Episode Mexico: 6/23/2011

We woke up early. Today was the day of our first excursion which meant a very early start. Unfortunately, the night before was the ONLY night that the nightclubs kept me up. So I was dragging a little bit. But on the way to our meeting point we stopped at a 7-11 and got some caffeine. Mmm...caffeine.
We were the first people in our van. When full, the van contained 5 couples and a family of 3 totaling 13 people. One couple was from Australia and one was Mexican. The rest of us were Americans from various states. As excepted, there was one person, THAT person, who was unprepared for the trip. It was the mother in the family of 3 and while our tour guide Castillo was explaining a bit of what we would be doing that day, she interrupted saying she hadn't brought any shoes (this was after he said no flip flops on certain activities). We all kind of sat there and blinked. Really, lady? Did you read the description of this tour at all? It said (SEVERAL TIMES, might I add) that this was a very strenuous activity (which would be your first cue to not bring flip flops), did not allow small children (thankfully hers was older) and encouraged tourists to avoid it if they were out of shape or had any major medical conditions that would prevent them from climbing, hiking, etc. (second clue to drop the flip flops and put on some shoes). AMAZINGLY enough, she was able to find some at a rest stop but that didn't stop the rest of the bus from doing a bit of grumbling that it was going to be a long day if she was going to be THAT person that every tour has. You know...the one that's late back to the bus, that buys too much to carry, that complains that it's hot (we're in Mexico), and laughs and acts like they're being asked too much of when presented with a strenuous activity. THANKFULLY...she ended up being not too bad during the trip.
The drive to our first activity was about 2 hours. We arrived at the entrance to the grounds where the Coba temple we would be climbing was and Castillo instructed us to be back AT the bus in 2 hours exactly. Not to start back in 2 hours but be physically IN the bus by then. (Keep this in mind because it comes up later.) And we were off! The first portion of this tour was with a guide who showed us around several Mayan ruins, explained the differences between these Mayans and other Mayan tribes in other regions of Mexico, etc. We saw a ball court and several buildings and the whole thing was fascinating. I kept giving John props for choosing an awesome tour. The tour guide then said we were free to walk around on our own and we could follow a path that would lead us to the Coba temple. He said we could either choose to walk, rent bikes, or rent a rider to take you there on this bike with seats. It was about a mile so we decided to bike (which John had read was the best choice since you didn't get much time at the temple if you walked). I have to admit that biking was a lot of fun as it's been a long time since I've biked anywhere. We stopped at several more ruins along the way and then found our way to Coba. I have to admit Coba was really breath-taking. One thing I found interesting was the ground leading up to it was inclined, like the Mayans built up the ground before actually building the temple itself. The rest of the jungle was entirely flat. I was immediately struck with how much steeper Coba looked than in the pictures. But would I let some fear of height that only manifested itself in my adult life get in my way? Never! Castillo had recommended that if we were afraid of heights, to climb the stairs up the temple like a ladder and when going down, to sit on each step and ease your way down that way. I definitely took his advice. On the way up, I distracted myself by counting the steps (they said there were 122 and they were right), with the occasional distraction of John telling me to smile for a picture. When I got to the top, I turned around and sat on the top step and just drank in the scenery (with a little bit of terror in my throat). It was magnificent. You could see for miles because it was the highest thing in the jungle. We walked another few steps to the main platform at the top and enjoyed the scenery some more before heading down. I took Castillo's advice and sat on the steps as I went down. It was STEEP and I did not trust my balance walking down like a normal person (because I'm "special"). There was also a rope secured at the bottom running all the way to the top that you could use to secure yourself on your way up or down. So picture me plunking my way down this temple via my butt while John is walking all over the ruin without a care in the world. One thing this man has taught me: fear nothing...it's so much more fun that way. Does that mean I got up boldly and charged head-first down the temple? I think not...but it definitely make me appreciate John all the more for being who he is.
We got to the bottom and I felt like I could conquer the world if I wanted to. I later was very glad we did the activities in the order we did because I do not think I would have been so gung-ho to climb the temple after doing a bunch of other stuff and in the afternoon heat. Going in the morning was perfect.
We had just enough time to get back to the bus. John got me a sugar skull as a souvenir (yay!) and we piled back into the bus. And waited. You guessed it! THAT person was nowhere to be seen. Her family was on the bus but she was not. Finally, she appeared and announced, "Sorry!! I had to pee and then I couldn't find the bus!!" After a moment of silence, John leaned over and whispered to me, "....the bus never moved..." which I had to laugh about because he was right...the bus was the SAME place we had parked when we arrived and STILL had the giant numbers 5-1 on the side that Castillo told us to look for if we got confused. Sigh...some people...
