Cenote Escondido

Cenote Escondido is just south of Tulum town maybe 5 km or so. This large open cenote is simply beautiful. As you first walk down the long pathway from the main road to the cenote you cannot help but be in awe of the beautiful jungle around you.

Like something out of a fairytale, the long tree lined path calls you forward to something truly special. Suddenly a little wooden sign points you in the direction of the cenote! As you walk through the now- walking only path you come to a clearing that reveals the large open cenote that is simply too inviting.

On the close side is a set of stairs that take you to the water’s edge- but be careful because these are often very slippery. At this same end is a great jumping point into the cool clear waters beneath. Always check the water under the jump however because the cenotes are living and flowing- the water level and character changes. A jump that might have been fine a few months ago may not be now.

1 of my favorite spots at thi

s cenote is at the far end. There is a perfect little doc just ideal for sitting and putting your feet in and enjoying the warm Mexican sun. This is also where you can see that the cenote continues back into the jungle. This is a great spot for snorkeling and diving as there are many caves that are visible and just call you forth to come and explore.

The cool water of this cenote can be enjoyed for the same entrance price when you enter Cenote Cristal on the other side of the street.

NaturALL!

  

I enjoyed a wonderful sandwich at this amazing café on the main avenue of Tulum while waiting for my friend’s bus to Merida. Just a few locations down from the ADO bus station on the main avenue this great little spot served up satisfying and fresh sandwiches for a great price.

The café is colored in great shades of yellows, with grey and yellow flower patterns and brightly colored touches. The small kitchen turns out some amazing food and it was such a pleasure to eat here.

The menu had a great selection of salads, agua frescas and sandwiches. I ordered the chicken sandwich and my friend the turkey. Both came on warm sweet dark bread and had a spread on it that blew my mind. The veggies on this thing were stacked high and I could tell that all the ingredients were very fresh. The sandwich sported sliced carrot, tomato, cucumber, sprouts as well as mustard sprouts which gave it a great bite. This entirely satisfying sandwich was as nice to my wallet as it was to me. Not to mention VERY healthy. We each ate our sandwiches and enjoyed a great juice for only 120 pesos for both of us!!! That is a great meal.

I cannot wait to go back and eat more at this great little café in Tulum.

For more information about where to eat in Tulum, where to sleep, or what to do… Check the Tulum Living webpage at www.TulumLiving.com

Cesiak

There are a lot of great tours in Tulum.  This past weekend I got to take my first tour with Cesiak in the amazing Sian Ka’an Bio reserve.  We took the boat canal tour.  It was truly amazing.  The reserve in itself is so amazing but this rare look at it truly breathtaking. 

The tour with Cesiak started at 8:45 with a hotel pick up.  We drove down into the reserve and began the journey to the Cesiak center.  It was beautiful.  There are also cabanas for rental which I think would be amazing.  We waited on for about 15 minutes and got a chance to take a look at the Laguna and the sea from the top floor of the building.  The view point shows the long stretch of perfect beaches and then vast laguna.

I learned some very interesting things about the variety of birds and wildlife that the Sian Ka’an has and continues to discover.  This beautiful and protected area is home to over 340 known species of birds (of which we got to see many of)  as well as many species of reptiles (a number of crocodiles were also seen on the tour) and countless plants and trees.  After taking in the beautiful landscape and getting a good amount of background about the area and the goals of Cesiak it was off to the boats.

We got on the boat with our guide and boat captain.  A few moments wait and we were speeding through the beautiful laguna.  The amazing colors of this laguna were stunning.  The laguna itself is only 3 meters deep at its deepest.  Most of the laguna is less then ½ a meter deep.   After buzzing through the laguna for a bit it was into the river that led to the other laguna at Muyil.   This was the actual trading route the ancient Maya took to trade with other cities.  In this case it was mostly the cities by the sea trading fish and salt with cities inland for red and white meats and fruits and vegetables.  It really is amazing to see the landscape and feel the energy of civilizations past that followed this same route. 

The canal part of this tour was amazing because you really got to learn more about the landscape of the area and just how rare a part of the world it is geographically.  We past very near by a resting crocodile that was over 2 meters long and we saw countless examples of the amazing birds that call this area home.  The canal part of the tour was curvy and so much fun.  We did not this trip but next time our kids would have loved this trip.

After entering the next laguna we saw some of the natural wells that are in the water of the laguna and open to the cenotes underneath.  It was so beautiful and crazy to see how the various levels of the Earth connect- or are stacked really.   On our way back through the canal we stopped off at a ruin and got to explore a little bit. This site was often visited by the Mayan for safe passage from the crocodiles as they passed back with their traded goods.  They would stop and prey and offer a contribution to the crocodile god.  This worked for the Mayan and there were no reported attacks on the passage way.  While a happy crocodile god is obviously the reason we now know that the high priests from Muyil would come to the temple and throw the offerings to the laguna at sunset.  The current of the river carried the food downstream to the crocodiles, whom after eating, would not attack the Mayan traders as they traveled the canals at night time.

At this point we got to do what was my favorite part of the tour. We got into the canal with life jackets and just floated down the stream.  It was so relaxing and such a rare view of the landscape.  You learn on your way up the canal in the boat just how the water changes from brackish (mix salt and fresh) to the fresh water and why the crocodiles do not come this far upstream.  After about 20 minutes it is back in the boat and a snack of fresh fruit and water as we make our way back through the river and into the other laguna, passing some of our new crocodile friends.  Then it was buzzing down south to Boca Paila. This is well known spot in Tulum and this view from a speeding little boat was so much fun. 

Once we explored all over the lagunas and had dried off in the cool breeze, it was off to lunch at Cesiak.  The lunch was great.  It consisted of grilled chicken breast, rice, salad, tortillas and a great salsa. It was the perfect meal to regain some energy.  We got about 10 more minutes to have another look around and then it was off for a quick dip in the cenote by the arch.   This is a very nice cenote just at the entrance to the Sian Ka’an bioreserve.  After a nice little swim it was off to head back to reality.

This was an amazing tour that really taught me a lot about just how special this part of the world is and why we should all be working hard to protect it.  You can learn a lot more about Cesiak from their website.

If you would like to book a tour, please let us know and we would be happy to help.