This morning we walked up the street to a collectivo which is basically a van. You pay around 20 pesos and get dropped off at the side of the road at your destination. First stop for us was the Cenote Azul. A very different cenote from the other ones we have visited in that it was quite shallow because of the number of limestone rocks in the cenote and also because it was open with only a very time section in a cave. It was also full of fish where as every other cenote we had been in had only a few fish. Again the water was very clear. 
Progress into the water was a little slower as the water in this cenote was colder. We finally made it in and then warmed up by perching on a limestone rock and basking in the sun. You could dive in this cenote in a particular spot about three metres high. Dan did it a couple of times (not big bombies though – too shallow). After swimming around for a while we all hopped out and lazed on the decking in the sun next to the cenote. 
We finally decided to move on to the next cenote and walked about 100 metres down the road to the next one. This cenote was again different. It perched under a limestone overhang and again had lots of catfish mainly. It was colder than the last cenote. 
It also had a small section that had could hang onto a rope and swing over the top of the cenote. Dan gave that a shot. Again, we lazed in the sun for a while and finally headed out onto the highway (in bathers and thongs) to flag down the next passing Collectivo to our next destination, Akumal where we could snorkel amongst the corals, fish and turtles!!
Dan decided to purchase a snorkel and mask set to take to Costa Rica and to use for our additional week in Playa Del Carmen. The rest of us hired a set and off we went. We swam a total of around 400m out from the shore in varying water depth’s from 2 to 6 metres depth. I saw one huge turtle swim by (Dan missed it) and we saw lots of smaller fish and coral, although we had been spoilt in Belize and this spot whilst nice, did not compare.
Dan’s highlight (since he didn’t see any turtles) was to swim with a large school (30) of bonefish, 2 foot in length for about 10 minutes. With the sun setting over the water, we called it an afternoon and headed back on the highway to flag down our collectivo again. A short wait and we were off. He dropped us at a different spot and we walked through the town, in bathers, for around 15 minutes back to the hotel. It was good to see a different side of Playa Del Carmen.
We went back to Babes Noodle House for our final group dinner (without Ania who we had said goodbye to this morning) and another enormous daiquiri.
Progress into the water was a little slower as the water in this cenote was colder. We finally made it in and then warmed up by perching on a limestone rock and basking in the sun. You could dive in this cenote in a particular spot about three metres high. Dan did it a couple of times (not big bombies though – too shallow). After swimming around for a while we all hopped out and lazed on the decking in the sun next to the cenote. We finally decided to move on to the next cenote and walked about 100 metres down the road to the next one. This cenote was again different. It perched under a limestone overhang and again had lots of catfish mainly. It was colder than the last cenote. It also had a small section that had could hang onto a rope and swing over the top of the cenote. Dan gave that a shot. Again, we lazed in the sun for a while and finally headed out onto the highway (in bathers and thongs) to flag down the next passing Collectivo to our next destination, Akumal where we could snorkel amongst the corals, fish and turtles!!Dan decided to purchase a snorkel and mask set to take to Costa Rica and to use for our additional week in Playa Del Carmen. The rest of us hired a set and off we went. We swam a total of around 400m out from the shore in varying water depth’s from 2 to 6 metres depth. I saw one huge turtle swim by (Dan missed it) and we saw lots of smaller fish and coral, although we had been spoilt in Belize and this spot whilst nice, did not compare.
Dan’s highlight (since he didn’t see any turtles) was to swim with a large school (30) of bonefish, 2 foot in length for about 10 minutes. With the sun setting over the water, we called it an afternoon and headed back on the highway to flag down our collectivo again. A short wait and we were off. He dropped us at a different spot and we walked through the town, in bathers, for around 15 minutes back to the hotel. It was good to see a different side of Playa Del Carmen.We went back to Babes Noodle House for our final group dinner (without Ania who we had said goodbye to this morning) and another enormous daiquiri.
On the way home we found some ukuleles and sombreros. 
