Our Plane

The airstrip is oriented west to east so the planes can take off to the east, into the sea breeze.  The runway is narrow, but it is paved.  The runway spans almost the entire width of the peninsula, with the east end being just short of the water line.

Please Ship Your Cash FedEx, Not Maya Air

So do people tell Maya Air that the boxes they want to ship contain bricks of Ben Franklins?  Sadly I can't think of any explanation for this sign at the airstrip other than the presence of drug money in Placencia.  

Placencia Peninsula

Placencia is at the southern end of this peninsula you can see out the window of our plane.  The ocean is on the near side in the photo and the lagoon (where the crocodiles live) on the far side.  

Sister Support

This is Eva holding Lyra's hand while we fly.  In reality, Lyra did not seem to have any issue with the small plane at all, actually telling me later she preferred it to the bigger jets.  I suspect this was partly because we flew 20min from Placencia to Dangriga, landed for five minutes to take on two passengers, and flew 15min more to Belize City.  Much easier than three hours from Belize City to Houston.

Village of Placencia

During the four days we stayed at the Inn at Robert's Grove, we went into the village of Placencia about six times (it is a 10min cab ride). It is a wonderful little town, very undeveloped in appearance, but with a diverse variety of restaurants, shops and bars. (Thankfully no chains except the Shell station.)

There is a mix of cultures in evidence, from global hippie, to Spanish, Maya and Garifuna. Most locals speak very good English to tourists, but revert to Creole when speaking to each other.

In the eyes (and taste buds) of the Phelps family, the #1 attraction in Placencia is the TuttiFrutti Gelateria. We went to TuttiFrutti every time we were in Placencia. It is owned by real Italians, and the Gelato is fabulous.

Cath - I had 3 hours to kill in the teeny weeny town of Placencia while Bill took the big kids snorkeling and Lyra spent the entire time trying to find TuttiFrutti, having been there with Bill the day before. She was incredibly singleminded. It was like Laurel and Hardy.
"Lyra, do you want to go to the playground?"
"The ice cream place is down there."
"Why don't we go to the beach?"
"The ice cream place is near the beach!"
"Do you have to go to the loo?"
"No! It's time to get ice cream at the ice cream place!"

Placencia Sidewalk

You can just see Lyra and Will walking along the Placencia Sidewalk, it is 4,071 feet long and 4 feet wide - according to the Guiness Book of World Records, the narrowest main street in the world!

The Placencia Sidewalk is the heart of Placencia Village, an artery that linked the visitors, residents, businesses and homes of Placencia Village.

There is also a road into town, but more houses, shops, restaurants and hotels actually front onto this sidewalk than onto the street.

Di Guava Tree

Clever and amusing signs seem to be a local tradition. Some appear to be formally placed by the town, many others like this one are informal.

Cath - Oh but there were so many signs that I WISH I'd photographed.

Like the one for the boutique located "behind the old graveyard and around the corner on the sidewalk" since nothing here has an address, just a relative location on "the sidewalk."

Or the one at De'Tatch,for evening entertainment: "For Poker Game (Secret) Call Fred 660-697-****" That reminds me of a secret love note Eva wrote to her friend, Jacob, ON A POSTCARD.

Or important driver information near the Placencia Airstrip (NOT Airport, AirSTRIP): "Drivers must give way to landing and departing aircraft." Eek. But we all did survive the taxi rides and the flight out too.

Pet Crocodile

Next door to TuttiFrutti there was a building with a restaurant and travel agent - and a small pond out front with turtles, fish and two small crocodiles. Cathleen took this shot at feeding time when a man came by with a platter of raw chicken for the croc.

Apparently this croc was caught last year in a nearby lagoon as a baby. It is now about five feet long. There used to be many small turtles in the pond. Now there are only a few big turtles, and one other smaller croc that hides most of the time.

Cath - Where was the $&@*#$(@# video camera??? It was cool to watch the croc suddenly sink straight down out of sight. There was also a smaller crocodile who had to sneak out for his chicken because this one wouldn't let it go anywhere. Even the turtles and fish, very carefully, found a way to get their share. I did not know turtles would eat chicken.

