Day 7- "I don't know what just happened, but, you are wearing different pants" (Kayla to Steve)

Update from last night: swimming was awesome.  I determined that, fortunately, Tommy also enjoyed hitting on the other girls that I room with.  Lisa's niece arrived and ate supper with us after the owner, John Carr, picked her up.  Her name is Gabs and she will be with us until after our Tikal adventure next weekend.  We had eggplant with cheese and jalapenos, spaghetti with a side of meatballs in red sauce, garlic bread instead of buns, lemonade, beats and red cabbage, and pineapple upside down cake.  Since Steve had more fruit on his, he kindly traded slices :)  Yay Steve!  The others stayed up late playing risk, while I watched the last 2 episodes of the Office that I had missed.

This morning we slept in!!!!  Until 700.  It was amazing.  The night was very hot again, but, it was ok.  Somehow, through the course of sleeping, I wound up taking the mosquito netting from off one corner of the bed, by my head, and sticking my head out of it.  I woke up and wondered why, in this hot hot weather I had used the sheet to cover myself.  When I finally realized it was the netting, I quickly replaced it.

Breakfast was orange juice, pancakes, eggs and watermelon.  The watermelon was tops.  We crossed the river and boarded a bus bound for ATM at 815.  Steve was the official guardian of our packed lunches from Banana Bank and he, therefore, got an entire 2 seats to himself.  I was the guardian of the bananas, also for lunch.  It was an hour trip by tour bus, with 3 other American girls, and I spent the majority of it reading my long-forgotten book, "Nefertiti".  I really enjoyed it!  I sat next to Hannah, who has quickly become my dinner table/riding buddy.

We hiked about 2 miles inland through the jungle, with Steve carrying all the lunches in a garbage bag, to the cave entrance.  Elle finally took them from him when we were almost to the cave, which he jokingly complained about later.  There were 5 of us from the field school and the three random rich American girls who went on one tour group into the cave.

I don't really know if words can describe our experience.  I would borrow Jose's word and say "Awesome" (he uses this word all the time, he is easily excited).  But, I think a better me-term would be "WOW".  The trip incorporated my passion for archaeology with my love of caving all wrapped into one.  If that wasn't enough, there were portions that we basically had to swim through.  It was absolutely incredible, ranking as one of the best trips in my entire life!  I took lots of photos, many of them candids of Steve per my normal actions, and I will try to post the best ones to Facebook.

Most of the archaeology remains in the cave, since archaeologists have done minimal to the site itself other than try to protect it in its original state as much as possible.  I was actually shocked at how many of the concepts that the tour guide was saying that I already knew.  I was also happy whenever I could answer his questions that he posed to the group.  Finally!!  Haha.

By the time we got out of the cave, it was pouring.  But, we were already soaked so it was ok.  We ate a packed lunch of bologna and cheese sandwhiches and a salad of zucchini, cabbage, carrots, raisins and pineapple (maybe, it tasted sweet whatever fruit it was).  Steve and I made a deal: I got both of his cheeses and he took both of my bolognas.  It made for an awesome exchange.  When we got back to the bus, the rain had stopped, so, we were able to change our clothes in the open-air but closed on 2 sides used-to-be rest room.  Luckily, I had brought my towel, so, things weren't so awkward as they could have been.

It started raining again, pouring actually, while we were in the bus.  We actually had to struggle to make it up some hills, and went through streams that would have made an American driver turn around.  But, there was no where else to go, so, we barged ahead.  At one point, another tour vehicle, this one a 15-passenger van, was stopped in the mud.  We waited for it to move before we were able to proceed.

It was pouring again when we got back to Banana Bank just a few minutes ago.  And parts of the roof in our room was leaking.  Elle and I went about trying to find make-shift water catchers.  Steve, Kayla and Tara were not deterred by the rain, and are actually playing soccer outside my window with 2 local boys about 10 or so as I type.  It is fun to watch and listen to them laugh.

Random aside, for my dearest Granny Annie (don't take offense).  As we were walking back from the cave site in the pouring rain, we encountered a group of people walking to the cave site, who were soaked from the 2 mile trek.  There were 3 Asians, a young American couple, and 2 ladies who appeared to be in their 70s or 80s sporting canes and waddling through the jungle.  I will account to you only some of what we had to do on this trip: walk across slippery stones (I fell at one point and caught myself with my water bottle) across 3 or 4 different creeks, up and down slippery mud hills, walk through or around several large puddles, and constantly watch for branches and herbaceous plants in our way (this was just on the walk there and back)- and it was a 4 mile hike total.  In the cave, we had to swim through the entrance, walk across slippery stones, climb a ladder, be pulled up rocks, make our way through tiny squeeze holes, and watch constantly for boulders beneath the surface of the water, all while watching out for any archaeology or stalagmites that we could damage with just a tiny touch.  We had to come in and out of this cave, probably a mile each way.  All of this that 2 little old ladies were trying to accomplish when they could barely make it through the jungle while leaning on each other!  All of our group, most strongly the 3 rich American girls, were really upset that they had come.  How could they hope to make it?

I, at first, reached similar conclusions and scorned their presence.  And then I reflected on my own future as a grandma at some point, and wondered what all I would still want to do.  I don't take life sitting down and I don't ever expect to.  If I set around my nursing home room playing canasta and watching soap operas, I think I would go insane.  I would at least flirt with all of the young male nurses (if my own husband weren't still around to flirt with).

A lot of my generation is not too active.  Their idea of fun is playing endless hours of video games or surfing the internet or watching hoards of movies.  What these ladies proved to me is that it is never too late to enjoy life or have fun.  I like to feel that, as a grandma, I would like to still be active.  I would like to be an example to my grandchildren, as both of my grandmas have always been to me.  They always encouraged my work ethic and exploratory nature, and I really appreciate that.  I think I would like to be the kind of grandma that, if my grandkids played too many video games and such, would kidnap them for a week or so in the summer and take them to someplace in the middle of no where and make them put up their own tent, and cook food over a campstove or firepit, and not allow any other "toys" except for board/card games, frisbees and soccer balls, and books.  I also like to think that, if they got too much into ice-cream or instant dinners, I would teach them how to grow a garden and cook real food from scratch.

Btw, on a 2 mile hike back, you have a lot of time to mull over such things :)