February 7th-8th 2017
After a short stay in Merida I head to the small mostly untouched by tourism town of Valladolid. Tourists who do stop here use it as a nearby jumping off point to visit the incredible ruins of Chitchen Itza. (I prefer to call it chicken pizza but historians make arguments of such a thing not being popular in the region that time.) Everyday Chitchen Itza is flooded by thousands of tourists, but most of them come on day trips from places like Cancun and Playa del Carmen, But I’ve decided to try to beat those crowds by staying much closer by. Little do I know as my bus is arriving in Valladolid from Merida that this little town also has a ton of charm and there are many things waiting for me: some super friendly locals, maybe the best street food I’ve ever eaten, several incredible Cenotes, and a pretty damn cool night fair.
As I climb off my bus I’m joined by my friend Bavaud who I met in Merida and who has decided to come with me as I check out all that Vallodolid and the surroundings have to offer. We head over towards our hostel and check in before heading out to explore the centre of town.
It’s a small but friendly place with some beautiful old churches and as we keep wandering we eventually we stumble onto some sort of night time carnival area, with rides for small children and oh so many food stalls where food is dangerously cheap and dangerously unhealthy. I also find the sexiest add for Clamato juice I ever thought possible. I mean to me it’s just not a sexy product.
The last few photos are from the next morning when, after wandering in town a bit more and we found a quick lunch on a quiet residential street from a man and wife combo with an oil drum barbecue set up outside their little house. They seemed friendly so we sat down and ate and my goodness the food is simple but sets up a good reason to want to one day live in Valladolid. From there we head to our destination for the day: Cenote Oxman.
It’s a short taxi ride or about an hour long walk outside of town to get to this cenote located on a farm turned hotel but open to the public for a small fee which is worth it a million times over. We opt for the cab ride out to find it and walk back to town, and my goodness am I glad I took the time to come. Luckily my brother has been here before and gave me some tips for the area. The hotel/farmhouse itself is gorgeous and we walk past the house and the luxurious pool to the near perfectly circular opening of the cenote behind the property. I look down at an enchanting blue pool surrounded by vines, plants and limestone cliffs, half of the water lit by the sun, the other half cast in shadows. Bavaud and I walk around snapping some photos as we search for the entrance way to get down into the beautiful seemingly bottomless water. A strange urge to jump in from 40 meters up comes to me, but I resist because you shouldn’t do something like that in water you don’t know.
Eventually we find the stairwell down and hurry towards the depths of this natural sinkhole in the earth. There’s a small handful of people here, but for the most part it’s empty, which makes it all the more spectacular. Down below the water seems even bluer and I still have no idea of its depths, the vines growing from up on the surface plunge into the water and seem to stretch downwards towards the molten core of the earth. Around us a few other tourists are jumping and flipping into the water, there are various platforms, a rope swing and also steps down for those less adventurous. Rope swings scare me, but I jump in off the platform. The water is ridiculously refreshing and cool, and it’s honestly a landscape unlike any other I’ve seen on this earth. The stalagmites and Stalactites blend with the tropical plant life and the way the sun cuts through the water illuminating it’s depths is truly magical.
As the sun moves across the sky different reflections present themselves and I have some fun exploring what I can capture with my camera from the platforms above the pool also trying to get some photos of our new friends jumping in with all sorts of crazy acrobatics from the platforms above. I also snap some photos of Bavaud enjoying a relaxing swim in the now dark water which I’m quote proud of. Check them out below.
As we continue to hang out down there swimming, talking, jumping and exploring the area were visited by a rather intimidating vulture gazing down at us. I find myself starting to wonder if he’s picturing us as a potential meal but before long he flies off. We also find an iguana in the rocks and Bavaud takes a try on the rope swing, some more successful than the first time when he accidentally let go to early and belly flopped into the cenote. I’m glad I stayed away from it. Eventually with the sun sinking lower in the sky we decide it’s time to head up and head back to town. We’ve promised our friends the elderly street food couple to come by for dinner and I’ve worked up quite an appetite swimming around the cenote.
We snap a few last photos of the farm house, wander back into town at a leisurely pace, stop by the cathedral and then head back to the little nondescript house near our hostel. It’s taken me so long to write the blogs that I’m sad to report I can’t give specific directions but if you find this place you’ll know. Shockingly the dinner tastes even better than lunch, something I’d never have imagined possible. The man’s wife takes the leftovers from his afternoon barbecues and makes literally the most delicious tacos and quesadillas I have ever eaten. I ate an embarrassing amount, and wish I could do so again right now, and all for maybe 2 or 3 dollars. And now I’ll be signing off, just thinking about this place has sent me to my kitchen to try to cook up something even half as delicious. Tomorrow will chronicle Bavaud and my adventures at Chitchen Itza and bring a close to my time in Mexico. I promise that one day in the fairly near future I will make it back though, because the country blew me away.
