Xibalba

Day 4: Monday, December 10

The ATM Cave entrance.
http://mayawalk.com/

This morning we met at 7am down at Mayawalk for a quick breakfast before we load up. We're heading out on a full day trek to Aktun Tunichil Muknal or the ATM. Brian isn't feeling well and has to back out. So, there's 10 of us plus 3 guys and another girl who aren't with our group. From the time we load up into the vans, the story is solely from the perspective of the part of the group who rode with Aaron and went into the cave with him. The other guide, who was amazingly knowledgeable, was Gonzo. Both are caving buffs who worked with and led the original archeologists when the artifacts were first discovered. They have a long history with the ATM. Some people may have been with both people throughout various parts of the journey. 

It takes about 45 minutes to get to the parking lot where we will unload and pack out the food and gear to the start of the cave. Part of it is paved, but a better portion of it is unpaved and quite a bumpy ride in a 9 passenger van. Every now and then a dinging warning alarm like the one you'd hear to fasten your seat belts goes off. Aaron, the owner of Mayawalk, has decided to be one of the guides to lead us on this adventure, and he lovingly pats the dash and tells the van "It's going to be okay, baby." Apparently one of the other guides drove too fast through a muddy hole on the way to the cave and it got the sensor wet. They had ordered a replacement, but something was the wrong size so they had to send it back, and were still waiting on it to arrive. He is really hoping that we don't dock the company in a review for the sensor going off about every ten minutes. The other van has no air conditioning and a few other minor problems aside from just being old. He said he's had plenty of people give poor reviews based solely on the transportation to and from the cave. This is utterly unfair. It's Central America and you're out here to be on an adventure. This is all a part of the whole wonderful experience. We gave them good reviews. [...]

There's a mosquito flying around in the van (I'm sitting in the front passenger seat) and occasionally when it flies near me I try clapping at it with my hands. Finally, I stun it and it flies against the window where I proceed to try and smash the life out it. Any normal person from North America does this. There's a million more mosquitos where that one came from. Aaron is shocked at my violent outburst against such a helpless insect. I could have just rolled down the window and shooed him out. Only the females bite, what did that guy ever do to me? I don't feel bad about killing it, but his passionate argument for peace has me reconsidering what I thought was the only option in that scenario. This trek is already turning out to be a eye opener on the world of violence and sacrifices. 

Teak trees

As we're going along, Aaron is telling us about the area and the cave. We pass plantations of trees. They are mahogany and teak, both tropical hardwoods. Mahogany trees need better drainage and are more wind resistant so they are planted more on the rolling hill parts of the plantation and the teak trees are planted in between these areas in the more level terrain. Teak has centuries of history in Indonesia and India, but only came to Central America in the late 1920's where it has done very well. There's another very interesting tree in the area; it is not farmed, but native. The Ceiba tree was a central part of the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican mythology. They can grow more than 200 feet high with a largely limbless trunk and buttress roots extending out of the ground. The Maya believed these roots connected levels of Xibalba, the underworld, to the terrestrial earth and sky. The grow quickly and the branches of a grown Ceiba remind me somewhat of a Joshua tree. Aaron makes a point to stop and point out a younger Ceiba growing among the teak. A distinctive feature of the young Ceiba trees are the large woody white thorns protruding from a green trunk. These thorns are swallowed up as the tree ages, usually by the time it is seven years old, and the green trunk fades into a gray/brown bark. 

Just to prove his point from earlier, Aaron rolls down his window and shoos out another bug. 

Thorns on a young Ceiba tree.

We make a brief stop at the ranger station before continuing past fruit plantations to the parking lot. There is construction going on to build a bath house of sorts. It looks like it's going to be a nice place to use the toilet and change at the end of the day once it is opened for visitors. Until then we have the most amazing privilege to witness THE WORST OUTHOUSES known to mankind. This was confirmed by several people who have been to rather rundown parts of the world with less than desirable outhouses at random bus stops. The wooden structure is located up a hill. The stench knocks the wind out of you once you're within 5 feet. There are two stalls. The seat area is a solid wood bench with a hole cut in the top. The entire bench and floor are soaked and muddy. I can't actually tell if it's mud, but given the amount of rain in the jungle and the muddy slope we just climbed, we all tell ourselves it's only mud. There's also bits of soggy toilet paper clinging to various parts of the entire stall. Just opening the door you start gagging. There's no way I can use that. We could just go in the woods, but there are so many people around (we're not the only group out there) and the many dangers lurking in the jungle that we suck it up and call it a part of the whole wonderful experience. We are taking turns holding the doors slightly ajar to let in some light and somewhat less toxic air to breath. You literally have to hold your breath. Right as I open the door to go in the left stall, I see a bee fly down the opening in the bench. No freaking way am I going in there now. In the right stall I manage an attempt. This may be TMI, so skip if you want. As a girl, I make a point not to sit on gross things, especially toilets. It turns out the front of the bench area is at outward angle as it goes down to the floor making it impossible to balance oneself without holding onto something. Hello, door frame. Between the miasma inside and the exertion needed to keep myself relatively disease free, I am on the verge of feeling faint. I'm positive it wasn't even a minute that I was in there. I have never been so thankful for fresh air in my life. So, if you ever go to the ATM and the new facility is open, you better be mighty grateful.  Matt and the other guys used the jungle.

