Caye Caulker with babies and toddlers

*pictures stolen from my sister's instagram :)

We just got back from a few days in Caye Caulker with my family, and it was so, so good.  This is my second trip to Caye Caulker with babies in tow, and I'm convinced it is the best beach in Belize for babies.  Adults, too, actually.

What makes Caye Caulker special is the area known as the split.  The water here is extremely shallow-- it starts at about 6 inches deep- and the waves are buffered by the reef that surrounds the caye.  Combine this with bathtub warm water, and you have the perfect baby swimming spot.  The girls could have stayed in the water all day.

The lee side of the island doesn't have a nice big cleared area to swim in, but you can find some relatively seaweed free spots if you look around the docks.  This side of the island is blocked from the wind, so there are virtually no waves.  Palm trees grow right to the water's edge, so I was able to sit in a shady part of the water while the girls played.

This time around I think we hit on a pretty good combo of transportation and accommodation.  Last time we took the water taxi from Belize City to the Caye, which is cheaper but takes a few hours.  It was pretty draining. This time we drove to the municipal airport, parked there, and took a literally 10 minute flight to the island.  I was afraid the babies would be scared of the loud engines-- some of the planes are very small and can be loud-- but Lu was so relaxed she fell asleep.  Miss M alternated between looking out of the window and waving to other passengers. Flying from the municipal airport is significantly cheaper than from the international airport-- about half as expensive.   So much better then wrestling a toddler on a speedboat for 45 minutes!  (My fellow Belizean blogger Laurie has Tropic Air discount codes on her flights to Belize page, email her for a 10% off code.  Maya Air also flies the same route, and is a bit cheaper.)

We stayed at Costa Maya, right near the split, and it took us about a minute to walk down to the swimming area each morning.   I wanted a place with a little kitchen and this hotel was great-- clean and quiet, with nice big modern rooms.  I would definitely stay here again.  We've stayed in nice places farther down the island, but it is such a production to haul babies and gear to the water that we hardly ended up swimming-- which rather defeats the purpose of going to the beach. This time I could leave everything in the hotel room, not worry about extra diapers or even towels, and hop back and forth easily.   There are a couple of similarly priced hotels right next to Costa Maya that we also looked at,  Barefoot Caribe (looked nice but right across from a rather noisy restaurant) and Blue Wave guest house (no kitchenette).

Next time we go I'd love to hit the slow season in September and October.  Prices are a lot cheaper and there are way less tourists.  We will be back!

I'm linking to everything for those who are interested, these are my own opinions-- no one asked me to review or is compensating me :) 

Hopkins

There is an interesting paradox in Belize (and I’m sure many other places).  Tourists want authenticity in their travels, and so they search out new, “undiscovered” places.  But it turns out that real life mostly isn’t all that tourist-friendly, with people living their ordinary home/ work/ eat/ sleep lives on bumpy dirt roads with  no AC and nothing much to do after dark.  So slowly these little towns change, with fancier restaurants and airconditioned hotels and  lots of tours on offer.   People get jobs, and travelers are comfy, so it mostly works out well.

Hopkins is definitely a  town in transition from sleepy fishing village to tourist beach destination. I was last in Hopkins almost 10 years ago, and the bus ride from the main road into the village was one of the most horrible bumpy hour I have ever spent traveling.  Now construction is underway on a smooth, wide road and access is much easier.  

All throughout town I noticed changes--  nice new grocery stores, tons of new places to eat, tours and shops to entice tourists.  It seems Hopkins is well on it's way to becoming the new Placencia or Caye Caulker.

For now, though, it it still pretty quiet.  Tourists haven't completely taken over.  Early mornings the main road is mostly empty, with a few cars mixed with lots of bikes.

Hopkins is a Garifuna village, and I was quite charmed when I noticed school uniform for little girls is a traditional Garifuna dress.   (Here is the official Garifuna council web site for more info on this culture, and a nicely concise Wikepedia page).

The village of Hopkins is quite small- only 3 streets wide and about a 25 minute walk long.  In the picture above, I'm standing on the roof of our hotel which was on the beach.  The yellow house in the picture marks the inland border of the town.

Right now there is one primary school in the town, and no high school.  A few years ago we would get students from Hopkins all the way at Mount Carmel (about a 3 hour car ride), but now students can go to some newer high schools less then an hour away.

It was interesting to walk around, and notice all the changes.  There is a lot of contrasts, with nice new concrete hotels next to old one room wooden houses on stilts.  Hopkins won't be the same place even a few years from now.  I think the village has a good chance of keeping it's unique culture and spirit though.  New jobs from more tourism are keeping young people in the village, when before most left to go to school and get jobs.  

