Today was really windy on Caye Caulker, and there was a strong current in the water, even in the Split which is usually really calm. So after a lunch of grilled Caribbean kebabs and citrus shrimp sitting on swing seats overlooking the sea, I managed to persuade Matt to borrow the bikes from our accommodation to explore the island. (This was after I had plied him with rum and coke!) He didn't seem very keen at the idea, but they were free so he didn't have his usu...

Today we decided to explore the north end of the island, and considering the whole Caye is only 5 miles long, this was not exactly hard. Near the top of the island there is a channel of water (called the 'Split') about 25m wide which was carved by Hurricane Hattie, and then widened by hand by the locals. There is sea either side, but you can swim straight across to the piece of land opposite that used to be joined on. Relatively few people live on the opposite s...

At 6.45am our bus pulled into Belize City bus station. The station was a bit run down, but Matt was impressed to see his first sign for conch fritters (even though there was none available!) The tiny bit of Belize City we saw was very rundown, and it is a designated poverty regeneration zone, so I'm not sure what it'd be like to stay there. Most of the information we've seen online suggests that you are better off staying outside Belize City and just coming back...

Today we finally checked out of our hotel in Playa del Carmen after staying a little longer than planned, and we decided to get the overnight bus to Belize, as it meant that we didn't have to pay for a night's accommodation so we could save a bit of money. The trouble was that we had the whole day to waste, as the night bus does not even depart until 11.40pm. Considering we had been going to bed around 9pm nearly every night(!) due to lingering jet lag, it was go...

Today we visited Coba Mayan ruins, which are located about two hours away from Playa del Carmen. After getting off the bus that was playing Mexican music that Matt wanted to buy the CD of, we entered the archaeological site for about £2.50. We had read online that the best way to get around the large site is to hire bikes and cycle around. As you all know, Matt hates bikes, but I managed to persuade him when we saw how big the area was, and the fact that it was...