We were up bright and early for our trip to Barton Creek cave. Selmo, "Handsome", was our guide. Handsome is 75% Mayan. The Belizians are very aware of their lineage. There are many different Maya groups with different languages even. Barton Creek cave is a large wet cave that runs underneath an entire village. We took our canoe through many very large rooms. Eventually, we reached the turnaround point and made our way back. It was pitch black when we turned out the light. Amazing cave!
After Barton Creek Cave, we stopped at a butterfly farm, which was quite amazing. They harvest the eggs individually and care for them until the hatch. They then feed the caterpillars daily until they go into pupa stage. These are cared for, as well until butterflies emerge. It takes two girls all day to monitor these tasks.
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| pupas being cared for until butterflies emerge |
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| Each type of caterpillar is fed the type of leaf it needs. All are different. |
Carolita had an empanada lunch waiting for us. We enjoyed hanging around the beautiful Tut property for the rest of the day. We took the Thomas Green Medicine Trail that is dedicated to the Tut's Great Grandfather. He was a shaman, using plants to heal folks.
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| Taking potatoes to market. |
The entire property is so beautiful. Victor Tut owns 20 acres on a gently sloping plot leading down to the Macal River. The Tut's used to farm the land, but Victor had the idea to switch to tourism. They took out the crops and built thatch roofed casitas on the property. Andy Tut has 9 horses that often roam free, grazing with white egrets following them or hitching a ride on their backs. There are two large swings facing the river. They put fruit out for the native birds and they always have plenty of customers. We saw motmots, toucans, green parrots, chachalangas to name a few. It is interesting to see the "pecking order" (perhaps literally?) as different species came to and left the feeders.
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