It's a peaceful place, and a nice place for families to travel.

Even if sand is an insult to one's person.....

traveling in Belize with small children

I think at this point I can say I know something about this topic, right?

First, let's start with the good stuff. The most important thing to remember when you are hauling little kids around Belize is that, pretty much across the board, Belizeans love kids.  When your toddler is fussing, rather then getting dirty looks from those around you, someone is more likely to hand your baby a cookie with a smile and an encouraging word. (This has actually happened to me several times).   Don’t be surprised if grannies come up to you and ask if they can hold your baby for a bit.  At the parish I have gone to for years, there are still kids that I am not quite sure who their parents are, because during Mass they are passed around from person to person, with everyone getting a chance to fuss over them a bit.

That being said, it is also important to understand that Belize’s standards of hygiene and safety are very different then places like the states.  For example, there is no law requiring car seat use, or even seat belt use in the back seats.  Water and food-born parasites are extremely common here, so extra caution should be taken with young eaters. There are few conveniences like shopping carts or parking lots, and most of all, it is HOT.

So how do I do it?  Sheer determination to get out of the house, preplanning, and a method.

First, car seats.  I use them, but most other people don't, and like I said that is not against the law. Rental companies here mostly do rent car seats, but I wouldn’t count on it being a nice new model.  If you will be in Belize a while, it is worth it to buy a car seat. New car seats are extremely expensive and hard to find, but there are a few places that sell used car seats for between $50-70 Bz.  The Boundary store in Orange walk usually has the biggest selection.  If you plan on picking up a used seat, do your research before hand to know the best models and what parts should be included, because if there is a strap missing or it is a 3 point harness instead of 5, it is up to you to know that.

I try to avoid situations in which I do not drive my own car or have a car seat, but sometimes it happens.  If I have to ride in a taxi or bus or water taxi with no car seat, I strap a baby in my front carrier and then use the lap seatbelt for myself (if there is one).  I figure it’s better then just holding her in my lap even though it’s far from ideal.

When I have all the kiddos with me, I only go to the few grocery stores that have carts.  Using a stroller inside isn't practical, cause the aisles are often narrow or filled with boxes.  I  also like to park in the new lot behind the welcome center in Cayo, which allows me to use a stroller because it has sidewalks straight to the market. However, there are a few places in Belize that are stroller friendly. Sidewalks are fairly rare-- even on part of Burns Ave, the center street in Cayo, there are no sidewalks so I have to push the stroller in the street while avoiding potholes.  Not fun. Those big-wheel jogging strollers can come in handy over rough roads but are nearly impossible to find here. I also have a baby backpack with an attached leash for my toddler in case we need to walk along busy streets. 

As for supplies, diapers and wipes are easy to find anywhere.  If your little one is potty training or newly potty trained, consider going back to diapers for a bit when you are out.  Public toilets are few and far between here, and some of those are so disgusting that I would never take a child in.  Always carry wipes, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper, because many restrooms will not have toilet paper or hand soap.  You won't find changing tables anywhere, so bring a changing pad with you.  

If your baby is on a special formula, bring it because formula selection is limited to about 5 kinds, mostly nestle.  Healthy snacks can also be a challenge.  You won’t find prettily packaged toddler organic snacks here.  When we are out and about, I stick to crackers, cheerios, and small boxes of raisins.  I try and bring water with me for the kiddos, but all grocery stores sell bottled water if I forget.  

I think that is about it.  When I bring people with me, they are always surprised at how exhausting it can be.  Most of this is just due to the heat-- imagine moving babies from car seats to strollers to carriers and back when it is 90 degrees outside, then repeat 4 more times because there is no mega store where one stop has everything.  And by the way, there is no AC anywhere.  Bringing help is great, and being reasonable about how much time things will take and how much the kiddos can handle is essential.  

NYC part 2: South St. Seaport and Sprinkles

Would it surprise anyone who knows me that I planned the heck out of our NYC trip?  Yeah, I didn't think so.  I'm a huge trip planner, and add in a short stay and not too much money and I went a little crazy.  Needless to say, it all went out the window the very first morning when my lovely husband slept in (and I let him cause he was tired) while I paced around mentally subtracting minutes from our Met visit.  I had to give myself a little attitude adjustment and force some calm, and move on.  Much to my delight we were able to do almost everything I had hoped, and discovered some new, unplanned, but absolutely wonderful places.

