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Published: March 5th 2007
Stelae, Coba Ruins, Mexico
This stelae is arguably the most important ever found. It records the beginning and the end of mayan civilisation in the area.It´s a bird, it's a plane, it's a bat? No, it's just us jumping off cliffs into cenotes!
Blogger Doug Today we had trouble getting hold of Ben again. We had the correct number but he wasnt aswering his phone. Then the bloody public phones wouldnt work or would only take American coins. AMERICAN COINS? What country are we in again?
Anyway, we got hold of him and we made our way to the oldest ruins site in the Yucatan Pennisula, Coba. It was hot, really hot so we elected to pay 30 pesos to hire a bike. I love bike riding and feell pretty comfortable riding but I have never been so nervous on a bike before like this. It was a 'mountain bike' but I had no gears and the breaks were shocking. Add that with a gravel road and tree roots and rocks jutting out everywhere and I was nearly wetting myself. Nonetheless, I survived as did Bec and we made our way around the site. Our first stop was a group of stelae, 16 in all of varying condition. One of which was the most important in all of the sites in Central
Skull Stone, Coba Ruins, Mexico
This skull icon was embedded in the middle of a small ball court in the Coba Ruins. America. It showed the beginning of the cosmos glpyh followed buy 4 other dates including the last before they were conquered by the spanish. Amazing really to think that the belief system was in place to record this information over such a long period of time. Another stelae looked as if it had been hacked at with reckless abandon. Researchers believe that the mayans did this in anger at their gods. After all, everything that they had ever believed in was failing them as their people were dying and being over run.
Something else that struck us was that everything that we saw was reconstructed by researchers over the years trying to obtain answers to their questions. Everywhere we went we came across hills of dirt littered with limestone rocks sitting amongst the intertwining jungle. The whole site was in such disarray when it was discovered that everything we saw was rebuilt. Some of which was done completely wrong. Ben showed us a small temple that he came across with a group some years ago being rebuilt by an archaeologist. When he and the group asked her what possessed her to build something so completely different to anything ever
Down, down, down
Entering this cenote meant walking down a spiral staircase into the unknown! seen in any other mayan site, she got nasty and told them to piss off. It really does look bizzare.
After, Coba we headed to a cenote to cool off. It was so hot we were looking forward to jumping into the pond like pool we had went to the previous day. Or so we thought. Instead Ben drove us to a different one. We pulled up and got out of his van and didnt see anything resembling a path into the bush or a ticket office to pay. Instead, we found a staircase leading underground. It was amazing. 20m below the ground was this amazing pool of water. Crystal clear, 30 m at least deep and full of amazing stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
The spiral staircase had two platforms from which you could jump into the water, one 5m up, the other about 8m. Bec and I both jumped from the 5m one with no real dramas. The best thing was that we had the whole place to ourselves. A life guide sat and watched (although he didnt look too much like he could help any of us if we were in trouble), but otherwise it
The Cenote roof
Amazing stalactite formations hanging from the cave roof was just us for about an hour. I have never experienced water so clear, so clear. You could see clear the bottom of the cenote, 30 m down. Magic, just magic.
Luckily, we were onyl disturbed 15 minute before we were due to leave so that wasn't so bad- a bunch of Spanish tourists.
We quickly got changed and high tailed it to another ruins site not frequented by many to view the lunar eclipse. We wove our way through the jungle along board walks as the sun began to set and hurriedly climed the 30m staircase to the platform of a wooden tower that jutted out from the jungle canopy. For about 5 minutes we couldnt see the moon. It was 6pm and that is when we thought it was going to start. Frantically, Ben called his brother who confirmed it was 6pm that the eclipse was due to happen. Then the moon appeared. Turns out 6pm was the time that the
whole moon was eclipsed by the shadow of the earth.
For the next hour we sat listening to the sound of the jungle below and watching the moon slowly shed its cover. It was
Swiming
I really enjoyed swimming in this cenote, we had it to ourselves for almost an hour before a big tour group came. just magical (how many times have I said that word?).
When the moon was fully out, we descended to the tower with our headlamps and slowly walked back through the pitch black jungle. Along the way, we saw the red eyes of bats and the flittering abdomen of the fire bug light up the leaves around us.
So ended our time with Ben and one worth every cent we paid for his knoweldge and experience. We couldn't have dreamed of having the same experiences on our own.
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