterranean caverns collapsed thousands of years ago. There are some phrases designed to put you at ease when you're 50 kilometres offshore and about to dive deeper than you've ever been before. "Don't worry about the sharks" is not one of them. Alex, our dive master, a softly smiling Belizean, quickly explained.

The sharks swimming alongside us would be of the harmless Caribbean reef variety. They might look intimidating, but they were just being inquisitive. No, really. They were so laid back you'd think they were listening to Bob Marley. Alex was briefing us before we set out to explore one of the world's great dive sites, the Blue Hole, off the coast of Belize. Don't feel too guilty if you don't know where Belize is. Most people don't. It's one of the world's smallest democracies, only 10 times the size of the ACT, with a population of 200,000, sandwiched between Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Many people still know it better by its former colonial name, British Honduras. Which makes it an oddity in the region: the only country in Central America where the official language is English, not Spanish. For most of its history, it has been content to be a backwater, not quite sure whether it was Central American or Caribbean.

But recently it has been put on the tourist map, for two reasons: regular flights from American cities such as Los Angeles and Miami, and the fact that the world's second largest barrier reef (after Australia's) lies in its territorial waters. Even further out to sea are three coral atolls, the Turneffe Islands, Lighthouse Reef and Glover Reef, which, in turn, means that Belize has some of the best deep-sea fishing and scuba diving on the planet. It was the diving which had lured us and, in particular, the Blue Hole. To reach it, we had set off at 5.30 am from Ambergris Caye, the palm-frocked island which doubles as the country's main tourist centre, in a threateningly small twin-engine speedboat. For two hours, the nine divers in our group had been buffeted as Alex negotiated a route through the relatively sheltered waters of the mangrove-fringed Turneffe Islands before hitting the rolling waves of an open ocean. Yet any discomfort was quickly put aside as Alex moored our boat on one of the permanent anchoring chains and we were able to see the Blue Hole for the first time.

From the surface, it looks mightily impressive: a dark blue doughnut the size of a football pitch, surrounded by the lighter turquoise waters of the Caribbean. The real majesty, however, is only apparent when you plunge many metres below. For the Blue Hole is a wonder of nature, formed 15,000 years ago when an ice age exposed the limestone beneath the reef and formed huge subterranean caverns. After the ice age, the rising water level forced the roof of the cave to collapse, forming a sink hole which plunges down 140 metres. Jacques Cousteau first popularised this dive in 1970, and what has drawn his disciples here ever since are the unusual features which cling to an overhanging remnant of the old cave: massive submarine stalactites, great columns of rock formed before the ocean encroached.

Alex's briefing was firm. To see the stalactites, we had to get below the overhang - and that was 40 metres deep. For safety's sake, we would have to descend very quickly. The group could not afford any stragglers since that would use up valuable air and bottom time. If you couldn't make it down to the 40 metres within the allotted three minutes, Alex's colleague would escort you back to the surface to snorkel while the rest of the party carried on. No ifs, no buts. So, with some nervousness, we rolled off the boat. Alex had warned that the initial 18 metres would be quite murky, but it cleared as soon as we reached the top edge of the wall, and we were suddenly confronted with a seemingly bottomless void of the most beautiful blues.

Better still, all nine of us were there to enjoy it. In unison, we sank ever deeper into the void. Long before the three minutes were up, our gauges were reading 40 metres, yet the temptation - as Alex had foretold - was to drop even deeper. Fortunately, the mysteries of the overhang were now revealed, and we took turns swimming through the maze of stalactite sculptures. On cue, we were joined by four or five Caribbean reef sharks, each one about 2.5 metres long. It's not easy to know whether people are smiling when they are wearing diving masks and their lips are fish-mouthed around regulators, but I swear all nine of us were. Certainly, by the time we were back on the boat, having slowly ascended through our safety stops, we were all stumbling over our words about what a magical experience it had been.
Not that our exploring was over for the day. Our next two dives took us to the other highlight of Lighthouse Reef, Half Moon Caye. Apart from being one of the most celebrated wall dives in the Caribbean, Half Moon Caye has some of the most unusual bird life. While our divemasters cooked lunch on the island - the Belizean favourite, chicken, rice and beans - we set off on foot to a little wooden observatory tower where we were able to watch the large colony of red-footed boobies, which are as exotic-looking as they sound. Most tourists to Belize are drawn by the diving, snorkelling, fishing and other water sports to be found on the cayes which lie off the mainland. The word, pronounced "key", comes from the Spanish "cayo", meaning low-lying island, and there are 175 altogether, many of them little more than sandbars with just mangrove trees and birds.

