our next adventure led us east to veracruz state.
we drove through the day, seeing more volcanoes, and ended up in a little town called zongolica. beautiful and tropical, this rural community consisted of around 5,000 people and was nestled between steep, lush mountains. we heard birds singing while being greeted by friendly locals.
The town was absolutely stunning. i couldn’t believe that we were there, to be honest. ‘we finally hit authentic rural mexico’ i thought to myself. the town was created by mountain roads zig-zagging in and out, up and down, and in every which direction. the town itself looked as if it were a glacial pool in the middle of a cascade mountain range, and the water running off the cliffs looked like the roads. i've never seen anything like it. It reminded me of peru based on the films and pictures ive seen: jagged cut, steep mountains, thick green trees, churches with stone-covered streets. i wanted to see and experience everything.
we found a little cabin tucked away in the trees to rent. It cost 200 pesos a night, which as around 12 us dollars - definitely cheaper than other cabins i've rented in the past. the cabin was cozy and warm. e settled in and opened every window to let the fresh air of the jungle in. I would describe it as quaint, soft, and quiet.
we started planning our main activity for the next day right away so we could prepare our gear and lay out our clothes, and be as efficient as possible. helby found a little guiding company in the middle of town that agreed to take us to the cave we were most excited to see: sótano de popocatl. we could rappel 100m down into the earth next to a decent-sized waterfall. we both saw this online before our trip started and knew we wanted to figure out how to make it happen. i couldn’t sleep that night, I was too excited and full of jitters for the day to come.
we woke up, made coffee, put on the kuhl layers we laid out the night before, and headed out, meeting our guides by the church at the center of town. today was the day i was finally going to get on some ropes and rappel 100m down into the sótano de popocatl. cave! i felt pretty comfortable on ropes, especially living in southern utah and rappelling and climbing in places like zion, and joshua tree. but this was going to be unlike any cave or landscape i had ever experienced. i felt it in my bones. it was going to be a good day.
as soon as we started, i felt out of my comfort zone. our guides didn’t speak any english, and we didn’t feel as prepared as i thought we would. luckily, i had helby to translate, and we were both easygoing and ready for whatever happened .the guides were friendly, regardless of the language barrier, and they mostly picked fun at my spanish speaking skills (or lack thereof). they laughed at the only phase i could say, which was “no hablo espanol”. they also made fun of my terrible hand signals. but overall they were excited we were there.
the town of zongolica doesn't get many american tourists. they said it's been a very long time since they've seen americans in the area because mexico doesn't have the best reputation in the us media, and not a lot of people are willing to explore places outside of the usual touristy spots. this made a lot of sense to me and i felt sad because this place was absolutely insane (in a good way), and everyone was friendly to us, thus far. i imagined zongolica being a very popular area. The people of zongolica want people to come explore and see what the area has to offer. they told me i was the first american client that did not speak spanish. Mind-blowing for sure.
traveling with our guides really couldn’t have been a better experience. we laughed while driving on some of the worst dirt roads i’ve ever encountered. we saw locals building homes around cliffs along with the occasional catholic shrine placed outside front doors. kids were barefoot and kicking soccer balls in the middle of the road. so much to see and take in. this is when the feeling hit me - i was experiencing a different culture. it was beautiful.
when we finally made it to the trailhead the locals made a quick meal for us. They made sure we were well-fed and ready for the day ahead. the guides commented on the gear we were wearing while passing around tortillas. they said they really liked the brand, which was really cool to me. more small talk took place, i tried to understand the conversations, but I didn’t. and then we started hiking to the cave.
half of a mile later, we arrived. thick brush and thousands of butterflies surrounded a deep hole in the middle of the earth. water was gushing down on the far side. i couldn’t believe my eyes. this moment was out of a movie scene. the sun was shining down, the water was glistening and light rays were shining on the animals and insects inhabiting the area. crystal blue waters. we were going to rappel down this thing?!?
once i took the first step off the ledge, every nerve in my body tensed up. it was as if i was free falling. obviously, i wasn’t - i was tied in, but there in the center of the cave, i felt like i was floating, surrounded by the most beautiful rock walls and greenery i've ever seen. every nerve was on fire, i felt electric.
when we made it down safely, shivers ran down my spine and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. you know, the shivers you get when you feel alive and you can’t believe that where you are or what you’re doing. that's what i felt - I must be in some magical distant land far away, or in an entirely different realm.
the water was gushing and crashing down the side of the cave, creating an atmosphere of mist, and making everything wet when exposed. i glanced at helby and realized we were both soaked, and completely happy. i suddenly saw one of the guides dive into the middle of the pool. it looked like he was diving in slow motion. amazing i kept saying, amazing.
we decided to journey to the end of the cave, where the water was flowing out. there were huge blue butterflies everywhere, and fish in the water. too many amazing things i thought to myself, there’s too much to soak in.
i realized there was no way out at the end of the cave, so that must mean we’d have to go back up the same way we came down - by judging ourselves back up the rope for 100 meters. i spent the remainder of the time left adventuring and taking as many pictures as i could, all the while trying not to think about the challenge ahead.
Henley and I each had 20-30 pounds of equipment on our backs. Going up was a very, very slow process. my skin started to burn at the ankles from rubbing against foot loops and i couldn't tell what was sweat or water at this point. but it didn't matter, not at all. my body was on fire. pain was the last thing i was thinking about. how could I think about pain here, in this place? i kept looking around to soak in as much as i could before i had to say goodbye.
we made it up and hiked back out. time seemed to disappear. we had been in the cave for most of the day, and there wasn’t a lot of light left. my clothes dried quicker than i expected, which was nice.
our guides drove us back while the light slowly faded to golden hour, then to blue. it was hard for me to understand their conversation, but they started using simpler words so i wouldn’t feel so left out.
grins and hugs were exchanged when we arrived into town. we made it back just in time for dinner but i didn’t want to leave this experience quite yet, and helby didn’t either. we decided to hire them again for the next day so to keep the adventures rolling. they agreed and would take us to another amazing cave called boquerón on the rio tonto river. we would head out the next morning.
