Day Five. Barton Creek Cave & Butterflies

Blue Morpho Butterfly
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My ankle hurts most of the night and I awake unable to place much weight on it. Good thing today’s tour is low impact because given the swelling and pain I feel, I fear I have definitely sprained it. At breakfast Kat and Dave talk about the Jaguar they saw on the property the night before near the garage. I think I might have heard it outside my cabana as well.

Dave drives Jerry and me to Barton Creek Cave, located off Chiquibul road. We take the wrong turn in and wind down a very steep switch-back road. The brakes thankfully hold and we make it to the bottom. We take two canoes and a guide into the cool, dark caverns once used by the ancient Maya for ritualistic activities such as human sacrifice, bloodletting rituals and fertility rites; much like ATM. Bats fly around overhead but the ceiling of this cave is incredibly high. When we turn our battery powered spot lights off it is completely pitch black and eerily silent. After the approximately hour and a half canoe ride we eat our picnic lunch, entertained by a captive spider monkey.

We take two canoes and a guide into the cool, dark caverns once used by the ancient Maya for ritualistic activities such as human sacrifice, bloodletting rituals and fertility rites; much like ATM.

A butterfly on my wrist.
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We go out the other way (there is NO way the 2WD van would have made it back up that mountain). We have to cross two rivers, but the van makes it. We pass through the small Mennonite community of Barton Creek. I wanted to take pictures, but it isn’t allowed. There are two branches of Mennonites in Belize. The more conservative one, maintaining longstanding religious practices, customs and lifestyle, lives in lower Barton Creek. Primarily farmers they travel by horse and buggy and wear somber clothing, reminding me of the Amish in Pennsylvania.

Barton Creek Cave
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Back up bumpy Pine Ridge Road to the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch. We see a wide range of beautiful butterflies including the Blue Morpho, which is a beautiful turquoise blue on top, but brown with multiple owl-like eyes when folded. I also thought the green Malecite was very pretty. We learned about the four stages of butterfly life – egg, cocoon, caterpillar, then butterfly and saw all 4 stages of life for several different species.

I’m still the only guests at Pook’s and they invite me for sunset drinks on Ray’s roof. We have some wine and watch the egrets fly toward their rookery near Barton Creek right before the sun sets. Dinner is beef and fresh vegetables from the garden Kat and Dave are attempting to cultivate down in the valley.

Captive Spider Monkey (female) entertains us.
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I get back to my room and notice a huge spider near the window. Not sure what to do about it, I leave it alone and hope it will go away. (Did I mention that I really hate bugs?) It’s hot and muggy. I turn on the fan but it’s so noisy, that I can’t sleep. I’m also thinking about that big spider. Then a big storm rolls through and nature provides me with air conditioning. I don’t sleep soundly. When I wake up at 5 and the spider is still there. When I arise at 7, it’s gone and I really hope it hasn’t made its way into my luggage…