Cobá, a Day Trip from Cancun

Swimming in cave cenotes is an activity offered by several adventure expedition
companies in the Tulum/Cobá area. Photo by Lori Federico

Cancun is far more than the close-by exciting destination that we all read about in the travel magazines (and my blog, of course). It’s far more than the tiny village that I watched grow into a mega-resort since my first visit 34 years ago. It is the ultimate base in Mexico for exciting “day trips”. So, anticipating what this “day trip” would offer, I awaited the van to transport several other visitors and me into the Yucatecan jungle, expecting an Indiana Jones-type adventure.

How indeed would lunch, in part to be cooked in a bucket on an open fire in the jungle, compare with my posh Cancun hotel breakfast in bed?

Actually, it is one of myriad of day-trips available to broaden the Cancun travel experience. The van pulled up on time, bearing our trim, very fit jungle guides. Together, we motored south along the Caribbean through the Riviera Maya. At Tulum, we headed west, deep into the verdant jungles of the state of Quintana Roo.

A lazy Mexican street dog is interested in Altournative’s jungle van.

The AllTourNative van arrived and I shared my cup of coffee with our sleepy-eyed guide, Jeanette, and we hit the road in the direction of Tulum. Good roads made the two-hour ride into the jungle easy and comfortable, and the informative conversation prepared me for my day’s experience.

A Hanal Pixán altar is offered to a Maya ancestor.     

We arrived in the little Maya village of Cobá comfortably after sunrise and met the village elders. Mario then led us on a brief walk. Wild turkeys, chickens and friendly street dogs (God help me… I love Mexican street dogs) lazily stepped out of our path through and around Cobá (named and inhabited by descendants of the ancient Maya archeological site that we would visit later). We visited during the weekend of Hanal Pixán, an ancient purely Maya celebration unique to the Yucatan, similar to El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) which is really a Mestizo event celebrated more in other regions of Mexico. Inhabitants busily competed in building spectacular altars honoring their ancestors. The stop and the short tour delayed our rappelling and zip-lining, but were worth the time.

Our wanderings soon ended atop a cliff, nature’s wall at a jungle ravine. There, our eyes slid down a long rope to a clearing near a small pool of water. The rope was about the only way to get down there alive. When Mario asked who would slide first, dead silence screamed back at him from the 30-somethings in our group. Deciding that Alltournative had nothing to gain by publicly killing off travel writers, I stepped to the edge of the cliff, embraced technique instructions, then heroically stepped off backwards, slid effortlessly down the rope and landed on my feet. Amazing. I was followed quickly by the others.

All down, we followed a long trail to a tall wooden platform high in the jungle canopy. A long cable extended beyond sight through the tree tops to a landing pad. Again, Mario asked, “Who’s first?” Again, no one said a word. It was up to me. I figured “I’ve had a good life… why not?” I stepped up and climbed into the safety harness, then suddenly rushed along a sturdy cable through the treetops. My seemingly-super speed slowed as the cable took an upward turn and I enjoyed a comfortable landing. Another “daring” maneuver completed, I found my prior anxiety unwarranted. I would attempt to be the first for everything from now on!

A bucket of corn kernels boils over a campfire 

in preparation of lunch.  

Hungry and tired from jungle commando tactics, we headed to the primitive outdoor dining room set up to feed the village’s guests. Ready and waiting, the aromas of these rich, colorful Maya-rooted dishes were mouthwatering. Just outside the dining area, a bucket of crushed corn kernels in water was bubbling away on a campfire. Instead of tortillas, this thick corn mush is spread on a hot cooking surface to make empanadas and other traditional dishes.

Achiote, grown in every village yard, liberally provides food with a very light seasoning and a rich, dark, red color. Chicken with achiote, a Cobá favorite, quickly became mine, too.

Achiote Chicken is prepared for guests of the Maya village, Cobá  

We all enjoyed both the traditional foods and the respite in preparation for our next adventure.

Reluctantly re-boarding the van, we left the road for a jungle lagoon a quarter mile away. Jostling around on the bumpy dirt vehicle path, I quickly understood why the van had a few dents.

Kayaking through a jungle canal is on the agenda

We reached piers jutting out into the jungle lagoon… a man-made cut for navigation in colorful kayaks through dense vegetation. Drenched from the steady rain that had increased from a morning drizzle, we soon left the kayaks for a steep muddy path to the mouth of the cave. A shaman in a shelter at the cave’s entrance consecrated the group and let the spirits know that we were coming and meant them no harm. After some chanting and burning of incense, we thanked the shaman for his ritual and headed toward the cave opening, noticing for the first time that the shaman had a tip jar.

