Cenotes of Cuzamá (or: The Long Journey Into the Depths of Hell)

WARNING: This post is much longer than normal, but every detail just HAD to be documented. It might be worth a read.

Sunday seemed like a good day for a trip out to swim in the cenotes of Cuzamá. We had read in our guidebooks about the quaint horse-drawn rail carts, organized by locals to give visitors a scenic ride through the long abandoned henequen plantations, as they wind their way to stops at each of the three beautiful cenotes in the area. Even a local woman at the market had recommended the cenotes as a must see.

We should have taken it as a sign of the day to come when we stopped for gas at the Pemex station only to have the seemingly friendly attendant try to rip us off. He happily chatted to me about our destination as I handed him a 500 peso bill, attempting to distract me as he did the old switcheroo with a 50. I had seen what he did, and pointed out that I gave him 500; he looked at me blankly for a time, and I looked blankly at him, and finally he shook his head and handed me change. Fortunately, we've learned to be prepared when it come to gas stations. This type of exchange doesn't happen all the time, but occasionally a gringo can be taken advantage of if they're not on the ball. It's always best to pay close attention to EVERYTHING the attendant does down here.

Finally on the road, we journeyed through small villages like Kanacín and Acancéh before getting closer to Cuzamá. At one point on the open highway, we were mooned by one of the eight young Mexican men riding in back of a pickup in front of us. I guess some greetings are universal.

As we reached the entrance, the midday sun was blazing hot (surprise, surprise). We gathered our things (towels, cameras, bag of snacks, snorkel masks, small children) and headed over to see the man in the red cap who was overseeing things with his clipboard. Jennifer put our name on the list while I went to the nearby tent to buy a bottle of water. As I approached the stand, I became aware of a large number of flies buzzing around and the growing smell of horse manure. In fact, as I looked around the tent at all of the people sitting at tables, it was apparent that the flies were EVERYWHERE. The mostly Mexican crowd, awaiting passage to the cenotes, sat emotionless like zombies, all waving towels or rags around their heads in a futile attempt to clear away the flies. But the flies just kept coming back, over and over again.

An eternity passed while the woman behind the counter searched for my bottle of agua, and soon I was swatting away flies, twitching in some kind of tribal ritual dance, trying in vain not to be eaten alive. There was a little girl behind the counter looking blankly at me, flies landing on her face and arms. She made slight movements to shoo away the flies, but clearly she too had come to the realization that there wasn't much point to it. The flies were always there.

When I finally got my water, I pretty much ran out of the tent. I found Jenn and the kids huddled together at a table out in the sun, positioned between a large horse plop and a bucket of cans stewing with more flies. We waited and watch as men loaded and unloaded rail carts from the tracks, hitched up horses, and shuttled off passengers. There was a large crowd of people waiting for a ride on the rails, and we began to wonder if maybe the weekend might not have been the best time to come on this adventure.

The sun beat down brutally, and still we waited, swatting flies, dripping with sweat. The only shade was either under the tent (filled to capacity with people and flies) or outside the bathrooms. We positioned Emma and Lukas by the bathrooms for a time so they could get some much needed relief from the sun. After more than 45 minutes of waiting, Jennifer approached Señor Red Cap to see where we were on the waiting list. He told her we had about another 30 minutes to go. Wha-?

Jenn took the kids to sit in the car for a while, and then I did the same. After another 35 minutes, I talked to the clipboard guy and was told we'd be up in maybe 20 minutes. "But you told us last time...?"

By this time, I was mentally and physically drained. We were all getting irritable, the smell was sickening, and Emma was on the verge of tears. We talked of giving up and leaving to visit another cenote about a half hour away, but Lukas refused to leave. He wasn't going to miss the horse ride we had told him all about. That quaint, scenic ride through the plantations with the promise of crisp, cool refreshment at the journey's end.

Like gluttons for punishment, we waited. Again. The 20 minutes passed by and the men at the cerveza stand motioned us over. They asked why we were still there and what we had been told. They spoke Spanish, but they seemed to think that something wasn't quite right here. Were we being taken advantage of?

We watched as a large group that had arrived after us were seated on the next trolley cart. What the-? Jenn marched right up to the clipboard dude, demanding to see the list. After some back and forth, it turns out there are two lists: the regular list and Señor's 'personal' list. It seems you can buy your way onto the personal list. So much for going the honest route. If I had KNOWN about the personal list...

Jennifer demanded that we be seated on the next cart (you don't want to incur the wrath of a blond white woman from Jersey), and so we were on our way within the next 5 minutes. Finally, some relief in sight!

