Our road trip to Valladolid

We just got back from our first road trip to the mainland. It now holds the same attraction that diving has always held for us. The sights that we saw over the last three days were amazing. We loved the combination of the natural wonders and the man made creations. We just couldn't cut down the hundreds of pictures we took any farther than those contained in the next several posts!


We visited a Mayan ruin called Ek Balam. It was at its peak between 600 and 900 AD. This is a cenote called X'Canche that is about 2 kilometers away. It is one of the thousands of sinkholes in the limestone located in the Yucatan.



Tree roots reach down over 40 feet into the beautifully clear, cool water.

Another cenote, Zaci, is right in the middle of Valladolid, the third largest town in the Yucatan. You can see the stalactites "dripping" from the overhang. The amphitheaters created by the overhangs reminded us of Lake Powell.

There are lines in the water for swimmers to use to rest. The depth of the water is about 90 feet so there is no standing up to catch a break!

As we we were walking in the city, I just glanced over a crumbled wall and saw this piece of paradise. A sign around the corner said this is a fault area and the surrounding area naturally drains into it.

Our hotel was built as a home in the 1600's. The courtyard was a wonderful place for breakfast while we wrote in our makeshift journal (the backs of copied pages from our tour book!).