Jungle: I moved from my Mexican Madre's House on Friday afternoon into a small hotel I rode by every day on my way to school from her house. Appropriately named Don Deigo de la Selva. Diego references where I recently came from, and la selva is Spanish for "the Jungle". Literally! I have a large stand alone palapa bungalow at the end of this cement path - you can barely see the palapa for all the jungle surrounding it
But it is here-very private and comfortable with no air conditioning,
but a great ceiling fan and a hammock inside
The shower is of modern tile, has the first powerful shower head I've used since being in Mexico, and even has hot water, but by the time the hot water arrives all the way out back where I am through pipes, I am finished with the shower. I preferred having a cold water shower anyway. Sweaty humid heat:
Did I mention it is hot here? I take two or more short showeres per day to reduce body temperature. I sleep with no covers every night ( a person living here would spend way less money on bedding than we do in non- tropical climates). I have not unpacked the one light jacket I brought from home. Twice I put on the one pair of linen pants I brought, but reconsidered and changed clothes before going out. I prefer mosquitos to sweating, and actually, the mosquitos have not been bad so far.
Beach:
I rode my bike the three-ish miles to the public beach area on Sunday.
Then walked along the beach another mile north to find the spot Mike and I spent a beach day with the kids last year. -
For a trip down memory lane this year
I remember how when I was getting to know Mike he always wanted to walk along the beach when we went there. Prior to Mike, it had always been my custom to simply set up on a towel and lay in the sun. Now I really enjoy the walking.
The beach is beautiful with very fine white sand. Look what you can find along the way.
If you are lucky!
The water was very warm - no need for a towel to dry off or keep warm when finished getting wet. I couldn't actually swim, thought, the waves and current were strong and there was a red flag warming up for beach-goers.
I stopped for a mojito and some shade at the far end of my walk before returning to the bike.
For dinner, I searched out the popular Taqueria La Euphemia in the hotel zone that was recommended during orientation at the school.
It was another three mile bike ride but worth it to get some inexpensive and tasty tacos on the beach with a bunch of hippy types who were enjoying the beach access in a strip of beach that is dominated by exclusive hotels.
Cenotes and more jungle:
A unique geological feature of the Yucantan Peninsula is the vast system of fresh water pools called Cenotes (which are usually partially underground or at least closed in with natural rock cave-like covers and partially open to the sky), caves and tunnels many of which are connected underground and very popular with scuba divers because they can go with a guide for underwater "hikes" through the connected tunnels.
On Saturday I rode my bike to two separate Cenotes about three miles away from Don Diego de la Selva and one mile apart. The main event was Grand Cenote which is the $10 US entrance fee place catering to tourists. It was a very nice - cenote large enough to comfortably accommodate one hundred or more people, 25% open to the sky, the rest under a rocky cave ceiling, with crystal clear water,
turtles and fish for snorkelers to enjoy and a today a manageable amount of people.
Prior to my arrival at Grand Cenote, I took a short side trip to the smaller cenote on the way to Grand Cenote. This one was only $5 US to enter ( $100 pesos) and I was literally the only one there. It was hot so I enjoyed the water by climbing down the ladder
into the cenote rather than jumping through the holes in the cave cover like the signs invited. (I would have jumped if I was not alone in the unknown pool during my first visit).
After my cool-down dip in the water I was sitting at a rough wooden table in the shade enjoying the sounds of the jungle when I noticed one fairly big and one definitely big iguana in the general area of where I was sitting. Interesting. Kinda creepy, but harmless, right? I watched as the big one inch along the ground going over the cement path curb and some big tree roots.
Bored with watching and hot again I went back down the ladder into the water for another dip. On my way back up five minutes later I was shocked to see the big iguana no longer on the ground where I thought he always stayed, but up on the table sitting on top of my belongings which I had carefully arranged on the table in the shade so they would not be bothered by the iguana. I started screaming and ran up to the table level but the iguana did not move. I could reach my shoes without getting to close so I threw them one at a time, but the iguana did not move. I shouted some more - Get Off!! Bad iguana!! but he only moved a little. Very distressing. He was sitting on my nice sunshade hat. Dang! I went around his tail end (he was definitely two feet long from nose to tip of tail and had a diameter at his chest area of about the size of my mid calf - too bid to be sitting on my stuff!). and pulled my hat out from underneath him and he departed the table in a safe direction from me. Good news! Bad news was he deposited a load of liquid on my hat! Dang!!!!! I put on my shoes, took my hat for a rinse in the Cenote and departed myself. Too much jungle for me today !
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