The rail cart has room for four in the middle under a canopy, while two more can sit on the rear and another can sit up front with the driver. We shared a cart with three girls of maybe college age, one of which spoke English. She explained to us that they had been on the tour to the cenotes before and that access to the third cenote was quite treacherous. It wasn't recommended for the children. The driver was willing to take us all to the first two cenotes and allow us extra time there so we could bypass the more dangerous third cenote. We agreed that would be the wisest choice for us, and then we were off.

While in theory a ride on the rail carts might seem like a pleasant idea, it actually has two major problems. The first one is that it is drawn by a horse. And with the horse comes HORSEFLIES. We spent most of the journey clattering along, flailing our arms about, swatting flies off ourselves, each other, and the children. At one point, Jennifer was swatting flies with Lukas' hat, and in the confusion, hit the driver across the face with the strap. Ooops.

The other problem is that there is only one set of rail tracks to and from the cenotes. That means if you're traveling in one direction and other carts are going back in the opposite direction, someone has to get off the tracks to let the others through. That, more often than not, was us. This entails stopping the cart, unloading all the passengers, unhitching the horse, and manually lifting the cart off the tracks to let the other carts pass. Then load the cart onto the tracks again, hitch up the horse, load all the passengers, and then finally proceed. Although novel at first, this gets tiresome after the fifth time.

The ride is bumpy and at times there might be a sharp curve, which means hold on tight or you're going to lose your camera, your hat, your child. After banging along endlessly, swatting flies, holding on for dear life, we finally reached the first cenote.

When you finally arrive at the cenote dripping with sweat, the only thing you can think of is GETTING IN THE WATER. You are about to DIE if you don't. You don't CARE what it looks like, it could have trash floating in it, you just need to be wet. Thankfully, the cenote is pristine and the water is crystal clear. This is TRULY an OASIS! The water is icy cold, but you just slip right in without a thought because you are just that hot. Finally, relief!

The cenote was beautiful, in a huge cavern with fresh water bubbling up from deep underground. We swam across to the other side of the cave and back again while the kids took turns catching fish in a snorkel mask.

After our swim, we headed back to our cart to hit the rails again. Things were looking up when it was finally time for another cart to clear the tracks for US to pass instead. The ride was much more pleasant now that we had cooled off.

We arrived at the second cenote and began descending the long staircase into the cave. The elevated platform at the bottom was quite crowded with visitors and there were no railings, so Lukas and I hugged the cave wall while Jenn navigated down to the shaky platform below. As she helped Emma climb down a rickety ladder into the water, I thought for sure there was no way Lukas was getting down there with all those people. It just seemed way too dangerous. But eventually, the crowd thinned out and we managed to get him to the water below. Soon we had the cenote mostly to ourselves before another cart of visitors arrived.

One of the girls we were now traveling with dove into the cenote from the platform above, so Jennifer wasn't going to be outdone. It must have been a drop of at least 25 feet or more into the pool below (You can see her jump in the video clip posted at the bottom). Of course, since Jenn jumped, there was pressure on me to do the same. Thankfully, that was not recorded because an involuntary groan escaped loudly from my mouth as I leapt into the water. It was a pretty long drop.

With the pleasant cenote visits behind us, the torment could now begin again. As we boarded our cart for the return journey, the horseflies resumed their assault. Then, thunderclouds above dumped a deluge of rain. The canopy provided no shelter whatsoever, but at least the showers were washing away the horseflies. Could it get much worse?

Sure it could, because our driver had to remove our cart from the rails FIVE TIMES on the journey back to let other carts pass. That meant all of us standing on the sidelines up to our ankles in mud, buffeted by driving rain, OVER AND OVER AGAIN. (My video camera was still in its water case, so you can see a clip below. Not the same effect though, without hearing the thunder and the rush of the rain.) We were soaked through and through, our bags full of water, and the kids were shivering. As they say, when it rains, it pours.

It had been a two hour wait in the blazing sun, followed by a three hour trip on the rails. As we pulled back up to the entrance, huddled under dripping wet towels, Señor Red Cap asked, "Jennifer...how you like? Are you quiet now?"

What was there to say? It certainly was a day we will never forget.

Jungle Trek on the Ruta Puuc

We left Mérida on Monday morning for a two day excursion in search of archeological ruins along the Puuc Route. This region south of Mérida is a rich concentration of Mayan ruins and caves, so it's a great destination for those seeking adventure.

Our trip started with an unexpected detour through the village of Uman, where we had to stop to ask for directions four times before finding our way back out to the main highway. The villagers were pleasant and very helpful, but somehow we just weren't fully grasping what they were telling us in Spanish. We were quite literally the only gringos in the entire village, so I'm sure it was quite amusing.

