My boys—Joseph, Kevin and Kyle (son and sons-in-law)–will be so proud of me!! Today we went spelunking in Actun_Tunichil_Muknal, a cave where they have ancient Mayan artifacts. When it was discovered in 1982 they decided to leave the artifacts intact since many are calcified.

We began by hiking through the jungle and crossing three rivers to get to the entrance of the cave. Then we entered another world. There were portions where we swam but mostly we were climbing rocks. Probably after about an hour and a half–all the while seeing breathtaking formations–we climbed a narrow passage to enter the sacred place where the Mayans brought vessels to the rain God, who lived in the caves. There are clay vessels everywhere, some have obviously been burned. Then we continued climbing until we eventually entered “the cathedral”, an ENORMOUS chamber where the first evidence of human sacrifice is found.

Speculation suggests that the Mayans disappeared around 900 AD because of drought, and as the situation worsened they began sacrificing humans. The last chamber–at the top of a very rickety ladder-had intact remains. It was an unparalleled experience. Is there any other place where you can see artifacts that aren’t behind glass? No pictures because an idiot dropped a camera two years ago and broke a skull!

I do have more pictures of our accommodations, however.  I can only assume our building was built after Carolyn’s dream of recreating the Mediterranean in Belize was dashed because it appears rather modern.  We have a glorious veranda overlooking a river, where the trees are–banana trees, actually.  And finally, the grand finale, what I believe to be a handcrafted seashell tub!

Love hearing from you guys and wish I could share every experience with you!!!

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