The Day The Bottle Died
Hello from Mexico
Traveling for 12 hours on a rickety old bus whose air conditioning unit was obviously stuck on the freeeeeeeze setting and constantly dripped cold water on me, I finally reached my next destination, Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Just south of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen is a popular holiday location for Mexicans and tourists alike with its beautiful beaches and proper streets and pavements. Normally I would not stay in such a touristy seaside holiday destination for long, but when I found out what was on offer close at hand, then I knew that an extended visit was on the cards and that is exactly how it turned out. My first port of call was the Mayan ruins of Tulum which was only a short bus ride away and is listed in the top five of Mayan ruins to visit. Unlike all the other Mayan ruins I have visited, Tulum is not situated in dense jungle, instead it was constructed on a cliff top looking out across the bluest sea gently lapping up onto a beach with the whitest sand, I have ever seen. The extensive ruins of Tulum are exceptionally well preserved and renovated but the three hours it takes you to cover the whole site in the blistering Mexican sun is absolutely strength sapping.I developed a theory as to why the Mayans may have built this city in this location so when I finished my tour of the site, I followed in the theoretical footsteps of the original residents and submerged myself in the Azure waters of this part of the Caribbean for about an hour before jumping on the bus back to Playa Del Carmen with my knickers still dripping wet.
Playa Del Carmen's night life is vast and varied whilst remaining wonderfully subdued and understated. The many bars here nearly all have live music on and you can take your pick from Blues to Be Bop and dance, drink and make merriment until the early hours of the morning - so I stayed in the hostel every night and sipped my hot Cocoa before going to bed early - oops my nose is growing.
Mexico is also famous for its Cenotes which are beautiful blue lagoons in underground caves where the roof has partly caved in exposing them to the sunlight. Playa Del Carmen has its fair share of Cenotes and over the next couple of days I intended to swim in every single one that I could find. The first Cenote I visited was accessible only by a makeshift ladder that just seemed to go down and down for ever but the descent was well worth it for what was awaiting me. About twenty feet up the wall of the cave there was a natural precipice that the young local children climbed up to and jumped off, competing with each other to make the biggest splash "it would be rude not to" I thought to myself so up the wall I clambered. The water in these Cenotes is so clear that you can see the bottom but they are so deep that you could never reach the bottom without Scuba gear. It's a different story though when you are up there trying to pluck up the courage to jump The water is so clear and still that it looks as though it isn't there at all and that you are jumping straight onto the rocks on the bottom, it also has the added effect of appearing to be a lot higher than it actually is. After quite a while standing on the high dive board mentally making excuses and giving myself numerous good reasons not to jump, I suddenly became aware of all the puzzled little locals eyes looking up at me with my knees knocking and my bottom lip held firmly by my top teeth. I had no choice, peer pressure was nagging at me and after all, they had just done it without any hesitation, so off into the unknown I launched myself. With the inaugural jump out of the way there was no to be holding me back, triple somersaults, back flips, round turns with two half hitches - well maybe not but I did dive off once. What I didn't know at that first Cenote was that this was not as it felt, the ultimate buzz, and that each one I was to visit next would just get better than the one before it. After a couple of days of higher and higher, better and better Cenote conquering I thought I was king of the Cenotes, I hadn't realised it at the time but I still had to experience what really was to be the ultimate, but that is in another town and for another time. Flippin heck, all this excitement could kill me, it was about time for me to take unprecedented action and force myself to relax a tad in this great little holiday hideaway and give myself a triple dose of the medicinal compound I have named as vitamin "T" = Tacos, Tortas and Tequilas. I had fully intended on going to Cancun next but negative reports from fellow travellers and such a good time in Playa Del Carmen convinced me that I should draw on my dwindling reserves of resolve and journey west towards the countries capital, Mexico City, taking in as many arduous adventures and Pueblos as would surely cross my path. One last ruin (Coba) before I go, but because I am fairly sure you must all be getting "ruin fatigue" by now I'll spare you the details, and it's off to Merida
I'm sorry but on the way to Merida lies the most popular and photographed Mayan ruin - no this is not your cue like the adverts on telly to go and put the kettle on, so stay put and listen for just a little while longer. The ruin in question is known as Chichen Itza and if you have ever seen a picture of a Mayan ruin in a book this will probably be where it is. On the day I arrived it was blazing hot so I set off to get the photograph that would make me rich, scantily clad and carrying nothing but a packet of cigarettes, a small bottle of water and my trusty old camera, non of which proved to be of any use in the end. What on earth could spoil all three of them? I had just about arrived at the beginning of the city when the heavens opened soaking my fags, rendering my digital camera useless and leaving me wondering what on earth I had brought water with me for. so I just skipped the ruins and got back on the bus On then to Merida and a date with fate - the ultimate buzz Cenote.
