The Yucatan peninsula is a limestone plain. There are no rivers or streams. Water is pretty precious. All around the region, though, are Cenotes. Cenote is the spanish word for well. These are sinkholes, natural wells. Some, such as those around Chichen Itza, were considered sacred. This one, is not.
The stairs at the top are built of stone.
The rest of the way, they're chiseled out of stone.
The stairs are steep....
....and, wind their way down to here.
Quite a few people, in our group and other groups, decided to swim. We were content to just watch. The water was very cold.
Water dripped down from the edges, above....and along the roots of plants growing on the rim. And, yes...the water was that blue.
Roots of lush plants, growing around the rim.
Beautiful, lush plants....a lovely lunch...and back on the bus, for the rest of the tour.
We had a wonderful, interesting day.
Gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteThis is a far cry from the experience we had scuba-diving in a cenote 30 years ago. We rode in the back of a pickup truck until the goat-track ended, then hiked a quarter-mile in full scuba gear.
The guide tied a rope to a tree and we slid down the mudbank into the pool. Coming back up the rope, pulling hand-over-hand, was more difficult--so many feet had slicked the banks.
But the experience of jungle-diving was magic. As the water closed over our heads, it felt like going back in time.
Did you get to spend any time in Merida? I liked the colonial part architecture in the old part of town.
We only went into Playa del Carmen one day, and took the Chichen Itza tour another day. The rest of the time, we vegged out at the resort, visiting and relaxing.
ReplyDeleteYour adventure sounds exciting. Maybe too exciting for me..haha...Gives you some great memories, though.
What an interesting and beautiful place. Thanks for showing us.
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