Christmas holiday travelogue, cont'd

A huge agave plant near our hammocks, probably about 10' tall. This isn't the blue agave, but rather another variety used for all manner of things.
One of our group members watching Petrus' helper tending the fire where the rocks were being heated. The fire ring surrounds this, and is the location from which the temazcal ceremony begins.

We were invited to relax in the hammocks while Petrus told us of the Mayan time, the calendars, the tradition of the sweat lodge, and much, much more. Who can resist a hammock??


The path to the sweat lodge.

The cenote, just one of many in the Yucatan's huge underground water system. This one's water is amber colored, cool and so refreshing after our time in the lodge. Mayans make a pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, and this cenote is one of their stops. We wondered why the surrounding walkways had not been maintained better, because of the location's importance.div>

Day Four
We awoke to beautiful warm, sunny weather and drove north to one of the marinas, arriving a little early for our day of sailing. The owners of this business are Americans from Missouri, and they were in the States for the holidays. However, their capable crew took care of all our needs, and provided us with a fun-filled, relaxing (except for a few scary minutes in the water) day.


From the time we left the marina, the guys let us know that it was our day to do, or not do, whatever we wanted, and further, that their job was to make sure we had whatever we needed to do it! Our vessel was a catamaran; there were 13 passengers, 2 crew members and the captain. It was a diverse group; one young couple with 2 young daughters, preschool and elementery school age, another family with 2 grown sons, a single guy who spent all of his vacation in the Caribbean, escaping Nebraska winters, and an older couple. The wife was clearly going along because her husband had wanted to do this. She could not get out in the sun, and so sat beneath the canopy for the entire day, dressed in long pants, long sleeved shirt, floppy-brimmed hat and shades. Despite the bracelets and patch that she was wearing, she battled with seasickness nearly the entire day, and, admirably, put up a good fight!
One crew member hoisted the sails immediately, as we caught a good breeze early. The captain cut the engine, and the boat danced across the water in silence. Pure bliss!

We sat near the bow, holding on, just in case, and let the sun, the air, and the sights soak in.

Perhaps days like these become routine for those who do it, but for me, it will always be a special thrill.
The crew made sure all had drinks of their choosing, even the little ones, who had n/a pina coladas. The captain set about preparing a huge amount of fresh guacamole and pico de gallo, which he served up to us all - Yummy! Then he fired up the charcoal grill, mountain off the stern of the boat, and began cooking our lunch - flank steak, chicken wings, pasta salad and more. We had hoped that the two lines which had been cast earlier would catch some fish for our lunch, but, sadly they didn't.
We sailed, ate and drank for a couple of hours, engaged in light conversation, and dozed in the sun.
The wind laid, the sails were brought in and we headed for the reef, to snorkle. Neither of us had done this, so we were given vests, a one minute lesson, and told how to get out of the boat and into the water without injuring ourselves. I was on my own in this vast sea! Before I knew it, I was way too far from the boat, and was fast losing the strength to get back. Hubby saw this and jumped in, thinking he could help. Unfortunately, he isn't as good a swimmer as I am, so they threw me a line and hauled me in. I was the catch of the day!
We bobbed around the reef for awhile, then weighed anchor and headed for Isla de Pasion (Passion Island) for some beachcombing.
My only disappointment today was that the wind didn't come back up and afford us the opportunity to try out the spinnaker. After bringing those who had gone ashore back to the boat, we headed back for the marina.
It was, for the most part, a beautiful, fun day. I could get used to this!