A journey to the ATM.
That's Achtun Tunichil Muknal, not the cash point!
After arriving in Placencia we had a short stopover for one night - we hadn't planned on staying there and when we got there we felt it was the right decision. It might not have masses of beaches but I much prefer Caye Caulker. Placencia is so humid! You need a shower every two minutes!
One of the guys we met on the boat, Greg, found a decent hotel for that night so we stayed there too, and when he heard of our plan to go to San Ignacio and the ATM cave, he decided to come along with us. So next morning, we all got on the Chicken bus out of town and towards Dangriga the next morning, en route to Belmopan, where we would get our connection to San Ignacio. The outdated Lonely Planet struck again and it was only thanks to a local who saw us waiting in the wrong place and gave us a lift in the back of his pickup, that we actually made it onto the bus and didn't spend 5 hours waiting for the next one. I'm really enjoying the Chicken buses here in Belize. I've never once felt unsafe on one and the reggae music is a really nice touch!
We had to change bus at Dangriga and then Belmopan. At Belmopan it was a total "bundle", as Ciaran would say. There was a lady selling snacks and she came over to us and started with "Now, tourists, listen to me". I thought she was going to say "you need to try my snacks, they're the best in town" and basically try and sell us something. Instead she went "if you all hang out at the back of the line, as soon as that bus arrives, everyone's going to jump in front of you and you won't be getting on any bus!" She was SO right and we were extremely grateful for the advice. As soon as the bus came, everyone surged forward towards the gate you had to go through to board the bus. And as soon as the gate was open everyone started pushing to try and get through and onto the bus. Our big rucksacks were the saving grace - the conductor told us to put them on at the back of the bus and we clambered in there ourselves, getting the last available seats. People piled in until the aisle was full and then the conducter started telling everyone to crouch down - it seems they can't leave the bus station with people standing in the middle. The bus was so packed that they made people get off... But as soon as the bus was out of the bus station they started picking people up from the side of the road! It was rammed!
We got to San Ignacio, got booked into the Hi-Et guest house, booked our trip to the ATM and bought some croc rip offs, as you need shoes with grip for the caves. It was going to be another early start, which we're kind of used to after the sailing trip.
We'd spoken to a lot of people who had told us that the ATM cave was amazing, but we still didn't quite know what to expect. When our guide for the day, Luis, rocked up 45 minutes late, I wasn't really sure about him but he turned out to be BRILLIANT!
It's an hour drive and then a 45 minute walk through jungle, from the car park to the entrance of the caves. The horrific looking croc rip offs were already coming in handy, as you have to cross 3 rivers along the way, and the stones at the bottom were slippery.
When we got to the entrance of the cave, Luis really got going. He warned us that he wouldn't spare us any details! All throughout the tour he was constantly telling us about the history of the Maya and how they came to use the cave, and why this cave in particular, how they would prepare for entering the cave and all about the rituals they carried out. The only way to enter it is by swimming in! So we immediately got cold and wet but I never really felt cold the whole time we were in there, climbing in and out of the water.
It's quite hard to describe the whole experience. It might sound like caving, as we were climbing in and out of water the whole time, and up and down rocks but it really wasn't a caving tour. The caves system itself is massive and we only got to see a small part of it, even though we were in there for four hours.
Luis really was a great guide. One of my favourite moments was when he got us to switch our headtorches off and with his own torch, showed us how the Mayans had cut some stalagtites so that to anyone approaching with a light, the shadow created behind it looked like the Mayan God of Death bearing down on you. The shadow on the wall creeped me out a little bit although it was really so cool to think that over a thousand years ago Mayans would have stood in the same place and been equally spooked!
After about 2 hours climbing through the cave we got to the most amazing part. Taking our shoes off, we climbed further up and came into some huge chambers. You could almost feel the history seeping from the walls. In these huge caves there are Mayan artefacts everywhere. There are pots, and broken bits of pot and human remains from human sacrifices just lying around everywhere. It would have been so easy to reach out and touch a skull or a pot. All there is to protect them are bits of fluorescent ribbon, just to mark out where they are on the floor. And I say "lying around" but actually, they are all in the exact same spots they were placed in by the Mayans as part of their rituals over a thousand years ago. Archaeologists started exploring these caves a few decades ago and haven't moved anything, in order to be able to interpret the meaning of them within the Mayan rituals. Some, for example, are placed in positions that represent constellations. Pots that look broken were broken intentionally by the Maya, because they believed that nothing was perfect other than the Gods, so they always broke a piece out of a pot to ensure that it was imperfect.
