Aztec Trek Part 10 – Comparing Ce-notes

A long day of travel was made even more stressful by roadworks, heavy rain and landslides causing our bus to crawl along the winding road back to Oaxaca.  What should have been a leisurely transfer from the bus station to the airport, became a hair-raising taxi drive, weaving in and out of the traffic, to make our flight to the cultural centre of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mérida.

Having visited this pretty and historic town on my last trip to Mexico, we were only planning on stopping over for one day, which, as it happened, was a good choice as we woke up to heavy skies and drizzle.  Our plans to sit by the pool before travelling into town for the evening were scuppered, but it had dried up by late afternoon, so we braved a local colectivo (the overcrowded mini-buses the locals use to get around) and hopped off at the Plaza Grande (the zocolo in other words!).

We wandered across the massive plaza admiring the massive Mexican flag that seems to be a standard in the centre of most large cities.  Despite the weather, the square was alive with vendors, tourists and locals eating or taking a stroll – there was even a huge wedding group partying outside the cathedral.  The French influence, much favoured by the 19^th century barons, was everywhere, with some lavish mansions lining the Paseo de Montejo, a long boulevard reminiscent of the Champs Élysées.  Much like its Parisian twin, restaurant prices here were eye-watering, so we slouched back to the centre and found a fairly reasonable Italian for dinner.

As we walked back, a crowd had gathered in front of the cathedral where a very interesting live show was taking place, depicting scenes from Mayan folklore. A brief but enjoyable introduction to this eastern state of Mexico.

Another bus journey took us to the provincial town of Valladolid, after a brief stop at the famous Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá.  Watching the long lines, and crowds pouring in from the bus, we made the decision to give them a miss and focus on the area’s other main attractions.  Arriving at our destination,  we walked along the quiet street from the bus station, passing local women on their way back from church, wearing the traditional huipil, traditional Yucatecan dresses made of white cotton and adorned with colourful embroidered floral patterns and lace.

We soon made ourselves at home at our cozy little hotel in the heart of Valladolid, with its pretty artwork, welcoming lounge areas and leafy pool terrace.  Although it was hard to tear ourselves away, we set out to stock up for the week and get our laundry done.  Although hot and humid, the weather here seems a bit more unreliable than the west, with intermittent rain showers. 

Right on our doorstep was the nearest cenote – Cenote Zaci (cenotes are basically large underground sinkholes, said to have been formed when the giant asteroid hit the earth -that one that put paid to the dinosaurs millions of years ago!). Being right in the centre of town, it looked fairly busy, so we took the advice of our host, and booked a taxi to take us to some of the lesser frequented cenotes – and boy, were we in for a treat!  The cenotes take the form of completely covered (like an underground cavern), semi-covered (where part of the rocky roof has caved in leaving a gap where sunlight streams in) and open (where the entire roof has collapsed). 

First up was Secreto Maya, which had a fully open roof, so to speak.  As we descended the wooden steps it was like entering a magical place, surrounded by rocky walls, containing birds’ nests, tropical plants and tree roots stretching down into the waters.  Luckily, there were only another couple of guests enjoying the vivid blue waters so were able to float about enjoying the tranquillity (until Ian decided to try out the swing rope, that is…at least he refrained from doing his Tarzan impression!). 

The second stop was at the Xcanahaltan cenote, which had an opening in the roof allowing a beam of sunlight to flood down, turning the water an electric turquoise blue – it was absolutely stunning and took my breath away, as did the water, being rather chilly.  We had taken our snorkels but only saw a few large catfish asleep at the bottom, although the baby fish enjoyed nibbling our feet as we stood on the pier!  Apparently, the cenotes nearer the coast offered better snorkelling and even diving opportunities – and we hoped to have the opportunity to try these in the coming weeks.

Finally, our driver took us up to a private gated reserve which according to the signs, contained wild boars, monkeys and other jungle animals!  This was our chance to try out a cave cenote, and as we made our way down the slippery steps into the depths, we were delighted to find we had the pool completely to ourselves.  Hidden lights illuminated the stalactites hanging from the ceiling and a few bats flew around, making it quite a spooky but nevertheless enchanting experience.   We sat and ate our lunch in the idyllic grounds of the estate, listening to the sounds of the surrounding jungle, vowing to stay here for a few days if we ever return to this part of the world.

We considered ourselves lucky to have had the opportunity to enjoy these special places without the tourist hoards and it was definitely an experience we’ll treasure.

Tempting as it was to relax in the hotel’s tropical gardens, I did sign up for a walking tour to see what this historic town had to offer. Formerly a Mayan ceremonial centre, those rotten conquistadors tore it down and used the stones to build their cathedrals and houses.  Strolling down the Calzada de los Fraites (Friar’s walk) with its pastel coloured buildings which were home to a wide selection of shops and garden backed restaurants and bars, was very pleasant as the sun went down.  Our guide’s English wasn’t too good, and trying to explain Mayan mathematics to a group of foreigners was perhaps not the best way to “engage” us, but he did invite us to try a selection local honey and pointed out the 16^th century convent – which even had its own cenote – at the end of the walk.

Valladolid became a firm favourite on our list of visited Mexican towns.  It was pretty clean with little traffic, a very relaxing vibe, hosted relatively few tourists while still maintaining its cultural roots.

Next stop:  The blue lagoon…