Merida

The highlight from our stay in Merida was most definitely our trip to a tiny village called Cozuma, where we had the chance to go swimming in 3 cenotes (underground caves filled with amazingly clear, blue water).

Getting there was a real adventure:

1. Bus to the town centre

2. Motorbike tuk-tuk to the start of the trail (Don't worry Mothers, we held on tightly : )

3. Bumpy horse drawn cart along rail track to each cave (they have been using this method of transport in the area for over 150 years)

  

To enter the first cenote, you have to climb down a long ladder into the dark cave. After your eyes adjust to the lack of the light, the water looks incredible and is actually a lot deeper than it looks in this photo (possibly 10 metres deep) and is lovely and warm.

We met two lovely travellers along the way, Juan from Argentina who become our personal guide and translator and fearless Yoko from Japan who was always the first to jump off a ledge or swim into the dark areas of the Cenotes. We also met one absolute nut from Canada who we tried to avoid without much luck.




Our final stop was Chichen Itza, one of the new 7 wonders of the world. We left Merida at 6am to head to the site before the crowds of tour buses arrived and heat set in. We could only bear the heat for a few hours before making tracks but enjoyed the variety of the site - pyramids, columns, carvings etc. It was definitely the most touristy and busy site!