This final blog post of our 2014 winter in Uaymitun will highlight a few memorable events!
One week left in our stay…
Sunrise over Bora Bora… the party house!
We decided to have one more short day trip… so we went to Hacienda Teya with George and Val and had our last Yucatecan style meal!
Elaine and Val enjoying the beautiful surroundings at Hacienda Teya!
When we arrived back at Uaymarima later that afternoon, our favourite friend had returned!
Lounging on our fence!
Mat and Terri’s granddaughter, Meghan, arrived for a week’s stay with them and celebrated a birthday!
Cake at the Faro after rib night!We celebrated with a pinata!Terri had a go…… and so did Roseann!
One of the highlights of our stay was when we were invited to attend the 15th birthday celebration of Sarleth, the daughter of Dave and Diane’s friends, Anna and Waco!
“One of the most important celebrations in Mexican culture is the tradition of the quinceañera. This constitutes a ceremony on a girl’s fifteenth birthday to mark her passage to womanhood, to give thanks to God for his blessings, and to present a young woman to the community. From an anglo perspective, the festival would seem a combination of a “sweet sixteen” birthday party combined with a coming out ball for debutantes.”
The hall was decorated in her favourite colours!Gorgeous cakes!The birthday girl… now a woman!With Dave and DianeAnna and DianeThe hall was hoppin’ as the celebrations went on all night!Wouldn’t be complete without a mariachi band!The proud family!First dance… of many!!!
To thank Francesca (aka Panchita) and her family for taking such good care of us during our 3 months, Elaine planned a dinner for her and the entire Castillo family! Elaine prepared their favourite, lasagna, plus penne with home-made meatballs! What a great time that was!
L-R: Alex, Lisbeth, Valeria, Carlos, Francesca (Panchita), Fatima, Isidro, Mayra, Luis and Elisabeth.Lisbeth and Carlos (married with baby Valeria)Mayra and Isidro (engaged)Luis and Elisabeth (dating)Valeria… meet Valerie and George!
That week, we had some pretty strong winds out of the East… perfect for the wind surfers who were staying up the beach at Bora Bora!
What a show they put on!Three or four at a time!Catching air!
Our last full day in Uaymitun!
Another beautiful sunrise!Excitement in the morning… this is a large snake track in front of our beach house!Last dinner… on the beach at Elio al Mare restaurant between Chixculub and Progreso with George and Val!
Last morning…
The sky was beautiful just before sunrise!Final farewells with the Castillo family!
After our farewells, we dropped our car off at Merida airport and made our way to Merida Centro to our small hotel, the Luz en Yucatan! It was incredibly hot, 39°C/102°F, so we spent most of our time in the pool at the hotel.
Enjoying the patio and garden by the pool at the Luz en Yucatan!
We ventured out to grab a light lunch at La Tratto in the Santa Lucia park just down the street and returned there for our last night’s dinner and to take in the Thursday night music in the square!
Next morning… an early cab ride to the airport! Our flights were good… with a stopover in Houston and into Toronto around 5:15 PM. Rick and Sharon were waiting for us and we headed back to their house for dinner and a sleep-over!
Saturday morning, we said good-bye to Rick and Sharon and drove our to Kerry’s place in Wellesley, only to be surprised by the whole family (except Ryan)!!! What a great day!
What a great surprise!
Sunday brought us back to Sarnia… glad to be home with family and friends!
This was our final blog post of our Winter of 2014! I trust you’ve enjoyed them!
This blog post highlights one of our day trips… this one is to the Hacienda Yaxcopoil with Val & George!
Hacienda Yaxcopoil (YASH-coh-poh-EEL) is a Yucatan plantation located near Merida, Mexico and dating back to the 17th century. The name Yaxcopoil means “the place of the green alamo trees” in Mayan and was named after the Mayan ruins nearby.
This is such a beautiful place, it’s hard to just take a few pictures, so here’s a few of my fav’s…
The Hacienda Buildings
The unique, Moorish gate to Yaxcopoil!La casa principal… the main house!The central courtyard…… was beautifully decorated…… and a sight to behold!A view from the east end of the courtyard into the paddocks.The swimming poolThe aisle leading back to the central courtyardThe view of the main house from the machine buildings
The Hacienda Interior
The north patioA dining roomThe interior of the main houseThe south patioThe master bath had a bidet no less!
