Mexico Riviera

Iguana at tulum

I had a few days off work this summer and planned to go down to the channel islands or something else nearby but then priceline gave me a fantastic deal on airfare and hotel for a weeks stay in Playa Del Carmen! How could I pass this up?

This area of Mexico known as the Mayan riviera had long been on my list of places to visit due to  the geography of the region. The whole peninsula is made up of limestone! this means there are loads of caves almost everywhere you go. Now,  because the area is mostly flat and barely above sea level most of these are filled with water but that just adds to the fun. In Mexico the openings to these water filled caves are refered to as Cenotes derived from the Mayan word dzonot for well or sink hole. That was another reason to visit this area- lots of history especially with some very interesting Mayan ruins to see.  Now August may not be the ideal time to head to Mexico, it’s a little warm for starters and the chances of a tropical storm or hurricane are definitely higher this time of year but there’s advantages as well. First was the already mentioned low cost of my trip, I’m sure due to booking during the “off season”, the other reason? Whale Sharks. These huge critters congregate near isla Holbox from late July through September so I’d have an excellent chance of seeing them.

First up was a simple cavern dive at Chac Mool cenote, since I’d need a guide and equipment I booked this through Manta divers in Cancun. They sent Lief to meet me and 3 other divers. On the way to the cenote he briefed us on what to expect.

Chac Mool Cenote

Conditions at the cenote were as promised- beautiful clear water. The water is fresh though an interesting phenomenon occurs where at a certain depth you cross into salt water. The interface between these two layers is referred to as the halocline and makes for some very interesting diving. The difference between the layers causes a haze similar to hot air rising off a road on a summers day. We also got to experience changes in buoyancy which really requires the diver to pay attention.

Entrance of Chac mool cenote

entering the halocline

We passed through uneventfully though and I thoroughly enjoyed our swim through the cenote, there were even some nice formations in the cave and a very small boat resting peacefully on the bottom.

formations

After lunch at the cenote it was time to head back to my hotel and enjoy a nice cold cerveza as I watched the waves roll in. I was supposed to head out early the next morning in search of whale sharks but tropical storm Isaac had other ideas and the port was closed due to storm warnings.

Looking around for other things to do I found a listing for Mayan ruins and an aviary in nearby Playacar. I did some sight seeing along the way as I walked to Playacar.  The aviary is a small park filled with birds and wild life including a small enclosure that ensures you can get a close up view of some pretty interesting birds. Great for photography. A little on the expensive side considering they’ve raised the price from 150 pesos to 300 but since I didn’t have anything else to do I was happy for the opportunity to check out the birds.

Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

frangipani (plumeria)

The next day was a chance to visit some more cenotes this time though we had something extra special to check out. We headed out to Angelita. This Cenote is mostly a very deep pit. Here the accumulation of leaves and organic matter that has fallen into the pit produces hydrogen sulphide gas. At around 110 feet of depth this gas forms a layer floating ontop of the saltwater below. So when diving it appears like this is the bottom of the pit. After penetrating this cloudy layer though you emerge in the clear salt water below. As we were getting ready to dive we spotted a tarantula walking by.

Tarantula

Cenote Angelita

Entering the hydrogen sulphide layer

While this was a very interesting dive there are not a lot of formations to see in a pit so for our next dive Lief suggested we head over to a popular favourite Gran Cenote where there were lots of beautiful formations to check out. He even located a couple bats near the entrance for me.

Bats

Gran Cenote

After our dives Lief and Alex to us out for some wonderful tacos and cerveza, we had to order some more beer since the video Alex was editing wasn’t done but I don’t think anyone minded.

Then it was time to head back to Playa Del Carmen to watch the tide come in again.

Playa del Carmen

Since the tropical storm still had the port closed I spent the next day wandering about town and decided that for dinner I’d investigate a cave I’d heard of right in town!

The restaurant ‘Alux’ in Playa del Carmen is built inside an actual cave. Since the location is dictated by the location of the cave its not near the other tourist restaurants  but isn’t all that far either.

Alux

restaurant in a cave

It makes for a scenic location but the extreme humidity and heat made it a bit hard to enjoy dinner.

I certainly enjoyed walking around checking out the cave for a bit after I ate though.

Next up still waiting to see the Whale sharks!