Essentially, there are two main groups of tourists to Belize: affluent Americans, who see it as a cheaper, and less spoilt, version of the Bahamas, or backpackers of every nationality who are travelling through Central America and see it as a perfect spot for some R and R. Neither group is disappointed, and neither will you be, provided you understand it is the simpler pleasures that are on offer here. Those seeking sophistication should head elsewhere. That's what the Spanish conquistadors did five centuries ago. Finding nothing to plunder, they left it largely alone, which turned out to be a mistake when, in the 17th century, it became a base for the pirates and buccaneers who made their fortunes plundering the treasure ships of the Spanish Main. Belize City, with its safe harbour, became one of the chief ports of iniquity in the Caribbean, until the whole province was snatched from the Spanish by the British in 1862, becoming one of the most obscure colonies of the empire. So it uneventfully remained until 1981, when it became an independent democracy.

All this makes Belize very different from its neighbours. There have been none of the coups or revolutions which have bedevilled the region, and the stable currency, pegged to the US dollar, means that it is much more expensive than the bargain-basement republics around it (expect to pay Australian prices). The main difference, of course, is that English is the official language, although many Belizeans converse in a singsong patois that is a cross between English and their native creole. By and large, visitors either decide to spend their time on the cayes or on the mainland. We chose the cayes, although the mainland, a mixture of lush farmland and rampant wilderness, has much to offer. The Maya Mountains, which run along the border with Guatemala, are covered in dense rainforest, streams and rivers, and are so rugged that the area was used as the jungle training ground of the British SAS. Forests, which used to be plundered by loggers, are now being cherished as a tourism asset, with the growth of a number of eco-lodges and wildlife sanctuaries.

Just as exotic as any wildlife are the large number of Mennonites who fled religious persecution in Europe and now farm much of the land around the country's new capital, Belmopan. You can see them at work in their fields, dressed in their dungarees, or sitting in their horse-drawn carts, looking for all the world like characters from the Harrison Ford film Witness. And if that's not enough, you can always visit some of the 600 ancient ruins left by the Mayan civilisation, the most celebrated being the temple complex at Caracol.

However, don't reserve too many hours for Belize City itself. Despite its colourful history, there is little left of any great moment. Battered over the years by one hurricane after another (which is why the capital was moved to Belmopan), it has a down-at-heel atmosphere which falls short of faded charm. Tourist muggings, once common, have been curtailed by the presence of special tourist police who patrol the main part of town. But, even so, Belize City is a place most travellers stay in no longer than necessary, which is usually the time it takes to travel from the airport or the bus stations to the quaint terminal from which ferries speed them to the outlying cayes.

