Well, this is certainly a lazy trip! We’ve been here for four
days and done nothing noteworthy… just hanging out on the beach, swimming,
eating fish tacos, and drinking beer. This time of year (late May) is warmer,
so the humid lethargy is setting in. Everyone is running on island time.
Izzy came with us this time. That’s why we’re here later
than normal, because she had to finish finals. It’s been fun watching her unwind.
Every morning we go for a quick speed walk around the town of North Beach. It’s
tiny, so it can be circled in under 30 minutes. We’ve done a few laps in the
ocean. This morning she put on her work out clothes and headed over to the yoga
treehouse, only to find out that the time they gave her for the class was
wrong. She missed it, so now she’s going to give running barefoot on the beach
a try. Meanwhile I sit here typing to you at Buho’s beach café eating yogurt
and granola.
Our arrival was smooth. A long day started by waking up at
3:00am. We arrived in Cancun at 4:00pm and changed to tropical attire. (Travel
tip: bring a change of clothes that match the tropics—it’s miserable to start
off your vacay with being over-heated) Ten minutes later we went to get our
luggage and the conveyer belt was already turned off. Our bags were nowhere to
be seen. We expanded our search to other arrivals and finally found them. We
didn’t recognize them at first because our bright bandanas we use to identify
our bags had been stolen!
Oh well, that’s life. We bustled our way out to the
taxi station and found our pre-paid van. (Travel tip: reserving a taxi is easy
to do ahead of time and can save you the headache of bargaining for a good
price. Also when you exit the baggage claim area through the glass doors, you
enter a wide hallway lined with sales people from tour agencies and condo
complexes… do not speak to them. Seriously! It will take you a half hour to
escape. They will insist on looking at you passport or plain ticket or some
other trick and then they hold it ransom while they bore you to tears.)
Izzy just ran by with her ponytail bouncing behind her :)
Once the taxi/van dropped us off at the Ultramar ferry pier,
we bought tickets at the Ultramar window. A bar is ten feet away so naturally
we bought a beer (or two). We were happy to find that you can bring your open
beer onto the ferry. So we herded Izzy onto the ferry and went to the open top-deck
to get the full experience. An elderly man was playing guitar and singing with
vigor and great enthusiasm. After getting to the Isla Mujeres dock we made a
different choice than normal. Instead of getting a taxi, we opted to load our
suitcases onto a tricycle with a big basket. An ancient little man pushed the
bike all the way to our hotel (about a fifteen minute walk). He and Joe chatted
the whole way. Whenever possible, we will do this in the future. It was an
enjoyable walk.
After swimming we went to find dinner. The first thing we
did was run into one of good friends on the island—Mario! He looked exhausted. Typical
of islanders, he has to work two jobs 6-7 days a week. The pay is low and,
thanks to their tourists, the prices are high. It’s a catch 22. They depend on
tourism for survival, but we drive up the cost of living by falling in love
with the island and moving there. Fortunately they have areas where the prices
remain relatively low.
We went to church Sunday night. It was suffocatingly humid
and hot inside. I actually felt nauseous. Thankfully I always bring a small
fan, otherwise I would’ve had to leave. I thought poor Izzy was going to pass
out. Once we escaped to the relatively fresh air, we noted an orchestra concert
was getting ready to start up. It was a military band. We sat down and watched
the Navy Officers show up one by one. They looked so important in their dress
whites. They weren’t in the band, they were the audience. We finally got too
hungry to wait any longer and left before they started… that was a bummer,
because I bet they were great.
We went to one of my favorite restaurants—Muelle Siete (Pier
Seven). Ask to sit out on the pier. The view is great and a nice breeze is
welcome after the sweltering heat. The service is exceptional as is the food (Sebastian
was great). Their mole-negro sauce is delicious. Izzy ordered a shrimp salad. We
all laughed when it arrived. It was a mountain of shrimp mixed in with mango
and papaya. It was super good.
Joe’s back has been hurting this trip. Walking around starts
to hurt, so we plant him at a little bar and he has a beer while Izzy and I
shop, then we get him and move him to another bar. I’m suspicious he is faking
it… he has to sit and drink beer instead of shopping, hmm. He has to lay on the
beach all day and swim… hmm. It sounds like a man’s dream come true to me :)
Last night we ate the famous Isla Mujeres bacon-wrapped hot dogs loaded with
grilled onions and jalapeños. At the most northern tip of the town is a row of
hot dog stands. Just pick which one appeals to you and order it. Then find a
space on the sidewalk to munch on it. It’s a cultural experience.