The Hacienda Machine Buildings
The main machine room where the henequen was processedA view of the workmen’s buildingHeading in!The main henequen processing machineThe workmen’s buildingThe smokestack
The Hacienda Gardens
We’re finished viewing the Machine Buildings and heading back to the gardensThe garden area was cool and inviting!Elaine showing the size of the Jicara, fruit from a Calabash tree. The Mayans used the empty casing for bowls and cups!Back to the main courtyard!Three beauties!
Doug’s Favourites
Again, please indulge me… some of my favourite shots at Yaxcopoil!
Flower pot at the entrance!Looking through the main entrance to the courtyard!The fav of my fav’s!At the Machine BuildingDetail on the Workmen’s BuildingA banyan treeThe Town TreeGotcha!The village fixer-upper!
After spending a delightful morning at the ‘ruins’ of the Hacienda Yaxcopoil, we headed back home but stopped at the fully restored and enhanced Hacienda Xcanatun, where we had a great lunch!
The entrance at Hacienda XcanatunWhat a great place for lunch with my Babe!
I trust you enjoyed our day at Yaxcopoil!
Watch this space for our final blog post of our Winter of 2014!
This blog post is a mashup of various pix from the last couple of weeks! Hope you’ll enjoy!
Another gorgeous sunrise on the beach in Uaymitun!Brunch at Soma, Chelem with George and Val! Eggs Benny all around!We had a bunch of folks over for burgers & dogs… including Dave and Diane (who somehow missed getting in the picture) with Nathan, Tiffany and Mallory!Another lazy Wednesday afternoon at FACES with live music! Lot’s of Beatle tunes this day!Exploring the Liverpool Mall with George and Val!Dinner at P.F. Chang’s in the Altabrisa Mall! Going for consultation on why so many of my pics are of the food here!
One Sunday, we had a great brunch (again with the food!) with Boomer and Peg at Soma in Chelem and then toured a local town called Dzitya, near Merida, which is famous for Artisan workshops in wood and stone!
San Jose in Dzitya with Boomer, Peg and Elaine!Looking for just the right thing to bring home!Another artisan shop on the square in DzityaThe square in DzityaLa Capilla Immaculada Conception, Dzitya
We had our 2nd Murder Mystery, called “Pasta, Passion & Pistols” set in Little Italy, NY, at Dave and Diane’s!
Father Al Fredo and his date Angel Roni are ready!“Rocco Scarfazzi” (Boomer) twin brother of the deceased “Pepi Roni” and “Mama Rosa” (Peg) the widow!“Angel Roni” and “Father Al Fredo”“Tara Misu” (Diane) Rocco’s main squeeze and “Marco Roni” (Dave) the deceased’s son“Clair Voyant” (Berri) and “Rocco Scarfazzi” (Boomer)“Marco Roni” with Anna!!!“Moma Rosa”, “Angel Roni” and “Bo Jalais” (Rod)!
A good time was had by all!
Another weekend, we decided, on the spur of the moment, to pop up to Telchac Puerto and have lunch at La Picuda (lots of camarones + 1 order of eggs and jam). As we’d heard some very positive comments from Mat and Terri about The Reef Yucatan resort, we thought we’d explore it too!
The grand entrance!The restaurantBy the poolThe bridge!Looking back to the entrance from the bridgeSomeone was tired of me saying smile!
Hope you enjoyed this brief view into our winter here in Uaymitun!
Watch this space for our trip with George and Val to Hacienda Yaxcopoil!
This rather short blog post highlights our visit to the San Ignacio Cenote and a few snippets of Doug and Janine’s final days with us!
A little more than an hour’s drive, south of Merida, in the small town of Chochola, is one of the nicest cenotes around… San Ignacio!
After changing into swimsuits, it’s down the steps into the cenote!Wish I had the skill to get better pictures in here!The Ladies of the Cenote!
After a wonderful swim in the cenote, we camped under a small palapa to have some lunch! Based upon earlier trips, they must have a new cook, as our food was very good!
Our shelter from the sun!Papazules!Tempenadas con queso y res!Salbutes or maybe Panuchos! Good in any case!
What great place doesn’t have its resident pig?
Hola! Oink!
On our way back from San Ignacio, we stopped by FACES for some very good Blues music! What a great way to enjoy an afternoon!
The band!
The next day, we stopped in Chicxulub for Doug to get a haircut and a beard trim at Gaby’s!
How much should I take off?
We cruised the Malecon in Progreso and Janine made some final souvenir purchases for family back home and we stopped by Henequene’s for lunch!
Lunch with a view! And enormous Mango Margaritas!Queso Relleno! Nice looking but too salty for me!Camarones con mojo de ayo! (garlic shrimp)Camarones con Coco! (coconut shrimp!Requisite photo with our waiter and the Henequene Gecko!