The two main destinations are the two largest cayes, Caulker and Ambergris. Caulker - motto, "no shirt, no problem" - is the smaller, and the closer to Belize City, about 40 minutes away by motor boat. The charm of the island, and the islanders, was apparent as soon as we began to explore. Not that there is much to explore. The entire island is barely 7.5 kilometres long, and 1.5 kilometres wide. There are only three streets - imaginatively called Front Street, Back Street, and Middle Street - and none of them is any grander than a simple sand track since the only vehicles on the island are motorised golf carts, which double as delivery vans and taxis. We had no trouble finding a room in a beachfront hotel and then relaxed over a lunch of fish tortillas at a restaurant over the lagoon. Caulker is an unhurried, take-us-as-you-find-us place. There is not very much - a few bars, restaurants selling fresh lobster and conch, an Internet cafe, an American deli and stalls offering snorkel trips, dives, ferry rides and cycle hire (though why you would want to hire a cycle when you walk the island in half an hour is mystifying). The locals seem to typify the best side of the Caribbean - warm, friendly, welcoming, laid back with a minimum of the hassle that has taken over other Caribbean cultures. One of them cheerfully chastised us with the words: "Hey, mon! You're walking too fast. This is Caulker, slow down!" We found it so enchanting we were reluctant to move, but after a couple of days we took the morning speedboat to Ambergris, 25 minutes away. It differs from the other cayes in that it is not really an island; the northern end was actually attached to Mexico until the Mayans built a canal to separate it from the mainland. It is also more developed, a fact that became apparent as our boat cruised past a ribbon of 30 or 40 hotels which line the main beachfront leading up to the main town, San Pedro. There are plenty of visitors who find San Pedro already a little too developed.

Yet it's not Mexico's Cancun; for the time being, the streets are still made of sand and the main form of transport is still the golf buggy. We liked it. It is a more obvious place to base yourself, especially if you're looking for some kind of nightlife, though you can still walk from one end of the town to the other in less than half an hour (at Australian pace). It remains essentially an overgrown fishing village, where the church is still a centre of social life. Still, there is a greater range of restaurants, a lot more bars, and every type of accommodation, from simple cabanas to luxury resorts. Again, we found a beachside hotel with little difficulty (although in the peak season you should book ahead) and hired a cycle so we could swim and snorkel at some of the more remote beaches. One of the attractions of Ambergris is the proximity of the barrier reef, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which lies at the southern tip of the island and is one of the best places to snorkel and dive close to habitation.
It was to Ambergris that we returned after our adventure at the Blue Hole. That night, as the sun went down, we celebrated with some of our fellow divers at one of the restaurants on the island. This one specialised in Caribbean jerk cuisine, and as we tucked into a dish of spicy conch washed down with a decent glass of white wine, the man behind the bar began showing a video for some travellers who were thinking of diving the Blue Hole the next day. We couldn't help looking at the video. Generally it looked pretty accurate. Except for one thing. The sharks definitely looked smaller than the ones we remembered.

DESTINATION BELIZE

WHEN TO GO: For divers, it's a year-round destination, with water temperatures roughly the same as Bondi in summer. Visibility is supposed to be better in April and June. We went in November, a month after the wet season. Peak season is Christmas, when Americans flock south.

GETTING THERE: The obvious way from Australia is to fly via Los Angeles. The Star Alliance group of airlines, including United, has regular connections to Belize City. However, many backpackers will travel overland, either via Mexico or Guatemala. There are regular buses connections between Cancun in Mexico and Flores in Guatemala. We booked via Trailfinders, 8 Spring Street, Sydney; phone 9247 7666.

GETTING AROUND: Belize has only two paved highways, one running north to Mexico, the other heading west to Guatemala. The public bus system is well organised, with Belize City the hub, and fares are inexpensive. For the cayes, regular ferries run from Belize City. The fare to Ambergris costs about $30 one way.

Belizean Cuisine Cook-Off at Lime!

The lime bar and grill has been the venue for food cook offs in the past and today the food mill is running again. Last time the Lime hosted its appetizer cook-off, it saw over ten chefs and food lovers dish out there best stuff. This time around the Lime is at it agein and the theme is traditional Belizean dishes! So come out and taste the best of the best. $10bz per person and all the profits this time will be going to Saga as they need just $1000.00bz more to build the isolation unit!

Also please note that it will be smoke free between 6pm and 8pm so spread the word! Date: Friday, September 25th, 2009, 6pmLocation: Lime Bar & Grill.