Hi-ho silver!! We headed off to our next destination and activities. Our next ride was a lot shorter...partially because we were running late and Castillo said to pardon him but he was going to drive like a Mexican...and literally did something close to warp speed down rugged jungle roads. It was pretty awesome. We slowed down a few times so he could explain about the Mayan people today and how they live their lives; he pointed out several Mayan villages on the way. Our next activities would take place at a real Mayan village and the cost of the tour went towards education and job skill training for the Mayan people which I found very, very cool.
We arrived in the small village and I instantly felt like I was back in China (although the bathrooms were way nicer than in China). We were supposed to start by eating a traditional Mayan lunch but another group was occupying the lunch area so we had to move on to the activities...and in the end, I'm so glad we had to do it in that order because lunch was so much more satisfying AFTER the activities. After checking most of our stuff into a small cubby, we headed off to our first "adventure." Castillo, along with a Mayan guide and a Mayan photographer (one of their job training careers; they take professional photos of your tour and then you can purchase them at the end), guided us through the jungle, relaying Mayan stories, pointing out different plants and animals, as well as teaching us a few phrases in the Mayan language. We arrived by a small lake or sink hole in the jungle. This is where we would be ziplining. Castillo introduced us to several Mayan men who would be assisting with the zipline and then he introduced us to Paco. Say hi Paco! After gearing up in our harnesses, helmets and sticks (they were for breaking), we headed to the other side of the lake to zipline. Castillo told us we had one of two options: we could go the "chicken way" (which was basically just easing off the edge of the cliff and ziplining down to the bottom) or the "adventure way" (which meant jumping off the cliff). Now, is that even a decision? John and I OF COURSE did the adventure way which was a lot of fun. As soon as I landed, the Mayan guys asked if I wanted to go again! They had initially said we could only go once so I jumped at the opportunity and me and John went a second time. The only person who chose not to go was the 13 year old girl. Off with the helmets and off we went...next up was the repelling!
Another trek through the jungle led us to a traditional Mayan medicine man who was supposed to "bless" our time in the jungle to keep us safe. While Castillo was explaining, the medicine man was stirring some burning amber in a little cup. Suddenly, it popped and a hot coal popped into the guy's eye and he frantically patted himself down. It was pretty hilarious and I think only John and I caught it. After a ceremony, lots of burning amber, and having eucalyptus leaves waved over us (and me praying nonstop), we walked toward where we guessed the repelling would take place. On the way there we passed another group and we greeted each other.
Now, I'm not sure what exactly I was imagining as far as repelling. I think I thought the place we were repelling into would be this MASSIVE sink hole and look like a giant meteor hit it. But as we slowed down and were instructed to take off our shoes and only wear our swimsuits for the next portion, we saw nothing resembling what I had imagined. All I saw was what looked like a well with several men standing around it. Well folks, turned out that was the ENTRANCE to the cenote (sinkhole) where we would be repelling. After washing off any excess sunblock or bug spray (they require everyone to wear biodegradable sunscreen regardless because the water in the cenote is linked to the Mayan peoples' main water supply), we gathered around the "well" opening and Castillo explained how to and how not to repel. It was as if a cloud had rushed over our little group. Everything was very quiet and I think everyone was thinking the same thing I was since I had never repelled before: how the heck am I going to do this? I had no idea how much upper body strength it took to accomplish repelling. I assumed since it wasn't a professional tour, any normal, healthy person should be able to do it. But that didn't demolish my doubts entirely. I decided that the only way anyone was getting in that hole was if John and I were the daredevil couple. So we volunteered to go first. We each entered on opposite sides of the well and eased our way down two ladders before the big drop off. At the bottom of the ladder, we were instructed to lean out and kiss as if we were never going to kiss again. Photo op! I'm so glad they had the professional photographer on the trip because he took a lot of pictures you couldn't take yourself if you were busy zip lining or trying not to plummet into a dark cave in the ground. I took my next step which would lead me to be dangling freely over the dark water below andddd...it was remarkably easy. I have to admit I really enjoyed repelling and wish I could have done it twice. I told the other couples not to be fooled and that it was a lot of fun since most of them looked pretty scared about going next. After a couple minutes of repelling, I noticed I still had quite a ways down to go so I tried to speed up again (since my speed demon husband was nearing the bottom already). One thing I learned from repelling (as well as the entire tour that day) was this: self-consciousness and fun don't mix. There were times during that tour, especially during the repelling, that I had a moment or two of "oh no, my belly looks fat!" thoughts. But thankfully, we were so busy DOING things and everyone else was in the same boat, sweating, climbing, and having their fat rolls smooshed together (because there's no way to wear a harness aka glorified rope underpants and look sexy) that worrying about what everyone else would think was absolutely pointless. Any time those thoughts came to mind, I dismissed them and reminded myself that no one cared which meant I shouldn't care either. I was also one of the smaller people in the group; why was I worrying or complaining? Did I cringe over a few photos? Sure...but I think the fact that I'm dangling over a dark pit is much more interesting than the unflatteringness of my harness. Get over yourself, Rachel. So I did. :)
