Cenotes – Cenote Azul
Our Visit Cenote Azul is right next door to Jardin del Eden on 307 near Puerto Aventuras. We actually didn’t go into the water there, although I am sure it is similar to Jardin del Eden. The reason was we couldn’t find a place to put our stuff. We walked all the way around the main pool and there were people’s stuff put in every possible nook and cranny. Cenote Azul also had a couple of kiddy pools, shallow pools with lots of little catfish in them. If
Cenotes – Jardin del Eden (Garden of Eden)
Our Visit Jardin del Eden is in a group of four cenotes just south of Puerto Aventuras across from the Barcelo Maya Hotel. It has a couple of smaller pools and one main pool. The main cenote has two areas to do some cliff diving (in the 10-15 foot heights). It was very popular and very crowded when we went. It is a bit of a hike from the road, but many people took a mini-bus there and walked in. Jardin del Eden has a ton of fish,
Cenotes – 7 Bocas
Our Visit 7 Bocas is on the Ruta de los cenotes. You pick it up heading west from Puerto Morelos. This one is a cavern cenote that goes up to 500 feet deep. Definitely try going close to mid-day as most of the bocas (mouths) are pretty small and the only light in the caverns comes through there. So at mid-day you get the most light coming in. You can swim to 5 of the 7 bocas. The 6th you need to scuba dive and the 7th is
Cenotes – Yax Kin
Our Visit We actually didn’t get to swim here because we couldn’t find anyone taking money. But we were able to take some pictures. It is a pretty large surface cenote with crystal clear water. Looks like it would be a good one. It does appear there are a lot of shallow areas for kids. Rules No insect repellent and/or sun screen. Price $70 pesos? Tips There was no-one there at the booth. But it is a bit tricky to find the place. Look for the signs.
Day Trips from Xcalak – San Filipe Museum Bacalar
Overview San Filipe Museum in Bacalar is located in San Filipe Fort on the main square of the Pueblo Magico. It overlooks Bacalar lagoon, the lagoon of 7 colors. The fort itself was built in 1733 to defend the town from pirates. I am still not quite sure how pirates got that far inland. But apparently they did. The fort was also key in defending the area during the Caste Wars of the mid 19th century. The last uprising of the Mayans against the Federal Mexican government. The
Day Trips from Xcalak – Chacchoben Ruins
Overview Chacchoben (Chalk-Choe Ben), was discovered by a Yucatec Mayan man named Serviliano Cohuo. in 1942. Serviliano built his home at the base of the Basamento and lived there as the honorary guard of the ruins until his death in 1991. Chacchoben was opened to the public in Oct. 2002. The site was first inhabited around 200 BC, with the peak in the Classic Period around 300-700 AD when most of the temples were built. Chacchoben site gets its name from a nearby Mayan village. The original name
What groceries to buy when coming to Xcalak
Because our Xcalak hotel has full kitchens in each suite, many of our guests like to cook their own meals for at least some of their stay. One issue we have is that there are no grocery stores here in Xcalak. We have a few “Tiendes” that sell chips, cookies, soft drinks, etc. but not much else. We also get a vegetable truck that comes by the Inn 4-5 times per week. But they don’t always have what you need. So we get asked a lot of
How to pronounce Xcalak
So this is always a difficulty for people new to the Yucatan. Driving down from Cancun to Xcalak and our hotel, one sees numerous places with names that include multiple X’s. Places like Xel-ha, Xcaret, and Xahuayxol are hard to figure out how to say. So how do you pronounce an “X” in Mayan? It’s actually quite simple. If the X comes before a vowel, the “X” is pronounced like “sh” So for Xahuayxol the pronunciation is like Sha Why Shoal. If the “X” comes before a
Baby Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
Baby anything is cute. A baby Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is really, really, cute. Six hardworking adults on a Monday morning were briefly overcome by the cuteness of this little bird. I was inspecting the flower garden when I saw Blanca suddenly tense up and go into her hunter mode. I followed her and under a tree was this little bird. I intercepted Blanca just in time. I called to Rob to get a camera. While he was fetching, a truck came by full of solar workers and
A Cautionary Message
All kinds of things wash up on the beach of our hotel in Xcalak, shoes, toys, kitchen utensils. plastic bottles, plastic bottles. Oh, and plastic bottles. At long last. a glass bottle washed up with a message in it. I've been waiting for this. In fact, I am mildly surprised one hasn't washed up sooner. (I know what you are thinking and yes I did grow up watching Gilligan's Island) Here's the message: The sender wrote in blue ink on school lined paper. My inner sleuth infers from