And Then The Rain Came

First a public service note: Due to technical difficulties for my apple iOS readers, I have switched the technology that I’m using to post pictures and am making all videos YouTube videos. Ashley has been kind enough to be my beta tester and can confirm that you can now read with your usual safari browser and all will be well.. now on with the story.

Today started saying goodbye to our new dive friends, and staff and it was surprisingly moving. We just clicked so well with them and enjoyed their company so much it was hard to leave. But leave we did. What lay ahead was a day full of travel from the north, Belize City to the south, Hopkins. Along the way we’d stop for a three hour cave tour at the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM as its known) Cave Tour.

But first we had to make it to the mainland and madman Tyrell was at the helm of the boat plowing through 6 foot seas. Well, I love a good boat ride but on the angry sea as much as anyone, but they had stuck us in the bow of the boat and let me tell you we got bounced around like pinballs. At one point I was launched a good foot and a half off my seat as the boat just dropped out from under me. I smacked my hand, have a black and blue fingernail and the phalange joins there are still moaning at me.

Finally we make it to the mainland and waiting for us is our driver Elias. We are thinking he will be the one taking us all the way to Hamanasi Resort in Hopkins but it turns out he is our cave tour guide so he is only driving us half the way there to the caves. Not a problem but Elias is a seriously cool dude and has found his calling as a tour guide for sure. This guy can talk. And talk knowledgeably about just about anything that we could think up to ask him. Ashley was pumping him for information like he was a human wikipedia and frankly he was.. it was truly impressive.

Finally, we arrive at the caves. Well we know we’re going to have to cross a couple of streams by wading through them so we have been warned to wear quick drying clothes. What we weren’t prepped to expect was the cave itself. You enter by swimming into the mouth of the dark cave in this slate blue waters full of calcium from the limestone cave. Helmets on, headlamps on, we plunge on into the darkness still not really having a clue what we’re in for. The first 10 or 15 minutes are AMAZING with stalactite and stalagmite formations. Crystalline waves of calcification. Hanging chandeliers of stone, walls that have striations and colors that just pop in the headlamps.

And then Elias tells us there is a “a bit of a tight squeeze ahead”. When I see him taking is dry bag backpack off and pushing it through ahead of him I know this is no joke. Its Elias, Ashley then me bringing up the rear. When its my turn I have to turn my head sideways, exhale and slip my neck through a crevice that touches both my adams apple and cervical vertebrae at the same time… a bit of a tight squeeze I guess.

Well we then continue on through the stream, sometimes chest deep, sometimes almost dry riverbed. More and More impressive stone formations as we go. Some that look like bullfrogs, some that look like the Virgin Mary, some that look like Bart Simpson.. it was crazy what you could see in the shadows!

Finally we come around a bend and stop at a huge bolder. Elias says, look up. We do and see a huge domed room above us. He says, now we’re going to go and touch the ceiling. So we start bouldering up the side of the wall. One hand here, a foot hold there, a bit of a lunge on occasion but we make it up to another terrace where the first of the ancient Mayan artifacts are found. I was a bit underwhelmed, they were broken pieces of pottery about the size of my fist and mostly buried in calcium deposits. But then we’re told we have to take off our shoes and continue on in our socks only to protect the environment we’re about to squeeze into. Yup.. another tight squeeze.. on my knees, bend my back, twist my shoulders and finally I’m out the other side into another grand cavern.

Here we get to see the real artifacts. Still mostly pottery but largely intact except for where they purposefully broken to let the spirits that resided inside the objects pass on with the offering. You see, the Mayans came to this place to offer sacrifice and prayer to the sky gods and the earth gods, believing that in the cave you had the dripping water or the blood of the mountain meeting the mirror water below, the portal to the underworld where you would be reincarnated after passing through the nine layers of that lay ahead.

Well, it turns out that the artifacts are just the start. REALLY cool that they have been sitting there undisturbed for 1300 years since 700 AD roughly. But even cooler are the bones we start to see. Then we learn that they were believed to be human scarifies and that the second one we were looking at was believed to be a 7 year old boy who was bound with his arms behind him and left to starve to death as an offering to the gods. As it turns out, as drought, and famine and pestilence increased, the Mayan’s become more desperate to placate the gods and stepped up their offerings int human sacrifice. The most impressive display of which was, the Crystal Maiden as she is known, found in the Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre. You can see the pictures below.

I should add that all the pictures are found from the internet as all photography was banned from the cave five years ago due to cameras being dropped on skulls and damaging the artifacts.

So the coolest thing about the whole tour was that we were the last tour into the cave for the day when meant by the time we reached the deepest part of the cavern we were all by ourselves. We shut our headlamps off an stood in ABSOLUTE blackness. Really disorienting. Apparently light deprivation, magic shrooms and tobacco smoking were all used to induce hallucinogenic visions while in the cave… at least the light deprivation you got a feel for how this could work.

Well finally we work our way out of the cave and find that the rain of the tropics had come to visit. We had to hike back about 1.5 miles in the rain but we were already wet so who cared. The THE RAIN came when we got to the parking lot. I’m talking sheets and buckets and firehoses worth. It was an impressive display that lasted a good 45 minutes if not longer. But we had a pavilion to shelter in while we had some of Elias’ wifes food she sent along of chicken, veggies and rice.

Then a quick strip tease with everyone looking other directions to change into dry clothes and we’re back into the car on our way to transfer to the driver to take us to Hamanasi. A two hour ride through the gorgeous mountains that were pure green and shrouded in mist and clouds. Very beautiful to say the least, but must be stunning in the sunshine too.

Finally we arrive at Hamanasi and are greeted with smiles and welcome drinks. We check in and guess what I can’t find my passport… after a brief minute or three of panic, I realize where I put it. In my other bag which was being brought up to my room. So we check in, are brought to our treehouse room. Spacious, huge bathroom, sitting room with couch and a gorgeous bedroom.

Some quick showers later and we’re down for a pre-dinner cocktail then up to a fabulous dinner of fresh fish, veggies and rice before returning to the room and collapsing from a REALLY long and INCREDIBLY fun day. Tomorrow I dive again and Ashley decided she wanted a chillaxing day by the pool so you’ll hear more about that in the next entry. Until then Hasta Leugo!

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