I counted back all my trips to Mexico and realized this is my tenth visit to the country between work and play. I recall the tour guide at Teotihuacan during my first trip back in 1985 saying "Once you've visited Mexico, it's in your heart, and you'll always return". He missed his calling in fortune telling.
Though we landed at the port of Cozumel, our excursion today was on the mainland near Playa del Carmen. The "Amazing Secret River" is a limestone cave system with an underground freshwater river located in Río Secreto Natural Reserve. This day trip didn't even exist the first time we visited the Yucatan, as the cave network wasn't discovered until 2006. That's incredible considering a few million tourists visit the area every year, and caves aren't exactly rare in limestone terrain. But once you've seen the thick, scrubby jungle of Quintana Roo State, it's easy to understand why. A stroll in the woods is neither easy nor pleasant. Tourists generally don't stray far from the beach either.