Achiote is grown in the yards of many families
 in the Maya village of Cobá

Crawling feet-first on hands and knees about 15 feet through a narrow passageway, we came to wooden stairs we could follow over 100 feet down into the darkness to what turned out to be a deep, beautiful, clear cave cenote. I heard a splash and saw guide Jeanette swimming in the cool water. Before long, we all refreshingly joined her, then, headed back to the van to bid adios to the Cobá area. Driving back into the jungle on a secondary road, we drove through exotic terrain. Colorful parrots flew everywhere. Spider monkeys replaced dogs as household pets. Jaguars, much revered, held to their jungle safety… and, thankfully, we saw none (but assumed that they were there, as they are protected by the Mexican government).

This temple at Cobá is the second tallest in the Yucatan peninsula.  

An hour later, we arrived at the ruins of the ancient Maya city and village namesake of Cobá, one of the oldest Mayan architectural sites on the Yucatan peninsula. Its name meaning “waters stirred by wind”, Cobá thrived during the Classic period (600-900 A.D.), yet may have been previously inhabited for as much as 1,000 years.

The Observatory

A local guide walked us through the first group of buildings (Grupo Cobá) as far as the ritual ball court. Some of us rented bicycles, riding a gravel road a quarter-mile into the jungle to see (and for me… to climb) the main pyramid (the peninsula’s second tallest) and to view the well-preserved observatory.

As dusk quickly approached, we headed back in the van to the 21st century luxury of our Cancun hotel after a full day of adventures that we thought Indiana Jones would have enjoyed and envied.

The well-worthwhile day (12 hours-plus) costs about $120 per person, including lunch, experienced guides and transportation.
For more information, see:
http://www.alltournative.com on the Internet.
http://cancun.travel/en/

It would seem that this would be the perfect place to offer a recipe for an achiote chicken dish, but I just posted one for Pollo Pibil in my last article on Uxmal. Refer to it if the idea of the achiote chicken interests you… however, my resident expert on dishes typical to the Yucatan is Chef David Sterling of Los Dos Cooking School in Merida. He suggests that you try to cook outside of the Maya box and prepare a Crèma de Aguacate. Not truly Mayan, as most of the ingredients are post contact, but it is popular on the peninsula.

CREMA DE AGUACATE
Creamy chilled avocado soup
Nothing quite says “Mexico” like guacamole. And why shouldn’t it, since the avocado is indigenous to southern subtropical Mexico? It has been cultivated since at least 6000 B.C., and in fact Mexico remains the world’s largest producer of the fruit, which is a member of the laurel family. Guacamole itself is an ancient Mexican concoction – from the Nahuatl word ahuacamolli, meaning “avocado sauce” – composed of mashed avocados, chopped tomato, onion and culantro (also known as “long cilantro”, a New World relative of cilantro) much as it is today. You will probably find cilantro with ease in the U.S…. culantro with difficulty… Ubiquitous in every Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurant in the United States and Canada – and even at many bars where it is offered as a snack item – guacamole long ago trumped onion dip as the dip of choice at casual parties. Less known is crema de aguacate – or avocado cream – found throughout Mexico and particularly in Yucatán, where it is served as a thick spread for bread and sometimes a dip for chips. Enriched with cream, it may also be eaten as a soup. We have combined recipes for both crema de aguacate and guacamole to make a refreshing, chilled soup. Topped with crispy tortilla chips and pico de gallo, the scrumptious result is like eating guacamole with a spoon!

• 2 Tbs. (30ml) vegetable oil
• 6 medium tomates verdes (tomatillos), about 10 oz/270g, husks and stems removed, washed and coarsely chopped
• 2 chiles serranos, seeded, deveined and coarsely chopped
• 10 oz (300 g) scallions, or white onion, or a mix of both, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 10 cups (2.5 liters) chicken or vegetable stock

STEP ONE: In a stockpot heat the vegetable oil; add the vegetables and sweat them until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook on moderate heat for another 15-20 minutes until tomatillos are completely tender and losing their form.

STEP TWO: Using a blender, food processor or immersion blender, purée the vegetable/stock mixture. Allow to cool thoroughly, then refrigerate. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

• 1/4 cup (125ml) lime juice
• 5-6 large ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1/4 cup (125ml) cilantro, finely chopped, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup (250ml) crema (Substitute: créme fraîche or sour cream)
• Salt and pepper to taste

STEP THREE: As soon as soup base is completely chilled, add lime juice, avocados and cilantro. Purée thoroughly with a blender, food processor or immersion blender. Whisk in the crema. Check for seasonings and return to refrigerator until ready to serve.

TO SERVE: Pour soup into bowls. Arrange fried tortilla strips in a stack in the center of the soup. Top with a spoonful of fresh pico de gallo.