It was a little hard [VERY DIFFICULT] to get out of bed this morning after the very fun, but very exhausting night we had. After week of wrestling goats, riding horses, and hiking up ancient ruins, our legs were super sore, but when in a foreign country with limited free time there really is no rest for the weary.
The hike up to ATM cave is about a 40 minute climb complete with muddy hills, perilous rocks, and waist deep water. No one managed a wipe-out on the way down [though I can't say we were as lucky on the way back] and we had to swim about 20 yards into the entrance of the cave.
Now the only other cave I have been in was one in California, so I don't have much to compare with the experience of ATM except that it was INCREDIBLE. We spent almost 4 hours trekking through the darkness [with the assistance of headlamps and a hilarious guide] in order to reach the chambers where various Mayan artifacts were found such as broken pottery and skeletons [used for human sacrifice of course]. In the areas with the artifacts you weren't allowed to wear shoes because they might cause damage, so we had to climb over rocks and up a rickety death latter in just out socks [i can't imagine the amount of money that place must pay for insurance]. The cave itself is filled with water so the entire walk through you are almost completely submerged. Except for the areas where you literally have to scale rock cliffs, it is a lot of swimming/walking through narrow passages and over large rocks [there is one area that you barely have enough room to get through without cutting off your trachea]. We were not allowed to carry our cameras for most of the tour [lest we drop them], but we were allowed to take some pictures in certain areas. This tour is definitely not for the faint of heart [that's you Mom and Dad], but learning about Mayan history and tradition was fascinating [they believed the cave was an entrance to the underworld and they would drug sacrifices using frogs in order to kill them to appease the Gods].
[A piece of pottery with a monkey carved on it]
[Remains of a 18-22 year old female sacrifice]
[Me with my Mayan warrior face paint complements of our tour guide]
Besides minor cuts, bruises, and damaged pride, we all escaped with little injury to our persons and are ready to get back to the nitty gritty of class again tomorrow. I can't believe this is my last week here in Belize! While I will miss some things [the animals, the nature, some of the food, my classmates, and my long nails (explanation: I'm too paranoid to bite them considering all the dirt/animals/feces I handle on a daily basis, so now they are longer than I ever remember them being], I can't wait to ride on a paved road, sleep in my bed, and see my friends [Oh, and my family too I guess].
Cheers!
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