February 21, 2020 - Tulum, Mexico

We biked to Cenote Corazón del Paraíso this afternoon. A "cenote" (pronounced say-NO-tay) is a natural sinkhole created where a cave ceiling collapsed. Cenotes were the only source of water in the jungle for the Mayan civilization and are considered sacred by the Mayan people. The Mayan considered cenotes to be an entrance to their "underworld" or "Xibalba" where their gods live and their spirits reside after death. Most Cenotes are back-filled with seawater which travels inland via subterranean rivers leading to the bottoms of the sinkholes. Now, they are swimming and diving locations all throughout the Yucatan. It was about a 7km ride, most of it on the highway which has a wide shoulder. (about 4-1/2 miles)We turned off the highway and went down a gravel road through the jungle for another km to the entrance.The entrance fee was $150 pesos ($7.50 USD)per person for tourists, less for locals. This is an aerial  view of the cenote which gives you a better view of the heart (corazón) shape. When you are on the ground, you really can’t see it!When we arrived there were only five or six other people there. We settled at one of the picnic tables and grabbed our masks and snorkels. The water was colder than the ocean, but so clear! It was surprising how many fish there were in the water. None of them were very big, but it was still fun to see.We enjoyed swimming around, then sitting in the sun. A Mexican family came and one of the guys was playing the guitar and singing. We visited with them and they seemed pleased that we enjoyed their music.There was even a high platform that you could dive or jump into the water. I just took video of a couple guys doing that! I took videos but we are having trouble getting them to upload. Oh well! They had lifeguards on duty and asked that you wear a life jacket if you were not a good swimmer.
By the time we were ready to leave, there were quite a few more people, but still not crowded. I can imagine on weekends it is another story!
Coming home was a more difficult ride. We were heading north and the wind was blowing straight at us. This sign was on the road when were almost home, so even though I was tired, I pushed on!We went back to El Dorado for dinner tonight. I had the garlic shrimp again and Tobey had the whole fish. Both were delicious!!! Two meals, two drinks and tip were $410 pesos ($21.75 USD)The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow so it will probably be a beach day!