Merida is a fairly large city being the state capital but churches, markets and Mayan ruins didn't even enter my head during my stay, Cenotes of significance were the single minded focus of my attention. I'm sure I could hold an audience's attention for quite a while with the descriptions of the beautiful sinkholes I visited whilst in Merida but the one I call the "Ultimate" pales them all into insignificance. Other than a really long hot walk, after a couple of hours on a stuffy bus and twenty minutes on a bicycle rickshaw, there is only one way to get to "Ultimate" and that is by a type of railway carriage pulled by a horse. There is only one rail track to the "Ultimate" and as the horse trundles it's way through the countryside pulling the open carriage over rail tracks that make the Bridge over the River Kwi look modern, it disturbed large swarms of the most beautiful butterflies that filled the air in a festival of colour. Because there is only one track, when you meet a carriage returning from the Cenote, one of them has to give way and hand manage their carriage off the tracks to allow the other one to pass. There doesn't seem to be any protocol to this ritual other than the biggest driver always seems to get right of way - unfortunately my driver was just a kid. When I finally reached the "Ultimate" the whole in the roof was tiny and looking down through it almost blocked out the natural light, so from above you could not see what was in store for you. Thankfully there was another way in and the local land owner had realised that this was potentially an up and coming tourist attraction, so he had developed the other entrance and even lit the way in with artificial light. When you enter the cave the first thing you see is an artificial diving platform about 15ft high but looking around there doesn't appear to be any other place to jump from. I don't know if the owners 12 year old son shows off for every tourist that visits the Cenote but I can tell you he impressed me when he suddenly arrived, dived in and swam to the other side of the cave, then when he emerged from the water started to climb the sheer rock wall in front of him. Effortlessly he scaled the wall as if he had suckers on his hands and feet, ever onward ever upward he just kept going. By the time he stopped at an elevated ledge and turned his back on the wall he was just a speck in the distance. It was like watching someone commit suicide when he just fell forward and plummeted down to the wall of water that he was about to hit. I have a confession to make - when I saw that young lad emerge from the water with a smug smile on his face, my bottle went and I couldn't bring myself to even contemplate emulating him - I had finally met my match, he had inadvertently taught me fear.
C you all later
Traveling for 12 hours on a rickety old bus whose air conditioning unit was obviously stuck on the freeeeeeeze setting and constantly dripped cold water on me, I finally reached my next destination, Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Just south of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen is a popular holiday location for Mexicans and tourists alike with its beautiful beaches and proper streets and pavements. Normally I would not stay in such a touristy seaside holiday destination for long, but when I found out what was on offer close at hand, then I knew that an extended visit was on the cards and that is exactly how it turned out. My first port of call was the Mayan ruins of Tulum which was only a short bus ride away and is listed in the top five of Mayan ruins to visit. Unlike all the other Mayan ruins I have visited, Tulum is not situated in dense jungle, instead it was constructed on a cliff top looking out across the bluest sea gently lapping up onto a beach with the whitest sand, I have ever seen. The extensive ruins of Tulum are exceptionally well preserved and renovated but the three hours it takes you to cover the whole site in the blistering Mexican sun is absolutely strength sapping.I developed a theory as to why the Mayans may have built this city in this location so when I finished my tour of the site, I followed in the theoretical footsteps of the original residents and submerged myself in the Azure waters of this part of the Caribbean for about an hour before jumping on the bus back to Playa Del Carmen with my knickers still dripping wet.
Playa Del Carmen's night life is vast and varied whilst remaining wonderfully subdued and understated. The many bars here nearly all have live music on and you can take your pick from Blues to Be Bop and dance, drink and make merriment until the early hours of the morning - so I stayed in the hostel every night and sipped my hot Cocoa before going to bed early - oops my nose is growing.
