Wonderful fun time with Alex and Jose as only seven of us sped across the water in the twin-outboard boat, a low rooster tail trailing behind us. They said it was the best weather they had had in some time. We stopped at Caye Caulker to put in our lunch order at Fantasy Dining, then headed out to the Coral Gardens to be guided by Jose. They were the largest coral heads I had seen in my prior snorkeling experience, and the water was clear. We saw schools of blue tang, and other individual fish, but it was not as teeming with fish as I thought it would be. They said the best time to really see the reef is in a night snorkel. Then we were off to Shark Ray Alley, where the nurse sharks and manta rays gathered. Alex fed the 15 or so sharks herring, while we got out the other side of the boat into 3-4' of water, with manta rays gliding all around us. I got within 2' of the writhing intertwined sharks, taking pictures with my underwater camera. We hopped back in the boat to eat our lunch at Fantasy Dining. My wife got the special of stone crab claw curry with coconut rice and a garden salad, and I got mild jerk chicken breast with coconut rice and caramelized plantains. We sat at a picnic table under a cover, enjoying the most delicious authentic food we had ever had with our pop in glass bottles. We were in heaven! Caye Caulker is only 3 sand streets deep, so we could not get lost if we wished to explore. We were enjoying real island life! At the end, a baker rolled in his two-wheeled cart with his freshly baked goods - banana cake, pineapple roll, coconut cake, coconut roll, and coconut tarts -- $3 each or 2/$5. I got the coconut cake from the baker, who had been doing it for 29 years, still warm, and oh so good! We boarded the boat to go back to Belize City in time to catch one of the last tenders back to the ship, racing another like-fitted boat, and beating it. Great people, and a great day!
