No, he hasn’t lost me yet (Cj writes) ... We crossed from Guatemala to Belize by land, and very soon found ourselves at another Mayan site - much smaller than Tikal and somehow more manageable, with a better sense of the community that lived there. Our guides delighted in regaling us with tales of how the Mayans ritually pierced their flesh - self mortification - in order to worship their many gods. Women used sting ray spines to pierce their tongues repeatedly, men used the spines to pierce - well, let’s say that the men in the group went very pale. Then it was off to Caye Caulker, an exhilarating one hour speedboat ride out of Belize City. Came Caulker is an absolutely charming little Caribbean no cars to speak of, so everyone walks, bikes or
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