Stalactites and Stalagmites
http://mayawalk.com/

The other significant point to make about the construction in progress relates to a devastating moment in the cave's history, which happened only last May. On a tour through the cave (with, I must mention, a different tour operator) a member of the group dropped his camera on a skull and cracked it. Who could be so careless and disrespectful, you ask? A U.S. tourist. What makes the story even more infuriating was that he didn't tell anyone this happened. The tour guide was at the bottom of the rocks  you have to climb to get to the chamber where most of the artifacts and petrified skeletons are located, making sure that each person was safe in descending these same rocks. This guy had been lagging behind the whole time, and because he was last there, no one to noticed what had happened. That is until the next group came in. No one could confirm exactly who did it, but I'm sure there were lots of heated discussions about vigilante justice. I'm glad to report, none was taken. Immediately after the broken skull was discovered the cave was shut down. The Belize government sent in archeologists and National Geographic photographers to preserve and photograph the significant pottery and skeletal remains. Those were the last cameras ever allowed into the cave (without a permit). There are no pictures of our day past the parking lot, because of the ban. The pictures you see here of the cave entrance and inside of the cave are all courtesy of Mayawalk's website, where they told us we could freely download  their images. What does this have to do with a new bathhouse? Well, I'm sure they contemplated closing the cave permanently to visitors and the rumors still swirl that eventually they still might. The present construction is evidence to the contrary. Why invest, or continue to invest, money into a new structure if you're planning to permanently shutter public access? 

http://mayawalk.com/

A few of us grab the backpacks containing everyones climbing helmets, headlamps, and lunches to carry to the cave entrance. It's about a 45 minute, easy hike and we cross the Roaring River three times. On this particular day, "Roaring" hardly seemed an fitting description. It was about knee high at the deepest and more of a slow moving river. Apparently this is not the story during the wet season. We've been asked not to wear sunscreen or bug spray because this same river is used downstream as a vital water source to villages and we don't want to tox it up if possible. From this point on your feet will be wet all day. Along the trail we are introduced to leaf cutter ants and their mounds, butterflies, various birds, native plants not for touching, and ancient, plugged wells with broken bits of pottery. Gonzo seemed shy at first, but clearly he's knowledgeable about the wells and pottery. Maybe he is afraid his enthusiasm will be overwhelming for us. One thing about Mayawalk is that they do not rush you. Ask a million questions, stop to watch an ant for 5 minutes, or just taking your time to enjoy walking the trail; it doesn't matter, they don't mind. Near the entrance to the cave is a wooden shelter with tables. We get out the helmets and headlamps and hang the bags on hooks. This is also your last chance for the bathroom, if you're looking for privacy. I suppose you could pee in the cave during one of the times you're swimming, but the water is cold and you're really close to other people. A brief walk through the jungle leads you to a large, single shack with a wooden seat (of sorts) in the middle. Someone was genius enough to suspend a stick from the roof using what I believe was wire similar to a coat hanger making it possible to use it for balance. The boys just walked around to the backside of the shed and found a suitable tree. Good for them. 

Sitting around a large ash pile, we were given the basics expectations of the journey into the cave and more interestingly the history behind it. Caves were thought of as female and likened to a woman's womb where life begins. If I remember correctly, when you went in you descended into complete darkness through the planes of the underworld to Xibalba. It was a place of death, but also a place to conquered death and when one returned to the terrestrial world you were reborn.  

http://mayawalk.com/

We were divided into two groups. Matt, Heidi, Erica, and I were joined by Bret, Damon, Loren, and Courtney in Aaron's group. Aaron kept calling Courney, "Nicole''  about half the time and he called me 'Shiny Love,' because I was wearing a tank top that says Love Shines. You do what you can when you meet hundreds of people a year as a tour guide. Helen, Charlie, Caroline, Gail, Louise, and Danielle went with Gonzo. For ease of going through the cave our group lined up boy, girl, boy, girl. This made it easier to keep track of everyone, and for the girls, to have a guy on either side of you if you needed help maneuvering awkward spaces. Bret was in front of me and Matt was behind me. Couples were warned not to be too affectionate in the cave, as it could lead to injuries.  Apparently, that actually happened.  Help came from the person in front. You also passed on instructions to the person behind you, like the game 'Telephone' when you were in elementary school. Stuff like "There's a rock on your left." and "Don't touch the stalactites."

