Field Trip Friday: Swimming in a Mexican Cenote

Remember our trip from last week when I wrote about the first part of our trip to Dzibilchaltun and the House of the Seven Dolls? Turns out that there was quite a bit to see at this amazing historic Mayan site.

                                                                          (hieroglyphs)  As fascinating as the ruins were, if you asked my kids what they thought was most memorable, they’d tell you they will never forget swimming in the cenote known as Xlacah.

This water filled sinkhole is more than 140 feet deep at one end which allows visitors the opportunity to wade, swim or dive-in to the waiting, refreshing waters.

Though divers have recovered thousands of artifacts including clay vessels, jewelry, ceramic figures and skeletal remains, we were relieved to know that Xlacah is not thought to have been used for human sacrifices. 

After this tidbit of reassurance, the kids wasted no time jumping in. However, one look in the lily pad filled pool that was brimming with hundreds of tiny fish and my husband decided to sit this swim out.  Though I was tempted to dive in and escape the heat, I opted to soak my feet instead which was certainly a surprise treat.

 

It turns out that all those tiny little fish actually offer the most amazing foot massage.  If you hold your feet perfectly still, one of the fish will nibble on your foot, actually eating the dead dry skin. Even though it tickles just the slightest bit, if you refrain from moving, soon you’ll have your own little army of foot groomers. I haven’t been able to determine exactly what type of fish these are, but I do know that ladies pay a hefty price to have their feet gnawed by these little things. Aaahhh…if I only lived closer I could visit daily and have the smoothest feet on earth…

On our way back to the bus, we discovered yet another surprise….

  

cold…

…. refreshing….

………………… PEPSI!

That’s a wrap up of this week’s Field Trip Friday. Where have you been? 

Have a field trip that you’d like to share? We’re all ears, so please do. It’s really simple. Just link up with Linky Tools. It’s not necessary, but I would be grateful if you included a link back to my site so more people can learn about Field Trip Friday. Don’t forget to stop back next week for more Field Trip Friday fun!