San Ignacio,
Belize
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
After all of that time on the beach, I headed inland to explore some more ruins, and to see a bit of the Belizean countryside. San Ignacio is a small town near the border of Guatemala. The town itself is ok, but the real attractions are the hikes in nearby forests, canoe trips down rivers, and cave explorations. I decided it was time to head underground, so I signed up for a tour of the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave, where ancient Mayan pottery and even human remains have been found from rituals and sacrifices performed hundreds of years ago. To get to the cave, we hiked about a mile into the forest, crossing a river three times just to get warmed up for what was to come. The cave opens in the face of a big limestone wall, but the most stunning part is the beautful green river that flows out from it. It is in that river that we had to swim and trek to enter and pass through the cave. With only headlamps for our light, our group of 6 waded through the river, climbed over rocks, and tried not to fall on any crystal formations or pottery. The photos donīt do the cave justice. If youīre ever in Belize this is definitely worth a visit.
I stayed in a little hotel in the middle of town called Elviraīs Guest House. It was decent--a little stark, but mosquito-free! I donīt ask for too much anymore.
Comments
corrie misses jen!
don't go in those forests at night! it has tree jumping snakes that will kill you in like 5 minutes. and then there are the spiders. have you seen any giant spiders? give me some nasty bug stories. have you eaten any bugs?