Isla Mujeres; Last Day

We’re alone now. Not only has our group abandoned us, but so have most of the tourists. Playa Arena (our hotel) is almost empty… just a couple of us diehards. Today and tomorrow are expected to be stormy. 

Right now I’m sitting at our open-air restaurant enjoying the sounds of crashing surf and the scent of Fabuloso wafting from the cleaning crew. If you’ve ever traveled to Mexico, you know the distinctive smell of Fabuloso.

It’s hard to see the locals struggling to survive here. In first world countries like ours, people are terrified of catching covid and becoming ill and possibly dying. Elsewhere in the world they have more immediate concerns than a temporary illness—even if it leads to death. Right now they are just trying to feed their families. Maybe their acceptance of death is more pragmatic. All I know is that the USA shutting down again affects more than just Americans.

On a happier note, I’ve been having fun buying things I don’t need. I get to stand around and chat with locals without interruption. The porch of our room is completely tranquil without the usual loud-mouthed drunks wandering around trying to find their rooms. Last week we had a lady with a big group who really shouldn’t drink at all. One day when I was walking down main street, she latched onto my sister and me. That same evening we all went to a local restaurant and the manager asked if I was friends with Susie (alias). As soon as I figured out whom he meant, I wisely clarified that I didn’t know that woman. Smart move… her money is appreciated there, but her behavior—not so much.

We did get to the other end of the island while the gang was all here. Punta Sur is a nice little park. Bring pesos… it’s about half the price than paying dollars. The bar has a beautiful view, which was perfect for Joe to hang out at. We all made the trek around the point, down by the surf. It’s decayed much in the last couple of years. When we first started coming here a few years ago the park had at least ten metal sculptures from various Latin countries. We’ve watched those rust and finally, this time, they’ve vanished.

After leaving the park I highly recommend driving golf carts over to La Casa del Tikinxic five minutes away on the west side of the island. This is one of the few places you can get the traditional Isla Mujeres dish. There were 8 of us and we got two kilos, which was a decent sized whole fish. This includes rice, tortillas, and slaw. The waiter admitted that Mexicans usually can eat twice that size, so if you’re a big eater keep that in mind. We started with two bowls of guacamole prepared table-side. They have other menu items, but Tikinxic (tick-en-shik) is traditional.

Plus, you never know what you might see. For some reason a guy had created a wooden cage attached to the dock. In the cage he had a small shark. For a price you could get into this little trap and hold the friendly shark in your arms. Even more entertaining was the scantily clad woman who took a shot of tequila and got in. Her male friends were besides themselves with excitement. Naturally, I had to get a closer look, so Larry and I walked out to watch. I don’t know what was more interesting; the girl and the shark or the boyfriend who slipped and fell several times while trying to capture it on film. People really are very interesting… and you wonder where I get my characters from for my books and screenplays?

It’s our last day. Not sure how I feel about it. It’s a bit nostalgic because we likely won’t be back. This is our fourth time to this island and we want to explore other parts of the world. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to our own bed. The usual enjoyment of wandering around town in the evening is not possible this time. Joe can’t walk that far, so I sally forth every night to hunt us up a dinner. I cart it back to our room and lay it out on our little dresser-top. Then we watch yet another Lord of the Rings video. But it’s been fun in its own way. Last night we got a taxi to Momma Rossa’s for Italian food and a big glass of wine. Joe finally got to watch the pedestrian activity on main street. Tonight, I’ll get fish tacos from next door and we’ll watch the fourth video… so romantic.

Isla Mujeres; Arrival and Advice

Hola!

We’re back on Isla Mujeres. A lot of reasons for that, the most important being that we’ve planned it for a couple of years. This is my first vacation with my sister. She’d never been out of the country (USA). It was pretty cool to help her plan for it—passports, swimsuits, packing lists, etc. Her husband, Herb, was equally excited, albeit not as obvious. Now we’re all here, along with our friends the Wards and the Mettlers.

I'd begun to get a little nervous about whether or not Deb would like this type of vacay. Isla is like a mixture of a weekend street market and a state fair. I finally asked her if she would be happy going to such a laid-back rustic place. She assured me she was a hillbilly and would be fine.

Our first hiccup was a change in flights. American Airlines gave us only 40 minutes layover in Dallas! The plane boards 30 minutes before its flight! Have you ever been to Dallas Airport? It’s huge. Add to that Joe’s back injury he got a week before our trip… he can barely walk, let alone walk fast. Anyway, we made it—last ones on the plane.

