Liz and I stopped off at Big Rock Falls after our visit of Caracol. With little gas and a lot of nerve, we deviated from the main road for just a couple of miles on our way back to San Antonio and then to Table Rock Jungle Lodge.

The deviation took us past Five Sisters Lodge and down a road we just didn’t know would lead to a destination. Once we got there, we had to guess at the trail as a few sort of led in almost the same direction. We headed out, video loaded and recorded every step of the way. This video shows a few highlights of the visit.

All of this was shot with the V.I.O. POV (except the stills) that I picked up from Backcountry.com I took copious amounts of video with this thing and if it weren’t for human error, I would have had some awesome footage of the trip to ATM. Grab your own…

Here is a video from our zip lining trip at Jaguar Paw. While we weren’t totally bowled over with the resort itself, Kent and Harrison were great guys and they gave us a really nice private zip line tour. They were patient with us; especially with my technical issues. I think they might have even been a little bit amused by our enthusiasm and silliness. Enjoy the video:

Friday was our last full day in Belize, and supposed to feature the most exciting activity of the trip. Actun Tunichil Mucnal offers the lucky Belizean Traveler an opportunity to experience raw Mayan culture. Sure, there are Mayan descendents who still carry on some of the traditions of their ancestors. And there are many ruins that can be visited. But nothing that I am aware of remains as untouched by modern man as the ATM. The cave bears only the stains of human hands on the hundreds of stalagmites and stalagmites, a few pieces of orange tape, a rickety aluminum ladder and a single sign and wire protecting the crystal maiden.

The cave hasn’t been carved out. There are no light fixtures running through the cave. It’s just a tomb; and a testament to a very different spirituality. It’s a tough walk in for some and requires some climbing, stooping and tolerance for very cold water, a pair of socks and a sense of adventure.

I’m really glad I got to visit the cave. It’s a shame Lizzy missed out. I think she would have loved it.

The ATM is about 45 minutes from San Ignacio by car, followed by a 30 minute hike through the jungle and 3 river fords. I’d expected a wet and slopping adventure, but we were blessed with dry weather the entire time we were in Belize. It was, therefore, an easy walk in, but not very picturesque. I ran the POV during the walk in, but soon discovered that the lens had been breached and was fogging up from moisture. Turns out I was out of batteries and didn’t have a formatted SD card either, but those details aren’t important.

Next to the cave entrance sit a couple of partial shelters for people to store their lunches and gear they don’t worry about losing (nothing was stolen, but who would be there to witness?). We stashed our gear and walked down to the entrance serenaded by the cold induced shrill screams of the girl in the group in front of us. Apparently, her swimming had been limited to the bathtub hot water of the Caribbean. I got a couple of shots of the entrance before swimming in.

The cave entrance features a rock formation that looks like the profile of a man’s face. It’s very similar New Hampshie’s “Man in the Mountain.” The guide explained to us that this, the Mayan’s believed, was the god of water, looking out of the entrance of the cave. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of this feature. The underwater camera’s images all came out completely pixilated whenever I used the flash in the cave and I wasn’t ready to bust out the SLR in waste deep water.

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We climbed, ducked, crawled and sloshed our way through ½ mile of the darkest, blackest black I have ever experienced. I thought it was dark underwater at night. But this was dark. The dark seemed to swallow up the lights of the other visitors; as if their light was absorbed by the cave walls rather than reflected. Ten feet seemed like the extent of a flashlight’s range. This was so black, my thoughts were dark. Of course, that may have been inspired by the continuous complaining and sarcasm of one of my fellow guests – I don’t recall a single positive thing or utterance of enthusiasm come out of his mouth the entire time.

