Day 4: a trip to the Yucatan

 Three hour bus ride with our first stop being the hubiku  cenote  (a sinkhole) located in Temozón. the cenote is a natural pit connected to subterranean rivers, once considered a sacred place and the entrance to the underworld by the Maya people.   here's  us descending into the cave.

I have to admit I was a bit of a wimp regarding the cold water but it was a once in a lifetime experience that I wasn't about to pass up.   so in I went.  although there wasn't much light in the cave,  the water was clear enough that I could see we were swimming with some small fish.  I  spent about ten minutes exhausting myself by treading the water furiously.  the depth of the water is 200  feet and I had no desire to do anything but stay on top of it.

 but once i realised I could float without moving a single muscle, I  spent the rest of the time laying back and just watching the birds flying around the ceiling cave and in and out of the hole at the top of the cave.

 afterward was a buffet style lunch.  I loved the hot sauce on my beans and rice (I seemed to be the only one at our table that wanted the hot sauce),  but it WAS  quite spicey.  I  had the hiccups for five minutes   and my lips tingled.   and since I was using a tortilla to eat my food rather than a fork, I managed to get that spicy sauce on my fingers,  which I realised after rubbing my eye a few minutes later.   ouch!  

 next stop chichen itza...