Wednesday, November 26 (Tulum)

An epic day in Tulum. 

This was the day we'd pegged for cenotes. Mom and Dad decided to sit out this excursion and have a relaxing day at the resort. So, early this morning, Andrew, Lucia, Greta, Molly, Luca, and I got up early and went for breakfast at the Vela Norte buffet. I practiced my Spanish while ordering an omelette, a very straightforward interaction I managed to butcher by asking that my omelette be made "very very good kitchen" (instead of "very very well cooked") and that it be made not with egg whites only but with "all the eyes." Obviously I was trying to say "all the eggs." That doesn't make much sense either but it definitely makes more sense that "all the eyes."

Then Andrew got our rental car from the valet, and we headed off to the first cenote: Gran Cenote. Though our GPS told us we'd arrived, there was no signage anywhere--just a few parking spaces along a cement wall, and a small building with two turnstiles beside it. We paid our entrance fees, and the worker began scanning the barcodes on our tickets to let us in through the turnstiles. I went last. Somehow, maybe because I was toting a large, wide bag, I got completely tangled up in the turnstile. One leg was through; the other was not. The physics are hard to explain. I began laughing so hard I could not even effectively work to extricate myself. The worker, as well as a German couple waiting to go through the turnstile, looked on in mild irritation and did not offer to help. I had to lift the trailing leg over the turnstile to get free.

After that graceful start, the visit was excellent. This was an open-air cenote, and after descending some wooden steps and getting masks and snorkels at a kiosk on a wooden platform, we got into the water. It was the clearest water I've ever seen--clearer even than a swimming pool. There were small fish and many medium-sized turtles. The sunlight beamed into the water. It was spectacular. 

We'd planning on doing a second cenote but had a hard time deciding which one to visit. There are countless cenotes not far from the resort, but each offers a different experience; we wanted just the right one. Eventually, Andrew found one called Aktun Chen that sounded good. We drove a very long way along a dirt road, deep into the jungle. Two coatis crossed in front of our car. Eventually, we found the reception area and got our tickets. There was a small animal rescue there, and we saw some adorable monkeys, including a baby. Then we got back in the car to find the cenote--at least a ten-minute drive deeper into the jungle. We found it, and picked up masks and a guide who took us into the cave. 

This was a cave cenote, completely underground. There was a large opening in the roof that let in some sunlight; otherwise, it was lit with artificial lights. There were bats hanging from the ceiling and swooping around. There were two ways to get into the water: jump or climb down a ladder. Both ways led into a seething pool of black catfish-looking fish. All of us managed to summon the courage to get into the water.

It was worth the initial horror. This cenote was dramatic and eerie and beautiful. There were a few small fish, beams of sunlight here and there, rock formations underneath the water. One part of the cave was so narrow we had to swim single-file. 

A cenote employee had us pose for some pictures underneath the opening in the ceiling, saying we could purchase the pictures at the end. (Of course we did.) 

It was an amazing experience.

By the end of our time at Aktun Chen, we were all starving. We dropped off the rental car with the valet and went straight to the lunch buffet. Then we reunited with Mom and Dad back at the pool by our room.

The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming and reading. Greta and I went for a walk along the beach. We went to have drinks before our dinner at La Lupe, then had a nice meal. Then we came back to the room to hang out, and ordered desserts from room service.

It has been a very very fun and busy day. What a beautiful place.

It's worth noting that exactly one year ago today, I was in the hospital having surgery. That day, I couldn't even sit up in the hospital bed. Today, I swam in cenotes in Tulum. This is a much better November 26.