Cancun’s customs is a breeze. Masks are required, which is a bizarre experience. It was a strange experience to walk up to a customs officer with a mask on. After baggage claim there’s a contraption you have to walk through that mists you with some chemical to kill covid, and probably me.

We use AGI transportation, which I highly recommend. AGI will be waiting outside the airport doors to escort you to your van. They take you to the Ultramar Ferry dock and hand you your prepaid ferry tickets. If you have time, grab a beer or whatever from the bar located at the entrance for the ferry. You can carry it onboard the ferry. Head to the top deck if it’s not pouring, that way you can treat it like a 20 minute excursion. Once you get to the Isla Mujeres dock, head straight toward the street and look for your AGI rep (the van driver will give you his name). This is your prepaid taxi ride to the hotel. Don’t worry about whether or not your suitcases will fit in the compact taxi—they have lots of bungee cords. Now look around and relax for the few minutes it takes to get you to your destination. As an added bonus, AGI does offer a yacht ride over, if your group is big enough. I’m guessing the cost of the individual ferry tickets eventually equals the cost of a yacht. We had enough people for a yacht ride, but the weather didn’t cooperate.

A quick note about taxis… they are very cheap here. We took one to a nearby restaurant (maybe two miles away) and it was 60 pesos. At this time that equaled 3 dollars for four of us.

Once we arrived at the hotel and got settled my sister and hubby showed up at our doorstep super excited to be here. It was dusk and they couldn’t see the ocean but could hear it. I offered to guide them to the beach—forty feet away, but they didn’t know that. :) When they realized the hotel is literally on the beach, they skidded to a stop and Herb said, “What the…?” Deb threw her arms around me and said, “This is just like a movie!” Then she went right into the water.

The weather had been continuously overcast with sporadic downpours for the first couple of days. Lovely temperature. There was actually some good wave action to play in, but today dawned calm and flat. The yachts that hang out near the beach are back. Admittedly, I prefer them not to be here because of the blaring music (Cancun Sailing is the worst—foul language rap music), but I love the idea of it meaning the economy is attempting to make a come-back. Covid shut-downs here are life threatening—it’s not an economic hardship, it’s starvation. Everyone living and working on the island wears a mask to help visitors feel safe. It’s pretty laid back as to whether or not the tourist has to wear a mask. It seems to be up to the individual. If you are fearful of catching it, it’s perfectly okay to wear a mask. Some guests wear them continuously.

So, now I will write about something I rarely write about, but troubles happen to all travelers. Joe incurred an injury while running right before our trip. We made the decision to travel anyway. The pain would be the same anywhere in the world. Here are some tips for making it work: Take your time and go at your own pace. Request assistance—the locals are very accommodating. Get a wheelchair at the airport if needed. If at possible, make sure you have a way to email or private message your physician before you leave the US. It’s been very helpful for us to be able to chat with our doctor while here. There are several pharmacies here, and most prescriptions can be replicated here… usually considerably cheaper too. 

For meals take taxis to any of the many restaurants not located on the pedestrian street (Miguel Hidalgo). If you can walk 200-300 feet then get a taxi to the closest street corner to the restaurant on the pedestrian street. If you are wheelchair bound, inspect your hotel carefully. Not to be disrespectful, but the Mexican’s idea of disability compliant and yours are vastly different. A huge number of the restaurants have street level seating—some have covering to protect you from the frequent downpours. You will ride through puddles. Your seat cushion will get wet. Either protect it with a plastic covering or bring an extra cushion. (In case you are beginning to think Joe’s in a wheelchair—he’s not, but we’ll get one for the airport) I hope this answers some of your concerns. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.

Random Art

Next mini disaster is I got food poisoning. I bring various medications with me, so I took an Imodium AD. I drank lots of water. I will admit it’s the sickest I’ve ever been, but I do look better in my bikini than I did, so there’s an upside. One thing I didn’t think of was bringing something bland to eat while my stomach was recovering. Fortunately I’d brought some granola bars because the airlines don’t feed their guests anymore… otherwise I’d have been in trouble.

As of writing this, half our group has returned home. We have Larry and Lisa all to ourselves for several more days, then we’ll be on our own. I’ll continue to go for my morning walks, hang out on the beach, and walk into town to get food to go. We’ve decided to make the best of dinner in the room by watching a DVD series we’ve never seen—Lord of the Rings. We’re on the third one now. All in all, it’s a different vacation from our usual adventures, but still an adventure. Never give up. Fight to keep the old man out, as Clint Eastwood says.

