Thu 20 Oct - Yucatan, Lol Caves and Ruta Puuc

Thursday morning, we went to rent a car and set out for Uxmal ruins, maybe the Route Puuc containing many more ruins, mayana cities and cenotes along the way.   We decided to head first in the direction of LolTun, the largest discovered cenote on the yucatan peninsula.  On the way there, we found ourselves driving through Muna and Ticul and Oxtuzcab where whole families were being shuttled around the pueblos on bicycle and motorcycle taxis.  We found ourselves driving part-way on a red dirt road making room occasionally for a trucks carrying families and groups of young men as well and sometimes the construction equipment working to make it a real road.

 

The LolTun cave did not disappoint.  Having driven more than an hour to arrive there, and striking up an arrangement with an English tour guide, we set off for the entrance of the caves where the Warrior image is found.   Our guide set out 3 rules which included no running, hopping, skipping (no, he was not looking at me as he said this!), or wandering from the guide (again, not looking at me).  So immediately on making the steep, rocky descent down into the cave, gruta, Sam jumped from rock to rock, happy as Larry, then Bam! slid down a few stones on his bottom.  The rule about not running was repeated again throughout the cave, some things do not stick in a boys head – maybe if they were translated into star wars speak??

 

Our guide was very good, stopping to point out the huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling and then the little stalagmites trying to grow upwards from their steady drips. 

 

Most spectacular was when we neared the end of the main tunnel and came into a huge cavern that was lit up by large openings in the ceiling.   Basically, holes in the earth about 30-feet in diameter or more opened as skylights for the cave.  Large trees above had roots that stretched down to the cave floor, maybe 90 feet or so.  These roots were often used for access into and out of the caves.   For us, fortunately, there were steps in the stone nearby to make the climb out less challenging.