Another Sign

A universal truth that speaks for itself.

Cath - But I had to take the photo anyway.

Placencia Elementary School

Would this be a great place to grow up, or what? This was recess time at the local elementary school, and you can just see the kids enjoying the shade under the school building. Placencia is remote, and poor by US standards, but the kids all had clean uniforms and were playing with great abandon during their recess.

Cath - My running buddy, Cheryl, says her Belizean students are in much better shape than many other immigrant students at her school because of Belize's priority on education.

I must say I can't even see the kids in Bill's photo here. Lyra and I did walk right next to the playground during recess (this was while Bill and Will and Eva were snorkeling) and the kids really were having a lot of fun playing on the swings, playing tag, and generally running amok.

Yet Another Sign

The anti-littering signs are clever and entertaining, but not very effective. We saw quite a lot of trash in Placencia.

Cath - This was disappointing to me. I don't mind seaweed washing up on the beach but there was a lot of man-made trash despite many signs pleading for people not to litter and to clean up. There were also many yards with junk and scrap metal and trash heaps right there. WHY?

De'Tatch - Main Entrance

This is the sign for the De'Tatch restaurant off the main sidewalk in Placencia.  If you click on the photo you can see the day's lunch menu.  The price for the lunch special is $11.00 Belizean, e.g. $5.50US.  

De'Tatch - Ocean Side

This is the ocean side of De'Tatch where the dining area is located under the palm trees. As noted elsewhere, we were not big fans of the food at the Inn at Robert's Grove, but since we had purchased the meal plan, we did eat most of our meals there. On our last full day in Placencia, I took Lyra and Eva to De'Tatch for lunch. It was so good we all decided to return for dinner. (De'Tatch is local slang for The Thatch, referring to the thatched roof.) At dinner Will and I had grilled shark steak and Cathleen had grouper. Both of the fish dishes were excellent. Eva had chicken fingers, which were actual fresh fried chicken, not prefrozen.

Although the food was great, the place was super casual, there was a floor in the restaurant, but no walls. In the bar there was no floor, just sand. Their motto seems to be: De Tatch, "No shoes, No ties, NO PROBLEM MON!"

Cath - There were all kinds of kitty cats running around through Placencia, as you might expect in such a warm climate with food aplenty. Just about all of the cats we saw were black and white. It was like they were all descended from a single pair of black and white cats. But at De Tatch, there was a brownish siamese looking cat with pale blue eyes. This cat was not allowed in the restaurant but she came in anyway and promptly made good friends with Will, who was missing our cats terribly.

Placencia Beaches

The Placencia beaches were not that wide, and every night there was a new deposit of seaweed and plastic bottles, but the beaches were long.  We could have walked the five miles from Robert's Grove to Placencia all on the beach.  This is apparently the only spot in Belize with such long beaches, in many other places the coast is mostly mangrove swamp.  

Our Trip to Tikal

One of the high points of our vacation to Belize was a day trip across the border into Guatemala to visit Tikal National Park, site of the largest excavated ancient city in the Americas.  Tikal was a Mayan city, and as we spend more time in Belize, we are coming to appreciate just how large and sophisticated the Maya culture was at its peak.  Tikal was a large city, supported by a network of man made reservoirs and complex agriculture and water management.  In fact, the fall of Tikal coincides with a sustained drought.  Tikal and another Maya city at Caracol in Belize both likely had populations over 100K around 500AD.  

To get to Tikal, we had to cross from Belize into Guatemala.  Belize is a very small country with a population of about 280K.  Guatemala is much larger, with a population of about 14M.  This is one of the major border crossings between the two countries, and in fact an industrial free trade zone is being constructed on the Belize side of the border.   With a professional driver who makes this crossing daily, no luggage and as obvious tourists, this crossing took an hour.  There was a line of at least 20 semi-trailers on the Guatemala side waiting to get into Belize, and our driver said it can take them a day to cross.  We all now have Guatemala stamps in our passports, and also know that the VIN number for the type of Toyota van we were driving is located under the passenger seat (our driver and the Guatemalan authorities spent about 10 minutes searching for it).   I also got a chance to try and explain to the kids the concept of an anti-personnel shot gun, which some of the Guatemalan guards carried.

