We sea kayaked to our own private spot on the reef. Everyone told me that I was spoiling myself by my first snorkeling experience being at the second largest reef in the world. They were right! I thought after kayaking I would be too tired to enjoy myself but I was wrong. I didn’t even want to come back, I was so happy floating along and just spent a good hour looking around, being amazed at the amount of colors and the vibrancy of it all. As I turned any corner there was something new to see, whether it was an unusual piece of coral or a school of fish. The tour guide knowing this was my first time, pointed out and identified all the different things to see, and answered any questions I had. We kayaked back and had lunch at Ojo de Agua restaurant. After such an active day I was starving and the grilled chicken, vegetables, tortillas and beans hit the spot.
I woke up the next morning and I am embarrassed to say, I got sick. I didn’t drink enough water, so I was hot and dehydrated. I learned a valuable lesson, if you want to play with the big boys- you have to take care of yourself. I spent the day at Club Med while the rest of the tour continued the adventure. I missed out and I was disappointed, but I did learn to take better care of myself, and prepare myself better for next time. I spent the afternoon enjoying Club Med. It was a young crowd and I felt comfortable being alone. Everyone was so friendly that I was never alone that long. I looked around and realized that there was so much to do on premises, that this is a vacation in itself. If you wanted to, you would never have to leave the Club Med grounds.
It took me until the next sunrise, but I arose feeling much better. I was ready for the day and in hindsight I was glad I took care of myself and prepared for this day, as it was my favorite of the whole trip. We met the guide from Altournative, an eco adventure touring company, and we drove to explore Coba, situated deep in the jungle, clustered around a series of shallow lakes. We visited the village of Pak Chen where we saw an authentic Mayan community. I slowly remembered everything I had learned about the Mayans in history class. I kept thinking, this is how we should learn about history, by living it and seeing it, not by reading books. We climbed and toured the pyramids , hiked in the jungle, and biked through the ruins where I even saw spider monkeys!
After a good hike through the jungle we "zip lined" across the Cenote Caiman. This was so exciting and another first for me. After being strapped into a harness they hooked me up and we flew across this river. I was a little nervous to go by myself, so the tour guide went with me. This was a great idea until I realized that the weight of two people only made the zip line go faster! I screamed the whole way across, but loved every minute of it.
We then hiked to the Cenote del Jaguar, which looks like a little hole in the ground almost like a well. They hook you up to rappel into the hole, using the same harness as with the zip line. It is dark and you cannot fully see what you are going down into. After three steps down, the hole opens up into a cave under ground river. You lower yourself into this river and then get into an inner tube to float, since there is nowhere to stand. It is about 125 feet deep and I am convinced this might be one of the most beautiful places in the world. I wanted so much for my family and friends to see what I was seeing, and I knew in an instant that I would be back. I felt as though I was at peace in a spiritual place, and I felt honored to be somewhere that so few get to go. The light from above came streaming in through two holes in the cave ceiling, and formed two eyes on the walls of the cave. They sparkled and danced like nature's light show, just for us. The cenote is named after this because they look like jaguar eyes. I truly didn’t want to leave. I could have stayed there hours, just floating and relaxing, or looking at the fish swim around my legs. This was a once in a lifetime experience that words do no justice. I will come back to Mexico, and if for nothing else, I will come back to do this again.