The most incredible thing we saw in there was the full calcified skeleton of a man that was sacrificed. A lot of the other human remains have been moved from their original position by water, or the ground below them has calcified upwards so that only certain parts are visible. The Crystal Maiden is a full skeleton, still in the exact same position the body was placed in after the sacrifice. The bones have calcified, so it looks almost like it's sparkling. Also, a lot of the things you read online will tell you that it's a woman, but it's actually a man, the crystal 'maiden' just sounds a lot catchier!
I asked Luis how they decided who would be sacrificed or if it was voluntary. Adults volunteered, the logic being that if someone was sacrificed unwillingly, when they reached the Gods they would give them a bad message instead of asking for something good to happen. Children couldn't give their consent, so in their case the parents would volunteer them.
In any other country, the cave would be closed and any artefacts available to the public would be behind glass. It was amazing, being able to be so close to all these artefacts, but also quite crazy at the same time - there is nothing to stop someone picking something up and taking it, when no one's looking. Luis pointed out things that have been broken by tourists, or by local people who used to explore the caves by torchlight, before the national park around it was created. The reason I don't have any pictures to show you is that cameras are banned from the caves after one idiot tourist dropped his camera on a human skull and left a massive hole in it. I'm amazed it didn't completely break. I would copy some pre-idiot pictures from Google but I think you should go there and see it for yourself!
It's ironic that the most amazing thing about these caves is the very reason they should be closed to the public. I wonder how long they will keep taking tourists in there, and continue to risk more damage to the amazing artefacts that are in there. Despite it being his source of income, Luis himself said that he thinks the cave should be shut. I'm inclined to agree, but I do feel incredibly lucky to have been there and seen all those amazing things, and so close up. It is a really special place and I can't imagine what will top that experience.
After arriving in Placencia we had a short stopover for one night - we hadn't planned on staying there and when we got there we felt it was the right decision. It might not have masses of beaches but I much prefer Caye Caulker. Placencia is so humid! You need a shower every two minutes!
One of the guys we met on the boat, Greg, found a decent hotel for that night so we stayed there too, and when he heard of our plan to go to San Ignacio and the ATM cave, he decided to come along with us. So next morning, we all got on the Chicken bus out of town and towards Dangriga the next morning, en route to Belmopan, where we would get our connection to San Ignacio. The outdated Lonely Planet struck again and it was only thanks to a local who saw us waiting in the wrong place and gave us a lift in the back of his pickup, that we actually made it onto the bus and didn't spend 5 hours waiting for the next one. I'm really enjoying the Chicken buses here in Belize. I've never once felt unsafe on one and the reggae music is a really nice touch!
We had to change bus at Dangriga and then Belmopan. At Belmopan it was a total "bundle", as Ciaran would say. There was a lady selling snacks and she came over to us and started with "Now, tourists, listen to me". I thought she was going to say "you need to try my snacks, they're the best in town" and basically try and sell us something. Instead she went "if you all hang out at the back of the line, as soon as that bus arrives, everyone's going to jump in front of you and you won't be getting on any bus!" She was SO right and we were extremely grateful for the advice. As soon as the bus came, everyone surged forward towards the gate you had to go through to board the bus. And as soon as the gate was open everyone started pushing to try and get through and onto the bus. Our big rucksacks were the saving grace - the conductor told us to put them on at the back of the bus and we clambered in there ourselves, getting the last available seats. People piled in until the aisle was full and then the conducter started telling everyone to crouch down - it seems they can't leave the bus station with people standing in the middle. The bus was so packed that they made people get off... But as soon as the bus was out of the bus station they started picking people up from the side of the road! It was rammed!
We got to San Ignacio, got booked into the Hi-Et guest house, booked our trip to the ATM and bought some croc rip offs, as you need shoes with grip for the caves. It was going to be another early start, which we're kind of used to after the sailing trip.
