Xunantunich

If you made an attempt at saying the title of this post, whether out loud or in your head, then I applaud your attempt. The easiest way I was taught to say it is by saying Tuna Sandwich. Then you simply switch the ‘S’ and ‘T’ so it becomes Suna Tandwich. Then you simply drop the ‘d’ and ‘w’ and then have the ‘ich’ sound like the word “each” So you end up with Soo-Nahn-Too-Neach Xunantunich. Now that our English/Mayan pronunciation lesson is completed, I’ll tell you about our experience in Xunantunich and the rest of our Saturday.

The morning consisted of a household full of people. Kim and Danielle were putting their final items in suitcases and getting ready to head out. Kyle had left early to travel to Belize City to pick up our last volunteer who would join us later that afternoon. We said our final goodbyes to Kim and Danielle and watched as they headed out to the airport. It was great getting to know each of the first wave volunteers and form friendships from our experience together here in Belize. However with every sad farewell there soon follows a joyous greeting of someone new. Which is the case with our new volunteers for wave 2.

So after saying goodbye we headed out to the spot where taxi’s circle around a certain block to pick up passengers that are wanting to go to Xunantunich. I don’t exactly know how it works, as the spot where we waited isn’t designated at all by any sort of sign. I guess it’s something only the locals know about. Anyway a taxi showed up and that’s when we met Orson. Orson is a local taxi driver who was gracious enough to take all 7 of us in his car for only $3 Belize each. That’s the cheapest cab ride I’ve taken since being here. The drive was a short 20 mins when we came to the river crossing leading up to the ruins. Orson told us he’d take us across the river on the ferry and up to the ruins for $5 more. Even though it was only a mile away the group consensus was to take the taxi the rest of the way and not have to hike the mile all uphill and be worn out for the ruins.

Me at Xunantunich

Orson drove us up to the top of the hill and we convinced him to join us while we were exploring the Mayan ruins. Xunantunich was so cool. There were two huge grass courtyards. One was between a smaller set of steps and a ruin on the North side and then another between the same set of steps and the looming temple to the South. The temple stands a staggering 125 ft. tall and gazes over the jungles of the ancient Maya. We had a chance to take some single pictures and group pictures in front of the large temple, which made for some fun shots. Orson was nice enough to take our group pictures with our phones and cameras.

Orson and I

We hiked up the front of the temple with the steps easily being two, sometimes three normal steps in height. Before I went up though, I managed to snag a cool photosphere on my phone of the ruins. As we hiked up the ruins of the ancient temple we all took a step back through time. Each step along the side was a step ancient Mayan priests and kings had previously taken. The steps leading along the backside of the temple were slanted outward just enough to give the perception of them being flat but making you feel as if you were tilting and could fall of the side. With no handrail I hugged the wall and tried not to think about what serious injuries would befall me if I were to lose my footing.

Slanted steps of doom

Finally we all reached the top and looked out at the same view the ancient Mayan people once witnessed. (I should note that the Maya are not extinct but are very much alive and thriving in Central America. When I refer to the Maya in past tense I’m referring to theancient peoples) The view of the surrounding jungle and the rest of the ruins nestled within the green was amazing. There was a strong breeze at the top and the wind relieved us of the sweat accumulating on our bodies. We spent the next 30 mins taking pictures and enjoying the view from the top of Xunantunich. As more groups of tourists joined us at the top we decided to move aside and descend down the slanted steps. Going down was a bit frightening as there were no handrails. The steps being small but tall and slanted prompted me to sit on my butt and slowly maneuver down one step at a time. Eventually we all reached the bottom safely and proceeded to view the rest of the ruins.

We saw the ball court and then went and saw the stelas (Stee-las) Sarah, a new volunteer, had just graduated with a degree in Anthropology so she clued us in on the purpose of the stelas. A stela is a huge stone slab that is carved for someone of high ranking within the Mayan societies. The carvings would depict life achievements of the individual and would sometimes include a history carved out through symbols and pictures. Kings would have carved on theirs a history of the peoples and lands they conquered and the times they ruled. It reminded me of the movie “The Testaments” when the main character carves out a stone wall for Cohor depicting his life achievements. Of course anyone that isn’t of the LDS faith wouldn’t understand the reference but it’s the best example I could think of at the present moment.

After Xunantunich we headed down the hill with Orson and across the ferry where we stopped for 30 mins to do some souvenir shopping. The girls wanted to get some bags because… well because that’s what girls do. I bought a recorder that was made out of wood and had different Mayan and Belizian things carved into it. It was cool and I thought my older brother Blake might enjoy it. Then I found a nice hammock and Orson, being a local, was able to snag a cheaper price than what they were asking foreigners. So I got a very nice hammock for only $40 Belize. I can’t wait to be able to hang it up at home. Hopefully I can convince my mother to let me put it up in the house. Think about it, Mom. J

On our way back we got to talk to Orson a bit more. He was a really friendly guy and the way he spoke he reminded me a lot of the actor Luis Guzman. (He’s the servant in the Count of Monte Cristo) Orson sounded just like him when he talked and I couldn’t place which actor he reminded me of until a few days ago. Anyway Orson dropped us off where we’re staying and then we all paid him. Apparently there was some confusion as to how much we owed him. I think he may have been under the impression we all owed the amount in US but he never specified so Belize is what he got. He wasn’t mad and I think that was due to the fact that we included him in our excursion and the fact he may have had a thing for Kristina. While we were at the ruins he kept snapping quick pics of her when he thought nobody was looking. Harmless but funny. He whispered to Kristina to “call me” before getting in his cab to drive off. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Saturday afternoon we met our last volunteer who had just arrived with Kyle from the airport. Michelle was the last of our group and now Wave 2 would officially begin. We gave Michelle an hour to settle in and we all got changed in our swim suits to head down to Hammock Bridge to swim in the river and swing on the rope swing.

We all walked to 45 min walk down to the river and had a fun afternoon playing in the cool water and watching everyone swing on the rope off of the bridge. Trellany brought her GoPro camera and captured the fun times and even the mishap of Kyle. Kyle was attempting to swing off the bridge while holding the camera to have a cool shot. As he was focusing on his hand positioning we both failed to notice the excess of rope dangling off the wooden grip. The rope had been position just right so that when Kyle jumped off, a knot in the end of the rope was caught and wedged between a part of the side railing. The entire rope went taut and Kyle was given a nasty surprise. He managed to hold onto the wood for a couple seconds before he was sent flailing off the bridge into the water.

We all checked to see if he was ok. He came up out of the water, body and ego bruised but OK overall. After ensuring he was alright the laughs kicked in and we were all crying from laughing. I couldn’t stand up I was laughing so hard. Best part of the whole thing was that it was caught on film from his point of view. We still laugh when we see it. After more fooling around we tried to make a human ladder with myself on the bridge and the girls trying to climb up. Kyle was on bottom, then Michelle, and Anne on her shoulders. I was able to grab Anne long enough for Kyle and Michelle to be knocked over by the current and as I was trying to pull Anne up onto the bridge, I felt my shoulder give a little pop. I didn’t want to risk injury so I let go of Anne who then dropped onto Kyle’s head as he was coming out of the water. A dangerous situation that ended with a few bruises. All in all we had a great time being able to bond as a group and an awesome weekend.

Czech out our weekend video