Caye caulker/Belize city/Flores

My first night at caye caulker was filled with fresh lobster on the grill, some belikins ( the local beer), new friends, and rum. My roomates, Dax and Seamus, are from Belgium and Ireland respectivly and have two of the coolest names ever. Dennis and Megan from Canada joined us for dinner then we all sat in the front of our hostel right on the water, in what was called "the vibe garden" (the sign says leave your mental luggage at the door). A bottle and a half of rum later and it was time for bed.
Next day megan, dennis, and I went to breakfast at a small place that prided itself with its burritos. The breakfast burrito consisted of an omelet with tomato and cheese, some cabbage and beans spread on the most delicious homeade tortillas. They were thick and pillowy, almost like naan. The best part was the hot sauce it was served with: habanero sauce with a carrot base. I mean GOOD!
Next we went snorkling.

 

No manatees, as planned (it was a little more expensive, and I was already splurging on going snorkling in the first place) we did, however, see some beautiful parts of the reef and tons of different fish, barracuda, and stingrays: the pancakes of the sea.
Early evening, as I had to wake up early for a taxi boat, but first a walk to the split, where part of the island was washed away in a hurricane. Bid Meghan and Dennis farewell, and was hassled one more time by some of the local men looking for a "girlfriend"...

Another near miss as I didn't make the early boat out. I thought for sure I'd miss my bus to Flores, but once again fortune smiled upon me and I made it to Belize City in plenty of time. I also met a lovely woman, Anna, on my taxi boat. She is from the UK and lives on Caye Caulker, working as a dive instructor. We talked at length about the environment of the island: how there is not enough education about recycling and conservation, with both locals and tourists. On such a small island, it's sad to think of all the waste going on.
The bus ride was a few hours to the guatemala border. As I checked my passport to get into guatemala, my new friend Harry, who was on my bus told me NOT to pay anything (we did pay legitamately to get out of Belize). The man stamping my passport asked me for 20 Quetzals, and I told him I was told not to pay anything. He started to hassle me, which was pretty damn frightening. What if he told me to fuck off and I couldn't come in? A woman behind the desk said something to him and gave me the stinkeye; he handed me my passport and said I could go in. Turns out, it's a regular occurrance. They see a bus of 20 folks coming up, charge them 20Q each, quite a profit. Good thing Harry warned me: he found out after he asked for a reciept and was just handed his money back.
Now in Flores, and a great hostel called Los amigos. A lovely central garden with hammocks everywhere, clean beds, a restaurant. For 30 quetzals (just under 5 bucks), it's a steal.
Tomorrow: the ruins of Tikal! I hear there are monkeys.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully I can upload photos soon...Writing from an iPhone is hard! Hence all the spelling mistakes and wierdly capitalized words. Um, sorry 'bout that....