After a great week in Merida we crossed the peninsula to Puerto Morelos on the Riviera Maya where we were lucky to stay right on the beach. The water was calm, clear, and turquoise – and very warm!
We took another daylong tour which started at an amazing – and sometimes terrifying – cave used by the mayans to hide from attackers and later during storms. After crawling through some tight spaces, it opened up completely and it was just us, the bats, and some very large spiders in the dark. We saw remains of Mayan pottery used for cooking as well as human bones. Some stalactites were hollow and when you tapped on them they made beautiful sounds.
After the heat of the cave we went to another cenote that only had a small opening. The plan had been to rappel but they didn’t have the gear so, instead, we had to climb down a 60 foot ladder that was was not exactly sturdy, it moved, and it was missing a few rungs. Did we mention that Johanna is afraid of heights? Check out the photos to see how small we are compared to the height of the ladder. But it was worth it as we again had the cenote basically to ourselves except for…. you guessed it – the bats and the huge spiders. We then went to a dry cenote where Dennis and the kids finally got to rappel down to the bottom where they met a small crocodile. Afterwards, we went to a Mayan village and had an incredible, homecooked meal cooked directly on a fire and were blessed by the local shaman.
One of reasons we went to Puerto Morelos is because Mira really, really wanted to go snorkeling. Riviera Maya is home to the second largest reef in the world – the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system. It’s a protected park so you can only visit with a guide and they take you there on a short boat ride. It was already pouring so we were soaked before we even got in the water! That didn’t detract from how amazing it was. We saw so many different fish and even got to see a turtle and, before long, the sun started to shine through the water.
As if this wasn’t enough excitement, Dennis and the kids also went ziplining, starting above the Yucatan treeline. Johanna “afraid-of-heights” Steinberg suddenly had to work that day…
(Click on the photos below to see the full size.)
This Is Not Brooklyn. 
One reply on “Puerto Morelos, Mexico”
Quite amazing!! How did you find all these adventures? The ladder is particularly impressive!
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