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Hidden blue treasures......
Today we drove from Tulum to Valladolid, via some jungle ruins and cenotes (limestone caves with underground rivers flowing through them).
Our first stop was Gran Cenote, a short drive out of Tulum. We were undecided as to whether to go in as we'd never heard of a cenote before and sometimes the LP can be well off the mark. After a brief discussion in the car park, we decided to pay the entrance fee and check it out.
We had very few expectations walking through the grounds to the cave; there was no-one else around so we wondered if we'd been taken for a ride. But then as we walked through the gardens an opening appeared. Steep cliffs dropping to crystal clear deep blue water and dark green lily pads.
We were the only ones there and with a mad scramble to change our clothes, the first to sample the waters for the day. The cave was amazing - it was incredibly deep in some places but you could still see the bottom. We swam through limestone formations as bats twittered above our heads. We swam into different "rooms", some with a roof, others with open sky. In some sections there were rainforest plants growing on the banks, in others trailing vines overhanging the sheer sides of the pool. In one part of the pool we were nibbled at by friendly fish. It was all very tranquil and we were glad we had some time on our own before the pool was invaded by a gaggle of noisy tourists!
After a refreshing morning we drove onto Coba. The LP describes it as a collection of ruins with a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" feel to it. The temples loom through the jungle, with some of the plants growing over or into the stone. The site is huge and it was quite hot as we walked along the jungle paths between the different groups of temples. There are thousands of structures in the Coba ruins but only a few groups have been excavated.
The Nohuch Mul pyramid in the complex is one of the only ruins in the Yucatan that can be climbed. The pyramid rises from the steamy jungle, poking through a sea of green. It's a hard climb up steep steps to get to the top (my spiderwoman crawl may have come out!), but the climb is worth it as the view is spectacular. The jungle spreads in all directions for miles and its difficult to imagine that beneath all the green lies a hidden city.
We had lunch in a little open air restaurant next to the lake that is reportedly full of crocodiles. I have to say at this point that I love the free tortilla chips and salsa that is automatically brought to your table at the beginning of each meal. I'm not sure if it's a gringo in Mexico thing, but every restaurant we've been to seems to treat us to this before we eat our meal. I just wish I had a little more tolerance to heat and spice. It doesn't stop me though and I keep coming back for more!
From Coba we drove to Valladolid. It's a pretty little town with a pastel coloured colonial centre, protected by the local authorities to prevent 'out of character' development. According to the LP, even signage needs to be approved by the council, so often businesses will put up hand written temporary signs.
We found ourselves a nice little hotel on the main square, opposite the Cathedral, with PARKING! After dropping our junk off we drove onto Cenote Semula, about 8km out of town, for another swim.
Cenote Semula was quite different to Gran Cenote. The cave was much larger and mostly enclosed, with just a small opening in the roof. Growing through the opening were tree roots, extending down into the pool below for nourishment. Very pretty in itself, but even more amazing when you realise that the length of the roots are probably about 50m. It was like swimming in a huge natural cathedral. Again we shared our swim with bats and fish, but the bats were high above our heads and the fish less inclined to nibble!
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