There is no internet on tiny islands but there are good people.

Tobacco Caye was turning into my favourite stop so far. Not because of the accommodations (good but not the best we’d had). Nor the scenery (the island was tiny and easily seen in about 10 minutes). But because of the hominess. It allowed us to get to know the other people staying on the island. Sure we’d met folks in Mexico but the nature of different travel plans, schedules and meant we were lucky to get people’s names. But stuck 15 kilometres offshore on a 5-acre island without internet and only 4 hours of power a day, we spent quality time with others because frankly there wasn’t much else to do.

It was nice not just for sharing tips but for new human contact. Travelling as a couple is great because you have a built in buddy but it’s also nice to have someone new to talk to about new things. We were lucky enough that our neighbour Craig was willing to put up with us. The communal dining set up helped us get over the awkward initial introductions and chat about life the universe and everything.

So we spent our last full day alternating between talking, reading, writing, snoozing and hanging out with new friends. There was Craig as well as one of the islands dogs and a cat who adopted us. As we watched Che on the laptop that night, drinking rum that Craig was generous enough to share with us, the cat curled up between us on the bed.

It’s the kind of experience that you can’t take pictures of and stick in a photo album but they make some of the best memories.