Merida Day 9 - Cenote and Progreso

To continue from yesterdays post, we left Chichen Itza and drove about 3km to Ik-Kil cenote. It cost 70M$ to get in. Cenotes (say note ays) are sinkholes. There are over 6000 of them in the Yucatan and some, like Ik-Kil are in deep caves. They are fresh water and were sacred to the Mayas, all the water in the Yucatan is underground in the porus limestone.

Looking down into the cenote.

George and I were the only ones in our group who wanted to go for a swim so we stopped here for 40mins. It was just enough time to change, in the clean modern change/wash rooms, head down the carved stone stairs and climb down the wooden ladders into the water, then float around for about 10 minutes.

From one of the balconies cut into the cave.

The water was beautiful, clear, a blue colour with black catfish that you could see but they didn't bother you. It was cool but no real shock when you got in and a lot of the guys were jumping of platforms cut into the side of the cave.

From water level

Roots from the trees and bushes on the surface reach down to the water and there are waterfalls coming down the cave walls and from the hole in the centre. Altogether a lovely experience and quite literally "awesome". Pity we had such a short time there but we were late for lunch.
We were next taken to a buffet restaurant in Piste for a very nice Mexican buffet. Then we headed home. Left at 9am, they dropped us at our door at 6pm. We paid 375M$ (it was reduced as we paid cash) for the transportation, guide and lunch (Maya Era Travel). Paid 260M$ for the entrances to Chichen Itza and Ik Kil. We felt we got good value for money.

Today we decided to go to Progreso, the nearest beach to Merida. While waiting for the bus a collectivo or comi came by first, so we took it. This was another first for us. The comi is a van that does approximately the same route as the bus, charges the same and has seating for about 11 people (who don't mind being really close), we've seen them carrying more. Anyway, it was a quiet time of day and there were only 5 of us on. I thought the bus driver was fast, the comi driver was faster, able to swoop around more and just as fond of his horn. We were downtown in no time. Walked around the corner to "Autoprogreso" and paid the equivalent of $3 each for a return ticket. It took about 1/2 an hour to get out of Merida and another 20 minutes on the highway to get to Progreso.

Kite boarders with the pier in the background.

The beach is quite nice, restaurants along the road have tables and chairs out on the beach, some booths and hawkers but not much bother. We walked along the wide sidewalk by the beach til we came to an area where a big tent was being set up and there was a lot of kiteboarders, mostly female, with Subaru shirts on. It looked as if this weekend there is going to be some kiteboarding event sponsored by Subaru and Oakley. The boarders were pretty entertaining with a lot of jumping going on, wind 20 to 25 knots.
The pier in the background of the photo above was built between 1936 and 1947 and is 6.5km long. It is designed for the cargo ships and cruise ships to use as the water here is pretty shallow. We have heard that you don't want to be in Progreso when the cruise ships are in.
We had a drink at a restaurant on the beach and they served snacks, botanas, with the drinks, for free, very civilised!

Botanas consisted of nachos, salsa, refried beans and potatoes, almost a lunch!

We then continued back along the beach and had dessert. Getting very brave, got a sweet from a street vendor. Given Georges stomach troubles after we were in Oaxaca, this is taking his life into his hands.

Eating the sweet, looked like peanut brittle but was softer and had chunks

of coconut - delicious! The street vendor is in red behind George.

Some haggling with a vendor for a souvenir and some shopping in the market and we returned to Merida on a very crowded bus, luckily we didn't have to stand. Bus driver let us off at Calle 47 which saved us going downtown and busing back home.
After supper I think we are going back to the English Library for their social evening.