EditorDeb

Isla – dia seis

Okay, so I got mixed up on my days. Yesterday should have been dia cinco, so I’ve change that day, and today is day six. Sheesh, when you’re not working, you lose all sense of time. Which is a damn good thing in my humble opinion.

The last two days have been pretty lazy, but that’s what happens when you’re on Mexico time. I’ve read a whole book just in the last day and a half. It normally takes me weeks to get through a book because I mainly just read on my lunch hour if I’m not going out with friends. Now I feel like I have all the time in the world which takes some getting used to. When you’re used to doing something all the time, it’s hard to just sit back and relax. But I’m trying my best. By the time I get the hang of it, it will be time to go back to work. *sigh*

This morning’s breakfast was at the Bistro Francais.

Here’s my view to the left. The guy on the bike is selling newspapers.

And to the right…

And here’s breakfast. It was okay…the prices are pretty reasonable.

Then a walk to work off breakfast. (It doesn’t take much in this heat.) Hemingway’s is still going strong…they were hopping when I walked by one evening.

I think the Hotel El Caracol has changed colors every time I’ve been there. It’s always vibrant…no pastels or earth tones on this baby.

I was sorry to see that Manana is closed. I liked going there for breakfast every once in awhile. I like how they painted the “For Sale” sign on the side of the building to match the decor. Very tasteful. I hope someone can make a go of it there.

I took a picture of this structure on my first trip to Isla back in 2006. (It was a much better picture than this.) I can’t believe it’s still there…and I also wonder what those empty windows looked in on and what the original structure looked like. Just curious.

Just some more colorful places around town…

I normally don’t like bars on windows, but if you have to have them, this is what they should look like.

This must be like a “to go” version of the Rooster Restaurant? It’s on Carlos Lazo…

Along with this place. Is it a new bar?

Since I was there at the hostel, I walked out to the east side of the island to see if I could find any sea glass. This side is much rockier and is not a good swimming beach.

This fellow was keeping an eye on me.

I have found pieces of sea glass in this area before, but not one single piece could be found today. It’s kind of amazing how different one side of an island can be from the other. This side has much courser sand and when you step into where the water meets the shore, you sink down about six inches. That doesn’t happen where the sand is soft and white.

Back up to the malecon…which is pretty much deserted, which is so sad because it’s such a beautiful view.

I happened to find a photo that I had taken after all the “improvements” were made several years ago with all the new benches. What a shame that they are all gone and there’s nowhere to sit other than on the ledge. And why did they face them towards the town instead of towards the sea? That never made any sense to me.

Much further down the malecon, you can see the backsides of the houses that I posted on the fourth day…a couple of which were for sale. The thing about this area is that there are nice, new houses that are right next to old houses that have probably been owned by families for years there which may never be sold. Besides that, they are on such a small plot of land, that there is no room to put in a pool. Since you can’t swim on this side of the island, if I were going to buy a home there, I would definitely want at least a dipping pool considering the heat of the summers. You never know why they’re for sale.

Like this one. Yes, it has a nice view of the sea, but there’s a very small patio and no green space. Plus you have the disadvantage of having tourists, residents and golf carts traveling back and forth behind your house.

Interesting paint job on this one…

Here’s something you might be able to get pretty cheap.

And this is what it looks out onto. I’d be curious to know how much they’re renting it for.

On a side note, when I fell and broke my wrist a few months ago, I became very paranoid about where I walked. I would nervously watch the ground and look for any signs of twigs, sand, rocks, etc., so that I wouldn’t accidentally slip on anything. After a couple of months, I kind of relaxed about it, but now that I’m down here, I’m back to being paranoid. Isla has probably the worst sidewalks I’ve ever walked on and I spend most of my time looking down when I’m walking around town. I’ll admit that I’ve tripped or stubbed a toe a time or two here on previous trips while obliviously taking pictures, but not this time! No, sirree…no more broken wrists for this gal. Here’s my proof…

June 23, 2014 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Isla – dia cinco

Not a long post this time. I didn’t feel like doing much today, so it was a reading day. I’ll start with last night’s dinner at Bally Hoo. I love sitting there in the evening because of the breeze and it’s a nice place to work on my blog. The fish tacos were good…they make their slaw like me…oil and vinegar with no mayo.

It’s also an entertaining place to sit because of all the activity. A boat came back with some lucky fishermen.