The Road to Tikal

To be fair, about 80% of the 75 miles of road between Chaa Creek and Tikal are paved (or what passes for paved in Guatemala).  However, the first 12 miles of road after passing into Guatemala from Belize are NOT paved.  

The road is very dusty now (and reportedly a real mess in the rainy season).  I suspect the drivers must have to replace their air filters after every trip.  Needless to say we drove with the windows up.  I opened a window and stuck my arm out to get this shot, and now the automatic lens cover on my camera has stopped working properly.  

Ceiba Tree

On the path leading into the Tikal ruins, there is a huge Ceiba tree beside the trail.  The Ceiba was sacred to the Maya, who beleived it connected the planes of the Underworld (Xibalba), the skies and the terrestrial realm.

The Ceiba is prevalent all over Central America, giving its name to cities in Honduras and Puerto Rico.  The tree was grown commercially for much of the first half of the 20th century, when it was commonly known as the Kapok tree.  Its fruit provides the kapok fibers that were used in life preservers and auto upholstery until synthetic alternatives were developed.  

Temple II

This is Temple II, the first major Maya structure we saw as we entered Tikal.  I believe this is the second or third largest Temple in Tikal.  It is really tall, as you can see from looking at tiny Eva in the foreground.  This is the back of the temple, the front faces onto the Grand Plaza.

Great Plaza

This is a view of the Great Plaza, with the Central Acropolis on the left and Temple II in back.  There is an excellent map of Tikal here, which helps to provide a sense of the layout of the site.  

When Tikal was a living city, it was clear (no jungle) and the different plazas and building complexes were connected by causeways.  Today, you walk from complex to complex under a jungle canopy and it can be difficult to keep oriented to how the city looked overall.  

According to our guide Noah, the population of Tikal at its peak was 80K - 100K, which would have put it on par with the largest European cities at that point in history.  (On a related note, the population of Belize during the peak of Maya civilization was reportedly 1M.  Today it is just over a quarter of that, 280K.)

Packing Lyra

Lyra has ridden everywhere this trip in an orange canvas baby carrier that works like a non-rigid backpack, holding Lyra onto Cath's back.  Unfortunately (or not) the back pack does not fit me, so when I carry Lyra she rides on my shoulders.   

Turkey

Tikal is truly in the jungle, and we saw a lot of wildlife.  This is a Central American wild turkey, known technically as an Ocellated Turkey.

We also saw a spider monkey, howler monkeys, a young crocodile, a tarantula (which Will held), and an animal I thought was a Coatimundi, but according to Wikipedia is correctly called a Coati.  Like everywhere else in Central America, we also saw a wide variety of birds.

On the drive in from Belize, we saw a good variety of domestic animals.  Horses were very common, in almost every yard and tethered on patches of grass beside the road.  They are used for riding, and also as pack animals.  We saw many pigs (and piglets), goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys and of course mangy dogs.  We also saw many, many Brahman cattle.  Guatemala must be a significant meat producing country (one of their beers has a Brahman as a logo).

Cement Factory

Our guide Noah explained that the Maya made cement by heating limestone, then grinding it up and adding water and some other stuff (I was not listening carefully).  I believe this was one of the pits used for heating the limestone.  

(On a side note, the Greeks and Romans are really lucky so much of their building was done with granite and marble.  The Maya built with limestone which is soft and easily erodes.  I suspect huge amounts of Maya culture has been lost because the stone it was carved into literally dissolved.)

View From Temple IV

This is one of the iconic views at Tikal, looking out over the city from near the top of Temple IV.  This is such a famous view that George Lucas used it as the backdrop for a scene late in the original Star Wars movie, now known as Episode IV: A New Hope.  You can see this view as planet Yavin 4, the site of the rebel bases here.

Temple 4 is very high (a long climb up steep wooden scaffolding).  This view gives a great sense of just how big Tikal is.  The low structure to the far right in the photo is in the Plaza of the Lost World.  The very tall structure middle left is Temple III, the two structures further to the left are Temple II and Temple I.  The area of Tikal that has been excavated (really partially excavated) covers 10 square miles, the full extent of the Tikal National Park is 222 square miles.

