Canadian World traveller Winter 2017-18 Issue

8
An Authentic Experience in
Yucatan
Article and photography by Michael Morcos
The Yucatan is so close to home yet
has been elusive for ages. It was a
long-awaited visit and first impressions
were fabulous and long lasting. I
arrived at my accommodations in the late
afternoon and found that the Casa Azul was
a gem. It is in an old Colonial style building
with a center courtyard, colorful aged
ceramics, antique wood furniture, high ceilings,
marble bathrooms and yet it still had
all the modern amenities like Wi-Fi, a
plunge pool and an absolute necessity in
the climate, air conditioning.
First night's dinner was at Santa Lucia
Apoala-Restaurant, and was another great
way to be introduced to Meridia. It is located
in on a town square and we enjoyed a
great meal served outside with live music
and dancing, with the dancers dressed in
very characteristic all-white clothing.
Merida has live performances on every
night in different parts of the city. The night
started with drinks and led to a beautiful
Mexican meal. The square and surrounding
restaurants were filled with locals, a good
sign of good food and fun. This was a quintessential
Yucatan moment.
The following morning we would head to
Hacienda Sotuta de Peon to learn about
henequen fiber, the material that made
Merida prosperous. At a certain time, it was
the driving force in the Yucatan economy
and the product was in great demand
worldwide. Henequen is extracted from a
plant that looks similar to the blue agave
plant used to make tequila, and, as I found
out later, this same plant could also produce
a similar kind of spirit.
This working farm was large and widespread
with the plants taking up most of the
land but it also included the production
facilities, a magnificent Hacienda, its own
railway and carts to move the plants around
and many resident mules that bear the
brunt of moving the produce.
The two-hour tour would bring us to a
Mayan Choza (hut) where we met a very
tiny elderly Mayan man who had lived and
worked on the plantation from a young
age. He was truly lively and had a lot of
antidotes to tell. He explained about his
people and how the industry was vibrant
until they started planting these plants in
other parts of the world and how plastic
twine had finally replaced henequen.
With so much time spent in the hot sun, it
was time for some refreshment. It came in
two different ways.
First was a wonderful iced margarita followed
by a dip in a natural pool. But this
was no ordinary swim, we would be swimming
in a cenote. A dip in what, I asked?
This was a first for me, swimming in an
underground cave. This state has no aboveground
rivers so the numerous cenotes are
popular destinations. This cenote was well