Belize Day Four: Action Packed!

Today could have easily been one of the best days on a tour, ever!  Eight words:  water spelunking, river rope swing, zip lining, tubing.  Eight words of freaking fun! 

We began the day at the Snack Shack, Roberto’s tour-guiding office turned restaurant.  The food there is pretty good and their shakes and smoothies are to die for.  There we were introduced to Randolph, his 19 year old apprentice very near to getting his tour guiding certificate.  He is a very kind, soft spoken, hungry for knowledge and eager to please young man with perfect lips that I find hard not to stare at while he speaks.  Strange, I know. 

After breakfast we boarded Wild Thing’s jaguar bus for our day of adventure.  We came to Blue Creek about an hour later where we were greeted by an elderly Mayan man.  We followed him along an aquamarine river.  It rushed past rocks draped in moss and that ran parallel to the moist leaf-covered trail we tred.  A termites nest conveniently at shoulder height lay along the trail where each of us got to taste termite, which the locals compare to carrots.  I’m not sure if I agree with them.  We continued on for over a half an hour of forest obstacles before gasping in awe at the huge cave mouth that stood before us.  Needless to say, everyone was stoked.  We dawned our helmets and tied our life vests like ballerina’s tutsi skirts as fast as we could and followed the Mayan into the mountain. 

For an hour we waded and swam through the cave’s waters while dodging or crawling over the odd rock barrier.  I had an absolute blast near the back constantly joking around and being good-heartedly abused by Seb, one of the best friendly guy connections I’ve made in quite some time.  I laughed so hard the whole day with him that my abs were sore by the end.  We got to a point in the cave with a huge waterfall where we took pictures and reveled in the power of nature.  Apparently the river cave system runs all the way through the mountain, boasting a 24-hour journey for anyone of sound enough mind, body, and technique to take on the challenge.  Our guide had done it many times and with little gear.  Somewhere in its caverns, the cave sheltered a pool about ¾ of a mile in area.  After some good reflection time, we turned around and had as much fun on the way back as we had on the way in.

We neared the trail head again where two ropes hung from a tree near the river and a twenty foot platform was built up on the embankment.  We spent the next thirty minutes or so swinging and jumping off as far as we could into the welcoming blue green river.  It was a blast. 

Thoroughly exhausted and feeling like it was already the end of the day, we headed on to our next site where lunch awaited us.  A bison head mount, likely from this university’s home state of Montana, looked over us as we ate.  Then it was off to zip lining, which I had never done before and found quite entertaining though not as stimulating for the group as caving had been.  It made for some good filming though.  And it was funny when Seb dropped his GoPro and one of the guides had to shimmy down to get it.  Just one more thing to make fun of him for. 

Then it was time for over two hours of tubing.  By this point, the day seemed a bit much.  The first hour of tubing wasn’t bad.  It was rather quite enjoyable and relaxing.  The water was nice and predominantly shaded from any intense sun on both sides by thick foliage.  After that it was boring, then monotonous, then too much work.  The tubing was broken up with a short stop to a little hot spring.  The guides served us fresh coconuts and the little fish went bananas to be fed the fresh fruit’s meat.  The tubing after that was a little painful.  My arms were exhausted-I’m not a very efficient floater, and I had to tow s couple of people who were not having any physical exertion, though it really would have done them some good.  Seb’s demeanor doesn’t always help with his sister either.  We finally made it to the tubing exit.  Finally.  Besides the tubing that had originally been fun and relaxing, but then over extended and the not-so-good meal choice at dinner, it was a phenomenal day!

There are many Quaker-types in Belize that use horse and buggy and wear the goofiest clothing.  Here are two of them going to deliver watermelons to market, but the journey is so long they must stop to let their horses rest.

Mayan descendants waiting for us white people to buy their trinkets just outside the reserve entrance to the cave.

This was posted in the restaurant at the zip-lining center and I thought it was funny.

 Seb being sarcastic as always.

 

 Randolph, our guide-in-training.