Couch Surfin Playa Del Carmen

7/31/2019 Couch Surfin Playa Del Carmen

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reggie's backpacking chronicles

Couch Surfin - Playa del Carmen

Yucatan Road Trip

Ive been lucky enough to couch surf with a variety of people all over the world, each experience offering an entirely new outlook on a country, city and

culture. Playa del Carmen would be no different. A stroke of online fate, which provided incredible memories with an incredible couple.

The moment Margarita opened the gate we were greeted with a huge smile! Camilo soon followed, also radiating a welcoming air, and of course Pepa and

Madonna greeted us the only way they know howbarking.

Like old friends reunited, conversation and comfort were immediate, and the few days allotted for Playa del Carmen quickly melted into a week. After only

a day exploring the town and enjoying each others company, not to mention baking Margaritas favorite dessert, a deliciously sinful carrot cake, Camilo

and Margarita extended a road trip invitation. An adventure into Mexicos Yucatan state in search of cenotes - underground caves, or sinkholes, filled with

fresh water. Cenotes hold special interest for Camilo and Margarita because of their jobs. Scuba dive instructors for a handful of cenotes on the Yucatan

coast, they are always searching for new, less commercialized, cenotes to explore.

The road trip involved three days of, well, a lot of driving. Plagued by cracked roads, detours and dozens of deadly speed bumps, what appeared so close

on the map proved painstakingly far. Passing through dozens of quaint villages, each consisted of a quintessential town square, church, smattering of food

stalls and of course dozens of locals standing around doing absolutely nothing. Whether sitting on their front porch or in plastic chairs on the street

corner, I'm s. A perpetual siesta I suppose.

Pepa Madonna

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Failing to locate any cenotes on that first day, we decided to break up Day 2 with a trip to the famous Mayan ruin, Uxmal. One of many ruin sites on the

Ruta Maya, we chose Uxmal for two reasons. 1. Less touristy then Chichn Itz (or as we call it, Chicken Pizza) 2. Tourist are still allowed to climb the

Uxmal ruins. Entry was quite spendy, so we decided against a guide, and instead pursued the tried and true method. I like to call it the, "blend in, big ear

tour". Stand just a few feet behind a tour group and receive the same information for free.

The surface of the water was not the most appetizing at times, layered in floating plants, twigs and sediment but underneath was a true gem. An

underworld of discovery blessed by surprisingly good visibility. Flashing our lights deep below, we noticed a handful of other entries into smaller caves

along with more fish life then expected. Working our way around the caves perimeter, a sense of vertigo soon set in. Swimming through the otherwise

stagnant sediment, created an almost intergalactic, black hole effect. The sensation of if you swam any further you might never return.

The other element aiding in our adventure, was a road trip classic, food and beer!

Snatching up cervezas frio at ever Botteleria along the road, our whistles were always

wet and tummies always full. Favorites included the best pork in Mexico, El Buffalo

Rojo. Allegedly only found in the small village of Temozn, the pork is slow cooked to

perfection boasting a savory, smoky barbeque flavor that Memphis, Texas and STL

barbeque joints would be jealous of. Another notable feed, occurred on the Gulf of

Mexico coast. A small shack, built on the front porch of the family casa, pumped out

savory empanadas, delectable tacos, and crunchy, tostada-style bites for our dining

delight. Slathered in hot sauce and served with ice-cold coca cola, 4 pesos (.35 cents)

each was a steal of a deal. Add an ever so dramatic Spanish soap opera blaring fromthe family living room, and you have dinner and a movie. Yumminess.

After Uxmal, our cenote discovery mission truly began! Following signs and

townspeoples consistenlypoor directions, we found our first memorable

cenote.

Approaching the sinkhole, we expected nothing more then a small, well-like

cenote. Boy were we wrong. A massive spiral staircase descended some

30-meters into a colossal, dark cave delighted our gaze! Hustling down the

slick, iron steps we were even more excited to findNO TOURISTS! Swim

suit, mask, snorkel and finshere we go! Oh, and a flashlight to be safe.

The hole in the cavern ceiling let natural light stream in but the cloudy sky

muffled much of the waters would be glory. We basically jumped into a semi-

murky pool of the unknown.

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Amped up after our incredible find, our final day on the road, offered three more gems. A

complete 180 from the first cenote, this series of underwater caves has been capitalized

on by the local townspeople of Cuzama.

Home to maybe a few hundred people, half of the

town own a cart, horse and stake in the local railway

system. Originally built to transport harvested agave

to local markets, the small train track now serves to

transport tourist and local enthusiasts alike to three

hidden cenotes.

Small horses run along side the rusty track, pulling

aged wooden carts with corroded metal wheels,

along. The ride is impossibly bumpy, the carts lurch

to and fro and when another cart is encountered on

the track, a game of chicken begins. The loser forced

to unhook his horse and lift the cart from the track,allowing the other to pass.

Each of the 3 cenotes visited shared the same bones, but exuded

personalities all their own.

Cenote 1

Cenote 1 involved a large entry with slimy, rickety wooden stairs leading

into the cavern. Spreading deep into the adjacent hillside, the oblong

shaped cenote welcomes visitors with glistening clear waters towards

the front but challenges exploration in the rear, due to its darker, more

intimidating, waters. Thank goodness for flashlights.

cenote 2

Cenote 2 requires a 90-degree climb down. A creaky, wooden ladder

provided the only method of up or down travel into the 3 foot by 3 foot

vertical keyhole. Those with claustrophobia or vertigo issues should not

attempt. Opening into a perfectly round cave, brilliant rays of light



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s reame own rom a arge o e n e roc ce ng, r ngng e wa ers

to life. Shallow in the middle but falling off into darkness on the

perimeter, not even our high powered flashlights could shed light on

what existed below.

cenote 3

Cenote 3 utilized yet another aging ladder for descent. Ending on a small,

slippery platform the best way to see this cenote, was to jump. Perfectly

round with a cathedral ceiling and incredibly deep waters, dives, cannonballs

and ridiculously high jumps were all encouraged! At the top of its rock ceiling,

a large gap opened to the outside world. A perfect platform for the mac

daddy jump. That is, if 20 plus meters (6o feet) doesnt scare you!

The road trip was one for the books (or the blogs) but before leaving Playa del

Carmen, we had one more priority. Scuba diving through these incredible

cenotes with our most gracious couch surfing hosts. Please enjoy my next

blog, Cenote Cave Diving, to discover for yourself what lies below!



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If you havent already tried Couch Surfing, nows the time. Get off your butt and start surfing the travelers wave!!

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Couch Surfin Playa Del Carmen