Today we put the “leap” in leap year. That blurry cannonball is me jumping into Cenote Calavera, the closest cenote to our casita. It was our starter cenote. And no, I’m not naked — I’m wearing a teal bathing suit!

On the road to Cobá, just under 2km from the main highway, there’s a painted sign that says “Cenote.” A friendly guy in a chair collects ~US$6 from you, and you proceed through what is pretty much someone’s backyard. Then, you come upon this:

What is a cenote? It’s essentially a sinkhole that exposes groundwater. Brr, the water’s chilly!

We were the only ones there. We stepped over to the edge and prepared ourselves to jump. It’s probably no higher than jumping off the high dive at a pool. But you’re diving into a dark hole! I mean, just look how white and bright the surrounding rocks are for contrast. Plus I saw what I thought were bats flying around. But Chris said, “No, look — they’re just birds.” They have nests on the walls and roof of the cave.

After I jumped in, I nearly had a heart attack when I surfaced because the splashes of water caused loud echoes that I swore was some kind of cave monster. Yes, I am that ridiculous. I scrambled over to the ladder but the sound stopped, and then I was surrounded by lots of small freshwater fish. The water was deeper than we thought — probably at least 12-15 feet.

Chris was giving me a hard time because it took me a minute to get the courage to jump, but when it was his turn he felt my pain. It’s not easy to leap in that first time! But after you’ve done it once, it gets a lot easier. Boom, life metaphor.

You Might Also Like

09Oct13 26May14 14Jan14