Today is hot. Jill says yesterday was hot as well. I didn’t know, I spent a lot of the day in a cave or in the shade. I went to the attraction, the reason why most everyone comes here. It is called Semuc Champey. It is a place where the River Cahabon goes underground for a few hundred meters. on top of the subterranean river there are natural pools that are spring fed from the mountains. The pools are clear and aquamarine. Rocks, grass, and waterfalls separate them. At the two ends the river thunders, but in the pools with the sun shining nothing could be more tranquil.
I went to Semuc on a tour from our hostel that included a trip through a water cave separate from the river. Eight of us went with our guide 1 kilometer into a mountain through a partially submerged tunnel. It wasn’t very scary, we all had candles to light the way. There were several opportunities to get bumped and bruised on the way but I managed to stay whole. At one point I jumped from a precipice into the dark water where one is supposed to do such things. It was exhilarating but maybe more appealing to a younger crowd. We then made our way back out of the cave. All the time I was thinking that Jill would never enjoy it.
The ride back, standing in the back of a truck on the roller coaster of the rocky road was more enjoyable than the ride out. For one thing the truck had a better suspension system, it was much less bone jarring. Or guide also talked about some of the crops at the farms along the road. There were banana trees, coffee plants, and cardamom plants. Learning things in a place where even communication is hard is most enjoyable. My curiosity gets a little stunted without the ability to communicate. Jill and I are excited to learn Spanish in a more formal setting.
I had read about that underground river a couple weeks ago and gulped. One comment was, “not for those with claustrophobia.” I thought maybe you wouldn’t go there : ) but am certainly glad you got back unscathed!
Do you plan to go to language school in Guatemala?