Trekforce Worldwide were able to obtain the special permissions needed to enter the Forest Reserve. The trek to be the first team to the Nohoch Ch'en sinkhole (which means very large hole in Mayan!) in many years was amazing and on route we found a new set of caves with stacks of Mayan Pottery (some with painted icons and pictures on, and much of it decorated and glazed). It is approximately 400m deep at the deepest point and around 500m across.The team completed an outstanding amount of work in a small amount of time. Despite the harsh weather and regular flooding of their basecamp, the team managed to tap a natural spring at the base of a hill, which was then redirected into a series of silting chambers and sinks, allowing visitors to the site access to fresh water for the first time. This was complemented by the construction of a small palapa with two shower areas, and a set of 30 steps which lead to the facility. This took the team only 3 days to complete.
At the main site a large palapa was constructed using almost 2000 bay palm leaves which the volunteers collected from the surrounding forest, and a toilet made from hardwoods completed the facilities. The whole project was completed in 8 days, an incredible effort. Who said volunteers and gap year projects cannot make a lasting difference?
The articles printed in the national press on the 14th August 2007 from a press release of another organsiation, done to try and whip up 'anti-gap year project' feelings are dangerous in their generalisation. We all support codes of conduct with teeth, but in terms of the main thrust of the article, it couldn't be further from the truth as far as Trekforce projects are concerned.
