For the service project, the guys all chipped in to help repaint, fence, and dig trenches around a rural school in the area. They were pretty tired afterwards, but they laughed that today was the first day they had worked harder than me. They were absolutely right! I was only worn out from the sunburn I got today. Up to now, I’ve been running around with a monopod and crossed fingers, hoping the shots turn out okay. I really enjoyed having time to get the shots I wanted since the guys and the school were more-or-less standing still.
On our way to San Cristóbal, we stopped at Agua Azul (“blue water”), a series of waterfalls, currents, and pools just begging to be explored. Alonso took those of us who were strong or crazy enough on an off-trail journey into the water. We spent over three hours climbing falls, jumping falls, swimming against the current, balancing on top of slippery logs and rocks, and finding our way into beautiful, peaceful pools of the clearest, bluest water I’ve ever seen. We only had four near-death experiences in our party of thirteen (one of them was mine!), but everyone turned out okay.
Since I survived, I’ll go ahead and tell my story. (Family, you may not want to read this!) One our way back to the starting point, we had all started to wear out and use the last of our strength to swim against the strong currents and climb up the falls. On the second-to last fall, we had to climb up the rocks and teeter over the top to get to a part where the water wasn’t too strong to swim. I lost my footing a few steps over the top, and fell into the current. I had to use my whole body to cling to the rocks and fallen log between me and what was past the edge of the fall. Luckily, there was one guy already in the water by the log, and he grabbed me before I lost my grip on the log! (Thanks again, Ty!) There were a few other guys there who helped to pull me back out of the water and into a safer current.
A fifty-minute boat ride delivered us to the ruins of Yaxchilan. For most of us, this was our favorite site. The number and size of the ruins were incredible! We spent a couple of hours trekking through the site, and saw a lot of excavated artifacts. We were able to see some of the limestone carvings that help archaeologists learn about the history of ancient people there. A lot of the students were able to read the Maya calendar glyphs, and translated them to our Gregorian calendar. That was impressive enough!
It’s so hard to wrap my mind around how much time and labor and thought went into these ancient civilizations. I can’t help but wonder what might be found of our civilization a few centuries from now. As we scaled a mountain via a narrow forest pathway, we reached the highest ruins around. From the roof of the tallest building, we could see the mountain ridges and the top of the rainforest all the way around. I was too scared of heights to stay up there for long, but it was well worth the fright for a few seconds’ glance!
I’ve been reflecting more on my role as a videographer on this trip. So far, I’ve felt like I’ve seen a lot of this on TV (through the camcorder lens) instead of in person. It’s a little disappointing to not get the full emotional and spiritual effects of visiting some of the places, but it has definitely been a rewarding journey nonetheless. I’m sure as I begin to unwind from the trip, the profoundness of all of this will start to really sink in.
We also climbed out on the rocks in the middle of the river and did some skywatching. Alonso has a green laserpointer from NASA that basically shoots indefinitely into the sky. We got to see some amazing constellations and compare those of the western world with those of the Maya.
We met up with our indigenous guide, Lucas, and started off on our 2-hour hike through the jungle. We learned about the religious meaning of the Ceiba tree, whose roots hold the earth together; we found piles of snail shells that had been gutted for food by indigenous people; we had to walk around the long trails of leaf-cutter ants. The trails were dirt and leaves, and a few rickety, wooden bridges. One of the football players on our trip actually snapped a board in one of the bridges. Thankfully, he landed face-first in the dirt on the other side instead of in the water below!
As a reward for our hard work (as if a hike through the rainforest isn’t reward enough!), we spent a couple of hours climbing and swimming in the Golondrinas waterfalls. There were six falls that were pretty close together, and a few small pools, but the current wasn’t very strong. I was pretty nervous about climbing around them at first, but by the end of our time, I had done “the hard one”, which involved scaling a short rock wall inside the fall, then holding my breath as I pulled myself through a 2’ x 3’ cavernous opening to cross back through the water at the top of the fall.
Today, I also got a nickname from the guys. One of them started saying that I will working for National Geographic after I’m done with this trip and Wabash. The rest of them agreed and started calling me “National Geographic” or “NG” because of the running, jumping, and all the extra energy I have to put into everything we do; everytime Alonso stops to talk, I have to have the camera rolling (and hopefully focused!) to get his stuff, whatever he's talking about, and the guys in the shot. I don’t really think that I’ll be working for a such a major company after this is all over, but it was a pretty neat compliment and it made me feel good about all the hard work I’m doing trying to get everything on tape and camera.
We started our day with a hike through the uninhabited rainforest behind the Palenque ruins. Natural waterfalls, beautiful streams, rocks, trees, and wildlife, and a lot of unexcavated ruins. It’s amazing to see these buildings as archaeologists must have found them. Many are completely covered with earth, moss, or trees, and are largely unnoticeable to the untrained eye.
Next, we arrived at the ancient city of Palenque. It was ingeniously laid out, with multiple pyramids designed to align with events of the sun and moon. We saw the Temple of Inscriptions, which contains a huge number of stories about the Mayan culture. There were several other temples, all unique and equally breathtaking. Pictures don’t do them justice. I can hardly believe how old all of these buildings are. We’re only starting to learn about the tools and methods they used.
We also got to walk through the grounds of King Pakal’s Royal Palace. There were underground tunnels, running water, and a limestone toilet. As it turns out, it was pretty comfortable. The Romans and the Maya were the only two ancient cultures to bring running water into their cities. They both used the structure of the building and an aqueduct. I’ve been wondering how many great ideas of past civilizations have been lost to conquerors.
When we went to the museum, we got to see many of the hidden treasures that have been excavated from the pyramids. We got to stand next to the enormous sarcophagus of King Pakal, and we were even able to read parts of the tablets from the walls. I can’t believe that I’m reading Mayan after only two days!
A three-hour drive landed us in the rainforest of Palenque. We were aptly greeted with a downpour that lasted only the 20 minutes it took all of us to get our rooms, unload our baggage, and get back to our huts.
Mostly, I was just glad to have electricity and warm running water.
to the decorations found in temples.
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