Caye Caulker Days

Just before sunrise in the morning the birds roosting in the mangroves behind the house begin to chatter and sing. Theirs is a song of the tropics, a mixture of melody and shrill calls. Sunset brings a repeat performance.

As the day warms up the iguanas who live under the house come out to sun themselves. The large male watches his ladies with a gleam in his eye and chases after them whenever conquest seems likely. I have yet to witness any success in that department.

If the weather is calm out back we can paddle the kayaks over to check on the marine life. One regular stop is just north of us where a school of young tarpons have taken up residence and are being protected by the dock owners there.

We are tending four newly sprouted coconuts planted out on my property. Since they are planted in sand we are transporting soil to pack around them for nutrients and since it has not rained recently we are also taking them water. Makes for a good bicycle ride as well.

We are kayaking over to the north island of Caye Caulker (across the split) and hiking around there. In the process we have met some of the north island residents and made some new friends.

Shopping for dinner is also an adventure. You never know when you will find a treasure. For example, yesterday they had avocados and okra. A few days back I found a package of bean sprouts and hurried home with it to make a stir fry. Carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, bananas, papaya are almost always available.

There have been more cold fronts and wind this year than I have seen in the past. We have not been able to do much snorkeling as the water is often too stirred up to see much. But we are hoping for some good snorkeling days before we have to leave.

The theme of this island is "Go Slow" which is advice we are happy to follow.