Alastair Simpson Zoe Bowden Travel Blog (Home)

More highlights from the trip….we saw our fair share of world class beaches, so here are our favourites:

- Playa Ancon, Cuba.  The small part of this beach before you get to the main stretch of sand is isolated, quiet, white sanded, palm tree backed with crystal clear turquoise waters.  Click here to see more. 

- Rendezvous Caye, Belize.  An uninhabited island in the middle of the ocean next to the Belize barrier reef, paradise.  Click here to see more.  

- Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.  Mile upon mile of uninterrupted white sand beaches between Montezuma and Mal Pais, backed by jungle and with world class surf.  Click here to see more.   

- Punta Del Diablo, Uruguay.  Quiet, no real roads, chilled out, endless sandy beaches…heaven.  Click here to see more. 

- Arraial D’Ajuda, Brazil.  Endless Brazilian beaches with lots of local stary dogs to make friends with.  Click here to see more.   

- Uvita, Costa Rica.  Long stretches of empty sand backed by Costa Rican jungle with a perfect beginners wave.  Click here to see more. 

To get from Belize to Utila an island on the coast of Honduras, you can either spend 36 hours on; 1 boat, 2 buses, 1 overnight stay in a crap town, 1 more boat

Or…..we found a boat that would take us direct from Belize to Utila, in only 3 hours….Note to self: If something is to good to be true, it usually is….

What followed was, 7 hours wating around next to a petrol station for our boat, before being told we couldn’t depart due to bad weather (We had also just missed the only boat of the week from Belize to Honduras mainland…)…an extra night in expensive Belize, being illegally in the country as we had already been stamped out but had not actually left.  The next day our boat was another hour late, took 2 hours to actually get out of Belize, and then 7 hours in rough seas being bounced around in a tiny 25ft tin boat in 10ft waves (not a smart idea in highsight), driving wind, rain and a storm….We actually arrived later than we would have done if we had taken the original “longer” option…

Still, at least we have this story….and our captain even bought us a few beers in Belize….apparently we made him laugh with the terror in our faces during the entire trip…awesome…

(The above is a photo of his “advert” for the return trip, a thoroughly professional outfit)

Dan and Nancy, travel companions for the last month, thoroughly nice peeps and mustard lovers….enjoy your time back home…..until the Canada road trip…

Smallest and largest bottles of beer in the world????

Apparantly Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne lives in Placencia, Belize…actually he doesn’t (Unless he tagged the wall here whilst on holiday) but we could see why he would….beautiful stretches of beaches lined with colourful wooden cabanas (Or posh resorts if you head a bit up the beach)….more paradise…

Tobacco Caye, another small island on the barrer reef, only a few shacks line the shore here, but its in the middle of the Belize National Marine reserve, beautfiul snorkelling right off the island with barracuda, eagle rays and loads of colourful fish and coral……plenty of rum punch and locals singing and drum playing as the night soundtrack…

How would you like to stay on your own private teeny weeny paradise island in the middle of the ocean? We did!  Rendezvous Caye, an island on the Belize Barrier reef, only about 40ft by 40ft, a 1 minute walk round the whole island….and we spent the night camping on it!  Literally, in the middle of the ocean, snorkelling only a few feet from the sand you can see the dramatic sheer underwater drop off into the ocean….paradise….

If anyone wants to do this trip head to Raggamuffin Tours in Caye Caulker

Shiver m’timbers….some dirty seadogs set sail into the sunset on the Belizean Barrier Reef. A three day sailing adventure with some friends, lots of snorkeling, rum punch and fishing for our dinner.

If anyone wants to do this trip, head to Raggamuffin Tours in Caye Caulker