Ek Balam & Cenote Samula

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We decided that we would visit one more Mayan ruin before we headed towards the east coast for some beach time. A small ruin near Valladolid was recommended to us so in the morning we caught a taxi to Ek Balam.

The site was partially restored with some nice buildings including a huge pyramid with sweeping views of the entire site. There were also two huge ruins on either site of the main site. These ruins were apparently temples but looked just like big piles of rocks with vegetation growing all over it. This really helped us appreciate the effort and skill it must have taken in restoring the sites we have seen over the past few days.

After returning to Valladolid we hired bikes for the afternoon in order to ride out to a natural swimming hole called Cenote Samula. A cenote is effectively a sinkhole containing groundwater and these occur naturally all around the Yucatan Peninsula.

The five kilometre ride to the cenote was easy enough except the temperature was easily in the high 30s and we were dripping sweat by the time we arrived. The pool is reached by descending into a cave, where a nearly circular pool of crystal-clear turquoise water is illuminated by a shaft of light from an opening in the roof. The water is cool but very refreshing, especially after our hot ride!

The next morning we caught a taxi to a prison where we had heard you can buy some of the best quality hammocks in Mexico. We weren’t disappointed when we found loads of hammocks on display of varying sizes and colour. Dan had done some quick research before we arrived so knew which size, weave, and layout we were looking for. With the help of our taxi driver, who interpreted as the bloke spoke no English, we found one we hope will last us a few years. We wish we had taken some photos but we were so immersed in the selection of the right hammock we totally forgot!

After returning to Valladolid we headed for the bus station for a 4 hour ride to Tulum where we would leave the ruins behind and start our beach odyssey.

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Photos

Ek Balam
Main pyramid

Nat
Nat through the window

Steps
More steps!

Cenote
Walking down to the main pool.

Nat
The small hole provides most of the light in the cavern...