When I started traveling 6 months ago, I told myself I would beat my coffee addiction – mainly to save money (it’s a hard life being a broke backpacker).
I got 2 days in and I caved… And I didn’t cave just once – nope – but every morning from that point on I had my morning coffee.
In fact, I’m currently sitting in a hammock in Caye Caulker, sipping on an iced latte. It’s come to the point where I sometimes go to bed early in the hopes that the morning will come sooner so I can have my cup of coffee. But I’m not addicted… I swear!
It’s not even the coffee itself, it’s the occasion it creates that I love. In the Netherlands we have a word, ‘gezellig’, which is the feeling that’s describes ‘all things nice’ and this is what it feels like for me. It’s a time to reflect, to feel grounded and to appreciate. It’s a time to be completely content in the moment.
To give you some background, I decided to take a round the world trip and today it’s day 6 of my Central America gap year. I’m on the beautiful island Caye Caulker volunteering on a marine conservation project and I’ve slowly made my way around the island trying all the different coffee shops.
Where is the best place to have a coffee?
The two places I highly recommend include:
• Ice and Beans Cafe, Front Street / Beachfront
• Namaste Café, Pasero Street
But honestly my favourite…? On the dock outside of my volunteer camp. Sure, it’s instant coffee poured into a metal mug, but there’s something about watching the sunrise over the water while sitting in the hammock that can’t be beaten.
In fact, I might go as far as to say it’s my favourite coffee spot so far… ever! The camp is located on the north side of the island, in total isolation between the mangroves, which creates a peace that is so magical.
This is especially nice as our days are so busy – filled with diving, surveying and snorkelling. These mornings therefore make for a great way to prepare for the day ahead and reflect on all the crazy experiences from the day before.
As I sit there every morning at 6am, I am totally alone listening to the waves, watching the eagle rays jump through the water and listening to the sounds of the other volunteers slowly waking.
Sometimes I’ll read my book, or update my travel blog, but most days I’ll just sit there, sipping away at my coffee. Yes, camp life is pretty basic, but with that comes this totally unique feeling, a feeling that reminds me that life is pretty damn good here in Belize!
If you are thinking of a similar experience and looking for where to go on a gap year I highly recommend going to volunteer in Caye Caulker. Another amazing activity you must also do is scuba diving at the Great Blue Hole – tick this off your bucket list.
By Maaike Brown