Isla Contoy

[V]

A Mexican National Government Nature Preserve, as your boat approaches this island you feel a little like Robinson Crusoe, so undeveloped is it. A favorite nesting site for frigate birds, there were more of them in the air over the island than I've seen, total, in my lifetime. The trees were full of their young, and sharks swam lazily near the surface of the lagoon, their dorsal fins just occasionally breaking the surface.

It's a convenient day trip from Cancun. We chose to take the Kolumbustour.com version, traveling to and from the island on a replica of the Pinta, which takes two hours each way.

The food was the best I've had, of its type, consisting mainly of fish cooked in the local style, Tikinchik.

One of the most traditional and tasty ways to prepare fish is sarandeado (the term used along the beaches of Puerto Vallarta) or en talla (as they refer to this dish in Acapulco and Huatulco). The fish is prepared by marinating it in a sauce of Worcestershire, lime, mild red-pepper paste, and other seasonings that vary slightly depending on the region. The fish is then cooked slowly over a wood fire. The Mexican-Caribbean variation of this fish is called tikik-chik or tikin-chik, and it includes a regional achiote (annatto seed) paste in the marinade.

[Gringation]

Always wanted to go! Will try to fit a trip in this year.