Ruined and ruins
Tuesday Dec 24 We slept in, then went out for breakfast at ‘Wendy’s’. We had breakfast burritos and ‘fry jacks’ which are like sopapillas, served with mango puree.
Then we piled into the van for the two hour drive to the ruins. We did not see a gas station the entire time. Nary a one! When we got to the first of the two ruins sites we asked the ranger and he told us where we could get fuel – just a couple of miles out of our way. Big relief, but, well, wait for that story.
Nim Li Punit – smaller, not entirely excavated ruins of a mostly religious site. Then we went down the road for fuel, then visited Lubaantun, a much larger site. Both were very interesting and beautiful and deep in the rainforest. Lovely to walk around and learn about the people who built them and lived there 2000 years ago. The ranger there is a direct descendent of the original inhabitants, but his family fled to Guatemala during the ‘spanish invasion’, then came back several generations ago. He was a part of the excavation and restoration of the site back in 1970.
Lubaantun
The sites are well off the beaten path – the second one more particularly. Seven miles down a rough, steep, pot-holed dirt track. We did okay getting there, but it rained a bit before we headed back and we had to pull to the side when another truck passed us on our way out and suddenly we were stuck in the muck! We struggled with it for a time, Tony cranking the manual jack, stacking rocks under the hitch and trying to fill in with rocks under the tires. Adrienne was convinced that she could engineer a dam that would get us out. We really weren’t accomplishing anything except amusing the natives that passed by on foot, bicycle and occasional small vehicle. They would laugh and wave…and drive on by. Finally after about an hour - and recognizing that this was all made worse BECAUSE we filled the gas tank - our ranger friend came by in that big diesel truck that you saw us piled into on Facebook. He has clearly solved this problem before. We waited while he went back for his chain and a bunch of his cousins, then it was clip, clip, everybody jump on the truck for weight and there we go, done. Whew! We handed him what was left of my BZ$, thanked him profusely and piled in, soaking wet and covered in mud for the two hour drive back to Placencia.
Plotting our next restaurant meal occupied some of our conversation on the way home. There are just about enough intriguing restaurants in Placencia that we can try a different one each day. But Rhiannon had been complaining of a headache all day. None of us had anything to give her unfortunately. Finally, about a half an hour from home she was in so much pain she was doubled over crying and could not speak! Terrified I’m trying to figure out what medical facilities are available (not much). Adrienne had to carry her into the house, she literally could not move or walk. We were pretty sure it was a sinus problem exacerbated by an incident diving the day before, but we were still terrified. We gave her Sudafed, Advil and an ice pack and laid her down on the couch. Adrienne rubbed her sinuses and explained what causes a sinus headache, to calm her down and finally after about 45 minutes she was feeling better. She and I stayed back while the others went out to eat and brought us back some food. I had to suffer through the lobster burrito (lobster burrito!) that they brought me. Rhiannon had a few bites of her grilled cheese and went back to bed. I’m waiting to see how she feels this morning but we really don’t think she should dive again. If she’s feeling up to it she may go on the boat with us and snorkel. If she doesn’t feel up to that, I will stay back with her and the others will go on the dive trip. I will feel a little sad to miss the dive trip, but it is a small price to pay for her to be feeling better.
