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Standing on top of the thirty foot bridge with my feet hanging over the edge, I peered over my toes to the running water beneath me... Mark had already jumped (which means very little since he is the daredevil of the family and will do close to anything), Sam pinched her nose and jumped and now it was my turn "@%*&". Being as considerate as I am, I let another couple of people on our tour of Semuc Champey go before me. Again, it was my turn. I had done this before in Maui only the cliff I jumped off was much higher. I promised myself then that I would never make myself do anything like that again and yet here I was feet peering over the bridge trying not to appear scared to all those watching. Finally, (after many internal 1..2...3's without jumping I played a mind trick with myself and decided I would jump on 2 instead of 3. Tricky, I know. It didn't really work as I am sure you could gather) But I leaped into the air anyway. Phew, I did it and what a rush. Good, now I don't have to do that again.
Here we were... Semuc Champey ("Sacred Water" in the Mayan Kekchi language) It took us an 8 hour bus ride to Lanquin (which we were told would take only 5) and a half hour ride on the back of a pick up truck (don't worry, it was safe...) to get here but we were here. Donning our bikinis and headlamps and candles (I know a very pretty picture) we entered the Cuevas Las Marias (Maria Caves) a naturally formed cave system. We were told to stay close to our guide as we would be wading through darkness in water waist deep to 5-6 meters deep. (another funny site was watching as Sam swam ahead of me trying to keep her head and candle above the water so as not to let the candle go out). We explored the cave system and even crawled through a miniature waterfall inside the caves. With our candles burning close to our fingertips it was time to return. We had other things to see and do before we actually entered the beautiful limestone pools of Semuc Champey.
We took a relaxing tubing ride down the Cahoban river accompanied by beautiful yellow butterflies and climbed down a waterfall by rope ladder (again, @#%!) to see the natural limestone bridge suspended over the river that we had recently tubed down. Now it was time to see those beautiful limestone pools. James, Mark, Sam and I began the short but strenuous climb to El Mirador (the lookout) so we could view the jungle covered mountains around us and below us the tranquil lagoons separated by miniature waterfalls. It was an impressive site. Equally as tranquil and impressive was actually wading through the pools which we did for over an hour until it was time to leave this miniature heaven and head home to begin the next leg of our journey to Flores and Tikal.
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