A different kind of A.T.M.

The search for Chaac, the Mayan rain God, is not for the faint of heart. One of the most important Mayan Gods deserves an equally impressive abode. Around San Ignacio, Belize, ancient tribes believed they'd found that place. The journey takes you deep into the underbelly of the Earth. A place truly sacred, full of mysticism and cult traditions. Translated as "Cave of the Stone Sepulcher", the immense underground cave system is now know as Actun Tunichil Muknal (or A.T.M. for the tourists).Seeing as the A.T.M. is a heavily protected national park (read money grab) the only way to visit is on a guided tour. The day starts off innocently enough. You load up in a decrepit mini-van with a bunch of tourist heading back to the centre of the country. Luckily my tour was only my and 3 hottie teachers from the states. But typically they are larger (the cap seems to be 8). After about 45 minutes the van turns off the main highway to something that could be loosely referred to as a "road". After pitching and rolling, after fording a few streams and after getting smacked by the odd vengeful plants it comes time to leave the vehicle and head out on foot. The path is well maintained. Good thing because if not the 45 minute walk might turn into a "i had to eat my left foot to survive" sort of adventure. There are a couple rivers to traverse, starting a day a constant wetness.

Only officially reported as late as 1989, and opened to the public less than a decade ago, the 3 mile cave system was an incredible find. While the 200+ ceramic vessels might not be much cause for elation, it's the cave 14 other inhabitants that are the big draw. The opening of the cave involves a bit of a sink-or-swim commitment to the exploration as a 14 foot pool waits to weed out the weak. And things don't get much easier. Most of the trek is spent in knee-waist deep water. No natural light permeates into the abyss, so the head lamp attached to your hard hat is the only source of light. Many of the passages are extremely narrow, so claustrophobes or "plus-sized" tourists should not endeavour to undertake the trip. But eventually, a little over a mile into the system, the guide leads you above the water and instructs you to remove your shoes.

A massive chamber awaits. This is where the locals of yesteryear came to pay homage to their deity. Shards of pottery litter the ground (hence the no shoe thing). It is here you first come in contact with the caves ghostly inhabitants. 14 individuals, some young, some old, some men, some women, have this cavern as their final resting place. Victims (some say volunteers) of ritualistic sacrifice in order to appease the God of Rain, Chaac. While a few are merely scattered bones or fragments there of, there is at least one fully intact skeleton. After ohhing and ahhhing for a bit, it's time to head back the same way you came in.

The best place to start the trip from is San Ignacio in the far west of Belize. Several companies offer the full day tour (including lunch and park fees) for around B$150. Maya Walk seems to be the most popular, but it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other if you ask me. It certainly is a fun, and educational day. Often heralded as one of Belize's tourism highlights, the reputation is perhaps well deserved. But at US$75, it is easily understandable why few backpackers experience it.