Cenotes are fresh water pools fed by a vast system of underground rivers and contained above and below ground by limestone rock. A geologist or google search would do a more thorough job of explaining this natural geographic feature which is found widespread in the Yucatan Penunsula. From my perspective the important thing to know is that the water is deep, crystal clear and refreshing. Many people would also note they are great for snorkeling, and some are great for scuba diving, but that was not my interest.
Every cenote is different, of course, like every place on earth is different from the others. Cenote Zaci is open-to-the-sky, ( as opposed to being a completely underground cave like many Cenotes are) and partially covered by rock from which three waterfalls (visable in the photo below) fell down into the water from the cave ceiling at a distance farther than it would be safe to jump.
Access to the water was gained by walking from street level down a declining rock walkway through a cave to get to the open air area and then climbing down rock steps to get to a stone sidewalk that circled the cenote completely at various distances up from water level. There were lots of places where a person could make a jump into the water, or walk into the water using more stone steps. The call of the cool water was stronger than the fear of the jump 6 foot jump and in I went for a cool-down swim.
Here is a panoramic view of the entire cenote from slightly above water level.
And here is one of people swimming and lounging at the edges like I did until it started to rain.
Then I went for cover under the cave roof and enjoyed the view of the cenote and the rain for a while, and eventually went to the adjacent large palapa covered restaurant for some comida.
I rode a rented bicicleta to Cenote Oxman two days later. This cenote was also open to the air, but very deep below ground level, making it feel and look like a 50 yard diameter well. Here is s view from the top looking down to the water with a few people swimming in the sunshine reflection.
The outhouse shaped entrance to the decent path said 73 steps. Not for the faint of heart!
Once I was down to water level, there was a group of locals already in the water and a guy at the top of a diving platform at the bottom of the staircase I had just descended. I was one of about 10 people in the cenote at the time and the only non- native ( see the related story in Valladolid - la gente). I looked down into the water from the diving platform. It was way to far for me to be comfortable jumping, but a distance my kids would have scoffed at (Mike and I used to take them to the Yuba and American Rivers near our house and we have watched them jump from crazy high places!) The guy at the top indicated I should use the rope swing to enter the water and offered a life jacket. I declined the jacket because I am not worried about my ability to swim - it was the fall distance I was worried about. I watched one of the other men swing and drop then decided "what the heck". The family group bobbing in the water below in their life jackets started to chant Go, Go, Go and I was in too deep now to turn back so I grabbed the rope swing handles,
got some more instruction and took off, hanging on to the rope for as long as possible to get to the end of the outward swing arc and let go. Piece of cake, I thought! Of course the cheers helped. So I treaded water a while (that is me waving)
and enjoying the artwork from the hammock.
watching others jump and decided one more jump was in order. This time when I hit the water, my left leg did not go straight in, but sliced to the left and I nursed a minor groin muscle strain for several days. Good thing I am a strong swimmer! That was it for me in the cenote, back to the comfort of the above ground pool I went!
The unusual water feature mentioned in the title of this post was not a natural cenote, but a man-made underground cave filled with warm, (like a comfortable bath) lightly salted water. I learned about this when I asked the owner of Pulpo Hostel about a nice place to spend the day with a pool. So on Saturday when I did not have Spanish class I walked the short mile through town in the morning (this is a scene I passed in town ......
on the way to my destination) and checked in with a day use pass to Zentik Project - a small resort with ten rooms, an open air restaurant, and a nice pool in addition to the underground cave. I spent the afternoon above ground slipping in and out of the pool frequently to stay cool.
and enjoying the artwork from the hammock. I had a massage in the upstairs palapa in the afternoon, listened to the Giants game on the radio while knitting under the palapa when it rained in the late afternoon, and had dinner at sunset in the restaurant. After dark it made sense to retreat to the underground cave
where there were no mosquitos, friendly people and drink service from the bar upstairs. I made the most of my day pass and was much more comfortable than I would have been at the pool on my hotel ( see Valladolod - los hoteles ).
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