From this location, Tikal does have a mystical feel, and in fact  woman was sitting near where I took this photo meditating.  I am not sure how Will and Eva affected her experience.  They generally do not promote calmness.  

Going Where No Hamster Has Gone Before

Will and two of his close friends have created a society based on their stuffed animals.  They have different cultural groups, religions, wars, etc.  Most of the key animals are small rodents, especially hamsters.  

These two, Twinkie and Ginger, made the trip to Guatemala to see Tikal so they could report back to their friends at home.  

Tropical Mystery

This is Cath here, posting under Bill's login. I must say that this @(#*$&(@)*$ Aperture software is not very intuitive and it is taking an unreasonable amount of time to complete a simple post. But the software and Bill's document filing system are not the tropical mystery.....

They mystery is why, aside from the creepy crawlies you see here, we really have *not* seen all that many tropical wigglies. Why? I have been to other tropical, warm and wet places and seen bugs big enough to carry off the furniture. I suppose one of the reasons I like it so much here in Belize is that it has been relatively bug-free.

The kids did find a scorpion in our cabin; we must have not shut the door all the way. I was actually not present for that and Thank Goodness for you probably would have heard the shrieking all the way back in the U.S. It must have stood still long enough for its photo op and then scurried around, just as terrified as Eva was, trying desperately not to be caught.

The tarantula picture is from Tikal. While there was no way I was going to touch it, it doesn't seem quite as horrible to me as the scorpion. The tarantula was so large it looked almost like one of the kids' toys, like a Beanie Baby. And it didn't move very fast (although I am sure it can when it wants to).

So I am not sure why, in this tropical paradise where so much is Alive, the volume of large and spectacular insect life isn't higher.  There were no scary surprises in the River Camp loo or showers, not even in the twilight hours.  But I am not complaining.  

What we have found instead, now that we are in Placencia and down by the beach, are these microscopic sand gnats.  They are teeny, you can barely see them at all but they feast upon you as soon as you go outside and you find out later just what a smorgasboard you've been.  The itching is torturous.  Unfortunately, I think these gnats have had many many generations to build up their resistant to deet and other insect repellant.  We can't tell that the bug spray is working at all.  I guess the bugs you can't see are worse than the ones you can.

Jellyfish Attack

Will has had a bit of a rough vacation in terms of minor injuries.  His worst experience came within a couple of hours of checking in at Robert's Grove.  Will and I were swimming in the ocean, and all of a sudden he was running up to the beach screaming like he was on fire, which I guess in  sense he was.  He had just had his first run in with a jellyfish.  

His arm had red swollen welts which he, unfortunately, spread to his belly when he drew his arm tight in an effort to stop the pain.  Poor guy looked like he'd been flogged with a cat o' nine tails.

Will said it felt like he'd stuck his arm in an electric socket.  This photo was taken about an hour later, after some of the swelling went down.  We gave Will a Benadryl, and it seemed like the pain went away after about ninety minutes, and Will was fine the next morning.  

Fortunately we were told that jellyfish are uncommon here, and we have had lots more swimming without further incident.

Snorkeling Trip

Yesterday morning I did a half day snorkeling trip with Will and Eva.  We only went about 30min from Placencia, not all the way out to the barrier reef which is 20+ miles off shore.  

I am very glad this was only a half day trip, and it appeared at first it might turn into a disaster.  Neither Will nor Eva had snorkeled before, and Eva is not a strong swimmer, a fact she is in denial about.  Our guide Bernard was not helpful, more of a taxi driver, not offering much in the way of snorkeling guidance.  

We were snorkeling off the boat, and the first place we dropped anchor had decent sized swells.  Eva could not get the hang of clearing her snorkel, or keeping water from getting inside the mask (and of course she blamed the equipment).  She also struggled to tread water in the chop, making it much harder for her to adjust her gear.  I could not take my eyes off her because I was afraid she would drown, and of course Will just took the opportunity to critique her swimming.  After the second time I had to drag her back to the boat I told her she could not get in the water without a life preserver.

