The Truth Of My Day

This place is surreal. That's the word my son used when I was telling him about it and showing him all the pictures. That is a perfect definition of my life here in Mexico, in Puerto Morelos. Even sitting at a sidewalk table drinking some juice can go way beyond the normal. This conversation starts with an explanation about a tree. maya-archeaology.org says that the tree that is generally considered the Maya tree of life (and the national tree of Guatemala). The ceiba (called the kapok tree in English) (also called the Silk  floss tree) was the most sacred world tree, the axis of the world, in Classic Mayan cosmology. This tree is honored as an energy connection with the Cosmos, Earth, and the Underworld. The roots are considered to go down into the underworld. It's used in ceremonies and medicine. Some people say there is a Goddess who lives in the tree named Xtabay.  The website says most ceiba trees are taller than a multi-story building, and only flower occasionally....

                   I wouldn't believe. Except I was there. Would you like to come with me to a cenote in the Yucatan Peninsula? The reason we came here was to see a fantastic friend who kept talking about how amazing it was where she lived. Puerto Morelos in Mexico. So we came, and we hopped in her car one fine day and drove down la ruta de cenotes, the road of sinkholes. It's not far from where we are staying, which is pretty cool. We drove down a straight and lonely looking road with yellow bushes highlighting the way, the jungle so thick that it was like driving past a wall of green. Then we took a turn down a bumpy dirt road that was not very wide. There were 2 entrances and we went down the first one. It was in the thick of the jungle, no one was around except a family of coatimundi here and there. The whole experience wraps itself around the cenote. There is friendship, jungle, odd animals, unusual plants and trees, ...

A sinkhole doesn't sound very special or magical. I like the Spanish word cenote better.  There are thousands of these across the Yucatan Peninsula. The whole thing is a huge bed of limestone. Limestone contains the remains of dead organisms, it's considered an organic/biological sedimentary rock. I found a website that does a great job saying all the things I want to say on the practical side about cenotes. It's totally amazing on a scientific level, on a level of description, and a whole other level when it comes to actually being at one seeing it's magical appearance while feeling it's compelling energies emitting from it's depths. https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/mexico-s-cenotes-hidden-gems-of-the-yucatan/ I have some stories to tell! This first picture is from the cenote at Chichen Itza. I have been trying to sit still and write about my adventures, at least I got that story out. At one point they pulled many artifacts and bon...

  The really big temple in at the back, to the right. So many stairs! My husband and I want to go see some of the amazing Mayan temples/ruins we have heard so much about. Everyone talks about the famous Chichen Itza. Our good friend Laura LaBrie says that the Ek Balam site is also a must-see. She has been there recently.  So we went to Ek Balam first, and I would recommend it over Chichen Itza. It's quieter, not so busy, no crazy vendors everywhere we went, and best of all: in Ek Balam you can climb up the structures. There are two cenote/sinkholes at Chichen Itza, however you can't swim in them. There is a very large one at Ek Balam where people go to swim. The ancient-ness of it all really struck me as we walked up to the entrance through a second path, after paying for the tickets. Looking at that first building it really struck me. These people carved some civilization out of the jungle. Then the jungle reclaimed it all. There is a lot still hidden by a Nature ...

This place is amazing. I have been to many amazing places, so I guess I need a few more adjectives to explain this new town. I think some pictures might help. The color of the water is constantly changing in a kaleidoscope of blues and greens and browns too. Taking pictures is such a delight. The lighthouse is crooked, it's true. I took a great picture of my husband pretending he was pushing it over. Even the seaweed issue is it's own kind of photogenic specialty. The white sand is cool and soft and inviting. It's different from the Samara beach in Costa Rica, with it's burning hot dry sand. There the tide comes and goes in big sweeps every day, leaving half the bay empty. Here the difference between high and low tide is about one foot. You should come here, it's so beautiful. Every time you stop for some lunch you are likely to make some new friends. At lease we do. There is peace here. And beauty. The temperature all week is supposed to hover around 84 degre...

It is often said to just start at the beginning. I'm just not sure where this adventure began, or when. I can tell you that it took place on March 6th, 2019 in Chichen Itza, Mexico. I can tell you that I'm here because I have a lovely fellow adventurer friend named Laura LaBrie who has a Facebook page called Mysterious Mexico. There is little in life that I do without the love and support of my husband, but I'm not sure if I should write "we" or "me". If I slip into the We, that's why.  I could say it started with my announcement to Laura that I was renting a car to go see this famous Mayan Chichen Itza temple site that everyone talks about. She replied with "Did you read the article about the cave they found under the city? They found a cave back in 1966 and the archaeologist had it sealed and all records were lost until just recently they found it again. It had about 200 perfectly preserved artifacts that are over 1,000 years old!...