February 6, 2011 (To Tobacco Caye: Part One)

Today is going to be another big day on the adventure! Ever since I had heard about a small island called "Tobacco Caye" I knew I was going to have to see it. The caye (island) is located right on top Belize's amazing reef, so you can literally walk right out the door of your cabin with your snorkeling gear on and start snorkeling. AND there is a place called Lana's on the Reef where you are only 100 feet from the beach and you are served breakfast, lunch and dinner for a grand total of US$35.00 per night (including your room)! I couldn't wait to get there! But first I had to get to Dangriga to catch a water taxi. The map (below) shows the proximity of Tobacco Caye to Dangriga.

The evening before I had made an appointment with Emma (Cases-Muller) for one of the special breakfasts she makes for the guests at All Season's Guest House. Emma makes fabulous breakfasts in addition to renting motorbikes at her business adjacent to the Guest House (www.alternateadventures.com). "Hobie Cat" Mark also joined me at the Guest House for breakfast. I had Emma's wonderful Swedish pancakes which were accompanied by a ton of fresh fruit-- plus her special coffee-- for US$6.00. During breakfast Mark and I met several of the other hotel guests, and one American couple that had rented a car and was headed back to Belize City was kind enough to drop me off at Dangriga-- which was pretty much on their way. I was pretty lucky to get a ride as the bus doesn't come directly through Hopkins all that often. I eventually got to the "harbor" at Dangriga and was immediately hustled by one of the locals to "help" me line up boat transportation to Tobacco Caye. I was escorted to the nearby Riverside Bar and Cafe where everyone waits for boats in Dangriga and I was introduced to "Captain Nolan" and his sidekick-- Jason Martinez. The customary fare for a one way trip to Tobacco Caye is US$17.50. Even though it wasn't even noon yet, Captain Nolan was already "tuned up" for the trip but he assured me that he was fine for piloting the boat. On the street outside the bar I ran into an American couple I had previously met on a bus, and they were also lining up their transportation to Tobacco Caye. They were allocated to a different "captain" and I was forced to wait about two hours while Captain Nolan waited for his other customer to arrive. Captain Nolan finally gave up on his other prospect, and we shoved for Tobacco Caye about 2:00 PM. Fortunately, the day was sunny and the water was calm, so our boat really hauled ass! It was a very interesting and beautiful half hour cruise to the island. As we approached the palm tree-lined Caye I was astonished at how tiny (and beautiful) it was (see photo below)! It has a surface area of only five acres, and you can walk all the way around the island in minutes. There were several expensive-looking boats anchored nearby when we arrived at the main dock.

Tiny-- But Gorgeous-- Tobacco Caye

There are only seven options for lodging on Tobacco Caye, and none of them would really be considered "upscale"-- which was fine with me. The island is pretty much an undiscovered gem. My 400-page book about Belize does not even mention it. The island is lush and gorgeous, and all electricity is furnished by generators. Because neither television nor the Internet are available, if a person can't relax on Tobacco Caye there is absolutely no hope for him! I had already heard about Lana's on the Reef in a friend's travel book (Lonely Planet), and I was hoping that they had some rooms available. They had several openings, so I checked in with Dave and Carmen (who run the place) and moved into my room. I was chomping at the bit to get some snorkeling gear so I could try out the reef in my new front yard. I found a local businessman named "A.C." who fixed me up with some gear (US$5.00 for two days!) and I was off! It was just like the articles on the Internet said-- I literally walked off the dock and found myself right in the amazing Great Barrier Reef.