David explained that we would be journeying down the river to the cave site and that the river flowed inside and we would be paddling into it. I couldn't wait, caves are a journey into a different world and the pictures that where forming in my mind of this place where making my blood sing. I could not wait to get inside. I got into one the canoes with David and Darren and Debra followed behind us as we paddled down the river deep into the jungle towards the location of the cave.
The journey along the river was beautiful we were truly in untouched jungles. David was a great guide and pointed out all kinds of different birds and wildlife to us. We saw spider monkeys swinging from the trees and iguanas resting on tree branches. He then told us that there were Mayan burial sites inside the cave. The Mayans believed that caves were sacred places and buried their dead deep inside them. There are hundreds of undiscovered Mayan burials still waiting to be found by archaeologists in the many cave systems scattered through out the Mayan mountains of Belize.
After about 15 minutes of canoe traveling bliss we floated into a large lagoon and there it was the grand entrance to the cave cut into the side of the limestone mountain. Two large jungle veins hung over its entrance it looked like something from an Indiana Jones film and just looking at brought back my childhood sense of wonder which was the real purpose of all my adventures. David then hooked up a large car battery to a spotlight in our canoe and did it for Darren and Debra as well. It was an amazing make shift lighting system, something you would only find in Central America where they make do with whatever they have.
Within moments we paddled inside the cave and when we got inside you felt like you where entering a cathedral! The feeling of the sacred was overwhelming and it was beautiful. Large limestone stalactites hung from the roof way up above and as we got deeper and deeper inside the beams of our lights made out bats clustered together in the cracks of the cave above. Sometimes they would swoop down on us much to the fright of Debra who did not like the idea of one of them getting into her hair.
As we paddled a natural stone bridge could be seen crossing the river up ahead. David shined the light towards the bride, onto the cavern wall, and there was a skull sitting on a ledge looking down on us. David explained that there were Mayan burials on the other side of the river I asked him if we could stop and take a look and we pulled the canoes up next to a small ledge.
Only David and I got out of the canoes and climbed up to where you could see the burials resting on the other side of the river. You could see bones sticking out of the dirt and other skulls upside down and there was even some complete pottery resting down there as well. As we gazed upon the artifacts of a ancient age I felt like I was transported back into a different time and it felt like magic. I felt closer to the Maya in that moment than I ever did standing on ancient temples surrounded by tacky tourists in Mexico. It was a feeling I would never be able to forget,but as quick as it came, it started to fade, along with David's light. Reality is always an intruder in moments like that. We had to return to the canoe if we wanted to see the rest of the cave before his light gave out. It would not last that much longer, So we left the burials behind and journeyed deeper into the earth.
As we traveled the cave started closing in on us as the ceilings became lower. It got so low at one point we had to duck under the stalactites and you got to see the roof of the cave up close along with all the bats and spiders that lived among its cracks. Slowly the cave opened out again and we came to a large lagoon where the river stopped. I looked off in the distance where there were several huge boulders scattered on the ground and you could see the cave behind them continuing off down even deeper into the earth. David said we would have to leave because we could not continue by foot as the lights we had would not last, so we turned around and went back.
The journey back out of the cave was a silent one. No one talked everyone was still lost in the wonderment of the place.You could see the entrance and the light of day shining into the cave off in the distance it was a surreal feeling as we paddled our canoes slowly towards it. No one talked except David who quietly sang to himself.
"Don't worry about a thing, Cause every little ting,Gonna be alright."
His voice echoed softly through the silence of the cave and we all started to slowly sing along with him as we drifted through the entrance and back out into the modern world, leaving the wonder of the cave and the magic of the Maya behind us forever.