On our way back to Uaymitun, we stopped at the Flamingo Viewing station… for the first time in several years, there are flamingos staying here rather than at Celestun or Rio Lagartos!
Too bad I didn’t have my Canon for this pic!
Homeward bound day for Doug and Janine… leaving 30C weather for -25C weather back in Parry Sound!
Sad faces but great memories!
That’s it for this blog post… the next one will be a mashup of other stuff happening here in Uaymitun!
This blog post is a continuation of our day at Mayapan! On our way back to Uaymitun, we followed what is known as the Convent Route due to the number of old Spanish churches and associated convents!
It was nearly lunch time when we left Mayapan, so we drove back north to the Na Lu’Um restaurant.
At the entrance to Na Lu’UmI had Xcatik soup made with Xcatik chillies and apple! Yumm!
After lunch, we drove into the square in Tekoh to visit the church.
The side entrance to the church in TekohThe front facadeThe bell towerThe whole site is raised above ground level as it is built on a former Mayan temple!The altar area is very ornate!The convent areaThe doorways are aligned to help with ventilation!Pictures of the town at the back of the church!Interesting stoneworkBeautiful flowers in the most unlikely spots!Doug and JanineTekoh’s very beautiful town square!Plumber and Tigger anyone?Bougainvillea everywhere!
After leaving Tekoh, we drove by the bull ring and into the square in Acanceh to visit the church (closed), the chapel (open) and the downtown Mayan pyramid!
Our Lady of Guadalupe chapelThreading our way between the Mayan pyramid and the chapel wallOne of 2 Mayan pyramids with the Chapel in the backgroundThe five…… Mayan stuccoes…… are very well preserved…… after having been buried and rediscovered…… during the excavation and reconstruction of the site!
There was more to see in Acanceh, but the temperature was 36C, 98% humidity and full sun, so we declined!
On our way back to Uaymitun, we stopped for some snacks and beverages (botanas y bebidas) at the Hacienda Teya, which we’d wanted to visit several times.
“The Hacienda “San Ildefonso Teya”, that now is located just a few minutes away from the city of Mérida, was founded in the year 1683 by Doña Ildefonsa Antonia Marcos Bermejo Calderón y de la Helguera, who was the wife of the noble Count of Miraflores.
Demolished and abandoned, was bought by it’s current owner Don Jorge Carlos Cárdenas Gutiérrez in 1974, who rebuilt it from 1987 to 1991 and opened one of the most popular restaurant in Yucatán so far, just as the salons for social events, building it self as the first Yucatecan Hacienda Inn.”
Hacienda Teya!Elaine and Janine headed directly to the gardens…… while Doug paused by a old pump!Beautiful gardens…… and floral pathways!Feeding the tame deer! Hopefully not the same ones mentioned on the menu!!!The original smokestack from the hacienda’s henequen plantation days.We were never introduced, so your guess is as good as mine!The ballroom!Doesn’t everyone have a pool in the middle of the dance floor!The guest room wing.The chapelPeacocks in the garden by the restaurant!
I hope you have enjoyed a look at Tekoh, Acanceh and Hacienda Teya. The next blog post will highlight our visit to San Ignacio Cenote in Chochola.
This blog post will highlight our trip to the ruins of the Maya city of Mayapan!
Courtesy of Wikipedia…
“Mayapan is a Pre-Columbian Maya site a couple of kilometers south of the town of Telchaquillo in Municipality of Tecoh, approximately 40 km south-east of Mérida and 100 km west of Chichen Itza; in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. Mayapan was the political and cultural capital of the Maya in the Yucatán Peninsula during the Late Post-Classic period from the 1220s until the 1440s. Estimates of the total city population are 15,000-17,000 persons, and the site has more than 4000 structures within the city walls, and additional dwellings outside”
As was our previous visit, Mayapan doesn’t suffer from a crush of tourists like Chichen Itza and even Uxmal do!
Doug and Janine at the gate to Mayapan!A view of the entrance into the site.So many things to take in!
The structures that have been uncovered to date and reconstructed all have trilingual signs to help you understand the significance of each.
Elaine and Doug reading the sign at the Temple of the Niches!First view of the Castle of Kukulkan.The Temple of the Crematorium
It was a real treat to be able to just explore at our own speed and to be able to spend time getting a real feel for the city.
Doug and Elaine in the Temple of the Niches.The Three Amigos!
