Black Rock Lodge San Ignacio

San Ignacio, Western Belize&#8212;A terrific jumping point to about 10 Mayan Ruins and 5 Cave systems! I went to Cahal Pech (a moss-covered, small-ish ruin all to myself) and Xunantunich (impressive, second to Tikal), and Actun Tunichil Muknal (an ancient cave where Mayans practiced sacrificial rituals for the Rain Gods). Pretty amazing!! <br><br>I also met some really cool people here in San Ignacio, two guys on a road trip from Alabama. A group of 8 of ...

... we saw some beautiful glittering stalactite formations and were awed by how the condensation forming on the roof of the caves looked like diamonds. We were told that the river we were floating in was once and underground river but that at some places, over time, the caves collapsed revealing the river we were swimming through.<br><br>It was really a very relaxing trip down the river, something very different than we have experienced throughout ...

... had formed stalagmites and<br>sparkled like chandeliers. In some areas, there looked to be walls of<br>diamonds, dancing in our headlights. The Maya believed that there<br>were 3 worlds, heaven, earth and the underworld which is what this<br>cave was for them. The stalagmites were thought to be roots of trees,<br>connecting to both heaven and earth and touching all three sacred areas of life. After climbing a<br>rugged wall of rock, we stopped on a ledge and were ...

... one was much cooler. The trip was good until we got to the capital - Belmopan where heaps of people got on.. The bus wouldn't leave until everyone was seated and this man approached Julia and I with his fly down looking a bit strange and wanted up to squish over.. .we said no but we pointed to a school girl of about 14 and said we'd take her on our seat... We found out she went to school in Belmopan but lived with her ...

... with posters, photos and a model (which refused to be photographed due to reflections off its glass case) - and a little further uphill, around a corner and our lead explorer spots the first structure: We were also reassured to spot these fellas, who guard against occasional (albeit rare) Guatemalan raiders, after ...

... me.. We got a bus to the village nearest the border and then after fending off a myriad of dodgy cab drivers we choose what seemed to be the safest, all be it still a dodgy looking cab. He drove off in the opposite direction to the others which was a bit unnerving and when questioned on it all we got in response was a grunt, a "no" and "shortcut". He had 5 minutes or I was going to lose it! Exactly 5 minutes on the dot, the border appeared over the hill. Phew ...

... know God will pay you back with blessing for what you have done for Him. I could spin multiple stories of Gods provision and His faithfulness but this is getting rather Long so I will only share of a couple highlights. First off I moved into my own house which is technically the basement of a house above me yet it is separate, I love it and thank God for it I share it with another fellow servant of Christ here at My Refuge named Cirilo Choco, who is from ...

... country (and even with 2 bus changes) we made it in 5 hours: - Placencia to Dangriga ($20 Belize - $10 US for both) - Dangriga to Belmopan ($12 Belize - $6 US) - Belmopan to San Ignacio ($6 Belize - $3 US) Most of the trip was along curves and low jungle mountain, and slightly uncomfortable as the buses were already full when we got to them which mean sitting on our bags most of the time - but no worries! Not much in San Ignacio itself, except an excellent ...

... most impressive falls I've seen because of it's size and because of the excellent swimming pools just below it. We made our way along the rocks above the 2nd pool and Selmo told me that it was deep enough to jump in. I took the first of several 20 foot jumps into the cool water below and swam to the head of the 2nd pool. Erinn decided to enter the pool more gracefully. Selmo led us over the rocks ...