Tamcach-Ha Cenote and dinner in Tulum
Last Friday we took a road trip to Cenote Tamcach-Ha Coba and spent a wonderful evening dining under the stars Tulum beach. Unfortunately Allan felt sick and was out in the last minute. However, he encouraged me and six of our friends to go and enjoy the day. Guilt still was, and had a day just amazing.
We leave Playa del Carmen around 13:00 in our spacious, comfortable SUV with a folding third row, allowing up to 8 persons including the driver. We drove 45 minutes south of Tulum and stopped at a road side restaurant just before the turnoff to Coba for delicious fresh fried fish tacos and shrimp with a lot of self-serve ingredients. Our friends John and Diane, stayed in the restaurant with plans to walk around Tulum for the day and meet with us later as Diane and is not just deathly afraid of water. The rest of us (me, Marge, Neil, and Marilou Jane) went to the truck and went 1 / 2 hour west of the quiet city of Coba.
The unit has been well without incidents, but interesting. There is a Talavera pottery shop clean, but expensive in the way which we go through what we've been several times. Some small Mayan villages with speed bumps serve as makeshift important mile markers, which reminds us of where we really are in the middle of the jungle. It is always interesting to see how people live on the road side buried in the interior cities of Yucatan.
The city of Coba is most notable for its beautiful lagoon that is filled with crocodiles and the spectacular Mayan ruins of Coba. In the outskirts of the city nestled in the jungle below 20 meters from the mainland is a makeshift wooden staircase to the cenote Tamcach-Ha. The dome is marked by stalactites and looms 30 feet above the water clear. Types of adventure has 2 platforms jump – one about 8 meters (26 feet) and the other 5 meters (16 feet). The water reaches a depth of 40 feet, although the background seems to be only 10 meters from the water is so clear. The entire cenote resembles a football stadium under roof with rounded and oval cupola of the cenote.
Although he did jump a foot 32 (10 meters) high Olympic diving board, once in Florida during spring training in college as a springboard, platform 8 meters cenote was much more afraid. I hit a 5-meter platform, which is bold itself. The water shot up her nose every time I hit. The impact was pretty intense, but I kept my arms and legs.
In terms of snorkeling there is not really much to see except some rocks. The cenote is artificially illuminated by a pair of lights, but in reality does not allow much to be seen underwater. Although the bottom you can see from above the water surface, underwater seems rather dark. The roof and walls of the cenote are more noticeable with remarkable stalactites and looking phallic stalagmites.
We finished swimming after an hour or so and then headed back to Lake Coba feeling very refreshed by the crisp cool waters. In the lagoon, we saw a sign indicating they would pay to see the crocodiles. Eagerly we stopped and paid a local shop owner / guidance of $ 10 pesos ($ 0.80 USD) per person to see feeding raw chicken to a crocodile with a stick. For me it was the first time you see one in its native environment and was probably the most exciting part of the day. Despite the crocodile was still young (about 4 feet), the guide showed us the finger that had been bitten by one of similar size. I foolishly put my hand stopped in the water and the closer tempting the alligator. I am very practical in many ways, but I have my moments of stupidity.
We went to Coba as darkness was setting in, picked up John and Diane at Tulum and headed for the open-air restaurant on the beach Zebra Tulum. Amid the cool ocean breeze dined on delicious fish dishes and meat and spectacular Margaritas and other mixed drinks. For dessert we relax on the chairs Beach along the coast and ate the night sky, which was full of bright and vibrant view of the Milky Way. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day. As an additional treat on our way to Tulum we dodged blue crabs running across the road.
The next time you return to Coba to visit the other 3 cenotes, that certainly would love to revisit the Tamcah-Ha Cenote, especially Allan could participate. We highly recommend to any of our beach del Carmen rental guests.
About the Author
Matt Weatherbee owns North American Standards, a Playa del Carmen rentals and property management company. He specializes in offering exquisite Playa del Carmen condo and villa rentals along the sparkling Mexican Caribbean sea.
City Folk Art
