swimming in the cenote

the yucatan is dotted with sinkholes, which the mayans called dzonot and the spanish conquistadores apparently translated into cenotes. after wandering around the ruins under a hot mayan sun, our late-afternoon swim in the cool, dark waters of the ik-kil - "sacred blue" - cenote was the perfect reprieve.

ik-kil drops down 82 feet from ground level, with tree roots dangling down in the water. while i love the open seas, there was something serene and replenishing about floating on my back in the quiet of the cavern.