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Mayan king but always remains like some precious about Caye Caulker’s storied place on the Hippie LODGING
stone. Trail stretching down from Tulum on Mexico’s BLUE WAVE GUEST HOUSE
I found myself staring at the water again just Cancún Riviera and on to the Mayan ruins of This newer accommodation with all-important
before plunging in to join the nurse sharks that fed Tikal and the natural splendor of volcano-ringed balconies stands near the Split, so you’ll
on the chum our guide tipped over the side of the Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. have an incredible view and a fully equipped
boat. We had reached so-called Shark Alley, and “Want to see a crocodile?” a voice whispered outdoor kitchen for lazy nights in.
their jostling mouths greedily breaking the surface out of the night. We cautiously followed a local Front Street, Avenida Hicaco
like giant carp belied their true nature, which I farther onto the dock until we saw it floating under
discovered underwater and up close to be gentle. our smartphone glare, a tiny caiman with beady $$
For such a small community, Caye Caulker eyes. CAYE REEF
teems with fine restaurants and laid-back nightlife. That didn’t deter me from heading out again
The range of options from sophisticated Italian for night snorkeling. Bobbing in my four feet of Lounge in luxury at this boutique apartment
hotel with its rooftop hot tub and hammocks.
charm and live music at Pasta per Caso to light that kept the inky blackness at arm’s length, Enjoy the local artwork on display.
beachfront drinks at The Lazy Lizard overlooking I watched a translucent octopus crawl over the
the Split — and even gourmet wine and cheese rocks until the guide told us to turn off our flash- Caribbean Seashore, Playa Asuncion
at the more secluded Dreaded Grape — made it lights. None of the wild creatures that suddenly $$$
impossible to choose. So, at the urging of some populated my imagination could compare to what
new acquaintances, we sat at a table on a small happened next. He said to wave our hands in the COLINDA CABANAS
dock next to Maggie’s Sunset Kitchen. water, and as I did, a glittering storm of biolumi- This laid-back beachfront mini-resort offers
Tucking into the stir-fried conch, a Lon- nescence materialized around my fingers. When I reverse osmosis purified water, two bicycles
doner raved about the nearby Great Blue Hole, flailed, the water shimmered green. with each unit and a private 175-foot pier.
a 500-foot-deep diver’s dream at the center of The effect happens when bacteria, algae, Playa Asuncion
an atoll only a daytrip away. A Canadian told us protozoa and other floating animals congregate
$$

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