Passing out of the sunlight, you could see the amazingly clear blue water below and the cave around us. As I got to the bottom, there was a Mayan man who unhooked your harness and eased you into an inner tube so you could float around. Floating around the cenote was AMAZING. Thank goodness for a waterproof camera. It was an incredibly cool break from the humid day and was just an awesome experience all around. Small fish could be seen in the water and the sunlight shown to the very bottom of the pool of water. On one side of the cave, hung a really strange looking structure. On closer examination, we all realized that it was the roots of a tree that had grown from the ceiling of the cave to the water below. We stayed down around 15 minutes. Getting back up, we again had two options: we could either be hoisted up "like a Mexican marionette" as Castillo put it, which meant being hauled back out the way we came. OR...you could take the Mexican rope ladder which was much more difficult. And you already know what we chose. I decided to go first because I knew there was much less of a chance of me giving up if John was still below me (not sure why...just because). I began the climb (which had to be done on the outside of the ladder for more stability but it was pretty slippery...thankfully, we had a security rope in case we fell) and quickly realized it was much harder than it looked. By the time I was sure I had only a fourth of the way to go, John called out and said, "You're doing great! You're almost half way there." Seriously? Great. Oh and note to self: it's hard to smile when you're about to fall to your death.About that time, I realized the reason I was so tired was because I was using too much upper body strength to climb. Because of that, there were a few times that I wasn't sure if I'd make it the whole way. But I would NOT give up and did my best to put the rest of the climbing in my legs. I made it all the way and was the first of the women to climb the ladder. Only one other did it. John, of course, climbed up in like TWO SECONDS and barely broke a sweat ( slight sarcasm but it was pretty effortless for him). On his way up, the Mayan man holding the security rope said, "He climbs very fast!" and the Australian woman said, "Wow! He must be really strong!" I just smiled and said, "Yeah." like any genius would. Haha...no, I was very proud of him. I said, "Macho man." and the Mayan man thought that was pretty funny. By the time everyone made it to the top, we were all exhausted, happy, and hungry. The only two that didn't go down were the mother and daughter of the family of three.
We made it back to the beginning of the Mayan village and enjoyed our Mayan meal which consisted of tamarind juice, a vegetable soup with a vegetable in it that I had only seen in China, a barbecued pulled chicken, tortillas, and rice and beans. It was all amazingly unspicy and it was all delicious and exactly hit the spot for everyone. At that point, I was SO thankful we did the activities in the order we did them in. Castillo said some groups would then go off to Coba AFTER doing repelling and that did not at all sound appetizing after repelling and eating. During the meal, Castillo talked about how there's belief that some Mayans originated from Asia and I thought that made perfect sense. For a long time, I've noticed an uncanny similarity between South American tribes and Chinese minority groups. I mean...it is CREEPY how similar some of them are in dress, in overall appearance, etc. So what he said made perfect sense to me.
After our meal, we had the option of A. lying in hammocks or B. canoeing. We decided to canoe. It was a short little ride but it was fun and the water was beautiful. We heeded Castillo's warning to stay in the boat at all times, not get on any sandbars because they were all quicksand, and to avoid land in general because of crocs.
We bought a few things in their village store including a hammock (since I fell in love with all the hammocks in Playa). We also decided to get the professional pictures taken during the trip on a disc. As a parting gift, we were all given a shot of tequila and Castillo toasted to us and thanked us again for choosing their tour and helping the Mayan people through it. It didn't dawn on me until just now that I think he took a shot with us and then turned right around and drove us back to Playa......oops. The bus ride was quiet. I slept part of it (with my mouth hanging open, no doubt) and soon we were home. PB and J was the verdict for dinner (so goooood) and I honestly think we went to bed around 9pm (after watching more paranormal nazi nonsense on the "history channel") because we were so exhausted. But honestly, it was a great trip, a great day. There's really nothing I'd do differently.
To be continued...

Photos: Meself