Part Two - The Day That Blew My Mind

December 27, 2013

Blog, Discounts & Packages, Uncategorized

Part Two – The Day That Blew My Mind

Back in November, I went to my friends house in Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize. She introduced me to her neighbor and we arranged a visit a few days later. Last week I wrote about the first half of the Day That Blew My Mind, and here is Part Two.

~~~~~~

As Bol showed me his property, the orchid garden, and the most gorgeous view I’ve ever seen, I was aware of the sound of a chain saw, and only a chain saw. It would have been silent otherwise, or perhaps i would have heard some birds. As we walked, we got closer to the sound of that chain saw. I could see chain saw carnage as we walked. I felt oddly sorry for the trees.

We came upon the tree slayer and his son. And so began Mind Blown #3 of the day.

So, you know how mahogany is very expensive in the States? Ever wonder how boards are made? I had wondered how boards were made when Bol showed me the buildings on his property, and explained that one of the houses was made from an enormous cedar tree, and showed me the rest of the boards and the stump.

Using a chainsaw, the tree is felled. That i knew. What i didnt know, is that someone then uses the chainsaw to cut the boards from the felled tree. Do you see how precise that right angle? I cant even cut a block of cheese with a small knife, let alone freehanding a straight line with a chainsaw. In the jungle.

Free-handing a chainsaw to make boards. I was incredibly fortunate to get video of him doing this, but i dont know how to load it. Sorry. It was totally cool, too.

This is the piece of root base of the felled tree. I desperately want to do something with it. I can think of a million things. Just gorgeous. Naturally.

So, on we go. My mind was still reeling a bit, and we continued down the trail. I then realized that each of those boards had to be hand carried out of there. On some guys shoulders. Oy.

Anyway, we walked only a few yards from the chainsaw wielding father, and i saw this roof thingy. Do you see it just to the left of Bol?

We get to the overhang/roof thingy, and I see *this*. I think it took me a few minutes to realize that *this* was the “cave”. I had more of a Flinstones garage sorta looking thing in mind. Not *this* hole.

Bol is a true Belizean. He was raised in these mountains, as were his grandparents and back and back some more. He began to talk in that thick Belizean accent that I have come to understand perfectly well. He was a tour guide by trade, and had worked at a small Mayan site in one of the villages. Through the years of working there, he had heard many stories of caves in the Mountain Pine Ridge area that had been Mayan Caves. The ‘old timers’ used to tell tales and stories handed down for generations, literally, about Mayan caves in this part of MPR.

One day, Bol applied for his “birthright” land. All Belizeans are entitled to a piece of land. When parcels on this mountain came up by the Government, Bol requested this piece. I forget how many acres, but it’s a lot. He was granted his land, and for years he looked and he looked. He had remembered what the old timers said about this piece of land.

Then, on November 20-something, 1993 at 230pm, he found this rock, the large white one. It, and several other stones around it, were covering this hole.

He told me how they were all piled on top, and he could *just* shine a flashlight down under the rocks in a groove the mayans had worn in the stone surrounding the opening. He said he flashed the beam through the groove and saw a piece of pottery many yards below. He had found his buried treasure. I cannot even imagine what that must have felt like. Every little boys dream, to find buried treasure and HE found it. Down there.

He of course, has had to add the grate and the chains and locks. What he discovered is worth millions, literally. It took him ages to unlock it all, and i had a moment to look around. I was *very* aware of the present. I was very aware of where I was, and what I was doing. And I was bring Blown Away. Even the trees blew my mind.

Bol talked while he unlocked the locks. He was very excited about the new ladder, made of steel. Some archaeologists suggested it would be a better idea than the very unstable wood one I would have been descending had I arrived a few weeks prior. You can see it in the pictures above. But below, you see the brand new ladder i was to descend.

It was at about this very moment that Bol begins to ask me questions like “are you claustrophobic”? Um, i dunno. I never thought about it, but, um, now that you mention it – the idea of going down *that* hole in the dark with barely working flashlights, and um, well,… maybe. “What do you mean by claustrophobic?”. And this is where the Belizean English/American English translation broke down. Mostly because I was actually getting very scared. The more he tried to tell me it wasnt scary, the scarier it became.

Fear is not a reason to do, or not do, something, so I realized it didn’t much matter if I was or was not claustrophobic. I was going down that hole. Period. So suck it up, buttercup.

Bol descended first, and I could see that he was about 20 feet down and standing full height. I climbed down next, fully realizing that once again, flip flops were a poor choice. I got to the bottom, and the ground was pretty much dry. The ceiling was about 15 feet high and I was standing in a silo about 6 feet in diameter. The ladder extended above me, and to my right was a set of rough stairs in the very thick red clay mud. Bol had tied a rope on some poles to help hold onto. Flip flops covered in thick clay mud make for very nice ice skates.