The cave opening is shaped like an hourglass. We climbed down rocks to the pool of water and swam about thirty feet to a rock outcropping. The water was much cooler than I was anticipating. Gathered on the rock we learned more about the cave itself and who would have been using it. I was busy shivering and trying not to slide down the rock.

Leaving the main chamber at the entrance, we paused to admire two beetles- roaches. Apparently, they are blind and spend a period of their life cycle in the entrance of caves. I'm already feeling really excited about grabbing a hand hold on the wall only to feel something squirming. I hate spiders so this is something I conscientiously pushed to the back of my mind. We just walked through the jungle with all sorts of crazy critters. The benefit of the cave is that it is too dark to see except where your headlamp is pointing. If I can't see it, it can't hurt me.

http://mayawalk.com/

Periodically we were instructed to stand shoulder to shoulder and hold hands. I was actually grateful for this because the body heat from Bret and Matt made me feel like maybe I wouldn't become hypothermic. I spent most of my energy slowing down my breathing and forcing my muscles to relax. Erica was sharing in my discomfort. Sometimes it sucks to be tiny. Sometimes it has clear advantages. Like when you find yourself squeezing through "the guillotine". There's a particular way to go through this particular cut in the rock. Drop down into the water so that your shoulders go below the really narrow point, face the crack sideways- going through one shoulder at a time, and look over your leading shoulder. Loren is the tallest one in the group and last in line. Between his broad shoulders and adam's apple, it was probably the most awkward for him, and he is by no means chubby. So far on the caving journey, you should be comfortable swimming, being in the dark, being around creepy crawlies, and going through tight spaces. That's a lot of phobias and at least a some physical ability needed. You know what we need? To channel our animal spirits. So, we each call out our animal. I am an ocelot. Matt is a bear.

We are making our way through this rather deep and narrow "path". We're single file, the water is too deep for me to touch the bottom, and the sides are only about twice the width of my shoulders apart- steep enough and slick enough that I can't tread water or find anything to hold onto. This is probably the only moment where I got freaked out a little. Luckily Bret is tall and perceptive enough to grab my hand and keep me afloat and panic free. Also, I am an ocelot.

It's when discomfort strikes that one realizes a strong mind is the most powerful weapon of all. - Christie Wellington

http://mayawalk.com/

About halfway through this narrow slip, Aaron tells us to turn our headlamps off. So now it's deep, narrow, and you are completely and utterly blind. All your other senses kick in, albeit dully, and you use sound and all four limbs to touch and feel your way along. The purpose of this is not to scare anyone or even just enhance your experience. You're in a spiritual place, and even if you aren't spiritual, you can feel an intensity permeating this place. This is where ancient holy leaders and royalty came to perform ceremonies, to offer sacrifices, and prayers. This is where they came to meet their gods. When they came through here they didn't know the exact layout of the cave, they didn't have headlamps, and they very well were not looking forward to what was coming next. The rulers offered blood sacrifices that involved getting really high (I'm confident being high out of your mind is the only way to do this) and pierce themselves, bleeding into a bowl. The men pierced their genitals and the women pierced their tongue- with the needle of a sting ray or obsidian. Ow.

The next fun challenge involved Heidi overcoming one of her fears. Ever had the fear, or desire, or imagined being sucked down a toilet bowl like a goldfish? How about climbing up one? There's what appears to be a small tunnel-like entrance through the rocks big enough for a person to climb through, but with the added bonus of water coming at your face. It's a full body swirly! It's your natural instinct to turn around and want to help the person following you, but all that does is get them to stand up too soon and hit their head or scrape their knee on a rock.