Eva did not react well.  She is stubborn and prideful, and the thought of having to wear a life preserver when her brother did not was far worse than any fear of drowning (8 years olds apparently being immortal).  Fortunately we did not stay in that spot long, and went next to a small island for some shell collecting which Eva and Will loved.

Eva eventually accepted 'trying' the life preserver (she was concerned that she would not be able to get her mask in the water with it on).   The life preserver worked well, and I could snorkel without worrying about Eva.  We saw a ray, many angel fish, numerous varieties of coral, starfish etc.  Both kids said snorkeling was a high point of the vacation.  Of course Eva continued to complain that the life preserver prevented her from diving below the water (which was about 10 feet deep), but she was able to see just about everything from the surface, and she did not drown.  We stayed in the water close to an hour, and everyone was exhausted afterwards.

Cath - I am SO GLAD I wasn't around for this.  Lyra and I spent time wandering around Placencia and eating gelato at a place run by a real live Italian woman far from home.  More on that with photos after I get home and can use my PC to look at the photos on my camera.

Channeling His Inner Dog

On the boat ride out to the snorkeling spot, Will played the dog hanging its head out the window of a speeding car.  He went so far as to droop his tongue out as well, but that did not make an attractive photo.

Shell Collecting

After our initial short effort at snorkeling, we stopped for a break at a tiny island (less than an acre) for some shell and coral collecting.  The island is no longer inhabited, and the kids had great fun searching for conch shells, pieces of dried coral and other treasures.  

Hurricane Iris

The little island we stopped at during our snorkeling trip was home to a small resort prior to 2001.  In 2001 the island, and the Placencia area, took a direct hit from Category 4 Hurricane Iris and this is the only structure left standing.  Our guide Bernard said most of the wooden structures in Placencia were destroyed by the hurricane and needed to be rebuilt.  

Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Trip

Last Tuesday we went to the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave in Belize. The cave was used for Mayan rituals, but was 'lost' to history for many years and only rediscovered in 1986. The cave is about 5km deep, but the main room used for ceremonies is only 1km in, and that is as far in as the tour goes. The cave has only been open for tourist exploration since about 1997, and the Belize government works hard to keep it in an 'as discovered' state.

Reaching the cave from our camp at Chaa Creek took approximately 2.5hrs. This entailed about an hour on paved road, 45min on dirt road through orange groves and open fields like the one in this photo, then 45min of hiking including four river crossings. While there appear to be continuous groups of people going into the cave (I would guess 300 - 400 people on a busy day), this is not a cushy tourist attraction.

Hiking to the Cave

After about an hour and forty five minutes in the vans, we still had a 45min hike to the entrance of the ATM cave.  Chaa Creek was *kind* enough to pack picnic lunches for us to eat at the cave entrance.  You will note the blue tote the man on the left in this photo is carrying.  Chaa Creek packed as if we were going to Royal Ascot.  Real plates and metal flatware, generous fixings for making sandwiches, bowls of fruit and salad, sodas in glass bottles.  The only thing missing was champagne.  That blue picnic tote must have weighed at least 20 lbs and there were two others just like it plus several green backpacks also containing lunch and related supplies.  After all that work, we were pleased to find that lunch was delicious.

The hike to the cave was mercifully flat, but it did entail three river crossings (we actually walked across the river four times, but the first was to cross a ford and change vans).  We only had one casualty, Will fell in the river on the return hike and really murdered his shins.  They look just like Lyra's now!  He has been most unlucky on this trip and is coming home with many, fortunately minor, wounds.  

Ready to Explore

We had a great guide, Francisco, for our cave exploration.  The Belize government only certifies a limited number of cave guides, and they seem to be very well trained.  The guides are also (appropriately) obsessive about protecting the cave and its relics.  One of the members of our party received a very stern lecture after moving around to take a photo and almost stepping on an artifact.  The guides also enforce the 'pack it in, pack it out' rule.  There are no trash cans anywhere near the cave - whatever you carry in, you carry out.  Perhaps that is why all of the lunch equipment was so durable and clearly reusable, so no one would be tempted to leave it behind.  