After an hour's journey, we arrived at the Sacbé Bungalows to check in for our evenings stay. Apparently it's sort of an eco-lodge, where the owners appear out of the jungle, then vanish into thin air, then reappear elsewhere within seconds, leaving you to wonder about the strange powers they possess. Teleportation? Hmmmm. No matter, as the house was clean, comfortable, and inexpensive. The owner gave us the key, and we would pay in the morning after breakfast. Very trusting.

We returned to the road again and journeyed to Labná, the farthest of the archeological zones on the route. Labná is a lesser known ruin site of a kingdom that abruptly collapsed in the 9th century. Only a handful of other visitors roamed the site while we were there, so we had most of the place to our selves.

We were really surprised that there was so much to see at Labná, and in such good condition...

The kids enjoyed exploring the palace, which has 67 rooms and is adorned with Chaac masks and fascinating embellishments.

From there we passed through the Arch of Labná, which likely separated the residents from the ruling elite. Finally, El Mirador is an extraordinary temple that has been sitting at the peak of a steep pile of rocks for thousands of years.

We took shelter in the arch as a brief shower passed through, then headed back to the car to continue on our journey.

As we walked, Lukas noticed what looked like a very large fossil along the walkway, and then we noticed several more scattered about. Dinosaur bones? They don't LOOK like mere rocks. Who knows?

Since the sky had gotten overcast and there was potential for wet weather, we decided to explore the Loltún Caves, further along the Puuc Route. As we drove the long road to the caves, I read in one of our guidebooks that tarantulas are occasionally encountered in these jungle areas, particularly in the summer months. Just great. Why didn't we hear of this before? I am admittedly not thrilled at the prospect of giant furry spiders possibly crawling up my leg or dropping out of a tree onto my shoulder. Visions of Bobby Brady and his encounter with the Tiki god curse fill our minds.

The caves at Loltún were an EMORMOUS surprise. This wasn't just a few small caves with carvings inside; this was an hour long guided tour through giant caverns deep underground. Twisting, turning stairways of stone, leading from one chamber to another, each with mysteries to be revealed.

At one point I notice bats flying overhead, so our tour guide Pablo brings us directly under a hole in the cave ceiling and shines his flashlight. It's filled with hanging BATS! Ok, bats and possibly tarantulas, the two things that probably creep me out the most. Jenn notices a tiny baby bat clinging to its mothers belly. This picture really doesn't do any justice.

In fact, none of the pictures can capture the experience of the caves, in large part because the flash is too harsh.

Pablo brings us to a canyon and points out tiny Mayan handprints on the ceiling that have been there for centuries upon centuries. By the time we emerge, we've travelled more than half a mile underground.

After the caves, we head back to the bungalow to clean up and change before dinner. Our plan is to eat at the palapa restaurant just outside of Uxmal before heading to see the nightly light show at the ruin site.

Although our food is decent, the service is terrible and the waiter messes up the order, so the kids have to share a meal. It takes forever, so we rush out of there just in time, trying not to miss the show.

Uxmal is the largest and most revered Mayan ruin site in this vicinity, so the evening show gives us a glimpse of the majesty we'll explore further in the morning.

The pyramids and temples are lit up with ever-changing colored spotlights, as an interpretation of the Mayan story is told through audio headsets. The kids are transfixed as they listen, and the experience leaves us eager to begin the day ahead.

We find our way back to the bungalow and turn in for the night. Lukas and Emma have had a busy day, so they sleep soundly. But just before bed, Jenn notices a tiny gecko on the wall, so I spend most of the night with the uncomfortable expectation that it will crawl across my face as I sleep. Or even worse, a tarantula!

A beach day in Chelem

A blogger's work is never done. I'm already posting two days late! Trying to get caught up today with some down time at home.

We were blessed with some sunshine on Friday so we headed out to explore the beaches at Chelem, a sleepy little fishing village just west of Progresso. This is certainly a more remote area, and one can imagine how easy it would be to drop out of society by settling here. The roads turn to sand as you drive closer to the shore, so we found one where we could pull up and make camp in relative isolation.

The beaches in this section of Chelem are not particularly wide, so we chose the concrete patio of a vacant hotel to drop our belongings and have lunch. The kids spent much of the time playing in the sand and combing the beach for seashells. The plan is to string them together to make necklaces. Occasionally, giant pelicans flew by overhead, usually when the camera was put away in the beach bag. Lukas calls them pterodactyls.

