Vacations are over, and Mr. C went home :( Damn long distance relationships, life would be way easier if I didn't love that man with all my heart and mind and body and everything I am, but I do and I'm glad.
We traveled together while he was here, and it was fantastic. We went to the Mayan Riviera and we saw amazing places and did incredible things. The first few days of our trip were spend chilling in a small fishermen village called Chicxulub, very near Progreso in Yucatán. We sunbathe, ate delicious typical food, swam in the warm and rich Atlantic Ocean and watched beautiful romantic sunsets full of colorful clouds as the big red sun disappeared into the sea under a burning sky.
After a few days we went to Holbox, a marvelous island placed strategically in the cross of the Mexican Gulf, the Atlantic and the Caribbean, creating a super salty seawater soup where marine life thrives, specially in the summer. That is why we got to swim with whale sharks, the biggest fish there is. It was an experience so rich and heart filling that is hard to describe. This giant, and I mean GIANT, about 14 or more meters long, eats krill, plangton and other small sea creatures so it is not dangerous to humans. It appears to move slowly and gently, with an absolute lack of rush, but with one calm movement of it's enormous fin it is propelled in a speed quite hard to keep up with. We got to swim with 2 of them for about half a minute each. We were so close that I could have reached my hand and touch them, but as I swam as fast as I could to keep up with it I was filled this absolute sense of respect and admiration, and a deep feeling of being a trespasser in the sanctuary and safe haven of this magnificent creature that I thought that touching it would be profaning. Also, the tour guide told us that we shouldn't touch it because, although it wouldn't even feel it through it's 10 cm thick skin, our chemical filled body grease could unbalance the well orchestrated food chain which starts in the tiny fish that feed on parasites and other stuff stuck to the gentle monster. We also saw big manta rays which usually are shark whales companions, because they eat the same things, and pelicans, and flamingos and other beautiful see birds. We spent 3 days in the little tropical island where the community is formed by a mix of joyful locals and foreigners who fell in love with the place and just couldn't leave.
We left the island and drove a few kilometers south to Playa del Carmen, where we made base for the rest of the trip. We stayed in a small and very nice B&B where we spent most of the afternoons hiding form the crushing heat, but in the mornings we went to explore. There are so many beautiful and interesting things to see around that we had some trouble deciding what we were going to do. The first day we went to Tulum, a magnificent Mayan archeological site by the Caribbean shore. Before we entered into the site, in the parking lot, we met Apocalypto, an orphan baby tiger in custody of a man who was supporting him and feeding him until he is old enough to go to a Tiger Reservation in Thailand. Apparently, this is a foster parent system that has allowed many endangered orphans to survive their early days and anybody can volunteer. The foster parents are allowed to charge for pictures with the orphan so he can pay a part of their food, 'cause shocking as it may sound, growing wild cats eat a lot ;) . So this is me with Apocalypto
We spent some time admiring the amazing structures built by one of the most powerful pre-hispanic cultures from the Americas hundreds of years ago, but after a while the heat defeated my Nordic Man and we went to swim in the sapphire ocean with the ancient buildings keeping watch from land.
The next day we went to a cenote called Jardín del Edén, and it honores its name. A deep fresh water pond rises from the ground as super clean filtered rainwater which traveled hundreds of kilometers before reaching the surface and giving home to many colorful fish and algae. The waterhole is surrounded by the tropical jungle which houses and provides shade for zillions of dragon flies, spiders and other insects, the perfect feast for the big fat iguanas that patrol the place. We had some surreal company. A weird photo shoot was taking place and we shared the cenote not only with the animals and other tourists, but with a dozen professional mermaids and a couple of fairies adding to the fantastical and magical spirit the place already had.
The next and last day we went to Rio Escondido, an underground river which flows through a cave system filled with stalactites and stalagmites formed by the calcite found in the rain water filtered from the ground. The place is an enormous dark palace decorated with minerals of many colors, creating natural altars for the unknown and mysterious gods Nature worships, which of course one can only appreciate with the help of artificial light. We weren't allowed to take photos, but if you really really want to see it you could probably find pictures on the internet.
I was very happy with my amazing Mr. C, and if you are planning a trip I seriously recommend the Mayan Riviera, if you are prepared for crushing heat and a big army of mosquitoes.
Love you all
XOXO