Cave Entrance

The ATM cave is a 'wet' cave in the sense that the main route into the cave follows a deep stream. Exploring the cave requires some occasional swimming where the water is as deep as eighteen feet, and a lot of wading. Toward the end of the tour you climb up to a series of rooms that are dry now, but appear to have had water flowing through them at some point based on the rim pool formations that have caught and preserved a variety of artifacts.

The deepest part of the stream into the cave is at the very beginning.  The adventure starts by swimming across the pool just inside the cave entrance.  This tour is generally not recommended for children under 8 or 10 years old and confident swimming is a necessity.

Cath & Eva

We all had to wear helmets in the cave.  I dislike helmets in general, and disliked these especially.  That is until I hit my head so hard on an overhanging rock that my neck hurt from the impact.  I am not sure I would have been badly hurt, but at a minimum the helmet prevented a bloody bruise.  

With the helmet lights we could all see about 10 feet ahead.  At several points in the cave everyone turned their lights out and we had an opportunity to experience true, can't see your hand in front of your face, total darkness.  I am in awe of the Maya walking in and out of these caves with only burning torches.  

Will the Spelunker

Some of us wore shirts in the cave, others like Will took the bare chest approach.  Given that the wade/swim into the cave involved wading in shallow water for almost long enough to start to dry off, then back into neck deep water the bare chest may have been the best approach.  I wore a shirt, and was never dry or warm.

Small Cave Formation

Some of the formations created by dripping water were very large, but others like this one were small and delicate.  This one is probably about 18 inches long (which would still make it 300 years old), but it was closer to a pure white than many of the other formations which had bits of red and brown, I assume from impurities in the minerals.  

Rim Pool

The main chamber in ATM where most artifacts are located is completely dry (other than seepage from the roof) and has been for a long time.  I also suspect the chamber was dry when the Maya used it.  However, at some point in between, there was a lot of water flowing through the chamber, and this water built rim pools and calcified many artifacts.  

I asked Francisco about this, and did not get much of an answer.  My suspicion is that at some point, probably due to volcanic or seismic activity there were floods of water that left large amounts of sediment in normally dry areas, which eventually solidified as these areas dried out. In this photo, you can see the partially covered skull and pots, and to my eye it looks like they were covered in sediment which then hardened.  

Ceremonial Pots

The ATM cave was apparently used by the Maya at least 1,400 years ago.  Given that fact, I was amazed by the fact that some of the pots on the floor of the main chamber were in almost perfect condition.  The cave environment is a very constant 21C year round, and being 200 meters underground and 1KM into a hill side, there are no rain, wind or other elements to cause wear.  

I would have assumed the pots were just left randomly the last time the cave was used, but Francisco said that was not the case.  The way the pots are organized (e.g. which way they are pointed, whether they are upright or on their side) has specific significance.  In addition, the cuts in the rim (clearly visible in this pot) were made intentionally, and signify that these are ceremonial pots intended to be used once and then discarded.  

Spooky Skull

This skull is embedded in the floor of the main cave chamber, toward the top of the chamber.  Based on where it is located, in a rim pool in the middle of the chamber, it probably originally rested somewhere else and was washed to its current location.  

Francisco said the damage to the skull in back is consistent with having been hit hard with a heavy object, apparently one of the three methods the Maya used to kill sacrificial victims (the other two being decapitation and splitting the rib cage to remove the heart).  Francisco also said fourteen different sets of human remains have been identified in the cave, but those are on (or really partially in) the surface of the cave floor.  He made the point that anything fully submerged in the rim pools is now surrounded by solid minerals and is almost impossible to find (the guide also said archeologists are experimenting with imaging technology to 'see through' the rock floor of the cave).   

I made this photo by taking the shot just as Francisco shined his high power spotlight directly on the skull.  The cave is an eerie place, and I think this photo captures some of that feeling.

(At one point in the cave when our group was waiting to climb to another level, Will starting singing the Indiana Jones theme music.  This cave is a perfect Indiana Jones spot, and our group cracked up when they heard the tune.)