Shiny Love and Matt

There's a lot of walking through shallow, shin deep water punctuated with the occasional full on swim. We pass by incredible, glittering impossibly ancient stalactites and stalagmites. We found some tiny bats. You get nibbled or touched by unseen creatures in the water. Later on in my research I find that there are catfish, fresh water crabs, and crayfish. I only saw some tiny fish in the entrance, everything else was a mysterious "what was that" moment. In one of the mostly dry spots, Aaron stops us and pulls out these two small, red rocks. He then proceeds to draw warrior markings on all our faces. It's iron oxide- rust. Not only is he knowledgable, he's a lot of fun.

http://mayawalk.com/

We arrive at the part of the cave where you climb up rocks probably 10- 15 feet to a platform. Out of respect and for preservation everyone removes their shoes here. Then we continue into a large chamber littered with shards and even whole pieces of pottery. There are a few skulls. We are told that this is just the surface. Archeologist estimate there are layers upon layers of artifacts beneath us. It's the tip of the iceberg. It's really incredible to be able to walk right up to a piece of pottery or a skull a thousand years old or more. I would squat down and try to get a closer look, but made sure not to get too close or touch anything. The only instructions, besides no touching, are not to cross the red tape (which is really just flagging placed on the ground around areas where artifacts are) and to walk on the raised parts of the ground. I don't know the technical term, but the topography of the upper chamber is covered with sunken areas. I think they are shallow dug spots, where offerings were left. So, if you step into it you could very well crush something important. The raised part we try to stay walking on is much firmer. Farther on into the upper chambers there are skeletal remains of 14 bodies. About half of them are children. No one know if they were brought here alive to be sacrificed, died naturally and were brought here to rest, or for what purpose. Many times throughout our stay in Central America we are told that no one knows much in the way of facts about Maya life. It's speculation based on what we've found and is subject to interpretation.

The Crystal Maiden
http://mayawalk.com/

To reach the last part of our tour we have to climb a ladder to a smaller chamber. Here, a quarter mile into the 3 mile cave, we reach the chamber that is home to "The Crystal Maiden". We're corralled behind a small fence, but there in front of you on the left side of the chamber is a complete human skeleton sprawled out on it's back and covered in crystals. According to my memory, Aaron told us that although it's widely believed that the skeleton belonged to a female, there are some who think it could be a male. I believe the skeletons we saw on our way in were all males. This would be the only female. The spine is broken, which is how archeologist believe the person was immobilized for whatever happened next. Maybe they were left for dead, perhaps they were brought here dead, maybe there were ceremonies performed. I am not sure, but it was amazing to see something like that and ponder what happened here all that time ago. If people were brought here alive to be sacrificed, were they brought against their will? I think even if you went willingly, they may have been bound, and had a guard on either side of them forcing them along deeper in to the cave. It would have been very difficult to navigate some of the passages we did bound up or carrying a child with you. I imagine they would have been in there for hours at a time. Do you think they ever feared the torches would burn out? I think some people speculate that some of the skeletons may have been people who just got lost.

L to R: Matt, Loren, Erica, Bret, Sam, Courtney, Aaron, Damon, Heidi

Making our way out of the cave went by much quicker. Too quick, if you ask me. I was so engrossed with the whole experience, it just seemed to all of a sudden be over. Aaron made the trip back interesting in its own way by occasionally hiding around a corner or a rock and jumping out at us. It didn't matter how many times he did it, you jumped and shouted every time. After being in the dark for so long, the entrance to the cave was the most beautiful sight. The water was such a deep turquoise and the green of the jungle beyond was so vibrant. Other than feeling disappointed that it was over, the only thing on our minds was food. We are starving! Time to grab food and stuff our faces on the way back. We're in a bit of a hurry now, because Courtney flew out this morning just for the tour and has a flight to catch back the the Cayes. We were going fast, but still trying to enjoy the jungle on the way back. At the vans, we dried off, changed clothes, drank some really strong rum punch and headed out. We are only a little sorry we drank all the rum punch and didn't leave any for the other group. A fun thing about Belize is there's no open container laws. Rum punch or beer while riding along... no one cares. We stop at a small shop where Courtney is going to switch to a car that will take her to the airport. There's some confusion because the guy who is supposed to drive isn't there (Belize time, I guess) and his sister is trying to reach someone else to drive. We grab some beers and eventually make our way back to San Ignacio.

After both groups return and cleaned up, we ate dinner at a Sri Lankan restaurant and met up with Bret, Loren, and Damon for drinks at Mayawalk. The evening, like all the evenings, includes lots of beer, rum punch, and capichanas. It ends with Louise teaching us the Irish Wedding Dance, while playing the Dropkick Murphys on her iPod, in the middle of the street, as Jimmy is trying to shut down the bar. It was rowdy and fun and we woke up some of the locals. Someone, somewhere has a video.

Some interesting, quick reads with photos from before the No Camera rule:

Why My Fear of Spiders Kept Me From Belize's ATM Cave written by the bloggers of The Time-Crunched Traveler. It has a fun description and how to plan the trip.

My Trip to Xibalba and Back was written by an archeology student who participated in several cave excavations in the area.

Actun Tunichil Muknal- Incredible was written for Lonely Planet's Vive Latin America blog.