AlexSunrise
3483
End of summer break: Arrecife Alacranes
Sep 25, 2014,14:49 PM
Dear Friends,
Lately I haven't been as active on the forums as I would want, and I apologize for that. Work and the travel derived from it has kept me quite busy, luckily with the end of summer approaching I took the time for a much needed getaway.
The place? Arrecife Alacranes (Scorpion Reef), in the Gulf of Mexico, which is located 140 kms north of Progreso, Yucatán.
Reason? Scuba diving, and mental sanity, of course!
How? On a live aboard boat, in fact, my first experience in one. A couple of friends of mine found out about the excursion to this remote location and invited me. Needless to say, after a quick google search on the place, I was completely sold on going! The anticipation only grew stronger as the time came closer.
Here are some photos of the trip. I hope you enjoy them!
This is a reference to where the reef is located. The only inhabited island is Isla Pérez, with a colony of about 30 or so people living there. There is an influx of seasonal inhabitants, mainly marine biologists which visit for 2 or 3 months at a time for survey purposes. The rest of the islands are safe havens for migrating birds.
Having arrived around noon into Mérida, and after an early morning flight, it was time to stack up on calories for the trip, as I did not know what or how often we would eat out there. Naturally, I made my way to a typical restaurant called La Chaya Maya, in the heart of Mérida. Chaya is the leaf of the spinach tree, and it is highly regarded in southern México. A favorite way of consuming it is in chaya water, which is a sort of lemonade with chaya in it. Quite tasty and refreshing considering the high heat and humidity which cover these latitudes.
As soon as I sat down, a basket of chips was brought alongside some pico de gallo, xnipec (habanero sauce), refried beans, and a peanut paste. All quite tasty to much on while my meal came out.
To hydrate, what better than a local brew to do so
Also, a chaya water was a must!
For my first course I had the sopa de lima, or lemon soup, which is a chicken broth with veggies, tortilla strips, all surprisingly light because of the acidic value of the lemon in it. As the chaya water, quite refreshing and tangy.
For my main course, I ordered the dzic (pronounced zic), which traditionally is made with meat from a deer, but this time around it was only being offered prepared with beef. It is nothing more than cooked and shredded briket marinated in vinegar and spices, served cold. Also a great dish to fight the heat. Quite tasty and a generous portion! In the northern parts of Mexico, this dish is known as salpicón (splatter).
Fresh stone ground corn tortillas where offered….
Made in house by these lovely ladies
After my lunch, I took a walk around the central patio of the restaurant where they have this carriage in the courtyard
And a pleasant bar in one of the halls.
So, having been fed, now, to walk it off. This is the Cathedral of Mérida
And the main city square
To help me not fall into a siesta after a hearty meal, I decided on a coffee and the local poison which is called Xtabentún. It derived from the xtabentún flower with fermented honey liquor and licorice. Allegedly it dates back to Mayan times. It is the perfect accompaniment to a coffee and or a cigar after a heavy meal.
So, now I am ready.. I think.
I meet up later that evening with my friends and we make our way out to the city of Progreso, 30 mins north of Mérida and go straight to the marina to get ready for our departure.
The boat was quite basic, but it got the job done, so, that is fine by me ;-)
After a long 8 hour ride and rough seas, we finally made it to Isla Pérez. I was feeling a little bit woozy from the ride, but still I was happy to be there and ready to enjoy the experience.
A perfect companion for such an extreme adventure of sorts
This would come to be our nightly place for dropping anchor. It was quite tranquil here, and the weather was perfect! Sunny and pleasant during the day, breezy come night time.
Scorpion reef is famous among other things for the ship wrecks it is witness to. There are remains of wrecks dating back to the 18th century to present day ones.
The boat in the background is one which ran aground sometime in the 70´s if my memory serves me well.
We did encounter lots of marine life! A turtle in this case, but also dolphins, manta rays, eels, lobsters, tons of sea urchins, huge conchs, tons of fish, and healthy coral, among others.
Another run aground wreck
So, let´s get to it! Time to go, go, go!
Back on Isla Pérez. This spot was some 400-500 meters from the beach, which made it perfect for a morning swim from and to the boat.
More action shots underwater, where everything went A-Ok
Thankfully, our cook aboard was quite resourceful. As such he made simple but extremely tasty dishes like this ceviche and tostadas.
A local beer which I did not knew existed, and which all things considered, tasted like ice cold heaven!
One thing I regret is not having had the chance to go to Isla Pérez during the day. We only did so at nighttime, where we chatted with the lighthouse keeper which is also the unofficial island mayor.
Come the weekend other groups of people come to enjoy the setting as well.
Getting ready for another dive.
And here, our tenders while we navigate back to the mainland.
Luckily the sea was quite easy on our way back, which made for an extremely pleasant trip.
Arriving into the Port of Progreso after 5 days away.
As the sun came down that afternoon, mother nature had one last gift for us...
And now, after almost a week of being away from it all, it is time to head back.
I hope you enjoyed this trip of mine.
Thanks for having taken a peek,
Cheers to all,
Alejandro