Barton Creek ukat Cahal Pech ukanakaw ukham lurapxäna

Most people in Belize spend Christmas like this: On the 24th of December, women cook many dishes, in the evening people gather with their families, eat together and wait for midnight - then fireworks are lit everywhere. On the 25th of December, everything is closed, because everyone is sleeping in. The only exceptions are the tourism industry/hotels. There are no public transport either. If you want to go somewhere, you need a taxi, of which there are only a few. Yesterday, we only took a walk to the village and then to the nearby Mayan site Cahal Pech. Cahal Pech was the residence of a royal Mayan family.

By now it is very hot (today we have 30°C) and in the afternoon the pool is in demand. 

Today we visited the Barton Creek cave. You can paddle about 1.5km into the cave on the river. The cave itself was a Mayan memorial site. Offerings to the gods were also made through human sacrifices. Stalagmites and stalactites grow together from the bottom and from the top. We had to duck our heads quite a few times. Without a headlamp, it's pitch black because there is no lighting. It was a great trip.

P.S. Today we were back in the world of unpaved roads: The way to Barton Creek leads the last 8-10km over bumpy tracks and through a stream (where a tour bus got stuck 2 days ago). Which means: Never drive without four-wheel drive here either ;-)