Quintana Roo | The Carey Adventures

It’s Sunday and I am seeing Red.

It’s a hot color that stirs the blood (also Red) and leads to excitement in most. There’s not a single calming thing from this post about traveling the world, seeing Red. Except for the Spanish guy with the umbrella, he looks pretty relaxed.

Porters, Inca Trail, Peru

Red Rocks, Nevada, USA

Country Mailbox, Carbondale, Colorado, USA

Ginger Flower In Bloom, Peru

It’s Everywhere, Fes, Morocco

Prayer Flag Above Thimphu, Bhutan

Tibetan Vagabond, Nepal

Still Going, Madaba, Jordan

Chili Peppers, Jakar, Bhutan

Up There, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Red Door, Kinsale, Ireland

Red Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio), Costa Rica

Olympic National Park Understory, Washington, USA

From inside the warmth, Nepal

Prayer Wheel, Nepal

Himalayan Flowers, Nepal

Ripe Coffee Cherries, Hawai’i, the Big Island, Hawaii, USA

Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), Amazon Basin, Peru

Masked Dancing, Paro, Bhutan

Lounging, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA

Just In Case, Nairobi, Kenya

Avalanche Ranch, Carbondale, Colorado, USA

Pay Me For Paint, Kathmandu, Nepal

Tannery Pools, Fes, Morocco

Monk Debates, Jakar, Bhutan

Make That Call, Bangkok, Thailand

Getting Ready, Aspen, Colorado, USA

Monk and not quite Jenga

Getting ready to burn in Bhutan

Unknown, Maui, Hawaii, USA

At The Maui County Fair, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Market Fruits, Delhi, India

It’s Bigger In Australia, New South Wales, Australia

Parrot Flower (Heliconia), Costa Rica

Omani Warning, Oman

Yarn In Baskets, Peru

Street Parking, Balboa Island, California, USA

Getting Ready To Ice Climb, Alberta, Canada

Photos At XPlor, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Going For A Stroll, Malaga, Spain

Cruising Life, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, USA

National Flags, Tangier, Morocco

The Jester, Paro, Bhutan

Flowers At The Market, Kathmandu, Nepal

And if Red isn’t your color of choice, there are other colors in the series.

The place was called Indiana Joe’s and yes, they used the same font at the Indiana Jones franchise, so I knew there was a good chance of cheesiness involved. Joe’s was made up around two central, natural features, a pretty cool cave system and a cenote, which is a naturally occurring underground pool.

My daughter and I were visiting Indiana Joe’s along the Riviera Maya coast of Mexico on a press trip and dang it was hot. Melting-my-brain hot. Or at least, frying-my-patience-for-a-heat-weary-kid hot. We were luxuriated with an air conditioned van, a driver and a local guide, so it seems odd to complain, but we’re from the Pacific Northwest and this kind of heat saps our strength.

Once outside of the van at Joe’s the temperature could be felt and we were eager for the caves, knowing they would be naturally air conditioned. Later we would find the cenote to be frigid, but in a good way. I have no pictures of the cenote and that is a shame, because it is a cool swim-around cave.

The funny thing about tourist attractions in this part of Mexico is they often have to make stuff up to gain tourists and Indiana Joe’s is no different. We not only visited the cave and cenote, but also the ‘zoo’ they have there. We passed on the ziplines, opting to do those another day at another place. It’s a little cheesy, but understandable since most tourists in this area want to sit on the beach and maybe see some Mayan ruins at Tulum. Maybe.

The cave system was a leisurely 50 minute walk as I remember it and quite fascinating. In places they have to chisel new paths, but 80% of the cave is natural formations and passages. It’s not a ‘true’ caving experience as there are lights-a-plenty, but it is pretty cool to look at all the same. Kids will love it and if they don’t, just mention, “Where do you think the dragons sleep?” and you will have them hooked. It’s that kind of awesome.

I love places like this, honestly. The fact that thousands of people have been through the caves and they have been blasted in places to make passage does not take away from the awe and childish wonder in me. I love the formations and marveling at what time and water can do.

Take a look for yourself at the images above. (If you can’t see the images, click here to see the post online)

Oh wait! Obligatory, but useful, links to our hosts: Indiana Joe’s & Riviera Maya.

This is one place I would visit again on my own. It was cool (and refreshing!) and I love caves. If anyone else wants me to take pictures of their caves, drop me a line.