Go Slow.

The motto of Caye Caulker is “go slow” and nothing could sum up this laid-back paradise better. We did not actually arrive very slowly – we almost missed our water taxi and were running with our suitcases to catch it – but we quickly fell into the rhythm of hippie island life. We were in Caye Caulker for about three days, and we did not do much at all except savor our remaining days in Belize.

Going slowly for us included:

-Lying by the pool in our cute little flower-filled courtyard at Seaside Cabanas
-Finishing a good read (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in my case)
-Eating ice cream for lunch
-Going to a hotel (Iguana Reef) on the back of the island every evening, buying a drink, and watching the sunset (even if it was completely behind the clouds) with the melodious blackbirds singing their tune
-Walking down to the split and drinking a beer at a picnic table with our feet in the water
-Sitting for long breakfasts of fresh fruit and toast
-Mom and Auntie Diana getting up early, me sleeping an hour or two longer
-Mom and Auntie Diana going to bed early, me staying awake a couple of hours longer to chat with Fili
-Meeting our friend Pam from Vancouver everywhere that we turned
-Taking pictures of houses on stilts and funny signs around town
-Watching the other travelers arrive on the island, unaware of the bliss to come
-Laughing over a great bottle of wine at the island’s only Italian restaurant, Don Corleone
-Ordering copious amounts of mouth-watering seafood at Habanero’s (now up there with the best travel meals of my life), and still ordering dessert
-Smashing my crab legs with a metal hammer and cutting board – sweet relief!
-Walking barefoot on the sandy roads without cars
-Having the worst breakfast of my life at the Happy Lobster and not caring one bit
-Not going snorkeling when Mom and Auntie Diana did (I’m not good at saying no)
-Smiling as locals said good morning as they passed on their bikes
-Jumping in the ocean and getting salt up my nose

A quiet ending to a perfect two weeks. Memories with two of the best ladies in my life that I’ll remember forever. A country that is already calling me back.