Our transfer driver treated us to some fyah haat tamales (and coconut squares for dessert) on the way to San Ignacio. Our longest stay in Belize was four nights in San Ignacio, so we were relieved that our cabana at Midas Belize was great. The staff were accommodating and the pool was nice. I even watched five toucans in one tree outside our room. We used San Ignacio as a hub for most of our explorations of ancient Mayan sites. On the day we arrived, we walked to Cahal Pech and explored its many corridors, rooms, and plazas. The following day, I went on an excursion to "ATM" by myself, as exploring a skeleton laden cavern via underground river seemed like a literal nightmare to Lisa. Actun Tunichil Muknal translates to Stone Cave Sepulcher, and I spent about 3.5 hours inside this remarkable place, named by National Geographic as the world's #1 most sacred cave. Photography was banned after a tourist fractured an ancient skull by dropping a camera on it, so I selected these photos from a Google search (except the lunch was my own😋). Entering the cave involves a short swim. Much of the cave's exploration involves wading through an underground river. Eventually we reached a spot where we were required to remove our shoes and climb barefoot (my choice) or in socks up rocks and eventually a ladder. The entire cave is 5.5 miles deep/long; we ventured half a mile in to reach the "Crystal Maiden" before retracing our steps back. Some caverns are huge, while others required careful maneuvering to navigate. The "Neck Slicer" is the tightest squeeze where one must turn sideways and angle one's head to allow the neck to pass by the narrowest point. It is unknown how many people were sacrificed in this cave, but so far 14 have been confirmed - 7 adults (5 male, 2 female) and 7 children. I saw five of these, including the most famous skeleton known as the "Crystal Maiden" (because the calcification makes the bones sparkle when a light shines on them). By the time we exited the cave, we had traveled through nine levels of the underworld. The ceramics at the site are significant because they are marked with "kill holes" (created to release spirits lurking within), which indicate that they were used for ceremonial purposes. One even features an alux (a type of sprite in the mythological tradition of certain Maya peoples). We walked to eat most of our meals at the market or from street vendors. On the 17th we both joined a tour to Caracol, a large ancient Maya archaeological site that once covered approximately 200 square kilometres, an area much larger than present-day Belize City, the largest metropolitan area in the country, and supported more than twice the modern city's population. On the way back we made a brief stop to view Rio on Pools. The following day, we took public transportation to check out Xunantunich on our own. We spent our final afternoon in San Ignacio relaxing by the pool and visiting with a couple from Mayne Island. We took it easy and went to bed early, as the following morning we had a five o'clock transfer.
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