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Almost all of the hotels have private beaches covered with some of the finest, softest, white sand that the Caribbean has to offer. A blend of shell and ground coral, the powdery sand reflects the hot sun and retains less heat due to its composition. This makes it an absolute pleasure to walk upon while the bath warm water Caribbean laps at your feet. Tempted? It’s easy to see how one could easily spend their entire holiday lounging in paradise, but please, if you ever have the good fortune to find yourself in Cancun, pry yourself away from the beach for at least a few days. There’s a whole other world waiting for you. Pac Chen If you only do a one day trip from Cancun, I’d highly recommend one of Alltournative Tours forays into the undeveloped Mexican wilderness. It’s the kind of tour that’s not advertised everywhere; you have to know what to ask for. Established only five years ago, Alltournative provides the kind of experiences you can feel good about. Working directly with the native people of isolated Mayan villages, Alltournative helps develop the marvelous areas surrounding the villages, creating jobs for the locals and providing a means of income. Pac Chen is only one of the villages to which Alltournative brings visitors. Located about a three hour drive from the center of Cancun, an early departure is necessary. As you get closer to Pac Chen, you’ll see other Mayan villages spread out along the bumpy road. Wooden huts line the road, and turkeys, dogs and pigs roam wild. Our guide points out a schoolhouse – one small pink building serving all the children from houses we had passed spread out along the highway. It’s a different kind of life. I’m surprised how primitive the road to Pac Chen is once we turn off the main highway. But until recently, a road of any sort didn’t exist. The villagers take great pride in this road which allows vehicular access to Pac Chen. Before, the only way in was a long walk through the forest. The area surrounding Pac Chen is classified as a middle tropical forest, not quite a jungle. But for all intents and purposes, I felt like I was in the middle of the jungle, with not a sign of civilization around me. Arrival at the village is a welcome relief from the bumpy road. Tourists aren’t taken directly into the village itself; Alltournative respects the privacy of the people living there and a special hut has been set up for us. This is where we’re taken upon arrival to prepare for our day. There are outhouses behind the shed – but don’t expect running water. Flushing here involves the sprinkling of wood chips and sawdust down the toilet. Several of the villagers also sell their artwork here – items for sale include handmade jewelry, textiles and woodwork. Setting off
from the village, our guide, Patricia, along with one of the villagers,
leads us on a well worn path through the forest. She stops every so often
to point out interesting trees and plants. “Sometimes,” Patricia says,
“you will see monkeys and birds. It depends on what nature wants to show
us.” That day, unfortunately, nature kept its wildlife to itself. But it
didn’t matter, there was plenty else to keep our minds and senses stimulated.
The next activity, albeit one that made my heart race with excitement, fear and uncertainty, is one of the most stimulating and thrilling travel experiences I’ve ever had. Walking only a bit farther into the forest brings us to a railed hole in the ground, where another group of tourists peer downwards. Hesitantly, I walk over and have a peek at what awaits me. Wooden decks line a big opening in the ground, and all I can see are various figures hanging on ropes, seemingly suspended in mid-air. Below them, clear blue water twinkles in the sunlight sneaking in through two holes in the roof of the cave. The double shafts of light pierce the water in such a way that they bring to mind eyes of a jaguar, and the cenote that lies within is appropriately called Jaguar Cenote. At the bottom of a huge cave, the cenote, or sinkhole, is filled with twenty feet of rain water that has been filtered through limestone over thousands of years. We’re still
strapped into our harnesses and to rappel down into the cenote, we only
need to be hooked up to a single thick rope. Patricia demonstrates how
to hang on to the rope and let it move slowly through the hook. This simple
action lowers you down the 13 meter drop to the water. It looks difficult,
but once I’m sitting in my harness, gripping the rope, it’s quite straightforward.
I keep my hand tucked under my bottom and let the rope out very slowly.
It’s much easier than I thought, and the scenery is so impressive that
I forget to be scared.
After a canoe ride on a lake near the village, we’re served a fresh, tasty, home-cooked Mayan lunch, cooked by three women from Pac Chen. A perfect end to a perfect adventure. Garrafon Only a 30 minute boat ride from Cancun sits Isla Mujeres (Isle of Women). Even more spectacular turquoise waters greet you on the speedy trip over; the Caribbean’s clear waters dance and sparkle, and depending on its depth, the color of the water can be anything from dark green to the lightest of blues. The only thing better than looking at the water is actually being in it, and one of the best places to do this is Garrafon. The nature park of the island, Garrafon offers so many exciting activities that an entire day here is necessary. First on our agenda is a walking tour of the park. Huge squawking parrots sit on tree branches, happy to pose for photos. Iguanas of all sizes dart across the paths and conceal themselves in the myriad of labeled plants and flowers. The paths eventually lead upwards to Punta Sur, the southern point of the island, where modern sculptures adorn the rocky, cactus covered ground. A stone temple dedicated to Ixchel, goddess of fertility, overlooks the sea. One of Garrafon’s
biggest attractions is snorkeling. The MesoAmerican Reef System, second
only to the Great Barrier Reef, runs alongside Isla Mujeres and is part
of a protected National Park. Snorkeling here guarantees repeated sightings
of tropical fish. All snorkelers must wear lifejackets and stay out of
the roped off areas, to ensure that the reef won’t be harmed. Simply touching
the coral can prove extremely hazardous to its health.
Once I was
sufficiently water logged, I decided it was time to try one of Garrafon’s
land activities - the zip line. I get strapped into another harness and
climb a small wooden tower. The first cable runs from here, over the edge
of the island to another tower, where someone waits to catch you. It’s
a quick and exhilarating ride.
Although I’d been scuba diving many times, I wasn’t prepared for the excitement of being able to breathe underwater unencumbered by heavy tanks. It’s such a wonderful sensation that I laughed out loud, which would have been impossible if I’d had a regulator in my mouth. We climb down the ladder and stand on the sandy bottom, where the guide points out steel railings. Since the helmets are quite heavy and the currents on the sea floor can be strong, we have to walk slowly while continually hanging on to the railing. Even so, I can feel my body swaying with the undertow. Once we get
our bearings, the guide brings a water bottle out of his wet suit and opens
it in front of our faces. Instantly, what seems like thousands of colorful
tropical fish fill the water around us. Fish is all I can see. They swarm
around us, bumping into my arms and legs and I’m able to reach out and
touch them with my bare hands. I feel like a child who had been magically
transported into Finding Nemo. Afterwards, we’re told that the bottle contains
fish food.
La Distileria What better
place to eat dinner than at a tequila distillery. With a boisterous atmosphere
and every table packed, laughter flows freely. But forget everything you
know about how to drink tequila. Here, they’ll teach you the true Mexican
way to savor the drink. There’ll be no downing shots of the fiery liquid
followed by lime and salt. At La Distileria, they serve tequila in small
cactus shaped shot glasses – and the tequila is sipped slowly.
The following is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
To contact
Dawnelle Click Here
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Islands
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