We stocked up on some fresh fruit and also some fresh tortilla’s which we saw being made before our eyes. The locals in the market were very friendly and keen to have their photo taken. 
To get to the cenotes, we were told we would catch a horse and cart. We turned up and the horse was there but the “cart” was simply an old carriage that sat on railways with the horse pulling it along. As the rail track itself was one way, if you came across anyone coming the other way one cart would have to stop and lift the cart off the tracks, wait for the other cart to pass, put theirs back on and continue on their journey.
It was a fairly rustic trip with the horse pulling our cart but it was lots of fun. We traveled about three kilometers to our first cenote, which we had all to ourself. The cenote was broad and open with clear blue water. Dan was first in diving from a three metre platform splashing Claudio (who was carefully testing the water). We spent about forty minutes in the cenote then boarded our “train” to the next one.
This cenote was a little harder to see from the surface. The entrance was around 3 x 1.5 metres and there were some steep ladders down where I hit my head on the rocks trying to get in. Again it was clear and blue and the water was lovely to swim in. The cenote had tree roots hanging over the edge that dangled in the water. 
Back on the “train” to the next cenote. We sat right on the back of this one that meant we had to dangle our feet and lift then above the tracks for a few km’s hanging on tightly around the corners so we didn’t topple off the cart.
We arrived at the last and definitely the best cenote. The entrance could barely be seen from surface. Dan was first to climb down the near vertical ladder (made of wood) which was about 10 metres, it was also very dark. The climb was worth it. This cenote was so clear you could see the bottom which was very deep. The water was the bluest we had seen with a small rock stack on in the middle to stand on. Light was streaming into the cave creating light rippling through and shadows. It was absolutely beautiful. Again we had the cave to ourselves and I was first in on this one. We spent about another 40 minutes swimming around this cave and exploring. The cave was full of stalactites and rock formations. 
That night we came back to Merida and explored a bit of the town. The sun was setting and colours were amazing. First up we went to Casa de Montejo which had ornate window features.
Next we went to middle Americas oldest cathedral from 1598 – Catedrel De San Ildefonso. The outside was lovely, although the inside was fairly plain. The Cathedral surrounded the Grand Plaza.
We walked past the armed guards at Palacio De Gobierno to see the wall sized murals depicting famous people and scenes associated with Mayan History.
Later that night we went for dinner (including Pina Coladas) with local entertainment in the courtyard surrounded by portico’s. Later that night there was a Mayan festival on with dancing around the plaza. We got to see some of the dances again that we saw in Playa including the traditional one with glasses and bottles on the head.
With bathers on, we hit the fresh water (only 50m deep) and went swimming. It was a great way to refresh after the bus ride. Floating on your back staring up the limestone walls complete with stalactites, dangling tree roots and blue sky with water spraying was pretty special.
The Mayan, with convergence of Toltec influences, were very smart. The time temples, such as the great El Castillo, act as calendars and also designed to create serpent god shadows falling and rising from the ground on the equinoxes. An illusion to convince the masses.
The Juego del Pelota, or ball playing stadium was another set of buildings, with great acoustics. We learnt about the interpretation of the game and how the winning captain was taken by decapitation as a willing sacrifice to the gods. It’s hard to believe this was buried under jungle and not found until the early 1900’s by New York lawyer.
At this stage my camera decided it wasn’t time to work which brought back the horror of Luxor, Egypt, in the Great hypostyle hall when my batteries run out!
A quick group shot at the observatory (el caracol) and we hit the road to Merida, a 2 hour journey.
On arrival at Hotel Trinidad, an English fellow come from across the road. The first thing I asked for was free beer (jokingly) and said “Once Melanee is here you can have a free cervesa!”. Sweet!
It was unfortunate that the trees above had birds that weren’t keen on gringos, so I got a hit twice. When Tan got poohed on, the waiter brought out anti-poop protection devices aka sombreros! They were effective too!
