Inside the cave, looking out

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We were up in the mountains of the Pine Ridge area of Belize.  After driving for miles along a very bumpy dirt road (the kind that makes me SO happy somebody else is driving!), we reached an abandoned little town.

There wasn't a lot to it.  There were probably never more than a few hundred people there, and no major buildings.  The small houses were still standing, and looked to be in decent condition, though clearly uninhabited for quite a long time.

It's a modern-day ghost town.   Nobody living in the homes, or tending the gardens.  Nobody minding the store, that used to supply residents with so many necessities.  Nobody in the yards, or out on the dirt streets.  No laundry drying, or kids playing, or sounds of laughter or conversation.

But to our guide, Edgar, the place came alive.

He told us this was where he lived as a child, after his parents came to Belize from neighboring Guatemala.  In those days it was a forestry town, run by the company that paid the people to cut the trees.  To him it was home.

We went by the house he lived in, and talked about his family, and how he and the rest of the kids in the neighborhood used to play.

That's where the cave comes in.  The cave was the kids' favorite playground.

We went in with our flashlights, carefully watching our step, and following his directions.  "Big step down over this way, and stick close to the wall. Watch out, there's a big hole over there."  It was quite a big cave, with a creek running through it, and multiple levels that you could clamber over, and that's just the part we saw.

Once we got into the middle of the cave, he had us turn off our flashlights, so we could see it the way they did.  It was dark!  And those kids didn't have flashlights.  Obviously their eyes adapted better than ours did.  And I'm sure they passed knowledge of where to go / not go from one person to another, just as he did to us.

The kids loved it.   You could still hear it in his voice.  And I could put myself there, imagining how much I would have loved this as a child.  Wow!

But here in the US, it would be deemed too dangerous for kids to play in, and for logical reasons.  A dark cave, with no lights, long steep drops onto hard rocks, and holes big enough for a person to fall through, is definitely risky.  Without a doubt, here it would be off limits.  Someone would have to take precautions to keep everyone out, or risk being sued.  I don't know whether such precautions really would have prevented any serious injuries.  But it would certainly have prevented what was clearly one of Edgar's favorite things about growing up in that little town.

Eventually, the forestry company moved out, all the jobs left, and so did all the people.    Now, there are no "regular people" living there.  Just some soldiers who were posted in the area - both Belizean and British.  (A leftover from Belize's colonial past as British Honduras.)

Funny, but I never expected to find a "recent ghost town" in Belize.  Ancient abandoned cities, yes! Belize has extensive ruins of major Mayan cities that thrived many centuries ago.  Cities bigger than any in the country today!  But this little ghost town, that still lived in the mind of our guide, caught me by surprise.

That's one thing about travel.  You never know what to expect, and there are always things that catch you by surprise.  If there weren't, then it wouldn't be an adventure, right?

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We'll be heading off in April on an exciting, adventurous trip to Belize.  There are a few days left in our Presidents' Day special offer, so if you think you might like to explore a cave in Belize (or some Mayan ruins, or some coral reefs), check it out by the 16th.
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Related posts:

1. Belize - Crushed at Caracol
2. Belize and the boat people
3. So there I was... waving a bottle at the bats

Ever had one of those days?

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Caracol was a major Mayan city, that today lies in ruins in the jungles of Belize. This was a booming metropolis, and it shows how advanced the Mayan civilization was.

At its peak (around 650 AD, well over a thousand years ago), Caracol had about 140,000 people (more than double the current capital, Belize City). It covered an area much larger than the modern city. And astonishingly, the largest pyramid at Caracol, known as Caana ("sky palace"), is still the tallest man-made structure in Belize!

While exploring the Mayan ruins of Caracol with our guide, I spotted this carving, that captured the way I feel some days.

This poor guy has the weight of the world pressing down on him. While the upper part of the carving is pretty well gone, it's easy to picture gods and important rulers up above, oblivious to his plight. Or perhaps they weren't so oblivious -- knowing the Mayans, they're probably getting ready to sacrifice him!

Maybe my difficult days aren't so bad after all.

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We're putting the finishing touches on our Belize trip for women right now, and we're looking forward to an exciting adventure!
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Related posts:

1. Belize: Cave where the kids used to play
2. Belize and the boat people
3. Mayan temples glittered in the sun

These chemicals can awaken dormant viruses in algae that live in the coral. The viruses kill the algae, which are vital for the coral to survive. Without the algae, the coral turns white and dies.

Researchers estimate that 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers annually in oceans worldwide, and that up to 10 percent of coral reefs are threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching.

So what’s the answer? Scientist Danovaro points out 2 simple things swimmers can can do to reduce their impact on coral: Use sunscreens with physical filters, which reflect instead of absorb ultraviolet radiation; and use eco-friendly chemical sunscreens.

Australian researchers are also working to develop a sunscreen based on a natural ultraviolet-blocking compound found in coral.