Cave Formations

The formations (stalactites, stalagmites, etc) in the cave are stunning.  My on-camera flash could not do them justice, and for most of the wade/swim to the main chamber my camera was packed, so I don't have photos of many of the ones we saw on the way in.  

The main chamber in the cave is large - like a ball room.  It was hard to really get a sense of it, because we just had headlamps and the guide's battery powered spot, but the ceiling was probably 30-40 feet and the room was ~150 feet in diameter (I am sure there is an exact measure someplace on the net).  I think the ones in this photo were ~20 feet high.  Francisco said they form at a rate of 1/16 inch per year, so the cave has been around  awhile.

What Francisco kept emphasizing, and is worth thinking about, is the Maya only saw these formations by fire and torch light, probably during ceremonies when they were under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms or other substances...

Cath - The cave was creepy enough just with a headlamp.  And some of the pathways needed to reach this chamber were suck-in-your-stomach small. It is hard to fathom hauling in all those heavy pots and terrified sacrificial victims all that way using torches that may or may not remain lit.  The shadows from the fire would make the stone formations seem alive. I can see needing some sort of hallucinogen to have the guts to go in there in the first place, although I bet it made the overall experience seem even more supernatural.

Climbing to the Last Chamber

This is the ladder from the main room in the cave (where most of the artifacts and remains are located) to the the last small chamber where the Crystal Maiden rests.  This ladder is in fact a typical Home Depot type extension ladder, tied in place with a small piece of rope.  Safety precautions in the cave mostly take the form of 'be careful and use common sense'.  There are no guard rails, safety ropes or anything else attached to the cave.  

Also note the socks I am wearing.  After leaving the wet portion of the cave, everyone is absolutely required to wear only socks.  No shoes, no bare feet.  Part of the reason is safety (socks grip well), but the main reason is to protect the cave.  Socks on bare feet are soft and minimize wear on the cave, and also prevent contamination from oil on peoples' feet.   We had to stop on the way to buy socks because we didn't know before leaving the States that we would need them for this.

Cath - We were all a little nervous before taking this trip because we did not know what exactly to expect inside the cave.  I was seriously worried that I would have to climb something ridiculous, or climb up something and not be able to climb down, or perhaps panic because I was going to have to watch the kids climb something scary.  Any mothers reading this post will totally understand the high anxiety produced by watching your kids perform some physically risky or dangerous activity.  But for me, this ladder was the worst part of the whole thing.  At least the rocks and boulders didn't move when I climbed over.

Crystal Maiden

This is the most famous feature of the ATM cave.  This is a skeleton on a young female, and is considered a 'primary' burial, e.g. this is believed to be the location where the body was originally placed.  The bones have been crystalized by the mineral rich cave water, and if you click on the photo to enlarge it you can see how the bones'  crystal structure sparkles.  The ATM cave was clearly used by the Maya for ceremonial purposes, believed to include sacrifice.  There is evidence on some of the skeletons consistent with ritual sacrifice, but no one knows for sure.

Cath - I cannot help but see this girl and others in the cave and wonder who they were.  They all had names and families and friends and played some important part in the lives of their community, but all that is lost now. I wonder if she would be appalled to be a tourist attraction or pleased that her sacrifice is still remembered.

None the Worse for Wear

We all survived exploring the ATM cave, with many stories, and many unanswered questions.  I think this will be an experience the kids will want to share in class, and it has also inspired us to do more research on the Maya. 

Cath - I am sure you have noticed Lyra is conspicuously absent from this adventure.  There was No Way to take her on a trip like this.  

Instead, Lyra spent a fun day with Noemi. Noemi is a relative of Dosio, the River Camp Manager at Chaa Creek.  Without Dosio and his extended family, there would be no River Camp.  We love to go there because it is, literally, like going to visit family.  They make us feel so welcome and at home.  

Noemi took Lyra for the day and gave her the Belizian baby experience.  Lyra got to visit Noemi's village, see her animals (dog, cat and chickens), have ice cream in town and have her hair done cute as can be!  So Lyra had her own adventure.  We will need to come back to the ATM cave with Lyra when she is 8 or 9 so she can have this family memory too.  I hope the cave has not been closed to the public by then.