I’ll write again before we leave. Right now the crystal-clear turquoise ocean is calling.

Dive, Dive, Dive!

We’ve been scuba diving every day. As I was diving it occurred to me I ought to blog about it. For me it’s normal… awesome, but normal. However, for the vast majority of people it’s an unknown. Let me start at the beginning. A long, long time ago I went snorkeling in Hawaii. There were divers on the boat and I found myself watching them more than the fish. I was fascinated by their freedom. I got certified and am now an advanced diver (not a big deal in the scuba world). Let me tell you what happens when you dive at a Club Med.

We arrived Saturday, went straight to the dive team (Seafari), and signed up for the next morning. After grabbing breakfast with the other divers before most of the resort has woken up, we hustled to the scuba center. A Seafari diver (usually an instructor) handed us a BCD (an inflatable vest) and a regulator (the tubes and mouthpiece we breathe out of). It’s placed in a big bag and we shoulder it along with our fins and snorkels and headed down the dock to the scuba boat. First I handed the deck-hand my bags and then I timed my step onto the boat to not fall between the boat and the dock and make a fool of myself.

Once on board we went straight to one of the six benches lined with scuba tanks full of compressed air. What followed was about fifteen minutes of controlled chaos as beginners and super advanced divers all clank around trying to get their BCDs and regs attached to a tank. A dive master, who’s in charge of boat safety, did roll call as the giant catamaran is under way heading out the channel. Before we arrived at the site we were called together in groups to get a dive briefing from one of the instructors. They showed us a map and explained what type of sea life and topography we should see. They told us the diving laws for this country and some safety rules for the boat. Each boat has an alarm horn to alert us during our dive if they have an emergency on board and we must return as quickly as possible to the boat.

The boat arrived at the dive site and tied off to the buoy, and Captain Hemal says, “The pool is open!” Then it’s chaos again as we all shuffled to the back of the boat with at least fifty pounds worth of gear on our backs… while wearing fins! Every time a wave tilted the boat everyone shuffles sideways. Finally it was my turn to take the giant stride off the back. In my case I jumped in first (with a weighted belt on!), and they tossed my gear in to me. I put the BCD on in the water while Joe swam around me making sure it’s all done correctly (a Velcro cummerbund and 4 clips). We looked at each other through our masks and gave the “OK” sign to descend.

That’s when the world changes. The reef was below us as we slid through the silky salt water. The only sound was my Darth Vader breathing. My ears began to hurt immediately as always, so I pinched my nose and blew… pop! I continued to pop my ears as I descended to the reef-top. Joe and I felt the current and pointed the direction we should go—against the current. It’s so much easier to drift back to the boat on the way back. Then we swim out over the wall and the fun begins.

On this dive we were pretty excited because it’s one of our favorites. It’s called The Great Cut. Basically it’s a narrow canyon that drops from about 45 ft to 110 ft. The sun sent shafts of light into it making the dive surreal. Directly below, to the side, or above us, the grey reef sharks followed us curiously. I kept an eye on them in my periphery. They’re not at all dangerous, but still… they are sharks… big ones. Right away we encountered a giant barracuda blocking the entrance of the canyon. We politely swam over him while keeping an eye on those sharp teeth he kept opening his mouth to show us.

I pulled my flashlight out of my pocket and began inspecting every nook and cranny. After we exited the canyon we hooked a left and went along the outside wall, which drops off to an unknown depth. Right away I spotted the spindly legs of a lobster hiding under a coral ledge. I waved Joe over to see and it decided it had better defend its little cave and came charging out to wave its claws menacingly. We moved on before it had a heart attack. Next fun spotting was a black and white spotted eel. I don’t usually get to see anything but the head (except on night dives), but this guy had its head out pretty far, and as a bonus I could see about 6 inches of its tail peeking out of the coral several feet away.

The entire time the sharks were checking us out. Trust me, I was checking them out too. Then we saw a stingray with its fish. For some reason stingrays always have a medium sized black fish that swims directly above them. Another diver clanked a metal wand on their tank to get our attention. Looking over we saw her pointing to the reef. I swam over and stared at the spot. Looking up at her I lifted my hands questioningly. She pointed again. Just when I was ready to give up I saw the camouflaged scorpion fish right in front of me! That was a treat. Our air was getting low so we signaled to each other to head back to the boat. On the way we saw a couple more stingrays, a bat ray, and a million tiny fish going about their busy little lives.

