Sail To Caye Caulker – Sunburns, Seaduced, Sea Turtles and Syd’s, The Best Fried Chicken in Belize

It’s been four long days in the big city of San Pedro…time to sail back to Caye Caulker.  And before you roll your eyes and groan “Caye Caulker with Seaduced AGAIN!”…take a look at these pictures.  If you didn’t pick up what I was laying down in previous blogs, I LOVE THIS TRIP.

Another lovely day for a sail.  Much breezier than last week but sunny and pretty perfect. 

A local lobster boat taking a few tourists for a sail from Caye Caulker.
Jamie was finally able to capture one of the Hol Chan Turtles on her camera…it wasn’t easy.  (These “stunt turtles” have been hanging around Hol Chan Marine reserve for a few years and they are getting really big.  They used to be dinner plate sized and now they are almost 3 feet long.)   These turtles are a killer grand finale to every snorkeling trip.  Jamie had to swim her non-waterproof camera out (in a ziploc in her mouth) and wait for this guy to surface.  I love these turtles.
At Shark Ray Alley, we fed the Blue Tang…it was a watermelon feeding frenzy.  Jamie’s pictures again.  (Her new passion, apparently, is sealife photography).
Probably my best photo.  I can’t believe I got this little guy to smile.
We docked in Caye Caulker and since Rainbow Grill is closed on Mondays, we tried a new place on Manuel the captain’s suggestion.  Syd’s Restaurant.  It’s on the second street away from the sea…so one back from the main boulevard.   I recommend taking a walk down the second street (I’m not sure what it is really called…but the walk gives you a better taste of Caye Caulker and where people actually live).   Here are some pictures on the way to Syd’s Restaurant.
A good message for kids and adults alike.
The laundromat has line drying.

 Pretty in pink.

Finally we arrived at Syd’s.  It looked pretty good…let’s give it a try.
They have a very cute patio out back that wasn’t being used since it is so HOT in Caye Caulker in August.

 Cute tables in front.

The food here is CHEAP!  A lobster burrito is $8.50…chicken tostadas $5 for three…fried chicken with sides for $9bzd.  We couldn’t decide.  The waitress told us that fried chicken was the way to go.  And she did not lead us astray.  IT IS THE BEST I’VE HAD ANYWHERE.  I am not lying.  Elvi’s Kitchen in San Pedro is good but this chicken is really the best.
When it was delivered, I was already picturing my leftovers for dinner.  Huge piece of chicken, rice and beans or mashed potatos…this is one big meal.  But…
The chicken is juicy and delicious.  The coating, the good stuff, is salty and uber-crispy.  Both of us polished our plates off and we pictured sweating chicken grease all the way home.  Here’s Jamie and our server.  We were trying to talk her into letting us open a San Pedro branch of Syd’s called “Syd Pedro”.  It will be huge!  Look for it in the future…
$25bzd ($12.50USD) for 2 fried chicken meals, 1 beer and two bottled waters.  You can’t beat it.
Caye Caulker is super cute…walk the whole island…not just down to the popular hangout, The Split.  There are tons of places to stay.  Most look lower budget than San Pedro but all are very cute.  Lots look like you would picture being at a Caribbean summer camp.  Here are my pictures on my way back to the boat.
Maxhapan Cabanas…Has some excellent reviews on Tripadvisor.

 A very cute conch shell “fence” at a house on the second street.

 Havana Nights bar, restaurant and club on the beach.

Cute sign on the beach.  We need more cute signs in San Pedro!  Betta no litta.

 Seaside Cabanas right next to the Water Taxi terminal.  Great location, beautiful pool, very cute bar.  It’s the only place I’ve ever stayed in Caye Caulker and I really liked it both times.

A very brightly painted place on the beach.

 Yuma’s or Tina’s Backpacker Inn…I hear lots of good things about this place from back packers coming to San Pedro.  And it is right on the beach.

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