We'd spoken to a lot of people who had told us that the ATM cave was amazing, but we still didn't quite know what to expect. When our guide for the day, Luis, rocked up 45 minutes late, I wasn't really sure about him but he turned out to be BRILLIANT!
It's an hour drive and then a 45 minute walk through jungle, from the car park to the entrance of the caves. The horrific looking croc rip offs were already coming in handy, as you have to cross 3 rivers along the way, and the stones at the bottom were slippery.
When we got to the entrance of the cave, Luis really got going. He warned us that he wouldn't spare us any details! All throughout the tour he was constantly telling us about the history of the Maya and how they came to use the cave, and why this cave in particular, how they would prepare for entering the cave and all about the rituals they carried out. The only way to enter it is by swimming in! So we immediately got cold and wet but I never really felt cold the whole time we were in there, climbing in and out of the water.
It's quite hard to describe the whole experience. It might sound like caving, as we were climbing in and out of water the whole time, and up and down rocks but it really wasn't a caving tour. The caves system itself is massive and we only got to see a small part of it, even though we were in there for four hours.
Luis really was a great guide. One of my favourite moments was when he got us to switch our headtorches off and with his own torch, showed us how the Mayans had cut some stalagtites so that to anyone approaching with a light, the shadow created behind it looked like the Mayan God of Death bearing down on you. The shadow on the wall creeped me out a little bit although it was really so cool to think that over a thousand years ago Mayans would have stood in the same place and been equally spooked!
After about 2 hours climbing through the cave we got to the most amazing part. Taking our shoes off, we climbed further up and came into some huge chambers. You could almost feel the history seeping from the walls. In these huge caves there are Mayan artefacts everywhere. There are pots, and broken bits of pot and human remains from human sacrifices just lying around everywhere. It would have been so easy to reach out and touch a skull or a pot. All there is to protect them are bits of fluorescent ribbon, just to mark out where they are on the floor. And I say "lying around" but actually, they are all in the exact same spots they were placed in by the Mayans as part of their rituals over a thousand years ago. Archaeologists started exploring these caves a few decades ago and haven't moved anything, in order to be able to interpret the meaning of them within the Mayan rituals. Some, for example, are placed in positions that represent constellations. Pots that look broken were broken intentionally by the Maya, because they believed that nothing was perfect other than the Gods, so they always broke a piece out of a pot to ensure that it was imperfect.
The most incredible thing we saw in there was the full calcified skeleton of a man that was sacrificed. A lot of the other human remains have been moved from their original position by water, or the ground below them has calcified upwards so that only certain parts are visible. The Crystal Maiden is a full skeleton, still in the exact same position the body was placed in after the sacrifice. The bones have calcified, so it looks almost like it's sparkling. Also, a lot of the things you read online will tell you that it's a woman, but it's actually a man, the crystal 'maiden' just sounds a lot catchier!
I asked Luis how they decided who would be sacrificed or if it was voluntary. Adults volunteered, the logic being that if someone was sacrificed unwillingly, when they reached the Gods they would give them a bad message instead of asking for something good to happen. Children couldn't give their consent, so in their case the parents would volunteer them.
In any other country, the cave would be closed and any artefacts available to the public would be behind glass. It was amazing, being able to be so close to all these artefacts, but also quite crazy at the same time - there is nothing to stop someone picking something up and taking it, when no one's looking. Luis pointed out things that have been broken by tourists, or by local people who used to explore the caves by torchlight, before the national park around it was created. The reason I don't have any pictures to show you is that cameras are banned from the caves after one idiot tourist dropped his camera on a human skull and left a massive hole in it. I'm amazed it didn't completely break. I would copy some pre-idiot pictures from Google but I think you should go there and see it for yourself!
It's ironic that the most amazing thing about these caves is the very reason they should be closed to the public. I wonder how long they will keep taking tourists in there, and continue to risk more damage to the amazing artefacts that are in there. Despite it being his source of income, Luis himself said that he thinks the cave should be shut. I'm inclined to agree, but I do feel incredibly lucky to have been there and seen all those amazing things, and so close up. It is a really special place and I can't imagine what will top that experience.
Comments
Post a Comment