Day 4 Coba Pac-Chen

Mexico 2006

Day 4 Coba Pac-Chen

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Coba Pac-Chen.

A trip to the jungle.

A bike ride through the Jungle.

I climb up The second tallest Mayan Temple.

I climb down.

A trip to a Mayan Village where we had a traditional lunch in their village and learned of their history. No electricity, no conveniences.

A purification ceremony where incense is washed over me and Mayan words cleanse me.

Into the Cenote.

I rappel into a hole where sacrifices were once made. Down about 50 feet I touch water. Fresh clear water turning aquamarine where the sunlight reaches down the hole I came through.

Over to a lake where I zip-line across to the other side about 250 ft away. Crocodiles don't scare me. *cough*

What a wonderful day.

I took photos of the sunrise from the beach that morning, it was so big and so very bright, it looked like someone trimmed the clouds in fire.

This day was going to be an adventure. As a group we took a trip to Coba where we had a tour of the ruins. Some still had to be excavated and some were completely cleared and accessible. We saw where they played this game of ball in a court with sharply slanted sides. The ball was to go through a stone ring at the top of the sides to score. The players had to hit it with only hips, knees and elbows. The winning team had their captain beheaded as a worthy sacrifice for the Gods.

Then we rode bicycles through the jungle to the 2^nd tallest Mayan Temple in the world and the tallest in the Yucatan. The Nohoc Muul Temple is over 126 feet tall and has over 120 steps.

We climbed to the top and drank our iced tea.

We made it to the top of the temple

We took pictures at the top and just gazed at the jungle and distance laying there for our visual consumption. The view was breathtaking as we looked out over a canopy of trees broken by mounds of unexcavated temples. We saw the carvings of Gods above the door and entered the temple room that was cool and dark at the top of such a dry stone temple under the heat of the noonday sun.

You'd think Down could be easy

Then we climbed back down.

Then we sat for a moment and had more iced tea before we rode our bikes back to the van. Andrea was waiting for us.

We drove through all kinds of little villages with dogs in the street and unbelievable little concrete or stucco houses no bigger than my living room. Much of the life is spent outside here and the properties reflected that. With no electricity and very little in the way of modern facilities, these people had no need for windows and doors. They often had blankets or slats of wood/bamboo, to act as a gate to their homes. Children played in the streets and among the houses. Children worked and carried other children. People worked and smiled and waved outside in the blistering heat. We sang songs and listened to a kick ass CD of all kinds of music.

Finally Andrea, our guide, pulled us off the road and onto a side road. She popped in a different CD and we headed deep into the jungle to the sound of Indiana Jones theme music. We drove down paths of dry mud, smoothed into two and three-foot high mounds of dirt, by the rain-wash. This road was newly cut after the hurricane wiped out the original path. It was very bouncy and very remote. Hurricane damage seen in other places was amplified by the destruction we could see in the low-lying areas. We listened to ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ as we pulled into our destination, an actual modern day Mayan Village.

The language is Mayan, and we had lunch there. Refried black Beans, quesadillas, empanellas, and salad. We drank two of their authentic fruit juices, one tasted and looked like cranberry juice and the other, looked like dirty water and tasted like iced tea.

Then we hiked into the jungle until we came upon a place where there were some people and a place to change. First, the Mayan Priest must purify us all as we are now entering a sacred place. This is where sacrifices have happened throughout history. This is where the God of the Water meets the God of the Air. This water is actually a part of the underground water system that is one of the largest in the world. It is imperative that only biodegradable sunscreens are used so that the life in these waters and the lives it sustains are not poisoned by chemicals.

After the priest said words over us and washed his incense over our bodies, we headed to a shelter to remove any outerwear and have a harness put on by the Mayan people.

Then we walked to the hole in the ground surrounded by a wooden walkway kept cool by pouring water over it.

This was the entrance to the cenote.

The entrance to the sacraficial Cenote

Ropes hung down from supporting planks and pulleys. Carabineers attached to the harness are threaded with the rope. I grabbed the rope and stood with my back to the edge of the hole.

~~*~~

This is it.

Trish is a little tied up at the moment.

Lean into it.

Our guide said to lean back and I did.

It was fun to hang way up there and rely on my own strength and a few loops.

The harness fit like shorts and you were hung by the fly. Not all that comfortable.

Sitting in the harness and using the rope in my hand as my brake and keeping my arm below and behind me, I lowered myself gently down the 50 foot drop into the fresh water at the bottom of the cenote.

It's a long way down.

Eyes adjust to the sudden darkness.

The sunlight becomes a shaft of brightness in a cavern with no other light source.

You can't help but wonder at the history of people who found themselves trapped within this hollow space.

Suddenly it seems that the ride is over.

Cool water welcomes my sunbaked skin.

Into the dark cavern and the cool water. No more human sacrifices for this cenote. It was kind of disconcerting to know that so long ago, people had died in this place. There were many things to be respectful of and the high ceiling and stone walls echoed the sounds of dripping water and hushed voices.

The Zip-Line

Then we walked through the jungle some more, and went on a zip-line to cross the lake. They mentioned crocodiles, but I still don't know if it was a joke or not. We attached our harness to a pully on a metal rope and used a stick shaped like an upside down check mark. Then we walked off the rock wall and the gentle slope carried you across the lake. I don't know how high up we were but it was high and fast. A real rush.

WWWWwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Not the most flattering picture, but it is what it is. I was concentrating on my brake.

Brake now.

Then we rowed our way around the lake. It was a really good work-out due to the wind.

Paddle to the Sea?

Afterward, I purchased an ashtray and a Mayan Calendar. I also purchased three pairs of earrings. This money went to these people and I didn’t want to shop where these people see only a small portion of the profits. I was so pleased to have met them. To get around in the village, there are these little walls that run about 3 feet high and about 1 ½ feet wide. You walk around on the top of these walls. The dogs run around on them, the children run along them. It is really something. These people do their laundry on rocks and I have never seen such white cotton. They all have beautiful smiles and pearly white teeth. Faces shine with happiness and the wisdom of a life so different than mine. I was touched by their beauty, which actually shines from the inside.

We bought the pictures that they took which makes it possible for them to earn a living and continue to live as modern Mayans.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the AllTourNative building and had a shot of tequila.

We met in the lobby before dinner again. What a fantastic time. This is the trip of a lifetime and I am going to enjoy it forever.