Cozumel, Mexico

On November 18th we arrived to Cozumel in Mexico, which is an Island off the Yucatan Peninsula

The yellow one is our ferry that took us to Playa Del Carmen

Sam enjoying a beer on the ferry until our tour guide which was sitting next to us..told us we were not allowed to drink before the excursion because we had to be able to have good balance. He explained that we could slip, hit our head on a sharp rock and bleed to death by the time paramedics could get to us...lol..just kidding he didn't say we could bleed to death but he did say we could seriously be injured.

The before picture

On the ferry, which was really nice. They made margaritas, pina coladas, daiquiris etc but did not have one since we were not allowed :(

Playa Del Carmen which is about 40 miles south of Cancun. It was so beautiful!!!

One of the hotels

Entrando al Rio Secreto

El Rio Secreto ( The Secret River) is in a totally remote area fifteen minutes from Playa Del Carmen. Arriving after a very bumpy 15 minutes we had to get into our swimsuits then put on wetsuits that ended at our knees (which made me look very fat in the picture below ggrr).  Oh but before we put on the wetsuits we had to wash our entire bodies with fresh water to take off any lotions and oils which could do harm to the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave. The final piece to our outfit was the hardhat with a light at the top...it was very stylish..lol.

The river is a stunning underground river with thousands dramatic stalactites, stalagmites and very clear water. (Stalagmites are a type of limestone that rises from the floor of cave and stalactites hangs from the ceiling due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate). The river has Cenotes (sinkholes) which are filled with ground water and was used by the Mayans as a primary source of water. The Mayans also would use the river as a way of purifying  themselves. It was crazy because we would be walking and the water would go from being at our ankles to our waist, to our shoulders and then having to swim because the floor would disappear.

So for safety reasons we were not allowed to take our cameras. They had their own photographer taking pictures which you could purchase but they were expensive. Which is why we only purchased one...lol. The pictures below I got from websites...I wanted to show how  truly spectacular it was.

We got to an area like this and our guide said "We are going to sit here Indian style and I am going to turn off the flash light, please turn off the light on your hardhats." Let me just say that it was pitch dark.. the only light we had was on our hardhats and the flash light that our guide had. Then he continued to explain that the Mayans also would come down to the cave to meditate. "Please take the chance to listen to your surroundings and feel the energy that is present" he said. So here we are sitting in a cave with water to our waist in the dark...I am totally relaxed taking in this amazing experience and feeling the energy of course..lol. Then I feel my husband who is next to me take a hold of my hand and squeezing it tight..I am thinking aawww he is feeling the same thing (am smiling in the dark ). After about 5 minutes our guide turns back his flashlight and tells us to go ahead and turn on our lights, then we continue with the tour. 

Later when we were having lunch I asked my husband "So did you feel the energy too is that why you grabbed my hand?". His response was "No I was scared..the movie the descent was in my head and I was just waiting for a freaking creature to attack us. Also thinking that when he was going to turn the flashlight back on we were going to see some kind of creature swimming away."  There I was thinking he was being romantic...LOL!!

The 90 minute underground tour was an experience that will have a lasting memory for us. Afterward we got a chance to relax take in the surrounding scenery, while we had lunch.

The after picture..on the ferry going back to Cozumel. We did some shopping and then headed back on the cruise ship.