We started with an 12 hour bus ride to northern Guatemala where we visited the largest Mayan ruins in the country, Tikal. If you've ever seen a promotional advertisement for Guatemala, you've probably seen the Tikal ruins. They are huge. They are awe-inspiring. They are majestic. And they are completely hand-made, not even using the modern wheel to transport the huge rocks and boulders.
The ancient Maya believed that the Ceiba tree was symbolic of the cycle of life. The massive root system portrayed death underground. The trunk of the tree symbolized the present day. And the limbs that graced the sky represented heaven eternal.
Standing near these ruins made one feel so small and so amazed at what human hands can accomplish.
The tall pyramid-type temples were used for shamans and spiritual leaders in the community to worship. Unlike the popular movie Apocalypto, there were no sacrificial killings or human heads rolling down these stairs.
We learned a lot about the Maya culture and loved walking around the huge city-state discussing the Mayan attempts at finding purpose and meaning in the world around them. It's interesting how each culture tries to make sense of this world...
We then headed East and went to Belize. It was the first time for both of us, so we enjoyed experiencing a new country together. We started our Belize trip with an incredible caving adventure that involved swimming, spelunking, hiking, beautiful cave formations, and 1300 year-old Mayan artifacts.
It was an awesome combination of adventure, beauty, and history that you could literally reach out and touch (although you could physically touch the ancient artifacts, we weren’t allowed to obviously). Some of the Mayan pots were calcified to the floor, but some were in surprisingly great condition. They were in clusters here and there, left behind thinking that they would return to use them again. We had a very knowledgeable guide who explained the Mayan cave traditions. It’s amazing to think of Mayans carrying huge clay pots through jagged rocky tunnels and deep waters.
The cave formations were so beautiful that they would sparkle as you passed them. The pictures just don’t do them justice.
The cave was probably used for sacrificial ceremonies and there were several skeletons found throughout the caverns. The "Crystal Maiden" is probably most famous because the skeleton sparkles due to the crystallization process. However, recent studies have now proved that "she" was actually a "he". Oops!
Despite 12-inch passageways, a cave “water-slide,” and authentic Mayan face painting, we made it out of the adventure with just a few bruises. It was really beautiful and a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
The next day we left the caves to do an air-borne adventure and embarked on a zip-line course!
We trusted our lives with two cables and glided through the jungles. After the first few platforms the heights and speed became more normal and we could really enjoy the views and the weightless feeling of gliding through the air. The last run was almost 45 seconds (2,000 feet) of pure flight. It was awesome.
We ended our trip with two relaxing days on the Caribbean coast.
It was great to relax, read in a hammock, listen to the waves, and watch birds diving into the ocean to catch fish. The people in Belize were so friendly and we soon fell in love with their laid-back lifestyles and their Jamaican-type accents. David still answers “yeah mon” thanks to the Belizean friends we made. The only set-back during our travels was how expensive Belize ended up being. We had no idea it was such an expensive country to travel in (well, expensive compared to Guatemala prices and using a Guatemalan salary). But we enjoyed the trip as a one-time thing and soaked up as much history, adventure, and care-free spirit as possible.
Wow!! Beautiful pictures! it looks (and sounds)like you had an awesome time.....so glad you could take this trip!
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