A “sah” what? Cenote. That’s like a big pond that was formed a long time ago, right? My partner and I decided that this was on our list for things to see on our recent trip to the Yucatan. After all, the peninsula is peppered with these natural sinkholes used by ancient Maya and other tribes as both a water source and a sacrificial site. After having spent the morning and better part of the afternoon at the impressive ruins of Coba, we decided to seek out some sinkholes. Heading 6k away from the town of Coba we reach the thatched roof stand where we are stopped to buy our tickets. We quickly decide to pay to see all 3 cenotes before heading further up the road for the turnoff to our first cenote, named Multun-Ha. Bumping along a particularly pot-holed dirt road for 2k, we…arrive. More dirt and more rocks, a wall of showers and a friendly man asking for our tickets. “Uh…where is it?” we ask somewhat sheepishly in Spanish, not wanting to reveal our inexperience. Smiling, the man points to a staircase disappearing into the ground and notes that we are the only people there.
Needless to say, this is not what we were expecting. Descending, spiraling along steep wooden stairs, wondering, “How far does it go?” Anxiety rises as we descend and with it the moist, warm air seems too thick for lungs. Just when I think I can’t go another step for fear of getting swallowed by the center of the Earth, it opens into another world. Crystalline blue waters, deep and dark surround the wooden pier where we stand dumbfounded. It’s as mesmerizing as it is disconcerting as the cave ceiling is reflected in the surface as well as the depths are revealed. To be in this magical space, alone but for each other, seems stifling, the stillness overwhelming. We slip into the pool as the six-inch catfish circle, their dark bodies clearly identified against the blue beyond. A source of life to many and an end of life for some, the reality and the solitude of the space become unbearable and we ascend.
Emerging into the fading sunlight, we laugh at each other and how nervous we felt just a few minutes ago. Dripping and giddy at our recent adventure, we head out for the next one.
Cenote Multun-Ha, near Coba (Yucatan, Mexico)
Great Pyramid, Coba (Yucatan, Mexico)
wonder, wander, and words 