Cenote Kankirixche

We went exploring yesterday, looking for Cenote Kankirixche.  I'm almost reluctant to write about this as it's still a little secret, difficult to find without clear directions, completely unmarked and free.

Chris, Kathy and Sylvia swimming in Cenote Kankirixche

We were returning from visiting Uxmal, travelling north through Muna, towards Merida.  There is a cross road with Hacienda Ochil on the west and the road goes to the town of Abala to the east. Taking the road into Abala, drive straight through the town.  Measuring your distance from the last cross street as you exit the east side of town, drive 6 km. east.

As you drive along, there are occasional power lines heading off to your left (north) with small, service roadways following them.  At the 6km mark, you will see much larger, metal, power transmission towers taking the electrical lines north.  Turn left on the small roadway just past these lines and drive for 2.0km to reach the cenote.  It is a very narrow, single lane dirt and rock track so it's slow going but kept well-cleared.  We actually did meet one car coming towards us but we managed to find a spot to squeeze our car to the side enough that they were able to creep by us.

You will come to a fork in the road at about 1.5 km; follow the road as it curves to the left and crosses under the power lines.  It continues curving around left until it ends at the cenote at 2.0km.

You can click on this Google Earth map  to see exactly where the cenote is located.

The girls at the edge of the cenote entrance, behind the Alamo tree

There is nothing immediately visible there except for a small clearing and a large Alamo tree.

As you walk around the tree you will see the hole in the ground and some rickety wooden steps going down into the earth.  The stairway turned out to be reasonably sturdy and ended at a small wooden platform just above the water.

The stairway down into Cenote Kankirixche

Looking up from the platform, bottom of stairs

It is a beautiful, wide open cenote, clear and shallow where you enter along one side, getting much deeper across the other side, suitable for snorkeling or scuba.  The sun lights up a small area of water creating an incredible deep glow throughout the pool and reflecting off the ceiling high above.  There are huge stalactites above and stalagmites in the water and vines and Alamo tree roots hanging down.

The road entering the clearing by the cenote

There was only one car already there when we arrived, with a couple just finishing their swim.


The water was very comfortable at about 28c, warmer than the ocean's current 24c.  We were alone while we swam in the cenote for about half an hour and we had just finished changing out of our bathing suits by our car  to leave when another car arrived.  Perfect timing!  :)

Although the road in to Cenote Kankirixche is very narrow and rough, it is well worth it as this is definitely one of the nicest cenotes I have been to.

 

Fundacion Manglar Maya

The Foundation building on Calle 12, Celestun

Celestun has a local non-profit, unfunded foundation office that is used for a variety of volunteer activities.  Our friend Marie-Francoise Lalande has been teaching free English lessons to children each Saturday morning and Chris started helping her a few weeks ago.  

 

After learning of Christine's background in nursing, the Director of the Foundation, Adis Wonka, introduced the idea of health related education sessions to a meeting of primary school parents and scheduled an introductory session, which was held on February 5.  At this initial meeting, 14 people were in attendance.  The topics of interest that they brought forward ranged from the management of hypertension to diving decompression.  Of the 14 topics suggested by the attendees, all but 2 are first aid topics.Although there is a day-time clinic here in Celestun, emergency health-care in the evenings and on weekends is nearly non-existent.  Calling the national emergency line would connect you with an ambulance service over an hour away so it is doubtful that would be of any really useful assistance. 

Christine sent a letter to the nearest Red Cross office, in Merida, to request their help for supplies and teaching.  Meanwhile, it was decided to schedule the first instructional class on Choking, for Tuesday, Feb. 10 while our friends from Alberta, Kathy Howe and Sylvia Barron, were visiting.  They are both nurses as well and offered their assistance in putting on the class.

Chris helping people practice Heimlich maneuver

Kathy Howe discussing first aid for choking babies

Kathy demonstrates back blows on a choking baby

Fifteen people showed up (13 women, some with their kids, and 2 of their husbands) and they ran two simultaneous sessions.  Kathy taught one group how to help with a choking baby while Chris and Sylvia taught the other group how to help adults.  Adis and her colleague Esa, and Marie-Francoise helped with Spanish translation and they were lively and fun sessions with active participation and lots of questions.

An attendee practises back blows on Sylvia Barron

While they await a response from the Red Cross regarding how they can help us out here, another session on Controlling Bleeding has been scheduled for next Thursday, Feb. 19.  We're hoping to organize some kind of ongoing fund-raising program as currently, the volunteers pay for all of the supplies themselves which really limits how much can be done at the Foundation.  And after learning more about the need and seeing how appreciate the attendees were, we'd really like to help provide a variety of classes for people at the Fundacion Manglar Maya.

Government sponsored door-to-door Veterinarian service

Chester, our Celestun rescued cat

Lucy, our Celestun rescued beach dog

The huge number of stray cats and dogs in this area is a serious problem without an easy solution.  Many of the locals do not believe in spaying and neutering their pets so strays roam the town and many of the expats (including us) rescue one or two cats or dogs almost every year.  Many are kept here and some are brought back to Canada or the U.S. to seek homes for them, as we did with Lucy last year.  Because of the lack of education and money, most of the unwanted animals are left to fend for themselves, often wandering the town starving and diseased.

Door to door Veterinarian

The other day we were visiting our friends Wanda, Kenn and Karen, at Celeste Vida discussing this problem when all seven of their dogs took off running and barking to greet a man at their gate.  In an amazing coincidence, it was a door to door Veterinarian!   In an effort to help alleviate the problem of poorly cared for pets, there is a government funded service out of Merida that sends veterinarians out to the smaller communities, like Celestun.  The vets actually go door to door offering free vaccinations for all of your cats and dogs.  They also offer periodic free clinics for spaying and neutering and it appears to be gaining some popularity but is of little help to all of the strays around.  

Miss Kitty getting her shot

So all of the dogs and two cats were quickly rounded up and in just a few minutes time, their shots were all completed and up to date and the Vet was off walking down the road looking for more potential canine and feline patients.