Once we found the boat we held up three fingers and tapped our palms to communicate we agree to do our three minute safety stop. Slowly we ascended to about fifteen feet and floated for three minutes. This is always when I practice my buoyancy and keep an eye on those sharks. It’s fun to just hang there and watch the other divers all doing the same thing. Then it’s time to surface. We gave each other the signal and very slowly ascended to the noisy air breathing world. With water slapping me in the face I grabbed the ladder and removed my BCD to hand up to the dive master. Then I took my fins off while being tossed back and forth like a rag doll. Finally I climbed the ladder and the dive master asked, “How was your dive?”

Coming back to the resort we heard Captain Hemal shout, “Dolphins!” This caused a mad dash to the edge of the boat to watch our dolphins escort us to dock. There were two large ones and suddenly a small one swam into view. The dive team was ecstatic at this first sighting of the season. Dolphins tend to stay in the same area their entire lives. They were thrilled to see their pair had had a baby. The babfy will most likely move away at adulthood to find its own humans to play with. As soon as we reached the dock, tied off, unloaded our gear, and hauled it up to the dive shop, we raced back to the dock and jumped in. This was my very first swimming with dolphin experience, and boy did it deliver! They came right up to us and swam figure 8s around Joe and I for ten minutes. Occasionally they’d arch out of the water in mock battle. Wow, what a thrill! It took all my self-control to not touch them.

Club Med with Clay

I’m completely relaxed, as I sit here with the laptop on my lap… almost lethargic. The island music is softly playing behind me where I can hear the bartender dumping a bucket of ice into the ice-bin. The ocean is softly lapping against the rocks in front of me and a gentle breeze is fluttering my hair. The scent of salty air is mixed with the wine I’m sipping. It’s about 6:30 and the sun has slipped behind the clouds on the horizon leaving a pale apricot hue to the sky. Paradise.

To my left is Clay Boyce. He’s dozing with his shoes off in an Adirondack chair. He’s had an exciting three days, especially yesterday when he turned ninety years old (I wrote this last week but haven’t had strong enough WiFi to post it). We are at Club Med—Columbus Isle. They did a fantastic job of fussing over him and making his birthday a big deal, which it was. Club Med has a shirt that is standard issue at every Club Med… it has a 45 on it. No one knows why this is the most popular shirt for the company, but it is. As you know two 45s equals 90, therefore the management made the executive decision to have two of their female employees (GOs) guide him to his birthday party, one on each arm. Of course they had their 45 shirts on and Clay wore his shirt that said; It Took Me 90 Years to Look This Good.

We were all surprised when he was escorted to the theater after dinner, and they placed us in the front row. Well, okay I wasn’t surprised because they told me ahead of time, but Clay was very surprised when one of the top management guys at the resort dedicated a song to him, “Fly me to the Moon.”

He preceded his song by explaining to the audience who Clay was. Are you curious who Clay is yet? He came with Joe, me, and our buddy Bill to Club Med. I met him two years ago at Il Forno Classico in Gold River, California. I was sitting next to him at the bar and struck up a conversation with him… shocker huh? He had an iPad open and was perusing his collection of photos. The one that got my interest was a picture of the Saturn launch vehicle for the Apollo Program—I asked him about it. That was two years ago and now I’ve almost completed his biography. Someday you’ll be notified by me that his book is published.

Anyway his big day was definitely a big day! My present to him was a bottle of Oban Scotch. I knew the scotch at Club Med was probably going to be a disappointment to him, so I brought it from home. It was a good thing because he disliked their scotch so much he switched to light beer! He was very, very happy to have his Oban!  :)

Joe’s birthday was three days later and definitely low key compared to Clay. But it was fun because it was on White Night when everyone dresses in white and the restaurant is moved outdoors by the pool. Because it’s an elegant, romantic night several of the Bahamian waitresses softly sang happy birthday to him.

Isla Mujeres; A Rundown on Hotels and Unicorns

No trip is complete without a near-death experience! This time we got to watch it unfold. Seven teenage American girls dragged a giant unicorn floaty to the beach. Based on their pale skin, it was their first day on the beach. Four of the girls climbed on the unicorn and assumed the sun-tanning position. We were standing out in the shallow water near the bouys. They floated past us and over the top of the bout line. We noted they were talking, therefore they were awake. The two moms were also talking and not paying attention to the girls who were now about 100ft past the bouys. The wind started picking up and like a sailboat, was taking them out to sea, they started futilely paddling with their hands. The moms were still oblivious. Now they’re just a speck on the horizon near the shipping channel… next stop—Cuba. A tour boat finally took pity on them and threw a rope to them, which they seemed to have a difficult time hanging onto for some reason. After several attempts they drag the girls to the shallower water and left them there. The unicorn turned its horn to the horizon once again… the girls were still unable to paddle in. Joe took pity on them and swam out to push them in until their feet touched the ground. Moms? Still chatting and oblivious.

