Boone n’ Emily are back! They’ve traveled quite a ways from the mountainous island of Saba to put down roots in Belize, on the sea-level island of Caye Caulker. I was fortunate enough to visit Caulker back at the turn or the century before much of the recent development. But even with all the new development, it is still a sleepy island, where the motto is “Go Slow”.
Caye Caulker
Five miles long, less than a mile wide, this island of 2,000 souls couldn’t be more geographically different than Saba. The highest elevation? Eight feet.
The Streets of Caulker
Golf carts and bicycles coast by the brightly colored shops, stilt houses, picket fences, and outdoor grill restaurants.
The split
Caulker’s most distinctive feature, The Split is a channel that cuts between the main, southern part of the island, and the sparsely populated northern half.
The Split…
…is widely believed to have been created by Hurricane Hattie, but many old-timers say the hurricane “gave it a start”, and then fishermen helped it along. Time and nature did the rest.
The Lazy Lizard (THEN)
“A sunny place for shady people”, the Lazy Lizard on the edge of The Split is one of the most iconic spots on Caulker. This is what it looked like when I was there…
The Lazy Lizard (NOW)
And here’s what it looks like today. What a difference two decades makes! Incidentally, in the “THEN” photo above… that red truck, we were told, was the only non-golf cart vehicle on the island at the time.
The I and I Reggae Bar
My favorite watering hole on the island, the I and I is a treehouse-style, three story building with rope swings instead of chairs. If you look closely, you can see a sign for Belize’s national beer, Belikin.
I have plenty more to share, but I’ll need to sit down at the scanner with my pre-digital photos! In the meantime, grab Deep Roots on preorder.
It comes out May 11 on Amazon and May 12 on Audible!