I hope you’ll enjoy the select few of the many, many pictures from the site!
The ObservatoryThe Temple of the FishermenKukulkan’s Castle showing the shelter for the protection of the muralsThe Temples of the Fishermen and the Crematorium from the ObservatoryThe Temple of the FishermenThe ObservatoryThe cenote (now dry)Doug and Elaine in front of Kukulkan’s CastleThe murals are faded…… but still give you an idea of their beautyInteresting carvings …… in the wall…… surrounding the ObservatoryLooking back towards the main site from the many mounds that haven’t been uncovered yetElaine with the Observatory in the backgroundThere are large stuccos also protected from the sun and rainAnother of the unexplored mounds on the siteThe Temple of the Fishermen
No trip would be complete without a climb to the top of Kukulkan’s Castle!
Taking a breather on top and taking in the view!Breathtaking panorama!
What a great visit… by the time we left the heat of the day was just ramping up!
The path back to the entrance and the parking lot!Said ‘adios’ to the guard!
Next blog post will cover other stops we made on the Convent Route!
This blog post is a continuation of the previous post and highlights our 2 day visit to Merida!
Sunday morning dawned beautifully sunny and hot! After a nice breakfast at the Cafe POP on Calle 57 x 60 y 62 (shorthand for located on 57th Street between 60th and 62nd), we started our walk to the Paseo de Montejo. First stop, of course, were the vendors in the Santa Lucia park!
Looking dresses for little nietas!
A few blocks away, we entered the Paseo de Montejo from the southern end. Information from a Merida website…
“As a result of the henequen boom the region enjoyed toward the end of the XIXth century, a group of Yucatecan landowners decided to implement a project to build a public promenade that would update the capital and be “worhy of the City of Mérida”. Paseo de Montejo got its name from the founder of the city, Francisco de Montejo y León “El Mozo”. It was built between 1886 and 1905 and was inspired on the Champs Elysees in Paris.”
The southern end of the Paseo de Montejo.Both sides of the divided boulevard have wide sidewalks!
The first memorable buildings on the Paseo de Montejo are the “Casa Gemelas”…
“These small palaces have frenchified architectural elements, visible even on the wrought iron balconies and entrance doors, which are of the few specific reminiscences left over from the period of splendor Yucatán enjoyed during the first decade of the XXth century.”
The first building of the Casas Gemelas.Closeup of the entranceway!The second building!
Many of the era’s mansions now house banks and other businesses.
For example, the Infonacot building!
Our next stop was the “Museo Regional de Antropología e Historia” which is housed in the Palacio Cantón.
“This mansion, a fine example of the mannerist baroquization trend in architecture, is probably the building with the highest hierarchy on Paseo de Montejo. This is not only true because of its structural attention to detail but also due to the fact that since 1966 it serves for the promotion and diffusion of archaeological and cultural knowledge of the Mayan generations of yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
The incredibly beautiful Palacio Cantón.What an impressive entrance!
As the museum was open to the public that day, we decided to take a memorable tour!
We were taken through the museum by a very knowledgeable guide!A stella showing an image of a Mayan god.A Mayan incense burner.Unusual limestone sculpture showing two hunters with a deer.Many of the deceased Mayan rulers had …… jade death masks covering their faces.A stella containing an image of a ruler from the Court of 1000 columns, Chichen Itza.Just one of the many storyboards that tell the Maya tale!The building was absolutely breathtaking!The skylight in the atrium!Picture-In-Picture at the museum!
Just across the Paseo was another Maya heritage building…
Hennessey’s Irish Pub!
In the centre of the next ‘glorieta’ (roundabout) is the Monumento Felipe Carrillo Puerto…
“…in honour of the Mexican journalist, politician and revolutionary who became known for his efforts at reconciliation between the Yucatec Maya and the Mexican government after the Caste War. He was governor of the Mexican state of Yucatán from 1922 to 1924.”
Monumento Felipe Carrillo Puerto
A short distance up the Paseo is one of my favourite buildings, Casa Peón del Minarete, which “…is typical XIXth century neoclassical architecture. It has a tall windowed belvedere of Moorish influence and is one of those few big houses that have withstood the deterioration of urban beauty this avenue once possessed.”
The minaret…… and again from another angle!
Unfortunately, the heat of the day was upon us so we weren’t able to complete the walk up the Paseo to the “Monumento a la Patria”.
“This masterpiece that depicts the story of México stands almost 46 feet tall and is located on the third traffic circle on Paseo de Montejo, in white Mérida. It was the first altar raised to honor nationality, not only in México but in America, and is the only monument in the world erected during the XXth century to have been cut directly on stone.”
