Mayan Adventure - cont. and Xplor

Picking up from yesterday/this morning, and finishing off the Coba Mayan Adventure. After leaving Coba, we were taken to a Mayan village somewhere in the middle of the jungle. First, we (the group of 18, mostly Canadians and Mexicans, and one family from Missouri), rappelled into a cenote (really just a small gorge, about 100 ft deep). I'd love to share a picture, but a note on my download info sheet explains: "Remember that we are in the middle of the jungle with limited Internet connection. Please be patient". Just checked, and my order hasn't been uploaded yet. Oh well, you'll just have to imagine me hanging from a rope off the edge of a cliff. Since there really wasn't a wall to rappell off, it was just a matter of controlling the rate of descent by squeezing the rope. And I must say that hanging from a rope a few stories up, off the edge of a huge hole in the rocks, puts a whole new perspective on life. After that, the zipline over the same "gorge" was just an exercise in "wahoo".

Next stop was a ride deep into the jungle, where we first kayaked through crocodile-infested everglade-type swamp to a trail that led to a deep cave. After descending a couple of hundred feet into the cave, we found ourselves at a natural pool, where we could swim in the clearest, purest, most refreshing water you can imagine. After the heat and humidity of the Coba climb, and the excitement of hanging from ropes a few stories up, this was a welcome reprise. It was quiet, peaceful, and calming to float around the pool, staring up at a ceiling covered in large stalactites.

Returning to the surface, we were taken even deeper into the jungle, where we could participate in a traditional Mayan ceremony, to purify, energize and centre our beings. Finally, we went back into the village, where we were treated to a traditional Mayan meal. We could see the cooks in the next hut, cooking over open coals, and I noticed that the crocks and pottery that held the food at the serving area were also placed on a grate over open coals to keep them warm. The food was marvellous, the best part was the empanadas with habanero sauce. The soup was served in hand-made, hand-painted pottery bowls. What a cool experience. While we waited to see our photos (the Mayan staff were taking pics of everyone all afternoon, note the caveat above about poor internet connection in the jungle), we toasted to above-the-earth, below-the-earth, and al centro - the centre - with tequila. What else?

I'm pretty sure just about everybody slept on the bus going back to the hotel.

So, today, Jan. 3, was a trip to Xplor. What is Xplor? Well, a long time ago, God said "hey, this little peninsula could be a kickass place to put a waterpark in a few thousand years", and it was so. A few kilometers of ziplining, rafting through a cave, and 4-wheeling through the jungle and more caves were just a few of the activities.

More ziplining? Well, this wasn't just across a cenote, this was a few kilometres of line, some runs up to 800 metres, reaching speeds of about 35 kph, taking less than a minute to fly across from one tower to the next, climb up again and do the next run.

Next, rafting through an underground cave. More relaxing and peaceful - like swiming yesterday. The whole loop is supposed to take about 30 minutes, but I get stuck behind a couple who has managed to get their raft turned around so that they're going backwards, and can't figure out how to get it going right again. I try to teach them, but don't think they're really interested in learning. I take a different loop when I have a chance and wish them luck. They're probably still down there.

The last thing I choose to do is the amphibious vehicles. They're really just souped up golf carts, but still, they can climb trees and swm, so it should be fun. There are two different routes, for a total of about 10 km. The trails go through the jungle, and it's not straight and level flight. Hairpin turns, crossing suspension bridges, down into caves, through waterfalls, what a blast!

Well, after two days of climbing, my quads are just a tad sore. Think I'll take a day to sit by the pool tomorrow, if the weather holds. Calling for rain and clouds, but then they did on Sunday and it was gorgeous out. Tonight, a whirlpool bath, then bedtime!