Rio Frio Cave

The cave

From Thousand Foot Falls we continued to Rio Frio Cave, still in the Mountain Pine Ridge. You hike down to it, and the opening is huge: about 90 feet high and 140 feet wide, running roughly 250 meters deep. A river runs through it, so you walk along the edge and wade a little.

The stalactites and stalagmites along the sides are all inactive now, and some have fallen over, so you're allowed to walk up and touch them. There was nobody else there. After the ATM cave, which is tightly controlled, this felt like having a cathedral to ourselves.

San Antonio

On the way back we stopped in the village of San Antonio for ice cream. Cassie got watermelon, John got an ice cream sandwich. We ducked into a little grocery store that had a few Belizean soldiers inside and a very kind woman at the counter.

Outside, a man walked up and gave Cassie a star fruit, then gave John a star fruit and an avocado. He'd picked them from his own trees. John was a little wary about eating it and did anyway, on the drive out of Santa Elena two days later. It was the first star fruit he'd ever had, and it was excellent. For a man who probably didn't have much, that was a real gift.