This post isn't so much for the people who enjoy my blog photos. These cave photos are really not that exciting. It's more for the people that actually read my posts. Whoever you are. We visited Rio Frio Cave in the Mountain Pine Forest region of Belize this January. It was a giant gaping hole in the cliff side. With a river running through it. It was definitely worth exploring. But it was what happened after that made it interesting. First we drove to the end of the road and parked. Then hiked down near the cave entrance. Of course the first thing we encounter are armed guards. They were just sitting on a picnic table with machine guns. Just typical. Ha!
As with most out of the way destinations in Belize there are no signs to point you to a trail. So at first we thought we had to forage through the river to get into the cave. But as it turns out there was a trail. Of sorts.
Once inside we realized we would need a flashlight to make it all the way through. This photo is the other end.
The opening. So did you read it this far? Well, the reason I'm posting this today is because my husband and I were talking about vacation memories over happy hour this weekend. And the topic of this cave popped up. We visited this cave after a long day at the Mayan Ruins site of Caracol. And being that the armed guards at Rio Frio had put in a long day as well they asked us for a ride back to their check point. Our vehicle was a tiny 4 wheel drive jeep. Our picnic basket that the wonderful Gaia River lodge packed for us took up most of the back seat. But somehow these two huge dudes with their machine guns crammed into the back. A little conversation ensued and an unforgettable memory was born. I was too embarrassed to photograph them. And no one got shot.
P.S. I held the picnic basket!
12 comments:
You have so many great stories! I bet there are not a lot of people who can say they've carpooled with machine gun toting commuters before. That is so green, it's Army Green! haha
Ooooo! A ride with machine guns attached to soldiers! That is quite a story, Sharon. And no matter what you say, these are cool pictures! :-)
A great story! It's not the norm to give rides to machine-gun toting men. Quite the adventure! And I thought the photos were wonderful. It's a beautiful cave (on the outside looking in--I wouldn't have dared to go in! :-))
That sounds like quite the adventure!
Great story! The pictures are interesting! Think I would be to scared to enter the cave never mind the guns! You are a brave woman.
to me it sounded uncomfortable and scary!
love
tweedles
I'm not sure I would have ventured forth. Sounds like a scene from a movie!
Wow, I'm willing to do a lot of things, but driving around with guys with those kinds of guns would've scared me. Good for you for living your life so fully! (and living to tell the tale!)
omg I would have been terrified. I guess you had no choice BUT to give them a ride of they had guns!
You are very brave!
What a sight you must have been. I think I would have exchanged the ride for the request to snap a few shots.. photograph shots that is.. not machine gun shots. ;) Very cool story.
I love this memory ...and I enjoy your stories AND your pictures! But especially your Belize stories because (see my comment on above post).....and I can so see this happening there. We took the "regular people's" bus all over the country, just with our backpacks,(although we did have reservations at lodges wherever we were going) and we met some of the neatest people that way. Everybody was friendly.
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