Monumento a la Patria
Back in Uaymitun the following day, we witnessed an amazing spectacle in the waters just offshore of our beach. Rumoured to be over 1000 small fishing boats started to gather in the waters between Dzilam de Bravo and Rio Lagartos for the annual ‘pepino del mar’ (sea cucumber) harvest. It is a real wild west roundup kind of event as the average fisherman could easily make enough money in about 2 weeks as he could in the rest of the year! Unfortunately, the craziness of the harvest takes many tolls, including 3 deaths by drowning or the bends this year!
Just one of many, many boats that went by that day!
That evening, Janine cooked us a delicious Vodka Penne and vegetable stirfry dinner!
Another fabulous dinner in Uaymitun!
To wrap up this blog post, please humour me as I include just a few of my many pics from that night’s sunset!
The finale!
That’s it for this post… watch this space for our trip to Mayapan!
This blog post will highlight the 1st of a 2 day trip into Merida as well as a few other events!
It was a lot of fun being able to visit with Bill and Selena during their stay with Val & George!
One of our last visits before Bill and Selena returned to Kelowna!
We explored the Malecon and the Mercado in Progreso with Doug and Janine!
Little did they know that St Francis of Assisi had his own supermarket chain!So many shoes… so little time!Janine makes a surprising new friend at the Mercado!
Our valedor, Panchita, and her daughter Mira and fiance prepared a fabulous Yucatecan meal for us!
Our chefs!Sopa de Lima! Better than any restaurant!Panuchos and Salbutes… both Yucatacen specialties!A fabulous dinner was had by all!
Due to the vagueries of our car insurance, we had to drop offour car one day and pick it back up again the following day to reset a coverage clock! Oh, well… what a great excuse to spend a night in Merida again!
We dropped the car off with Blueway rentals at the Merida airport and they graciously drove us into Merida Centro to our favouorite hotel, Luz en Yucatan. We checked in, grabbed some lunch and dove into the pool to escape the heat of the day!
Somebody really, really, really likes a cold wine in the heat of the day!Doug enjoying a DQ Dilly Bar in the Santa Lucia Park!Lunch at La Chaya Maya…… a must-do for anyone visiting Merida!Into the pool!!!
Once the afternoon coolness came, we walked down to the Plaza Grande in Merida Centro!
There was a Scout Jamboree in the square…… celebrating 100 years of Scouting in the Yucatan!
The TEATRO JOSÉ PEÓN CONTRERAS just 2 blocks from the Plaza Grande was all decorated for a special evening that day and, for a ‘tip’, the security guard walked us through the building and even into one of the special booths to see what a marvel the theatre is!
Walking up the grand staircase!The atrium was a sight to behold!Marvelous views every way you turn!A panoramic view from the Special Box that we were allowed into!Lilies everywhere!
The cathedral was also open, so we had a quite visit and rest inside!
Can never get enough pictures of the Cathedral!The beauty and peace were wonderful!
We visited the Governor’s Palace on the square… couldn’t miss that!
The inner courtyard of the Governor’s Palace!Just one of the 27 murals created by Fernando Castro Pacheco to describe the sad history of the Mayan people under Spanish rule.The grand gallery!Truly enjoyed visiting the Palace!
As we started our way back to the hotel, the sights of Merida didn’t stop!
What a wonderful view of the Clock tower just at dusk!A merry group of bachelorettes on Calle 60!
Off to an early bed, after a relaxing sit overlooking the pool!
The pool at the Luz en Yucatan at night!
The next blog post will highlight our 2nd day in Merida!
This blog post highlights our visit with Doug and Janine MacDonald to the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon.
Some introduction from the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon website:
Welcome to the Hacienda Sotuta de Peón, built in the late 1800`s in Tecoh, Yucatán.
Sotuta de Peón, Live Hacienda, is the restoration project of a landmark located in the heart of the ancient henequén zone in the Yucatan state, and gives a true glimpse of what was once a fully operational Henequen Hacienda in the grand style and tradition of this period.
When touring Sotuta de Peon… transported on wooden platforms called “Trucks” which are pulled by ‘mules’ over Cauville rails, as were originally used by the workers.
…witness the step-by-step process of the transformation of the Henequen (or Green Gold as it was known throughout the region), from plant to fiber and from fiber to finished product.
…see the antique machinery that has been rescued from the ravages of time and rebuilt to precise operational capacity.
