Saturday

I woke up So excited! Today I snorkel Dos Ojos! I arrived at the dive office before 9:00, and we were on our way by about 9:30. We arrived at Hidden World and boarded the coolest vehicles. I don’t know quite what to call them, but they looked like a big open grain truck, but without any cab. Just a seat and a steering wheel over the engine. There were rungs (tree branches) across the box part. We stood in the box holding on to the rungs while the truck putted and lurched over bumps, and rocks, and dips and holes, through palms and jungle and mosquitoes. Yee Hah! What a blast.

We arrived at the entrance to the cenote, and I was aghast! It was just a hole in the ground with a ladder disappearing into the darkness. We lowered ourselves about 3 ladder flights down onto a platform and waited for our guides. Once we were down, I was absolutely amazed! This place is incredible! It is SO beautiful! Stalactites hanging down from the limestone ceiling look unworldly. As I was the only snorkeler in the group – the others were divers, I had my own private tour. When my guide, Jorje arrived, he took me back up, and we walked about 5 minutes through the jungle, over roots and rocks, and by the time we arrived at the entrance to the Bat Cave, I was a “mosquito buffet”. I hope they don’t carry malaria! When they had been handing out wetsuits, I decided against wearing one. I knew I wouldn’t need it for the temperature of the water (I’m from Canada, eh). But I never considered the protection it might give me from insects.

We descended into the cenote, Tak Be Ha. It was just discovered in 1992 by accident when someone fell through the hole! We started snorkeling and I just can’t describe the formations. Columns and bumps and stalactites, stalagmites, and beautiful clear blue water. After a while we rested for a while and the little fish, tetris, were nibbling at my legs. Now that was was weird.

After about 40 minutes we were back to the ladder. We ascended and ran back through the mosquito haze to the clearing where we met the group for lunch. A bollilo with avocado, tomato, cheese and ham. And a glass of Gatorade.

Then it was on to dive 2. This time we went back down the first ladder. Everybody else had been remarking about how Cold the water is. To me, it was so refreshing. I was the only one without a wetsuit, but it was the same temperature as B.C./Alberta lakes in the summer. One lady there put on 3 wetsuits. I couldn’t believe it.

After snorkeling a ways, we had to stay really low to get through this opening. When we came out, and after travelling down a short corridor, the sun came shining in, and the brilliant blue water was like a jewel! I looked up and saw a huge archway (another entrance to the cave) with mangrove roots all hanging down. It was unbelievably beautiful. Like something out of a fantasy, or a dream of some kind. We just floated there for about 10 minutes – so serene and unworldly.

Then it was time to head back. I couldn’t believe it was over! After a bumpy ride back in those jungle wagons, we boarded our van and headed back to Playa. Unforgettable!

I arrived back at the room and Lyd had left me a note that she was on the beach. Surprise. She also bought me a present. I’d lost the little zipper pull from my suitcase, and had been casually looking at keychains in the tiendas. This one is so Beautiful! It looks like a chunk of limestone with a Mayan character on the front. I think I should make it into a necklace, I like it so much.

Lyd & I started walking along 5th Avenue and decided to eat early (4:00 PM) Shrimp/chicken fajitas with rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream and a beer for 70 pesos. Home for a shower and in our pjs at 6:15 ! Well, it’s dark, we don’t have a TV, and we don’t want to wander around too late. ( I must have fallen asleep, cause I heard Lyd tell me she was going out for a ‘Corona bucket’. I could have sworn it was around midnight or so, and half wondered why the hell she was going out all alone for a bucket of beer. We had seen buckets of beer advertised on the beach – 5 beers for 55 pesos. Turns out she had seen a galvanized bucket with the Corona logo on it this afternoon, and decided to go buy it. It was before 8:00 PM. Not midnight.

Tomorrow we head home. Where did the week go? What a wonderful way to spend $148. Well, I figured out I probably spent, in total, in Canadian funds, just under $800 for the week, for airfare, hotels, transportation, and food. Then I spent another $150 on little souvenirs, and the snorkel tour. Wow! If that’s not heaven!

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