We got to one spot where the guide started to talk about how the Maya got in and out of the cave and what they would bring for their ceremonies. He had everyone turn out their light in front of a large row of stalactites. He spoke of the history of the Maya and then suddenly these wood chimes started to sound. It was really amazing and set the mood. The guide then turned on his own headlamp to show that he was actually creating the sounds by wrapping his knuckles on the hollow mineral formations! I am not a musician, so I don’t know tones or keys. But we were able to create several different notes from the row of stalactites. Ok, this is what I’d come here for!

At one point we came to a “room” that was massive. With twenty-something foot ceilings and a square footage in the thousands, it would have made for an amazing, earthy ball room! The walls were covered with mineral deposits from draining water. Many were smoothed from human hands, but most bore no marks of human interference. Several mighty columns connected the floor to the ceiling where stalactites and stalagmites met.

The cave is massive. We only touched about ½ mile of it. But in that short distance, we waded through water and over smooth, river stones, crouched down and squatted through tiny openings, slid narrow cracks and climbed over massive boulders. There were a few places where I wondered if I’d make it through. I’m a pretty big guy, especially compared to an ancient Mayan spelunker. Those guys probably had little difficulty making their way through.

I just wonder how they could handle going into those caves with burning torches! I suppose a torch has a pretty good burn time, but it’s burning. It isn’t exactly an easy tool to wield while twisting and turning and crawling through four miles of the blackest black there is. Let’s not forget about the water! Drop the torch in the chest (or for them, maybe forehead) deep water and it gets awfully dark, very quickly.

I promise, the pictures get better.

It is hard to believe but last night was the very first night that I was able to review the photos from the trip. Correction: It was the first night that I could view the photos from Saturday, the day we arrived. I have yet to review the rest of the week. Do bear in mind that Lizzy has been reviewing them and has passed several of them my way (e.g., spider pics and some others). Last night was just the first time I reviewed them myself.

I came across this amazing photo from our kayak and snorkel trip. We kayaked out a couple hundred yards to a buoy, tied a line and hopped in. The water wasn’t deep and the tide made it almost impossible to take a photo – above the surface or below!

Lizzy appears here just barely above the surface as she floats along admiring the view below. The timing of this shot was pretty spectacular to get the half-n-half. I just wish that I’d gotten a clear view below. That would have been amazing. Still working on my photography skills, though.

Tonight is my packing night for Belize as the next two nights I am busy.  I am curious to see if everything I need to bring will fit.

Things to Pack in Your Carry on:

• Passport
• Airline Tickets
• License
• credit cards
• phone
• travelers checks
• cash
• luggage keys
• sunglasses
• cameras
• camera batteries
• prescription medicines required while traveling
• a change of clothes in case luggage is lost
• necessary personal care items for plane and a few extras in case luggage is lost
• Field guides and reference materials
• Insurance certificates
• Address and telephone number of whom to contact in case of emergency
• Personal first aid kit

I will be packing my MacBook too on my carry on as that is the designated computer for this trip.

For more info see Courtney’s Travel Tips post.

As for your main luggage- pack for the carribbean. That means, bathing suits, sunscreen, a flashlight, sandals, snorkel, mask and fins. You might consider a hat, long-sleeved linen shirts, and long, light skirts, insect spray with Deet, snacks, headlamp for caving and Zip-lock baggies (to put wet clothes in or anything you may want to keep dry).  Shorts and short sleeve tops are recommended to keep you cool as well. Assume one day of rainy weather and pack a long sleeve shirt and raincoat to protect you.

As for Shoes: Trails are often wet and therefore slippery, so your footwear is important. Walking shoes that grip or two pairs of tennis shoes (in case one pair gets wet and muddy). Flip-flops or shower togs. Leave the stilletto shoes and make-up bags, as they will be unecessary for your travels to Belize.  We’re going to Mother Nature’s best kept secret, not Las Vegas or NYC .

Also, leave any fancy jewelry or watches at home. They will only attract criminals. Just remember, bare essentials. BARE BONE ESSENTIALS!

American Airlines Mexico & Caribbean Flights from $128 RT*! ends 9/15