I am hanging out in San Ignacio with friends of a friend from Minneapolis. My friend unfortunately had to cancel her trip and is snowbound, but I am having fun hanging out with her friends (now mine too).
Canoes
Our 'host' here is Ricky. He looks after the house where we are staying and has been very welcoming and friendly and fun. He and Calvin (his friend who also helps out in the garden) came along one afternoon as we went canoeing down the Macal River. A very pleasant three hours accompanied by some local rum and coke, and involving a swim and jumping into the river from a big rock.
The scenery was beautiful. We paddled and floated gently between lush jungle which cast verdant reflections in the clear water below. As well as seeing a number of large black vultures and numerous birds that we could not identify (blue heron like ones, small darting yellow ones and a dark blue fishing bird), I saw a quick flash of my first toucan and a number of large orange and brown spiky iguanas which were sunning themselves high up on the branches. It was one of those experiences that you keep thinking how beautiful it is while you are in it, and keep taking mental snapshots to fill the resevoir of beauty in your mind. It also reminded me a little of being on the river in the rainforest in far north Queensland.
Caves
We went on a full day tour to the ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) Caves, with Carlos, our passionate and entertaining guide. Erin and J had been there with him a year ago and their recommendation of going back with him again was great. We drove there through farming country (stopping to pick fresh oranges on the way), and then walked for about 45 minutes through the Mountain Tapir Reserve to the mouth of the cave. Carlos showed us lots of interesting plants on the way, getting us to smell various leaves and pieces of bark that he lopped off with his machete, and to taste (yeuch) a leaf that is like chloroquine and helps with malaria.
The 8 of us in our group sat at the mouth of the cave as we were given an introduction to the geology of the cave and the history of the Mayan people and what the cave was / may have been used for. Carlos has a real passion for the history of the cave and a desire for tourists to appreciate the honour and privilege it is to get to go in there, and to ensure the preservation of the caves and artifacts in a sustainable way for future generations to get to appreciate. It really is a remarkable tour and a chance to experience a 'living museum'. 98% of the artifacts discovered there are still being preserved in situ.
We had a short swim into the cave (shoes and all wet straight away), after which we climbed over rocks and through water that went from ankle to chest deep at various points. Carlos got us to turn the headlamps on our helmets off and we sat for a few moments to appreciate the darkness and the weight of history and significance of the place to the Mayans. After going deep into the cave we climbed up some rocks and then a ladder that has been secured at one point, in order to enter the dry chamber. We took off shoes and kept on socks, in order to have the least impact possible on the limestone floor of the vast cavernous rooms, one of which is known as the Cathedral. The pots left by the Mayans have been there for well over a thousand years. It is quite incredible. There are also some skeletons of people who are believed to have been sacrificed within the cave as part of a religious ceremony. Most beautiful are the natural features of the cave system. Stalactites and stalagmites; rock columns and stone flow formations. Sparkling formations that glitter in the torchlight and fascinating organic shapes that fold and hang and flow.
I have been in caves before and some may have had as/ more beautiful formations, but this was definitely the best cave adventure I have been on. It was enhanced by having Carlos as a guide (in case anyone is coming to Belize). There are only 23 (or so) licensed guides for this tour, and the government is trying to control the amount of tourism in order to preserve the integrity of the caves and the artifacts it houses. He is a good one, though by the end of the tour I almost forgot my name as I became 'Miss Ireland' for the duration of the day!
Cahal Pech
A couple brilliant days, followed by a relaxed couple days, post new year and while my friends are on a trip to Tikal (I will be going there for longer after Belize). We walked to Cahal Pech ( a local Mayan site) last night, but got there as it was getting dark, so I returned this morning to see it in daylight. I read about the site in the small visitor centre and then wandered around with my camera and imagination wondering about who might have lived there and how life might have been. The tree surrounded site is very peaceful and I was the only person there until just before I left, to walk home through the residential streets looking at homes and gardens and churches on a quiet Sunday morning.
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