And this young woman threw a net into the water and pulled it back up with a bunch of little fish, much to the enjoyment of the little boy with her. They put them into a bucket of water…guess they’re using them for bait.

A night shot of the boats. Doesn’t that look like a cat in the far boat?

Here are just some random shots. I thought about renting this on my golf cart day, but think I’ll pass.

Massages on the beach…not for me, though.

Here’s the front of JAX. They really are doing a redecorating job on it…not nearly as colorful as it used to be. And they painted the sculpture gold since I was last there.

Here’s the Privilege Aluxes…a newer hotel on the island. I stayed their once because I got a great deal. The rooms really are nice and comfortable, but you pay for it. The restaurant had a lot to be desired when I stayed there. Hopefully, they’ve improved, but I don’t think I’d bother to go there again. I never see anyone eating there.

Pretty Oleanders…

Colorful house…

A peek into the cemetery…

Pretty Bougainvillea…

Today’s breakfast at Compadre’s. (Didn’t this use to be Bucanero’s? It’s right across from Rolandi’s.)

Well, I found out where all the seaweed is. It’s all at the far end of Playa Norte. Ugh…it was pretty smelly, too.

Here I’m standing at the corner of what used to be Zazil Ha. (Not sure what it is now.) When I first came to Isla back in 2006, the water was all the way up to this corner. It’s strange how the beach can change so drastically.

Here I am in the water looking back at where I was standing in the last picture.

As you walk up Playa Norte, the seaweed gradually disappears and you’re left with the beautiful views of the sea.

Are these barnacles??

I washed out some clothes this evening and didn’t feel like going out for dinner so I just got a hamburger at Bobo’s Grill.

It was pretty darn good! Good prices, too!

June 22, 2014 | Categories: Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Isla – día cuatro

This is going to be a long post. Since I was so lax in my last post, I felt I needed to make up for it. For those of you “Islaholics” who are ex-pats or frequent visitors of the island, you’ll probably be bored. You’ve seen these scenes many times, but I want to show my friends at home what it’s like to be on Isla.

First of all, here’s a map of the island. The downtown (el centro) area is in the triangle area at the top of the map. That’s where most of the tourists go and it’s where most of the restaurants and hotels are located. There are resorts and hotels located on the rest of the island…as well as privately owned homes that are available for rent throughout the island. You can get pretty much whatever you want ranging from a basic apartment like I have for only $35 per night…up to a luxury resort room for hundreds of dollars per night.

Since I’ve been sharing my breakfast each day, I’ll include today, too. I went to Bally Hoo, again, because of the pleasant breeze. Just a light one today…didn’t feel like eggs.

So then I felt the need to trek around town to take pictures to show people who have never been here. It’s definitely a Mexican town, and there’s no resort feel. They do have resorts here, and I will show you those places when I rent a golf cart to zip around the island, but they are not evident in the downtown area…with maybe the exception of Ixchel and Privilege Aluxes. But you definitely feel a Mexican influence with many Mexican residents living among all the hotels. Basically, what it comes down to is that if you go to resorts along the Yucatan coast, the only Mexicans you’ll see are the ones who serve your meals and clean your rooms. The Mexicans you see on isla are the ones who live here and work here. That’s what makes it different from other tourist areas. And that’s why I like it. It makes you remember that this is Mexico…it is not just another touristy place with a bunch of chain restaurants and hotels that you can find anywhere in the United States.

Okay..enough with my rant. Here is Isla Mujeres. This is the main governmental office on the island. I swear this place has been painted or renovated almost every single time I’ve been here since 2006.

And here is the main church in town. Looks like they’re putting in a new stairway. I don’t know what they’re going to do with the fountain that they’ve obviously dismantled. It was a good idea, but they obviously didn’t take the wind into consideration.

Here’s the basketball court on the zocalo…

Here’s the parking lot next to the zocalo. Obviously, scooters are the mode of transportation on the island.

Okay, so here’s where I’m just going to start posting pictures of stuff around the island with some brief comments.

Here’s one available for rent…I’d like to see the inside.

I think I need to rent this when I rent a golf cart…

A new place…

Here are some places for sale if anyone is interested…

I’m kind of confused on this one. Is the space between these two homes for sale (which isn’t very much)?

Or is the home included with the space??

Rescue boats…

Creative way to camouflage the meters in the cat’s eyes.

Every time I’ve been on Isla, the woodwork on this door has been perfect. The salt and humidity is so damaging to wood, but they keep it in excellent condition.