Cenotes – cool off, cave style

Today we had a choice: discovering the cenotes, or shopping and scouring the town of Merida? Given we have already done the latter, and also because it was so, so hot, Emma and I chose to spend our free day cooling off at the gorgeous freshwater, limestone sinkholes called cenotes. And just getting there was half the fun. After meeting our tour guide, Gabriele, a very knowledgable, friendly, chatty man, we spent about 1.5 hours on bus, before boarding a horse-drawn rail cart through the plantations that led us to the first of the three cenotes sites we visited today.

As we descended about 10-15 metres underground and caught glimpse of the glistening fusion of deep blue and turquoise-flecked water we hurried down the wooden stairs to take a closer look. The cave is large, dark and very quiet. Tiny swallow-type birds flutter around the ceiling, and a steady beam of light penetrates the water from the small opening of the cave. Gabriele hands us life jackets and snorkelling equipment, and we jump into the 30m deep water where small fish and catfish call home. As I float on my back, staring into darkness, ears underwater, hearing only small splashes - for the first time in a long time I truly feel relaxed.

After 30 minutes of paddling through the cenote, we board the rail cart and travel about 20 minutes to the next site – a much larger cave, and a much scarier descent. I am not partial to heights. One bit. And as I peer down this narrow hole, about 1m wide, and notice a single, straight wooden ladder bolted to the sides of the cave, my heart flips, hands sweat and I am thinking ‘How on earth am I going to get down, let alone get back up?!’. As my fellow travelers fearlessly took the 20-30 steps down, I swallowed my fears because I just knew the beauty of the underground cenote would wash the nerves away. Each step down, my feet and hands shook, but as I made it to the bottom platform I was again mesmerised by the darkness, deep blue water, and the circular formation of limestone at the centre of this cenote. Through the gap at the top of the cave, the sun beamed a spotlight straight down onto the formation, illuminating the area which now looked like a stage. Diving into the water, and swimming out to the centre, there is room for us all to stand up and take in this underground, secret world.

The final cenote is definitely the most impressive. And luckily for me, the descent down does not race my heart. Its sheer size, and 40m drop from the top are breathtaking. Large roots that have pierced through the cave's ceiling centuries ago stretch out like tentacles, dangling in the icy water. There are two platforms to jump off, and while the boys take great joy bomb diving into the great depths, I instead float on my back and lull myself back into a total state of relaxation.

Back on land, we return to Merida in time to meet the group for dinner at Panchos – a lively, delicious, Mexican restaurant. In no time we notice the waiters here are very attractive, which makes the dinner rather amusing with Em trying to nab photos of them at every chance she could. Beef Chimichangas, washed down with Sol completed a truly spectacular day.