Later, we explored the shoreline and encountered several buildings that clearly suffered extensive damage due to previous hurricanes. Beach erosion has claimed a good amount of sand from this stretch of Chelem, but other areas seemed to fare much better. Jenn chose the wrong spot to cool off in the water, because she cut her foot on a boulder sized rock on her way out. Much different from the beaches we encountered in Progreso, where the bottom was silky smooth sand.

No afternoon showers on this day, so we got a good deal of sun before heading back to the casa. That night we enjoyed some Yucatecan cuisine in the open air courtyard of Amaro, under a clear and star-filled sky. We enjoyed some margaritas and I tried my first chaya shake, which was pretty tasty. Chaya is a leafy green herb that is native to the Yucatan and has more nutrients that spinach (so it's sometimes called Tree Spinach). Although the raw leaves are toxic, the cyanide they contain cooks out and becomes a traditional drink. That's me, living on the edge! Of course, Jenn doesn't tell me these things ahead of time, so maybe she's just looking for an insurance payout so she can settle down here full time.

Some live latin music drew lots of other patrons to the restaurant, so we spent most of an hour trying to get our check once it was time to go. When in Mexico, you're on Mexico time!

Wednesday: Dzibilchaltun

Yesterday was a day where the pictures can pretty much do all the talking. A mostly cloudy day, so we left Mérida and visited the ruins of Dzibilchaltun, about 10 miles to the north.

Discovered in the 1950's, Dzibilchaltun was once a great Mayan city, home to as many as 40,000 people. Artifacts have been discovered that date back to around 500 B.C.

Even with an occasional drizzle of rain, the kids had a great time climbing some smaller pyramids and exploring caves all over the ruin site. The cloud cover actually worked in our favor today, allowing us to explore longer and take lots of pictures without sweltering in the hot sun.

Here are a few more good shots exploring the ruins...

Trapped...

in a Mayan catacomb

With the kids at the top

Kids surveying their kingdom

Emma on the sacbé to the final temple

The centerpiece of the ruin site is the Temple of the Seven Dolls, which is named for the seven figures found inside of the temple. It's thought to have been an astronomical observatory, since the sun lines up precisely through its windows during the spring and fall equinoxes.

As our explorations at Dzibilchaltun were winding down in the afternoon, a pretty steady rain began to fall. Since we were already getting wet, we decided to cool off with a swim in Cenote Zlacah which is on the grounds. A cenote is like a well; it's a sinkhole that connects to subterranean fresh water.

As we rounded the jungle growth near the cenote, it became very plain that two gay caballeros were getting a bit too friendly for a family-style establishment. And since they had chosen to display their affection for each other in the shallow end of the cenote, that meant we had to trek all the way around to the deep end with the kids. Of course, that's the side that is over 140 feet deep. Nevertheless, our kids had a great time splashing around in the cool water with hundreds of tiny fish swimming all around them. And thankfully, they never took any notice of the show at the other end of the water, which continued without any regard for the children or families present. Neither of us are ready to field those types of questions yet!

Once we were done swimming, the jungle mosquitos chased us out of the area pretty quickly. By the time we headed home, we were extremely hungry, having only fed our kids cookies and juice for lunch earlier (another great parenting moment). We'd had a full day, so we decided to order pizza once again.

My confidence with the Spanish language was growing daily, so the telephone ordering process had only a few minor hiccups this time. However, it became apparent that "salchichas" does NOT mean sausage, because I managed to order us a hot dog pizza for dinner. Another gourmet meal for the Cornine family. Oh well, when you're hungry, hot dog pizza really isn't half bad.

Getting Settled in Merida

Shorter post today: We all slept late (8:30am is late when you have Lukas) then went for a walk to the 'parque' so the kids could play on the see-saw and swings and sip some delicious pitaya juice (it's green with small pulpy seeds in it). Wandered the market to pick up some sliced mangos and papayas and stopped at the bakery for pastries. However, when we got back, the papayas turned out be some kind of strange red potato or vegetable. Not very tasty for breakfast...we'll pass on that next time!

Later we all took an extended siesta (nap) as we are still recovering from the long day before. After waking, the kids cooled off in the pool. I managed to pull off a pizza delivery order via phone...in very poor spanish. Boy, that was grueling! But what a deal: a large chorizo pizza and a smaller cheese pizza plus a free bottle of soda for between 7 and 8 bucks? You can't touch THAT at home! And it was really good. REAL pizza!

We found our way to Walmart (it has a marble facade) to stock up on groceries for the house. Spent lots of time trying to decipher labels, identify foods, and read nutritional content (we haven't been eating real healthy lately, ya know?) And best of all, we found our way back to the house once again. We're getting better at this!

Slowly getting settled in Mexico... maybe we'll get to the beach soon!