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We just had one of those awful starts to a day; the kind of day where you don't wake up to your alarm and are startled out of sleep by the tuktuk driver pounding on the door, wondering why you aren't waiting outside for him. One thing's for sure, that's the fasted we've gotten up and out this trip. The driver dropped us a few kilometers away on the side of the road. It felt weird to be left with all our bags in the dark to wait and hope. We had no tickets, and simple word of mouth let us know that buses started running at 5:45. But a bus actually pulled up and stopped for us within three minutes, and we're now sitting on said bus, heading for the border of Belize- our final destination.
The roads have gotten very winding and I'm finding it difficult to keep the computer on my lap, so this will be continued later. We're trying to get to Balmopan in Belize for cave tubing today…ughhhh toooo many curves….more soon…
We got to the border and the driver tried to charge us double the price, claiming that we were on a special bus and not a "colectivo". We argued and eventually paid the normal price. We got charged three dollars to leave Guatemala despite the fact that every guide book claimed there was no exit fee. We walked across the border and got harassed by taxi drivers, but since we knew there was no other option, we discussed the price, $6 US for the car, and got in. He then started trying to put other people in our taxi and we told him that was fine as long as the price was going to be divided by the number of people in the car. He got angry, accused us of thinking we were better than other people, and took us privately to the bus stop 3 kilometers away. Okay, so Belize was not off to a good start.
We got to Belmopan, the city nearest to the Caves Branch River and also the capital of the country, and started trying to figure out how to get to where we were going. Apparently there are no buses and so the only option was to take a taxi. A driver tried to charge us $70 US round trip (it's about a half hour each direction) and when we told him it was too expensive for us, he got very angry and accused us of withholding money from the poor and only wanting to support the rich foreigners who run tours. Not only were we finding people here belligerent, but they were very pointed and mean in their approach.
The man who worked at the bus station took pity on us and helped us find a more reasonably priced taxi, also suggesting that we have him take us to Belize City afterwards instead of retracing our steps. So that's what we've done. We're now in another private minibus heading to the docks to get over to the Cayes. The caves were excellent.
We got a guide, as is necessary, and started our hike through the jungle. The scenery was beautiful and he showed us different types of plants used for various purposes. Ola ate a couple more termites and remarked on the fact that unlike the lemon flavoured Costa Rican versions, these ones tasted like carrots. Go figure.
We got to the river and jumped off some rocks for a little swim. It was refreshing and fun to try and swim against the current, but we had inner tubes that were begging to be sat in, and caves to be seen. So we go ourselves comfortable and off we floated. As we entered into the first cave, we turned on our headlamps. It grew very dark as we drifted away from the entrance. Saaid, our guide, explained that these caves were originally used for rituals involving human sacrifices. They were said to be the "gates of hell" and he recounted the various "ghost stories" he'd heard of over his years working there. He assured us that he'd never encountered anything himself, and we needn't worry. I was more concerned about the Astyanax aeneus (I looked it up, and yes that's what they're called), a species of fish in the river that likes to dine on follicles, that were going to chew on my bum sticking through the tube than of the ghosts of long dead Mayan virgins. He promised me that the most I was likely to get was a free pedicure.
The second cave was filled with stalactites and stalagmites and was very beautiful. We stopped in the middle of the cave and crawled up the side to see several tiny fruit bats hanging in their holes in the cave ceiling. Then Saaid asked if we were feeling brave, adventurous and comfortable with worming soldier style through a small space to see a cavern with some excellent formations and old artifacts. It was a very tight squeeze, but I got past my claustrophobia and managed to wiggle through, ending up covered in an orange, clayish mud. But it was completely worth it. The caverns wound around and there were marks from ancient ash and old pieces of broken pots that had long attached themselves to the formations inside. He got us to turn off our lamps for a minute to understand how terrifying it would have been to be stuck in there with no light.
The tour finished with twenty minutes of floating through the river and relaxing. It was an excellent way to spend an afternoon and I was very grateful to have not been there on a Wednesday, which is cruise ship day in Belize, so we had some peace and quiet while we floated.
We've just gotten into Belize City and are completely stopped in traffic. I'd heard nothing good about this place and so we've decided not to stay. From the luxury of being inside a van, it doesn't look so bad, but we've been told that it's the kind of place where carrying a taser isn't the worst idea. But Caye Caulker is only an hour from the shore, so we'll be settled into our final accommodation soon. While I'm so not ready to go home, I'm looking forward to not having to carry my bags anymore. Since I started shopping, things have gotten heavy and if we were on the road much longer, I'd have to downsize. Perhaps today won't finish as badly as it started.
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