Through the Gates of Hell

 Monday, June 10, 2013
Belize City to Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve

Didn't wait to jump into adventure! After being served a delicious scrambled egg breakfast by Belgi, who works for our B&B hostess Francois, we were packed & ready to be picked up by Vital Nature & Mayan Tours at 8:00am. Our guide Shaid (pronounced Sah-eed and no, he isn't Middle Eastern...and no, it is not pronounced Shade as Montana continues to call him!) was at the gate right on time & after a few minutes' conversation, he made a phone call & we added zip-lining to the day. Turned out to be a good decision as it took 45 minutes to drive to Nohoch Che'en. The zip-line area was very close by.

There was a bit of an uphill hike to get to the first of 5 lines to zip...but pretty much all downhill from there. We were in good hands all the way...guides to secure our gear, explain what to do, shove us off the platform, then catch us on the other end. We put our lives at risk a couple of times when we did a 180 or a 360 completely by accident! Montana left her camera recording as she zipped one line, but warning: take dramamine before watching!

A family joined us...a new college graduate & her parents from Tucson. They were a lot of fun. We saw them again later as they were also going on the cave tubing trip.

Shaid was great! Not only was he full of information, he was also full of jokes & ready to talk about most anything. He was born in Monteverde, Costa Rica, but his family moved to Belize when he was about 10.

After picking up the cave tubing gear, we had a 30-minute walk to the river. During the walk, we were given a few lessons about surviving in the wild in the jungle. Shaid disappeared for awhile & returned with Malli apples. They were good! We also got some protein when Shaid showed us a growth on a tree, which turned out to be a termite nest. He convinced us to try some & eventually we did. The magic word for LuRue was "mint". Actually they were sweet & minty...just a tiny crunch, too! However, Montana wasn't impressed, but did eat some.

When we got to the mouth of the river cave, we heard the moaning of the ancients as we got into our tubes and went into the entrance to Hell, or so thought the ancient Mayans. As we floated slowly through the caves, we saw some resting bats, a few cave swallows, & lots of other "creatures"...giant lobsters, an eagle, an elephant, a baby turtle, a dolphin chasing a jellyfish, and the hand of Satan himself. Whatever your imagination could see in the weird formations...

We learned that we were lucky to have new equipment, as some outfits still use the old-fashioned tire tubes, and the tubers must stay connected by having the feet of the person behind you under your armpits. Shaid told us that there were more than a few complaints about someone's stinky feet inches from your face. It was a very relaxing & peaceful trip.

Back to the station for lunch, part of the tour...a plate of beans & rice, cole slaw, and chicken.

After we got back to the B&B, Francois helped us set up another trip for tomorrow. Then we walked to the supermarket & got some nourishment. After all, termites aren't all that filling.