South Street Seaport was a really nice surprise.  We had made the trip to the tip of Manhattan to visit the Bodies exhibit (sooooo great, if you are in to science/ medicine/ coolness I can't recommend it enough) which is located in the Seaport.  It turns out that the Seaport would be a great destination in itself.  The area is pedestrian only, and there are bunches of charming shops and restaurants with old-fashioned architecture lining a cobbled street. Then heading out towards the water, you see this:

A maritime museum.  What a juxtaposition, it looks like the ship is going to plow into the skyscrapers, doesn't it?  Unfortunately the museum was closed.  Also unfortunately closed:  a learn-to-trapeze school (!!!).

Looking in the other direction, there is a wonderful view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

After soaking in the sites, we walked a few minutes down to pier 11. I had discovered in my research that a free-with-purchase ferry runs from the dock to Ikea Brooklyn.  Conveniently for us, they also run a free shuttle in Brooklyn from the store to a metro stop 2 blocks away from where we were staying.  So we headed over, taking the scenic route home.

Of course, at Ikea we had to take advantage of the crazy cheap Swedish meatball lunch :)

And now, let's talk about Sprinkle's cupcakes. My original itinerary had included a tour-du-cupcake stores of Manhattan.  Sadly, this (shamefully well planned and researched) tour had to be sacrificed in order to spend time with the family (Rough).  However, I did notice that one store was not that far from the Met, and was also kinda in the path we could take to catch a Metro home.  Also my sister said they were good.

Our walk took us down Fifth Avenue, right along Central Park.

a jazz concert on the steps of the met

Central Park squirrels

Me at Sprinkles, before I had actually tasted a cupcake.  The after picture would probably have been me, clinging with all my strength to the door while rooting through my purse, trying to scrape together as much cupcake money as possible.

Oooh my gosh, Sprinkle's cupcakes.  I got two (WHY?? I DON'T KNOW.  Uncharacteristic modesty in the face of baked goods.)  The dark chocolate cupcake was the best thing I have ever put in my mouth. My entire life.  It was so good, I only ate half, and slowly nibbled away at the rest over the next 2 days.  Is that pathetic or what??  Lets just say that in any future trips to NYC, Sprinkles cupcakes will be priority number one.

NYC, we will be back. Guard your cupcakes.

NYC visit: Metropolitan Museum of Art

 Last week we took a very quick trip up to NYC for my sister's wedding.  We were mainly there to visit with family and attend the wedding, but how can you be in New York and not take advantage of all the things there are to do?  Daniel and I took a few mornings to do a few fun things.  I knew I had to get to Metropolitan Museum of Art, if only to fill up my "culture and beauty" reservoirs for a bit longer.  I lured Daniel in with the promise of medieval armor.....

in front of a Tiffany mosaic

Initially when I researched the Met I was floored by the $25 US per person entrance fee.  But it turns out actually all that is required to enter is a donation of your choosing... which isn't very apparent on the Met's web site for obvious reasons.  I paid what I thought was a fair price, knowing we would only be able to stay for about 2 hours, and the ticket lady didn't even flicker an eye at the much smaller then recommended amount of cash I handed over.  I had also heard the exhibit on the Met's roof was worth checking out.  Since timed tickets were required, we headed up there first.

The sculpture is called Cloud City, and you can climb through. The floors and walls are either clear plexiglass or mirrors, which gives a slightly disorienting effect.  It only took a few minutes to walk through, and there weren't very many other people on the roof.  The weather was just perfect.

enough with this perfect-weather-perfect-skyline thing.  Find me some ARMOR.

Since we were working with limited time, we walked through the ground floor at quite a brisk pace, trying to take in as much as possible as quickly as possible.  Highly not ideal, but better then nothing.  We decided to  budget a little more time on the period rooms and medieval armor, but managed to take in the sculpture halls also.

same nose.

I was geeking out a bit at the absolutely perfect light in the sculpture halls....

Yay Armor!

incredible details

A L-shaped metal bar was welded on the back between the helmet and shoulders of this jousting armor, my theory is that it was to prevent the knight's head from being knocked off.  

Growing up in Belize, Daniel has not had many opportunities to visit museums like the Met.  I really enjoyed viewing exhibits with him, because vague history, so hard for him to relate, began to come alive.  He walked through the sumptuous period rooms from 1700 and 1800's Europe, and silently took in the idea that people had actually lived in these rooms with their glittering chandeliers, gold trimmed walls, and delicate silk-covered chairs.  He stood inches away from a marble statue, carved with perfection 2000 years ago.   When looking at a fabulously intricate metal medieval strong box, he turned to me and said, "I didn't know these things were real.  I thought they were just made up for movies."  Daniel has always been one not to take much stock in history, and always says it is better to remain focused on the present.  But walking through the Met, he commented that he wished his students could come and experience the rich collection of history.  It would open their eyes to the world.