Piano Debut

This weekend was Will's first recital with Mr. Solero. It was a Concerto concert and was a lot more fun to listen to than what I recall from my piano recital past. Will's teacher, Mr. Solero, played the second piano part for each student and I think even he had a lot of work to do to get ready.

Will played Concertino in C Major by Robert D. Vandall. The video includes portions of his piece and also features part of a performance by his friend, Eric. I cannot remember the name of the piece Eric played but it was beautiful. Lyra *looks* like she iss being a perfect angel but if you pay attention, you can hear her Thunk Thunk Thunk-ing her Hello Kitty watch against the metal chair. I ended up taking her downstairs to the reception area and it turned out that is the place where all the wiggly ones go. Enjoy!

Snow Day

A couple of people have said they couldn't load the prior version of this video. That one is on Facebook. I am not sure why that one isnt working since it always has before. This one is on Blogger. Maybe this will work? It is a smaller window though so I don't like it quite as much. Plus it is nice just to have to put the video in One Place and I know some people look at my Facebook page and not my blog....can you believe it??? :)

Snow Day!

I took all 3 kids sledding. It was complete mayhem, the video does not do it justice. We were lucky to escape without injury. Will insisted Eva pull him all the way to the park. He did pull her partway home but she got ripped off. Look how tired little Lyra is at the end! I think we are getting ready to go out again.

Proud Mommy!

The cats think all baby equipment was made for them, even toy baby equipment. Lyra pushed KC all around the house in her dolly stroller. She was so pleased that he cooperated with her. Our cats would NEVER do that when I was a kid.

A new record

Two flat tires in 10 days. I do not know where I am picking up all the road debris. It is terrible!

A nice couple beeped at me to tell me my tire was low. I had noticed it was harder than usual to pull out of my parking place but driving had been ok, no "whoppa whoppa whoppa" sounds." I pulled into the nearest gas station but since it was, in fact a gas station and not a service station, they could not help me. Fortunately roadside assistance was pretty quick. My spare was rather flat too but I drove to a service station anyway (whoppa whoppa whoppa) figuring if I bent the rim on my spre it would be less expensive than bending the rim on my regular tire.

All's well that ends well. Lyra has been a trooper about all this. I have been horribly unproductive today. But it could have been worse...I could have been on the highway or downtown and it could have been raining!

Will is doing a good job

In cheering Lyra up! Yay Will!!

What kind of person

Steals a stroller at the zoo? Fortunately this wasn't my personal stroller but the one I had rented at the zoo. Still, now I have a cranky whiny 36 pound 3 year old who wants to be carried everywhere. Her ensuing tantrum ay being asked to walk was rather spectacular.

I curse the stroller thief with an Old Testament type of misfortune for messing up our zoo outing. Unless of course there was som reasonable emergency requiring stroller theft but I can't imagine right now what that would be.

Veggies as Art

Yes, that is Jar Jar driving a race carrot. The back story is this....

Bill just got his iPhone and discovered the Ocarina application. We are all totally fascinated by it. For the uninitiated, an ocarina is an ancient wind instrument. It is sort of related to the recorder or flute. It can be made of porcelain, wood, clay, plastic and even vegetables. The music sounds sort of haunting and medieval.

If you go to YouTube and search on "ocarina," you will find videos of people playing real ocarinas as well as their iPhone as an ocarina. There is a very nice rendition of Stairway to Heaven by a guitarist accompanied by a quintet on their iPhones. And there is the Japanese guy that carves ocarinas from vegetables and plays them. We watched him play a carrot and a piece of broccoli. Would you ever have thunk it?

So I'd sent all this info to my friend Cheryl as she and her family are highly musical. She thought perhaps the guy with the vegetables had too much free time. I told her I was afraid to show it to Will because he had already had an elaborate race car veggie sculpture in his history. She wanted to see the photo. I couldn't find it but Will said, "That's OK, I'll just make another one!" This one is exclusively carrot and not as complex as the original but here it is! Will has already eaten his handiwork. He is the only one of my three kids who is a big vegetable eater. Perhaps if I can think of some fun veggie art projects for Eva and Lyra, they would be willing to eat vegetables too.