As we enjoyed our final quesadillas and Coronas at a bustling Mexican restaurant, a sense of sadness began to wash over us. Our two-month stay in Mexico had been everything we hoped for—relaxing and rejuvenating. Despite our initial excitement for our next destination, Belize, leaving this vibrant country turned out to be more emotional than we anticipated.
Upon arriving at the Chetumal pier, the heat soon lifted our spirits and we grew eager for the journey ahead. However, we encountered unexpected fees at the dock: a $5 USD port fee and a $25 USD exit fee, which supposedly should have been included in our airfare. Although we did fly into Mexico, we lacked the documents to prove the exit fee was covered. This is a common border scam, and without the correct paperwork from the airline, travelers must either pay the fee or risk missing their boat.
Luckily, we still had our boarding passes and itinerary. After presenting these to the border officials, who initially rejected them, we spent about 30 minutes negotiating and managed to have the fee waived.
Barely on time, we boarded the small, cramped San Pedro Belize Express Boat, headed from Chetumal to Caye Caulker. Both of us were relieved to find spots on the middle bench, avoiding the nauseating front of the boat. The sea was unusually rough that day. For the first ten minutes, passengers at the front laughed at the boat’s bumpy ride, which quickly turned uncomfortable and left them feeling ill. Meanwhile, we did our best to stay comfortable by placing life jackets under us and listening to music, despite the loud engine making conversation nearly impossible.
After more than two hours, we glimpsed land and our excitement grew. Crossing over the calm waters of the offshore reef, everyone cheered as we docked at Ambergris Caye, where immigration control for the Northern Cayes is located. As night fell, we knew we’d reach Caye Caulker after dark.
Nick easily found his exit stamp from Mexico in his passport, but I found myself still searching frantically. It turned out that Mexican Immigration had forgotten to stamp me out of the country. This oversight could have sent me back to Mexico, but fortunately, the Belizean immigration officer was too busy scolding another traveler to notice. She stamped my passport without issue, and we were finally cleared.
By 7:00 PM, nighttime had fallen and we boarded the ferry for a moonlit 30-minute ride to Caye Caulker. Greeted by the sounds of Reggae from beach bars and the feeling of soft sand underfoot, we knew instantly that this was a place we’d want to stay for a while.