National Geographic News: Swimmers' Sunscreen Killing Off Coral

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Our BVI sailing trips involve lots of sunshine and coral reefs. It's a beautiful place, and so much fun! It's disheartening to find that our sunscreen could be harming the coral. I'll be researching better possibilities, and will report back later.
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1. Captain Kidd - fine woodwork and piracy
2. Anegada - The drowned island
3. Pirate myths and truths

The trip started out great -- even ahead of schedule! For a 9am puddle-jumper from Ambergris Caye to Belize City, I showed up an hour early. (These travel habits are pretty ingrained.) So I was a bit surprised when I arrived at 8am, and they said the flight was boarding in 3 minutes! Yes, this teeny tiny plane boarded an hour ahead of time. Turns out on Easter Sunday they were running multiple planes as fast as they could get them loaded. So we were off for the 17-minute flight to Belize City. So far, so good...

The problem appeared a few hours later, when it was time for the international flight to leave for the US. That's when we discovered there was a fuel shortage in Belize. First, they said it was just the international airport. Later they said it was the entire region, including both Belize and Guatemala.

Since there wasn't enough fuel for them to gas up our plane, we had to make a detour on the way back, and stop in Cancun for a fill-up. What with one thing and another, we got to Charlotte so late that even though I'd planned a 2.5 hour layover, I was just clearing customs when my connecting flight pulled away from the gate.

What made me happy was how well the passengers took it. A very high percentage of people on the plane missed connections, and because of the late hour, most of them (including me) were stranded for the night. Yet, people didn’t get too upset. Nobody freaking out, getting angry, or yelling at the airline staff. Everyone took it in stride, even joking about it.

It certainly helped that US Airways provided hotels and meals for stranded passengers. It might have been a bit different if everyone was looking at sleeping on the airport floor.

But I’m wondering how much was due to the fact we were coming back from a relaxing tropical trip. Did that mellow everybody out? How different would it have been if this was a flight from New York to LA that was diverted and delayed overnight? Something tells me the stress level would have been a bit higher!

That mellow tropical feel sure was more pleasant.

And why not? Stressing over it would have done no good at all. Sometimes you've just got to let go, and go with the flow. They'll get you there as soon as they can. That's life, and it's all part of the adventure.

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From snorkeling on the barrier reef, to climbing Mayan pyramids, our women's trip to Belize is quite an adventure! I love Belize and the variety it has to offer, and can hardly wait to go back.
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3. Belize and the boat people

An otherwise lazy afternoon at Ambergris Caye was interrupted by the arrival of a boat full of Cuban refugees. It was a small open fishing boat, with improvised outriggers made of long branches sticking out to the sides with tires on the ends. 13 Cuban refugees had been out on the open sea of the Caribbean in this for 10 days.

They landed on the beach near my hotel. Some couldn't walk after that long scrunched up in the boat, and were helped to shore. They were all so happy to be on dry land in Belize -- some of them were hugging the trees, others kissing the ground. After their ordeal, they were finally free! But it was not to be...

The Belizean police showed up and took them all away. Everyone was in tears now, including many in the crowd who had gathered to watch the scene.

According to crowd knowledge, if they had landed in Mexico, the law would have let them stay in Mexico once they were on solid ground. If intercepted in Mexican waters, they would have been sent straight back to Cuba. However, the law in Belize is a bit different. Even though they hit solid ground, they're not allowed to stay there. Instead, they'll be patched up a bit, then put back on their boat & sent on their way again.

We're all hoping the authorities provide them with medical attention, food, water, fuel, and instructions on how to get to Honduras, before they tow that little boat back out through the reef and set them afloat. I hope they make it.

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From snorkeling on the barrier reef, to climbing Mayan pyramids, our women's trip to Belize is quite an adventure! I love Belize and the variety it has to offer, and can hardly wait to go back.
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Related posts:

1. Belize - Crushed at Caracol
2. Belize: Cave where the kids used to play
3. So there we were... snorkeling without a rope

Getting to the cave is no small task. It's about an hours drive from San Ignacio (a town in central Belize), over some rough dirt road. We got a free unplanned extension to our adventure when our bus had a flat. Standing on the side of this hot, dusty road while they fixed the tire, we got a close-up look at how women here still carry heavy loads (in this case large buckets of oranges) on their heads. Eventually we arrived at the parking lot, where we were fitted out with hard hats and lunches. 2 important basics!

From there, it's a 45-minute hike through the jungle, with 3 crossings of the Roaring River (fortunately not roaring much right now)! After all of this, we arrive at the entrance of the ATM cave, and that's when things get even more fun.

It starts by swimming through deep water into the cave. We go 1/2 mile into the cave, wading through water sometimes chest-high, scrambling up and down rocks, and squeezing through tight spaces. The helmets come in VERY handy!

Eventually we reach the area used by the ancient Mayans to communicate to their gods, beseeching them for rain. They believed that caves were the entrance to the underworld, Xibalba (pronounced shee-ball-ba). These were sacred sites, used by priests and elites (and their victims)...