Next year we are bring 10-12 friends and family back here. The search for the best hotel has been interesting. I’ll share my findings with you. I’m not going to give the prices to you because those fluctuate with the seasons. All of these are air-conditioned.

Playa Arena is on the beach and includes the use of their beach chairs. They do have a tiny pool on the terrace, but the water gets way too warm to be of any use. The garden is lush and well maintained. It’s a small two-story hotel with a restaurant on the beach. This is where we usually stay because of the location and the excellent service.

Cabanas Maria Del Mar is also located beachside. A street runs between its buildings with Bujo’s restaurant and the “Castle” on one side, and the “Cabanas” and “Tower” with the garden and pool on the other. The Cabanas are older with a gorgeous fragrant garden. The pool is in the garden. The entries to most of the rooms are shaded. The rooms are small and have traditional tile floors and doubles beds. Some rooms have king-size. 

The Castle is nothing like a castle whatsoever… It’s more like a modern hotel with an enclosed, echoing hallway. The rooms are spacious with a tiny balcony looking over the adjacent property. The Towers are also nothing like their name… three or four stories tall in a long strip. Bujo’s food is mediocre, but it’s beautifully situated on the sand with great airflow.

Media Luna and Secreto are next to each other. Both are very private, exclusive places. The ocean is rough on that side of North Beach as it’s on the eastern tip. If you are looking to be secluded and quiet, these look like they would suit that need. I walked through the lobby and was immediately impressed with the view. A small, pretty pool looks out over the ocean waves.

Na Balam is a large place on the most northern tip. It is on both sides of the road leading to the bridge going to the Mia Reef island. I walked around the grounds and was impressed with how peaceful it is. The only drawback is the water is very-very shallow at their beach… the northern side, between them and the little island with Mia Reef, is a knee deep lagoon. Around the western side is waist deep for probably a hundred yards at least. Great for little kids though. The restaurant facing east is beautiful, but oddly limited in wine and beer choices. They had one red wine and it was terrible. They used to have good fish tacos (back when they had good wine), but we didn’t bother eating there this time because of the beverage choices.

Mia Reef is an all inclusive located on a tiny little island like a dot at the tip of Isla Mujeres. They have a bridge and a guard. I’ve never heard anything negative about it.

Hotel Villa Kiin is somehow built amongst the Na Balam hotel. Either they are one place with two names or Na Balam wrapped itself around Hotel Kiin. Anyway they share the same review from me since I can’t tell where one begins and the other ends. 

Nautibeach/Mayan Beach Club is right next to Playa Arena. It’s difficult to figure out where this place begins and ends. I’ve wandered around a little bit and all I can say is it’s popular. It’s a bustle of activity. The Mayan Beach Club restaurant  is one of our favorite lunch spots. They have swing-set chairs at the bar and the Baja Tacos are scrumptious. We ate there probably 3-4 times a week! In the evening they clear the beach chairs away and set up white tablecloth dining on the sand with tiki torches.

Chi-Chi’s and Charlie’s is an old place. It is pretty well situated at the curve of the beach. They have a restaurant and a uniquely organized layout. It appears they are expanding right now. A large building is being built at its backside. I understand it’s pretty cheap… it looks kind of dumpy.

Privelege Aluxes is big and white. Otherwise I don’t know much. It seems to be set back from the beach slightly, but not really a problem. It looks expensive.

The Hotel Paradise Suites is super cool looking. The rooms are works of art, not the most functional bathrooms I’ve seen with no counter-space but gorgeous. The grounds are spread out over a large bit of property, which is enclosed. It is located about fifty yards from the beach. A lot of sculptures are strategically placed everywhere. They have a decent sized pool, and I think they have a gym too. I’m pretty sure it’s an expensive hotel.

Poc Na is a super cool youth hostel. A bulletin board towards the front gives the times for all the activities and sports, like beach volleyball. They do have private rooms with AC, but most are shared 4-6 people (prices range from about 12-35 bucks a night). 75% of the grounds are sand. It has a popular bar, which I imagine is pretty noisy and rowdy.

I hope that was helpful :)