Houston, we’ve found a frog! Four of them to be precise. But before I tell you more about these “ribbet-ing” encounters, let me share a bit about our ATM cave expedition. I use the word expedition here because the ATM caving was the most “Indiana Jones-like” experience of my life so far. It started with a 30 minute hike to the cave entrance, which involved 3 river crossings. The dive booties really came in handy today. Once we reached the entrance, we took a moment to learn a bit about the history of the cave from our guide, Rafael. He explained that, in Maya culture, caves were often seen as the bridge between the underworld and Earth. For this reason, caves were seen as spiritual places and the Maya conducted many rituals within them.
We entered the cave by swimming up through the river that feeds into it. We then waded through narrow rock passages for another 100 meters or so before reaching a large rock platform. We climbed the platform and removed our shoes as hard soles can damage the limestone cave surface. From there, we climbed through several large caverns that were utilized by the Maya for rituals, including a cavern called the “cathedral.” In the cathedral, we saw multiple human skeletons and learned about their histories from Rafael.
Climbing out of the cave, we passed through a formation called “the decapitator.” It was incredibly fun to maneuver our way through it. Overall, the ATM cave was one of the most exciting and interesting experiences of my life!
After the cave, we travelled to the TEC ecolodge. Upon arrival, we noticed some dark rain clouds overhead, and I started to hear the promising calls of nearby frogs. Finally, it happened. I heard the word I had been waiting for all trip: “FROG!” I sprinted towards the bathrooms and sure enough Claire C. had a tree frog cornered on the outer wall. I have included a picture below and I believe my excitement can really be shown in the quality of the photo. I have identified the species as a mahogany tree frog. The next two frogs were found on the zoo tour and both were small cane toads. I elected to not attempt to catch them as cane toads can secrete a toxic substance from their heads. The last frog was in the shower and I believe that it was another mahogany tree frog.
What a day. I am looking forward to travelling to the reef tomorrow. I’m not sure how I can top this experience, but hope to find out soon! That’s all for now! – Elise