Many caves in Belize have some Mayan remains, but the ATM cave is exceptional, with hundreds of relics still there, left as they were. The floor is marked with tape so that visitors don't accidentally step on a 1300 year old pot, or even a human skull. Human sacrifices were done here, at least 14 of them -- babies, children, men and women.

It’s a very spooky place, especially when you imagine it lit by flickering torchlight, the way the ancients would have seen it.

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This is one of the most amazing adventures I've had -- certainly one I'll remember the rest of my life. National Geographic featured this cave on their Journey Through the Underworld. We'll be announcing our women's trip to Belize soon, and will keep you posted!
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Related posts:

1. So there I was... waving a bottle at the bats
2. Human sacrifices - in blue
3. Mayan temples glittered in the sun

(I remember a TV show I saw years ago that claimed this hole was obviously caused by a rocket ship taking off here -- evidence of space aliens! To me, it looked more like a sinkhole. But that’s a different story… back to the human sacrifices!)

In the early 1900s, scientists dredged the well, and discovered a 14 ft layer of blue precipitate at the bottom. This is a remarkably stable blue pigment, known as Maya Blue, used in offerings, pottery, etc. Buy why so much of it at the bottom of the well? That’s a whole lot of blue paint!

According to 16th Century textual accounts, blue was the color of sacrifice for the ancient Maya. They painted human beings blue before thrusting them backwards on an altar and cutting their beating heart from their bodies. Human sacrifices were also painted blue before they were thrown into the Sacred Cenote.

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Anthropologists from Wheaton College have now discovered that the creation of Maya Blue was part of the rituals that took place here, to please the rain god Chaak.

Indigo, copal incense, and palygorskite were all used by the Maya for healing. As part of the ritual beside the cenote, they were combined with fire, creating Maya Blue, the color symbolizing water. Then the sacrifices were painted blue and thrown into the well, feeding these healing elements to Chaak, so that he would send the rains.

EurekAlert: Centuries-old Maya Blue mystery finally solved

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We’ll be visiting some Mayan ruins on our woman’s tour to Belize (coming soon!), but we’re not expecting any human sacrifices. You may see a skull watching you in a cave, however…
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Related posts:

1. Mayan vase used to communicate with ancestors
2. Who built the Maya pyramids?
3. So there we were... swimming into the ATM

Judging by the varieties of construction and materials, any number of different groups – nobles, priests and even commoners – may have built temples, and their temples undoubtedly served their different purposes and gods.”

That different groups had the wherewithal – the will, resources and freedom – to build temples, suggests to Lucero that "the Maya could choose which temples to worship in and support; they had a voice in who succeeded politically."

Since 2002, Lucero has been studying Yalbac, a Maya center in the jungle of central Belize. While largely unknown – except to looters and loggers – Yalbac is a rich site. In addition to six temples, it also includes two plazas, a large royal residence or acropolis, and a ball court. Several of the temples are likely royal, three likely residential or memorial. None so far has been cleared of surface debris.

EurekAlert: Royals weren't only builders of Maya temples, archaeologist finds

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I'm in Belize now, and expect to be climbing a pyramid in the jungle soon! (One of my favorite activities ever since I was 10.) We’re preparing our women's trip to Belize, on which you could have a chance to climb a pyramid, too. We'll be announcing it in our newsletter soon.
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Related posts:

1. Mayan temples glittered in the sun
2. Human sacrifices - in blue
3. Mayan vase used to communicate with ancestors

Rosemary Goodall, a Queensland University of Technology researcher, found that the mica was applied over red paint on the well-preserved Rosalila temple in the Mayan city of Copan. The temple dates from AD400-800.

Goodall said

The Rosalila would have been one of the highest buildings of the valley in its time, built by the Maya ruler to exhibit his power and impress his subjects… I'm sure that when the sun hit it, it must have sparkled. It must have had the most amazing appearance."

EurekAlert: QUT researcher discovers Maya mask splendor

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We visit ancient Mayan ruins on our Belize trip for women later this year. When you look at the pyramids, just imagine them brightly colored and sparkling in the sunlight. I’m always looking for related items of interest, and post in our Belize category.
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Related posts:

1. Mayan vase used to communicate with ancestors
2. Who built the Maya pyramids?
3. Human sacrifices - in blue

The excavation team led by Christian Wells, an anthropologist at the University of South Florida, believes that the vase contained a corn-based gruel, flavored with cacao, and laced with ipecac to induce vomiting.

We think this beverage [in the vase] may have contained ipecac, which would have made the person who's drinking it throw up—a lot. Then, by throwing up a lot, they could've had visions that would have allowed them to talk with the ancestors." ~ Wells

National Geographic: Rare Maya "Death Vase" Discovered

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We visit the ruins of an ancient Mayan city on our women's tour to Belize. I'm always looking for interesting related items, and post them in the Belize category.
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Related posts:

1. Mayan temples glittered in the sun
2. Human sacrifices - in blue
3. Who built the Maya pyramids?