Day 3

Before the tour

Today was an adventurous day as we went on the ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) cave tour. The cave was used by the Mayans beginning as early as 1 AD to approximately 1000 AD. The drive to this cave was an adventure in itself. We drove on the main road for a while out of town (there's no lines on the road, speed limits or passing laws) before reaching the very rocky dirt roads. Once we arrived, we had to gear up (water shoes/ sneakers, helmet and head lamp) before walking about a mile and a half on a trail, which included walking through three streams led by our knowledgeable guide, Renan. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed on the trail or in the cave (due to past damage to artifacts), so all pictures from inside of the cave were found!

The swim into the cave

One of the tight spaces

Once we arrived at the cave, we had to swim in, one at a time, about 30 feet into the cave into the very cold water! The cave in total is 3.5 miles but we only trekked through a portion of it. The next few hours were spent climbing rocks, swimming through water, and observing the beautiful geological formations. Some spots were questionable, such as climbing up slippery rocks or sliding through some very tight spaces (small space for your head/neck and another space for your body) but overall it was very fun and exciting. As we walked deeper into the cave, we reached a point where we had to take our shoes off and climb/ walk in only our socks so that our shoes would not destroy the artifacts.

The Crystal Maiden and ceramic pottery

 This part of the journey was difficult at times due to the sharp rocks and wearing only socks. We began to see many Mayan artifacts, such as clay pots and instruments used for blood letting ceremonies. This cave was used specifically by high ranking Mayans and Shamans as ritual grounds, where they sacrificed people, including babies. In addition to the artifacts, we did see a few skeletal remains as well as an in tact skeleton at the end (referred to as the Crystal Maiden, who was a 20 or so year old girl that was sacrificed) that you had to climb up an aluminum ladder mounted to rock face! 

Upon completing the tour, we returned to the van to change out of our wet clothes then have lunch. In total, the tour was about six hours long! It was a great experience and I am really glad that we did it! While it was definitely a physical experience, I never felt overwhelmed- in fact, I really loved the rock climbing- although it was much easier to go up than it was to come back down! 

After completing the tour!

After driving back to the hotel, we relaxed before heading into town to shop. For dinner, we went to a Chinese restaurant, which was definitely an interesting experience! The dishes come out one at a time and by the time I received my food, everyone else was finished then it took quite some time to pay. It's a much slower pace here, which is definitely a switch; I'm not always the most patient person! Another great day!

http://www.cayoadventure.com/Tours/CavingExpeditions/ATM.aspx

(link from our tour company)

http://youtu.be/a9PUGm4l960

(ATM tour video)