sunday was to bring tours of the mayan ruins, exploring their fortresses and constructions and tubing through their caves.
we boarded the water taxi to the mainland and drowsily bounced along with the waves. when we arrived, we were hurried into a small tour bus, complete with four belizian men, all to be assisting with the day's tours. they passed out breakfast on the ride - plantains and the belizian version of pancakes, a type of fry bread eaten with syrup and creamy cheese.
so delicious.
our first stop was belize's altun ha mayan ruins, great structures of stone, standing high on plains of grass. we were able to explore each of the two courtyards, even climbing to the top of the tallest mayan tomb. henry, our trusty tour guide, was a fountain of historical knowledge about the ruins. he seemed to know everything there was to know, and by the end of the tour, i felt like i did too.
after that, it was back onto the bus for all of us, and this time lunch was served. actually, i should say that lunch met us on the side of the road. we stopped alongside a green minivan about ten minutes away from the mayan ruins. henry and company hopped out, grabbed the bags of food from the driver and hauled them onto the bus. in minutes, we were happily munching (we ate chicken, rice, and beans) and driving again.
when we arrived at our destination, the group piled out of the bus again, this time to a sort of concession stand shack that rented aqua socks and sold (among other things) snickers and spicy pringles.
random, i know.
anyway, we paid three dollars from the concession guy and slipped on the rented, extremely unattractive, aqua socks. henry gave each of us an inner tube, life jacket, and headlight, and we began a hike to the top of a mountain. another one of our guides taught us tricks of the jungle as we walked - which trees were poisonous, which were fruitful, which were medical, etc. we were able to try a nut from one of them, and we even tasted termites - they have a minty fresh flavor, and apparently are pretty good for you.
when we arrived, we were greeted by a small river and the entrance to a cave. henry instructed us to mount our tubes, lights on heads, and secure into our armpits the feet of the person behind us. we formed one long line, with henry at the front, and rode the current into the cave.
inside was absolutely breathtaking. most of the journey was completely dark, we had only the light from our headlights, along with the comforting sound of henry's voice and the comfort in knowing he would take care of us. a few times, though, we would be told to turn our lights off and glide in the darkness for a minute or two. then, rounding a sort-of "bend," we were met face to face with sunlight pouring into the caves. we saw out into the jungle of which we had previously hiked. it was the most breathtaking view. i felt as if it were made just for us, like a secret nobody knew - which of course was ridiculous, but i felt it just the same. henry and the others pointed out formations on our way through, along with the mayan legends that were tied to them.
finally, the current led us out of the cave and we floated along the remainder of the river with the sun on our face. right before we reached the beach where the tubes and equipment were collected, we saw several children jumping from a small rocky cliff, probably twenty or thirty feet from the water. it looked like so much fun, and their laughter was ringing throughout the jungle. a couple of the boys in our group scurried out of the water to join them, and after only a second's hesitation, i followed.
when in belize, right?
standing on the edge of the little cliff, though, my confidence wasn't as high. the boys had jumped before me, so i was the only one of us who had yet to depart from the rock. looking over the edge into the water below, though, for a second i thought i was going to have to turn back. however, the little children around me were cheering me on, telling me the best place to jump from and what to do with my body. kim and the others were shouting encouragement from the water, so finally, eyes closed and nerves high, i lept from the cliff. i hit the water in seconds and popped my head up to sounds of clapping and laughter. i had done it! i had jumped from the little cliff!
as soon has everyone was hauled from the water, we returned our tubing equipment and took our seats on the bus. i slept most of the way home. once we entered the city, we were driven to the dock where we boarded the water taxi once again, this time headed for home.
after a cool shower and a change of clothes, i headed out on the town to a restaurant on the water with kim and the girls. we laughed, ate ceviche (a mixture of fresh vegetables and seafood, sort of like a salsa) and sang karaoke.
we walked back to the hotel with our stomachs full and our shoes in hand, feet tickled by the beach. the perfect ending to a perfect day.
tomorrow is the start of a new week, and we will be meeting the kids from holy cross for the first time. i can hardly sleep, i'm so excited.
love from belize, everyone. until tomorrow.
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