GoPro Isla…
Here are just some fun shots with my son’s GoPro camera on my last visit. This will be my last trip to Isla Mujeres. It has become “discovered” by daytrippers and HGTV, and it just isn’t the same to me. Adios, Isla…I will cherish the memories.
Last day on Isla…
One of the best things about working at a university is that you get two paid weeks off over Christmas and you don’t have to use your vacation time. Sweet. Since it’s been a very busy fall semester, I am now finally able to get to a couple final short blog posts on my trip to Isla Mujeres this past summer. They’re just random shots I took in the last couple of days there.
I decided to have another beach day on my last full day there.
I mostly hung out at this place…which I can’t remember the name of now. It’s just a bit down from where Sergio’s used to be towards Privilege Aluxes. By the way, this is a screen shot taken from Google Maps. It is amazing how you can go almost everywhere on Google Maps now…it’s almost like being there yourself.
It never rained a drop while I was there for the whole two weeks. I wish it would have just to cool things off a bit. So as I was sitting on the beach, I noticed a lot of private boats go by…more than I’ve ever noticed before. I don’t know whether these are chartered or owned, but they sure were nice. And they seem to come so close to shore.
I stopped by Asia Caribe for an appetizer. These spring rolls were very good and the ingredients were very fresh.
This was a new (well, at least to me) gift shop along Rueda Medina.
I don’t know how authentic the items are there, but I liked this little lady. I’m not sure where a person would put this in a home…and it would be really difficult to take on a plane, so I had to pass it up.
I had an early dinner at this place on Rueda Medina, which was also new to me. This is also a Google Maps screen shot since I forgot to take a photo of the front.
I will have to confess that one of the main reasons I went here is because it was air-conditioned. After two weeks in the intense heat, I felt like I had become a puddle of sweat walking around on the island…gross, but true.
Here was the complimentary bread. The pesto/garlic butter was really good, but the bread was pretty crunchy and hard. More like big croutons.
I ordered a sampling of the pasta and it was really good. I wished I had the time to go back and try some other things there.
A final picture of the view from Bally Hoo…
On my last morning, I went to Rooster’s for breakfast.
It was nothing to write home about. I wish I could have gone to the loncherias for my last breakfast but, alas, they weren’t open.
I went back to the apartment to gather up my stuff and say ‘goodbye’ to the neighbor. He didn’t seem to care too much that I was leaving.
The sad final shots as the ferry backs away from the dock.
Lunch at the Cancun airport. Bleah!! And it made me realize I had completely forgotten to get a Bimbo Dog while I was on Isla…oh, no!!!
I will do one more post on the trip of some fun pictures I took with my son’s GoPro camera, so stay tuned for that.
Adios, Isla…until next time…but it might be awhile…
This will be my last post on this trip to Isla. As usual…it’s a little lengthy, but I didn’t want to divide it into two posts because my trip was kind of random so there wasn’t much of a subject matter. I was just about to post it on the Isla Chatter Board when I read rnwendyl’s post that one of the brothers who plays at Minino’s stabbed the other for tips. How incredibly sad. I have sat there many times listening to them. These people must truly be desperate to survive. I wonder what will happen to them now.
So, on that sad note, I will continue with what I was going to post…here are a couple of panoramics I took this time…several pictures stitched together. (You can click on them to get the full effect.)
I always like going through the market next to the loncherias. Lots of peppers…
And beef…
And chicken…
And beets?? Turnips?? What are these? Although I consider myself a pretty good cook, I’ve never used either, so that’s probably why I’m not sure what these are.
Out on Hidalgo, I could definitely see one of these on my front porch. Would have been kind of a hassle carrying it on the plane, though.
Colorful little characters…
Shells…
These little guys were hanging out at Bally Hoo. Look at that face on the left…I can just imagine what kind of character he is at home.
A long distance shot from Bally Hoo. Love the color of the boat against the blue sea. It’s usually “parked” at Picus.
Pier…
This is a deserted place along the malecon. Too bad…this would be a great location for a little loncheria or taqueria.
Laundry day next door…
So, one of the reasons I love Isla is seeing the regulars sitting out on their stoops. I took this as I was leaving the Maria Leticia on my way to the ferry.
I took this picture in September of 2006…my first time to Isla. It was one of my favorite photos of this same fellow…and still is.
And this one I took just around the corner from the hotel…another regular…
Same gentleman from the other direction in May of 2007…
And the rib guy. I’m glad they’re all still there.
Just some random shots as I bid adieu to the island…
One of my favorite shots catching the wind in a doorway…
This was new to me…didn’t check it out…
La Lomita has definitely freshened up their entryway…
A fixer-upper…contact Jim…
Door…with step…
Gotta love that red against the blue…
This graffiti has been here since 2006…I take a picture every time I’m on the island. Do you know where it is?
So, I checked out the Rooster Cafe on my last day for lunch.
I wanted the roast beef sandwich, but they were all out, so I had the veggie sandwich. Here it is…
Looks attractive with the colorful bread, but I was disappointed. I know this place has gotten rave reviews on the chatter board, but maybe I just made the wrong choice. It was extremely heavy and just kind of mushy in the middle…
The little side salad was good, though. I liked the touch of pecans and blueberries…that was nice.
And for my final restaurant review…Zazil Ha has reopened. I checked them out with a friend on my last night.
Chiles Rellenos. It was okay. The sauce seemed too “Italian” as opposed to Mexican. I know it seems like I’m too picky, but it was pretty pricey, and to tell you the truth…
I preferred my own version of La Lomita’s recipe that I tried at home.
I hate to disappoint my viewers, but I will have to say that Isla is losing its appeal to me. It seems that more and more foreigners are owning the restaurants there which, to me, takes away from the Mexican appeal. When a friend introduced me to Isla back in 2006, I was mesmerized and just wanted to come back again and again because of its charm. As more resorts overtake the island and it becomes more of a metropolitan meeting place rather than a Mexican fishing village, it saddens me and I don’t feel the connection I once did. And I’ve only been going there since 2006! I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I had seen it when all the streets were sand. But I wish I could have experienced it then. And then when I hear that an 80+ year-old man is stabbed by his brother for tips…how horrible is that? I know that crime happens everywhere…but I think we all hope that it doesn’t happen on Isla.
On that note, I will be moving on to some other adventures on my next trip. Not because of this crime, but because I guess I have a little bit (or a lot) of wunderlust and I need to see some new places. I suppose I got it from my dad who packed up my mom, me, and my three older brothers for a road trip through Mexico in 1960. Yeah…this is me after the spoils of a bullfight at four years old…
And I’m the sad one here. I think I must have thought this was a permanent situation…haha!
When I was in Merida during this trip, I ran into an American guy on the street who helped me with directions. We got to talking and he told me that he had been an engineer in the United States. After a board meeting one day, he left, said “that’s it”…and moved to Mexico. He lives in a small town outside of Merida and loves it…and would never move back. He was taking pictures of doorways in Merida to help him decide on what kind of door to put on the house he was building. After my post on doorways in Merida, I realized he had a lot to choose from. I told him that I had been to Mexico nine times in the past six years and he said it’s time to move and threatened to take my passport…haha! Hmmm…maybe he’s right, though.
Anyway, Isla is a wonderful place and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It certainly has its share of beautiful sunsets…these were taken from Zazil Ha.
But it’s time for me to move on. Adios, Isla…and viva Mexico…
Random Travel Musings 