SNORKELING SN S NO N O OR RK R KE K E EL LI L IN I NG N G
CHRIS IAMONACO ’16: The day we went snorkeling was one
of my favorite days in Belize. We woke up that morning and started off with a nice walk down to a bakery, where we got some cinnamon buns that were very good. We took another short walk over to the snorkeling tour shack, where we were fitted for flippers and given a mask. We then met up on the dock with our captains, who gave us a short briefing on what we were going to do that day. We all climbed aboard the boat and took a quick sail over to our first stop. There we saw many types of coral and fish that were very colorful and really fascinating to look at, with all of their complex designs and shapes. After that, we moved on to our second spot—shark and ray alley. We saw giant nurse sharks and stingrays and even a huge school of fish. Our final stop was the barrier reef. At the barrier reef we saw huge green sea turtles and underwater tunnels that went through the reef itself. Overall, it was an amazing, eye-opening experience.
ACTUN A ACT CTU UN N TUNICHIL TU T UN U NI N IC I C CH HI IL L MUKNAL M MU UKN KN NAL NA AL CAVE AL CA AV VE V E
QWYEN AUSTIN ’13: After an hour’s drive in a new, clean van,
we arrived at a trail in the jungle. Our guides gave us water and food, and we began our hour-long hike through the jungle to reach the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave. I was terrified during the entire walk, because the guides told us that there could be snakes wandering on the paths. The journey also involved walking through three rivers that came up to my waist, and the snakes could have been in the water.
10
summer 2013
When we reached the mouth of the cave, the guides told us that in the past only the Mayan priests and greatest warriors could enter the cave. Before the priests could enter the cave they had to “ascend the mind,” which they did by taking hallucinogenic mushrooms, others plants, or frogs. Once they entered the cave, it was said that they were entering into Hell. When we entered the cave, I asked Leslie to hold my hand so that I wouldn’t feel so frightened. Each of us had a headlamp, but the cave was so dark that the lights seemed to do nothing. The cave ceiling was stories above our heads and the formations above resembled chandeliers and curtains. When our lights hit the formations, they sparkled, because of the salt. During the first half of our journey in the cave, we were swimming and wading through crystal-clear water. We had to cross over giant rocks and maneuver through water that was suddenly, without warning, very deep. In the second half of the journey, we climbed up a rock to the second level of the cave. This is where we began to see ancient ruins left behind by the Mayan people. At first we saw tiny broken pots, but as we moved further into the cave, there were more and larger pots throughout the area. Our guide told us that the pots had originally contained offerings to the gods in hope of rains, and that they were broken because the Mayans wanted to release the spirits trapped within them. As the gods denied them rain, the offerings became more extreme. So as we traveled deeper into the cave, we saw the human remains of those who had ultimately been sacrificed to the gods.
IGUANA I IG GU GU UA AN AN NA A SANCTUARY S SA AN AN NC CT C TU UA AR A RY R Y
MAGGIE MCKAY ’16: The Iguana Sanctuary and medicinal
plants tours were new experiences for me, and they definitely had their high and low points. The high point was learning about the many different medicinal plants that all grow in this climate. Not only were some delicious, but they hold really beneficial aspects for us humans. Their usages vary from birth control to providing an extra couple hours of life after you are bit by a snake. We were introduced to one plant that Chris couldn’t seem to get enough of—; “allspice.”. It’s known to provide energy, but also, when you bite into its leaf, it releases a gel-type substance that numbs your mouth and tastes strongly of cinnamon. We came across this plant more than once throughout our travels, and every time Chris would take as many leaves as possible and munch on them.