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Published: February 11th 2015
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Last night after the blog was published, we decided to get milkshakes. Found a good spot on the edge of Pargue Francisco. The park was lit up, and two church towers in the background were lit. Just beautiful. Wish we could get our photos into the Kindle.
Found out this morning that Valladolid is an hour earlier than Cancun. Got up a little earlier than necessary. Got hot water immediately for showers, which is unusual here. Then we saw that the hot water heater was right next to our bathroom. After coffee and good bakery items for our included breakfast, we rented bikes at the hostel. Biked to a couple of cenotes, Samula and Dzitnup. The bikes were pretty old and one speed, but the ride was fairly flat. We followed a couple of back streets and a bike path so could stay off the highways.
The first cenote, Samula, was amazing. A long stone staircase led us deep underground to the bottom of a huge cavernous room. The water was very clear, aqua blue. The maximum depth was 1.5M; you could see the stones on the bottom and a few small black fish. A very large hole in
the ceiling let in the sunshine, which sent beautiful beams down into the water. Long tree roots hung down from the hole. There were a few swimmers (You could rent snorkel gear and life vests in the area). Bob checked the water and said it was luke warm.
Dzitnup was on the other side of the road. This one was larger than Samula, but had a smaller ceiling hole so the area was darker and not so luminous. Both cenotes were in a big park area. Many gardeners were at work, and the area was very well kept up. Many craft booths lined the park areas. A popular item was clothing with brightly colored embroidery. Entry for both of us to the two cenotes was only $15. There were few people there, so we found a good time to go. Saw a couple of iguanas on the bike ride back.
Found a great place for lunch, Jardin de la Frailes, just a few blocks down from the hostel. Paths through tropical gardens led to a restaurant under a thatched roof. Great large fruit drinks, gratis Pico de Gallo and guacamole with chips, and good beef and chicken tacos.
The tacos contained radishes and cucumbers, which is an unusual ingredient.
Our afternoon adventure was a trip to the Ek Balam ruins. We took a Colectivo taxi to the ruins, and he came back in 1.5 hours. It was a long drive, reasonable, and much more comfortable than the local bus. The ruins contained impressive stone structures built by the Mayans between 1200 and 1500AD. The main pyramid is about 100 feet high and has a huge jaguar mouth. One structure had many, many steps and gave a great overview from the top. The steps were uneven in height and width, and were somewhat hard to maneuver. But I made it to the top and was proud of myself. There were several stray dogs climbing the steps to the top.
Got our taxi ride home. The driver's mother rode back with us, she made tortillas at the ruins. She was dropped off at the family craft store. We met the whole family, and bought a cute little hand carved turtle. A little bit of local color on the way back.
A very busy, fun day!
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Lynn
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Great Photos!
Glad the photos were added to the blog. I can see with my own eyes now that you rented bicycles and climbed up the ruins! Must have been a very fun and tiring day for you.