Once more to Caye Caulker and a bunch of other stuff, like Reef Week

Kids who live on Caye Caulker just always seem to be having a good time. Met up with this bunch on a visit to the island on Sunday.

As small an island as Caye Caulker is, there is always something — or someone — new to be discovered.

Like the kids in the picture above. I have never seen kids have more fun in four inches of water. I’d take a picture and then the kids would all run over to see themselves on the screen. Then I’d take another picture and they’d all run behind the camera to see themselves. Then I’d take another picture . . . . you get the idea.

We could have kept this up all day.

Kids at play on Caye Caulker.

Yesterday was filled with great friends, gorgeous weather, long white sand beaches, cool water, delicious food and drink and, yeah, exactly the kind of day you imagine on a tropical island.

Hey, look. It isn’t every day. Not by a long shot. When they do happen, when all the island gods align themselves, well, it becomes pretty special.

More kids on Caye Caulker.

Not far from where we docked, Jose was repairing the Ragga Prince. The sailboat ran up on the reef and tore a big hole in its hull. The sailboat was built in Sarteneja, a Belize town known for its fishermen, boat-building and sailors. Jose is from Sarteneja and quite proud of that reputation. A lesser boat would have been turned into driftwood on that reef.

Jose plugs a giant hole in the side of the Ragga Prince.

Jose plugs a giant hole in the side of the Ragga Prince, part of the fleet of Raggamuffin Tours out of Caye Caulker.

Here are some more cute kids. These guys were touring the Reef Week information fair last week at the House of Culture on Back Street:

Visiting the Reef Week information festival, last week. Booths were set up by a variety of government and non-government groups linked to protecting our reef ecology.

This young lady was playing on a one-hole putting green at the Reef Week information fair. I can’t tell if she was embarrassed or thrilled to have her picture taken!

Of course where ever people gather in numbers on Ambergris Caye, you are bound to know some of them.

Below, my San Pedro Sun friends Dion and Chelsea pose for photos with an over-sized lobster that I call — for lack of a better name — Crusty. (I think they called him Langoustine.) Big kids and little kids enjoyed posing for pictures with the crustacean sensation.

Dion and Chelsea from the San Pedro Sun.

More booths and business from the Reef Week fair:

Our friend Roxy from Oceana in the foreground. Roxy shows up for the First Friday Tres Cocos Cleanup event every month.

Because it was Reef Week, I went out with the crew from the Phoenix Resort to clean up the town beach again on Saturday.  And, of course, I brought our handy trash sticks — improves efficiency and saves your back! (Thank you to the wonderful people who have donated them to our group! We’re sharing the #islandlove !)  The Phoenix group does this EVERY Saturday morning, starting at 8 a.m. You can join them if you are in town. They collect beach trash from the Phoenix, south to the Blue Water Grill.

Clean-up crew from the Phoenix Resort, at the end of their Saturday morning trek.

And finally, your moment of Zen, brought to you from the world famous Palapa Bar on Boca del Rio in San Pedro, Belize. The staff of this fine establishment will keep you well stocked in cold beverages as you float away your cares. Can’t you just picture yourself in one of these tubes. Can’t you?

Oh, yes you can.