Mexico is also famous for its Cenotes which are beautiful blue lagoons in underground caves where the roof has partly caved in exposing them to the sunlight. Playa Del Carmen has its fair share of Cenotes and over the next couple of days I intended to swim in every single one that I could find. The first Cenote I visited was accessible only by a makeshift ladder that just seemed to go down and down for ever but the descent was well worth it for what was awaiting me. About twenty feet up the wall of the cave there was a natural precipice that the young local children climbed up to and jumped off, competing with each other to make the biggest splash "it would be rude not to" I thought to myself so up the wall I clambered. The water in these Cenotes is so clear that you can see the bottom but they are so deep that you could never reach the bottom without Scuba gear. It's a different story though when you are up there trying to pluck up the courage to jump The water is so clear and still that it looks as though it isn't there at all and that you are jumping straight onto the rocks on the bottom, it also has the added effect of appearing to be a lot higher than it actually is. After quite a while standing on the high dive board mentally making excuses and giving myself numerous good reasons not to jump, I suddenly became aware of all the puzzled little locals eyes looking up at me with my knees knocking and my bottom lip held firmly by my top teeth. I had no choice, peer pressure was nagging at me and after all, they had just done it without any hesitation, so off into the unknown I launched myself. With the inaugural jump out of the way there was no to be holding me back, triple somersaults, back flips, round turns with two half hitches - well maybe not but I did dive off once. What I didn't know at that first Cenote was that this was not as it felt, the ultimate buzz, and that each one I was to visit next would just get better than the one before it. After a couple of days of higher and higher, better and better Cenote conquering I thought I was king of the Cenotes, I hadn't realised it at the time but I still had to experience what really was to be the ultimate, but that is in another town and for another time. Flippin heck, all this excitement could kill me, it was about time for me to take unprecedented action and force myself to relax a tad in this great little holiday hideaway and give myself a triple dose of the medicinal compound I have named as vitamin "T" = Tacos, Tortas and Tequilas. I had fully intended on going to Cancun next but negative reports from fellow travellers and such a good time in Playa Del Carmen convinced me that I should draw on my dwindling reserves of resolve and journey west towards the countries capital, Mexico City, taking in as many arduous adventures and Pueblos as would surely cross my path. One last ruin (Coba) before I go, but because I am fairly sure you must all be getting "ruin fatigue" by now I'll spare you the details, and it's off to Merida
I'm sorry but on the way to Merida lies the most popular and photographed Mayan ruin - no this is not your cue like the adverts on telly to go and put the kettle on, so stay put and listen for just a little while longer. The ruin in question is known as Chichen Itza and if you have ever seen a picture of a Mayan ruin in a book this will probably be where it is. On the day I arrived it was blazing hot so I set off to get the photograph that would make me rich, scantily clad and carrying nothing but a packet of cigarettes, a small bottle of water and my trusty old camera, non of which proved to be of any use in the end. What on earth could spoil all three of them? I had just about arrived at the beginning of the city when the heavens opened soaking my fags, rendering my digital camera useless and leaving me wondering what on earth I had brought water with me for. so I just skipped the ruins and got back on the bus On then to Merida and a date with fate - the ultimate buzz Cenote.
Merida is a fairly large city being the state capital but churches, markets and Mayan ruins didn't even enter my head during my stay, Cenotes of significance were the single minded focus of my attention. I'm sure I could hold an audience's attention for quite a while with the descriptions of the beautiful sinkholes I visited whilst in Merida but the one I call the "Ultimate" pales them all into insignificance. Other than a really long hot walk, after a couple of hours on a stuffy bus and twenty minutes on a bicycle rickshaw, there is only one way to get to "Ultimate" and that is by a type of railway carriage pulled by a horse. There is only one rail track to the "Ultimate" and as the horse trundles it's way through the countryside pulling the open carriage over rail tracks that make the Bridge over the River Kwi look modern, it disturbed large swarms of the most beautiful butterflies that filled the air in a festival of colour. Because there is only one track, when you meet a carriage returning from the Cenote, one of them has to give way and hand manage their carriage off the tracks to allow the other one to pass. There doesn't seem to be any protocol to this ritual other than the biggest driver always seems to get right of way - unfortunately my driver was just a kid. When I finally reached the "Ultimate" the whole in the roof was tiny and looking down through it almost blocked out the natural light, so from above you could not see what was in store for you. Thankfully there was another way in and the local land owner had realised that this was potentially an up and coming tourist attraction, so he had developed the other entrance and even lit the way in with artificial light. When you enter the cave the first thing you see is an artificial diving platform about 15ft high but looking around there doesn't appear to be any other place to jump from. I don't know if the owners 12 year old son shows off for every tourist that visits the Cenote but I can tell you he impressed me when he suddenly arrived, dived in and swam to the other side of the cave, then when he emerged from the water started to climb the sheer rock wall in front of him. Effortlessly he scaled the wall as if he had suckers on his hands and feet, ever onward ever upward he just kept going. By the time he stopped at an elevated ledge and turned his back on the wall he was just a speck in the distance. It was like watching someone commit suicide when he just fell forward and plummeted down to the wall of water that he was about to hit. I have a confession to make - when I saw that young lad emerge from the water with a smug smile on his face, my bottle went and I couldn't bring myself to even contemplate emulating him - I had finally met my match, he had inadvertently taught me fear.
C you all later
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4:14 AM
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