I held onto that rope for dear life, and climbed up the stairs. The stalactites were above my head, and the staircase was about 4 feet wide. I reached the top of the stairs, and began down the other side. My flip flops were so caked in mud they began to get completely stuck. At one point I really did believe I was going to take a header down those stairs because my feet would not come up out of the mud. It was the strangest feeling, actually. Bol thought I was just playing until he needed both hands to get my shoe out of the mud. I removed my shoes and decided to just go barefoot.

Once my near death stairs experience was over, we stopped at the first area. This area is still in the stairs, sort of, but has a collection of pots in a small chamber. The green tape was put there to tell you not to get any closer than that. Anywhere else in the world you’d be looking at these things through 8 inch thick glass, here…there’re just laying in the dirt. This is the only picture i took with a flash. It’s bad for the objects to have the light on them. The exhalation of our breath, the moisture from our skin, everything we do damages these objects, so I turned off my flash and tried to do as little harm as possible. Should you take this tour one day, I implore you to do the same.

Anyway – this is the first picture i took. I cannot begin to tell you what Bol told me. He’s had many archaeologists through his property, and they have taught him a lot about his collection. These pieces and pots were found in the general area of where we were standing.

All the pieces of a bowl.

A nearly intact plate, a very rare find

They found all the pieces to this plate below, and that is a pulley.

We turn away from this first section, and continue around a slight curve in the stairs. I couldn’t help but gasp. There before me was a huge chamber. It was at least 20 feet wide, 30 feet long and 30 feet high. The center was cleared out and was a base of thick rich red mud. The cave is normally dry, but it’s been raining so much some dampness has come in to make it a bit muddy. I put my shoes back on though.

As i looked around I could see only what was visible in the feint light of my headlamp. There were sections of collections of pottery, artifacts, tools and art. The items were found pretty much where they lie. Bol walked me around the sections and shared his knowledge. I looked up to see these incredible Stalactites

This collection of grinding tools was found covering a pathway to another chamber. In that chamber were assorted pieces of jewelry and other objects. Bol himself removed the stones from the opening. They had been left undisturbed for nearly two thousand years. What must that have felt like for him?

Opposite those grinding stones was another chamber. Inside that chamber was a nearly intact pot so large, it could not have possibly come in the same way Bol and I did. It’s diameter is greater than that stone opening the Mayan’s had made. This means there is another entrance to this cave. Bol has not yet found it, and he has not yet completely discovered all the chambers of his cave. My mind continues to explode.

This is a REAL mayan calendar. They only found half, but as Bol pointed out, that just means the other half is here somewhere.

Monkey See

This is a water jug. These objects were not made in this cave. Bol is not sure why the Mayan’s had this cave. They do believe some sacrifices were done here as one of the pieces was related to them.

This pot was found way up there balanced on that rock. Weird, huh? Even weirder is that it never got broken by things falling, earthquakes, the occasional suicidal bird.

Would you look at this pottery? I’ve never seen so many nearly complete large pieces before, even in the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum.

Bol and I are standing in the middle of the clearing in the center of the cave. He points his light up, and points out a carving in the ceiling, it’s a pair of hands pointing down. I dont even know how the ancient Mayan would have gotten up there. But then again, how did they make the Crystal Skull and how did they build the pyramids?

Bol then points out another carving in the side wall of the upper reaches of the cave. It’s an enormous mayan woman, with her hair cascading down her back as she sits. I desperately wanted a picture of it, and I dont know … if you use your imagination maybe you can see it in this smudge.

This is the bowl used for sacrifices. It’s on feet so the blood can drain.

This is an Intact Large Pot. This thing is literally worth a fortune. This pot is extremely extremely rare and valuable on the black market. With great wealth comes great responsibility.

More tools

I have no idea what this is.

Stalagmites as we exit the main chamber and climb another bit of steps/hill to another chamber.

The ground is slippery again as we climb to the next chamber. Bol points out various objects, and explains that this is where they fond the Human Remains.

He named the first human he found “Mr Sunday” since he was found on a Sunday. Mr Sunday is on the right, and the white orb to the left is, apparently, his girlfriend.

Assorted bones, jaw and teeth found here

Her cranium was much smaller and smoothed over by growth in the cave.

How interesting the growth plates.

After our visit with Mr and Mrs Sunday, we began the climb out of the chamber and back to the main grand chamber. Once we were in the center again, Bol had me turn out the headlamp and flashlights. It was dark. Full dark with no light whatsoever. It was not scary at all in that cave. With or without light. It was just a plain calm place. Very very calm, and calming. I found it all very interesting and made me ask myself a thousand questions.

I wondered why I could see my breath, for example. It was warm and very humid down there in the cave, so why would i see the vapor of my breath? Why were the mayans there at all? How did that man and woman die? Where was the other entrance, and what else might Bol find?

It was much easier getting out of the cave than into it. I wanted to get one picture as i left, but its all fuzzy for some reason. I wonder why.