…the unique geological formations of our secret attractions, the Cenote or beautiful underground rivers of crystal clear water, highly sought after, alkaline waters. Take the time for a refreshing swim at the end of your tour, where you can safely swim in the cool waters of the Cenote. Or, if you prefer, we have a huge swimming pool, surrounded by lush gardens of tropical flowers and brilliant green trees and indigenous plants.
The outside grounds of the Hacienda are a very enjoyable place to relax before the tour begins.
The fountain at Sotuta de PeonThe poolAnother view of the fountain with the Hacienda main building in the background.Gorgeous flowers abound!
We were part of group of about 30 people who congregated at the starting point from many locations across the world. Our tour guide, Jose, delivered the audio portion of our tour in both Spanish and English.
The first part of the tour was through the main house of the Hacienda.
The west facing balcony overlooking the fountain.Our guide, Jose!A sneak peak of the east gardens…… and the view down the entire length of the main house.More of the east gardens with the restaurant at the end of the pathNot a shabby kitchen sink!This chandelier has the family crest all around the rim!The east balcony overlooking the gardens and the restaurant.
Then we were shown how the henequen fibres were stipped by hand and then by machinery out of the leaves of the henequen plants.
A demonstration of the by-hand method of stripping fibresSome of the machinery to somewhat automate the process.Sorting the bundles of fibres as the machine spits them outThe sign on the side of the machine building.
Our final leg of the tour was through the grounds out to the Cenote.
One of the original gates into the hacienda grounds.The grounds are now somewhat manicured for the guests and tour groups.Our transport through the henequen plantation to the cenote is via horse drawn carts.Taking a short break along the route.The Hacienda Sotuta de Peon now offers accommodations too.Acres and acres (or to be very metric hectares and hectares)…… of the agave family plants that provide the henequen fibres from the spiny leavesOur favourite stop on the tour is having the history of the hacienda told in Mayan by an original employee, Don Antonio!
At the end of the cart ride is a fabulous cenote and a refreshment card! 🙂
Unfortunately, I didn’t have professional lighting to take pictures of the cenote so I’ve used a couple from their website to do it justice!
Down the winding staircase to the bottom of the cenote!The sun shines through a hole in the ceiling!
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Hacienda Sotuta de Peon… we stopped in the restaurant for lunch and Elaine picked up a bottle of Izamal tequila liquor as a ‘take home’ surprise!
Elaine with Bill’s present!
Watch this space for the next blog post which will highlight a homemade Yucatecan supper and a visit to Merida!
This blog post highlights our trip to the San Crisanto mangroves.
The day before our San Crisanto trip, we visited the Malecon in Progreso for some shopping and a walk on the boardwalk.
Doug, Janine and Elaine on the Malecon Boardwalk in Progreso… with the beachfront in the background.We walked out to the end of the fishing pier where a newlywed couple were posing!On the Malecon!
The village of San Crisanto is about 40 Km east along the coast from Uaymitun. It was our 3rd or 4th trip on the Mangrove tour and each year the village appears to be a little more prosperous due to increased tourism. But, it still has a local fishing village feel to it.
The channel through the mangrove swamp was all dug by hand a few years ago. It leads through the swamp to an open air cenote!
A morning walk on the beach before heading to San Crisanto.We chose to go in two boats… a good decision! 🙂Being poled through the mangroves!Sometimes you have to duck your head!Arrival at the cenote!
At the cenote, there is a wooden deck and shelter where you can enjoy the surroundings and easily get into the cenote for a swim.
The shelter at the cenote.The deck surrounds the cenote.We will be swimming with…… some very large Tarpon which ignore you and some little nibblers who don’t! 🙂Doug was first to go in!The water was very clear and refreshing… not cold at all!
After a great swim in the cenote, our guides polled us back to the dock.
Edmundo and Pablo!On our way back to the entrance!Along the way, we saw quite a few termite nests!Pablo got a bit tired… so he sat down!
On our way home, we stopped in Telchac Puerto for lunch.
La Picuda… quintessential small Yucatecan restaurant… lots of fishy stuff on the menu!Camarones (shrimp) all around… except for my pick off the menu… Eggs and Jam [ham]!The owner and Maitre’D, Jose!Can never visit Telchac Puerto without a walk on the pier…… and a visit to the kissing chairs!Back to the car and homeward bound!
That’s enough for this post… next one highlights our trip to the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon!
![Camarones (shrimp) all around... except for my pick off the menu... Eggs and Jam [ham]!](http://www.ducksoup4all.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Blog_09-20.jpg)
