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Throughout a modern go to to Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, we turned fascinated by the Mayan Society and their non secular heritage. In addition to the dozens of ancient pyramid-temple ruins that are spread through the spot, there are also many revered underworld caves to investigate.
The Rio Secreto (riosecreto.com) is a very advisable tour organization that specializes in a naturalist’s approach to checking out these sacred caves as nicely as their religious importance, and interlaced with the exhilaration and adventure of swimming in an underground river and mountaineering by way of caves and caverns that are hundreds of thousands of decades aged.
Rio Secreto… The Underground River in a Cave
We experienced an open, unplanned day and pondered a zip-line about the jungle canopy, an ATV driving practical experience by way of the jungle or an eco-tour in a cave. Staying out voted two to 1 we went with the “much less demanding” solution and booked the cave tour.
Arriving at the Base Camp
We arrived at the reception office environment situated on the edge of the jungle reserve and boarded a van for a bumpy 20 moment journey even more into the jungle to the base camp middle where an orientation lecture took spot.
We ended up briefed on the pristine mother nature of the ecosystem we ended up about to enter and the importance that these caves and their freshwater played on the survival of the Maya people.
We instantly obtained the impact that we ended up about to embark on an attention-grabbing adventure with the probable of being one thing incredible.
After the orientation we reluctantly placed all of our valuables (watches, cameras, jewelry, wallets and IDs) into the lockers that are supplied. Subsequent we all experienced a “cleansing” shower in our bathing fits (thank goodness) to rid us of all sprays, perfumes, and oils… that pristine detail all over again.
Time to costume for the celebration with a variety flattering (possibly or possibly not) shorter sleeves, shorter legs wetsuit, booties, everyday living jacket and a challenging hat with a miner’s light-weight… we are all receiving a tiny much more nervous but before you can chicken-out we are off to the precise cave’s entrance.
On the way, we stopped for a Mayan blessing ceremony before we entered the sacred cave… all smoke no mirrors.
Into the Cave and the Sacred River Chambers
Together the way our information, Pablo, defined the aim of our journey… there are thirteen “Superior States” and nine “Bad” and we ended up about to go by way of a “Re-Birth” underground to come up out of the cave into the Superior Condition. Is anybody next this?
Down the spiral staircase we go into the underworld of darkness with our challenging hat lights on and our enthusiastic information rattling on and on about the non secular experiences we ended up heading by way of.
We arrived at a flat location and reviewed the up coming section… Can everyone swim? Can everyone match by way of a four square foot gap? Is anyone claustrophobic?
Ok… Level of no return and you commence to query accurately what the heck are you accomplishing in a cave, in a jungle, in Mexico, with a stranger telling you how fantastic it will be! This part was not in the advertising brochure!
The a few of us in our group just seemed at each individual other and arrived to an agreement that the trek back up was more difficult than heading forward… let’s go for it!
Full Immersion Physically and Mentally
We ended up instantly rewarded for that selection when we noticed the certainly astounding mineral formations, chambers of crystals, stalactites and stalagmites, all of which took hundreds of thousands of decades to make, and the see was enhanced by the crystal apparent h2o of the Rio Secreto itself.
It was onward and downward and the h2o was receiving deeper… ankle to knee to chest to then floating in your everyday living jacket in an underground river. The h2o temperature was nice and the movement fee created the swim easier.
Throughout the one and a 50 percent hour tour we wound up squeezing by way of a four square foot archway, going for walks and climbing by way of a sequence of caverns and swimming by way of apparent blue pools (cenotes) propelled by the river itself.
The Underground Purely natural Cathedral Knowledge
The group glided alongside with our guides and a photographer right up until we settled in a shallow lagoon spot and sat on the sandy edge… then it was “lights out” for about 5 minutes to “experience the spirit and tranquility of this sanctuary”.
Pitch black, with the faint audio of an occasional solitary h2o droplet off in the length the senses of sight, smell, audio, and touch ended up all suspended in the darkness.
You really do get the non secular consequences of the instant.
We ended up instructed to flip our lights back on and glimpse up at the ceiling. We ended up sitting down in what appeared to be a Cathedral of organic formations.
Exiting the Underground and Our Rebirth
The group moved in muted silence… climbing a light slope out of the underworld possessing our senses return, even so slowly, as we ended up “reborn” into the real planet… the smell of the damp and musty earth… the emotion of the humidity on our skin… the brightness of the colours and sunshine, and at last the sounds of the jungle.
The emotion of coming out of an certainly international ecosystem and into our “typical” planet… was intensive.
Absolutely everyone was silent at to start with and then we all turned very animated and fired up about the go to to the Rio Secreto.
A Poem by One of our Fellow Tourists Kathy Baus
EL RIO SECRETO
alluring with / her many charms / she held mystery / in a sunless / sea of guarantees / as she slips / deep / into the crystallized / planet beneath / carved and curving / she’s dark / scrumptious / daring / divine / and dangerous / etched / with time / and h2o
Summary
The “minimum demanding” tour solution proved to be an certainly astounding adventure for the spirit and the visible imagery of the brain.
WOW sums up our emotions!
After all, what is the hurry… be encouraged…
© 2017 Encouraged Journey Itineraries with Bob and Janice Kollar
©Kathy Baus, El Rio Secreto, October 26, 2016
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Supply by Bob Kollar
