The next day, we had a tour to
Caracol, the most extensive Mayan site in Belize. The adventure began with a brief visit to
Rio Frio Cave, the largest cave system in Central America with a massive 65-foot entrance.
And then, the main attraction. Geronimo was our knowledgeable guide. He informed us that Caracol took 600 years to build and was only recently discovered in 1936 by lumberjacks. Situated 1600 feet above sea level with no body of water nearby, it remains a mystery how more than 150,000 people were able to survive there.
It's almost fully restored, but I was still surprised we were allowed to climb up the 135 foot pyramid of Caana (Sky Palace) where royalty lived.
The gal in pink and the guy in white were our tour buddies, Jeff and Steph, also on their honeymoon. We became fast friends.
Just when we thought we made it to the top, we were fooled. There was another plateau with an even higher structure to climb. Every generation built on top of the last.
That's a tomb. Looking in and looking out.
Kicking it with the Sun God, Kinich Ahau.
I like to take pictures of Hal taking pictures.
And finally. Finally we get to the top.
But now the fun part. Going down.
On the ground again, we came upon the ball court. I had a giggle thinking about ancient Mayans playing ball.
And then Geronimo picked up a tarantula!
It was a scorcher of a day, so on our way home, we stopped by
Rio On Pools, to swim and cool off. Jeff & Steph got some great shots of us under the falls with their waterproof camera. I'll make sure to share them when I get the photos.
On September 20-21, a few days after we left Caracol, they held a huge Equinox celebration with a traditional fire ceremony performed by a native Maya shaman. 100 people gathered there to camp overnight underneath the stars and watch the rising sun over the temples. We were kicking ourselves for leaving too early. How amazing would that have been?
To be continued...
Our Honeymoon - Part 1
Our Honeymoon - Part 2
Our Honeymoon - Part 3
Our Honeymoon - Part 4
Our Honeymoon - Part 5
Our Honeymoon - Part 6
Our Honeymoon - Part 7
Our Honeymoon - Part 8
Our Honeymoon - Part 9
Our Honeymoon - Part 10
Our Honeymoon - Part 11
Our Honeymoon - Part 12
Our Honeymoon - Part 13
