3 cenote tour in Cuzama

The second cenote with cave-like features, tree roots almost in the water, and clear water below were absolutely stunning!

Me taking the plunge into the third cenote, down the ladder. I had no clue what I was going to see below! Sorry I couldn't put any more pictures of the third cenote in this blog...

The first cenote. Absolutely gorgeous! I loved the water in this one...

Our horse-drawn cart ride on the tracks. I was impressed by my accidental photography skills. Somehow I focused on the horse and the rest is unfocused...

What the bike-taxi looked like. Poor peddlers!! Quite an experience!

Yesterday our group went to Cuzama, Yucatan which is a little over an hour from Merida to see 3 different cenotes. We had no idea really how to get there except to take a bus to the town and figure it out from there. We also had no idea how many different forms of transportation we would be using either! We took a taxi to the bus station in downtown Merida where we waited a little over an hour for our bus to take off. Once we were on the bus, we traveled for about an hour to Cuzama and got off the bus when the bus driver told us to get off.. haha. The second we stepped out of the bus we were swarmed by 10 bike taxi peddlers who were telling us they could bike us over to the cenotes. That was quite an experience! One of the other girls in our group that was in a different taxi has a picture of Liz and I, so I just put a picture of the other girls so you could see what I'm talking about!

When we got off the bike taxis after over a mile of riding and feeling awful that these guys were tired (even though we aren't that heavy), we thought we only had to walk a little ways to get to the cenotes. However, that was not the case. We ended up having to take a cart-type thing pulled by a horse on little railroad tracks. It was quite an innovation since the tracks were already there from when the hacienda not far from it used to bring henequen in from the fields on those tracks. We all of course felt bad for the horse, but he seemed to be loving it. The horse was very gentle because I went up and petted him and he looked like he was enjoying the attention :).

The 3 cenotes were very different from each other and a little ways apart, so we were very thankful for the work of the horse :). The way it worked was, the driver directing the horse took us to the first cenote and let us swim in it for 30 min. and then would come and get us to tell us we needed to move on to the next cenote. Then we went to the third cenote did the same thing, then made our way back to the second cenote, so that the horse didn't have to work that hard for very long. We definitely got exercise by getting down into the cenotes, swimming in them, and then getting out of them. In order to get down into the first cenote, we had to go down VERY steep stairs for quite a ways, the third cenote was down a ladder in a hole that took us down to it, and then the second cenote was down another long set of stairs. Quite the exercise we got yesterday!

When the horse-drawn cart brought us back into the little village, our bike taxi drivers were waiting for us because they asked if we wanted them to come back after 3 hours and of course we said yes! That was very convenient and nice of them. I was riding in the taxi with Liz and I mentioned to her that these guys must have leg muscles of the Greeks back in the day! However, our ride from the cenotes was a little different from the ride to the cenotes because it started thundering and lightning above us. But, we made it back into Cuzama just fine and there was a bus going back to Merida that was waiting for us!!! The day was very eventful and tiring, but we all agreed that yesterday was and would be a highlight of our trip. I am convinced that those cenotes are one of God's greatest and most beautiful creations. I'm thinking of taking mom, dad, and Neal there when they come down in 65 days!