Random Travel Musings

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A little bit of this and that…

Like I said in my first post, I just went to Isla to relax this time. I never even made it to the south end of the island or to the colonias. Just wanted to see this…

I read three books while I was there. I picked this one up at Almendros…

It was just an average murder mystery, but imagine my surprise when I found out I was one of the characters!

Crazy, huh?!? I figure it was a sign that I was meant to move to Isla. But then again, I would use anything to serve as a sign that I need to move to Isla…like, “The sun rose today…it must mean I need to move to Isla!” Haha!

This is kind of a random post on different things. I took a total of 869 photos while I was there, so it’s been a job of organizing them for my blog. One of the things I always notice when I’m walking around the island is how so many of the buildings change color from one trip to the next. It’s like a never-ending kaleidascope of colors.

From this…

To this…

From this (these are the houses at the north end of Hidalgo)…

To this…

Some of them aren’t always good changes, but that’s okay. You can figure that it’ll be different the next time, anyway.

Here’s the new big palapa at Buho’s…very nice for if it rains!

And I don’t remember seeing these street signs on Hidalgo before…

Here’s a new little place on Hidalgo which I never got the chance to try out. Man, those colors POP, don’t they?? Bring your sunglasses!

I tried this new place which is on the other side of the street from Almendros and down a little bit towards the north end…

I had a roasted red pepper salad. It was okay…those roasted red peppers should have been cut up a little…they’re were very rubbery and hard to chew. Just a warning…this place is pretty expensive.

I also tried this place which is on Medina across from Minino’s.

I had the chicken fajitas which were very good. I felt sorry for the businesses on this side of the street because of the construction. I’m sure no one would want to sit at the outside tables with all the dust and construction noise. I would definitely go back, though.

I went through La Luna just to check it out. I’ve never been there, but they are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I looked at a menu, but they seemed expensive compared to other options on the island.

Nice colors, but the outside section seemed kind of worn. I can imagine how hard the salty sea air would be destructive on furniture. It was kind of cool and breezy the whole week I was there, so I never saw anyone here.

And I walked by the Privilege Aluxes and the Cafe del Mar Beach Club across the street many times during the week and saw maybe a couple of people there the whole time. Maybe they get a later crowd, but I honestly don’t know how that place stays open.

The little bar on the pier in front of Sergio’s is really cute, but they never served anything from there while I was on the beach. People used it for a good photo op sitting on the swinging bar seats, though.

I took a picture of this a year ago…it’s a place for rent on Hidalgo.

Well, it’s still for rent and the blue paint has faded a bit. I can understand why it’s still for rent…I don’t think there’s a roof over the place. If you look above the crack in the door, you can see sky. I’m thinking they might have to do a little remodeling to rent it, ya’ think? But there IS a nice bench and a street lamp the city put in front, though. And I’m glad to see they made use of the white bucket that was there before…haha!

I got this picture as one of the restaurants was throwing out scraps for the sea gulls. I thought I was in some Alfred Hitchcock remake when they all flew away right towards me!

And I don’t know what this guy had in his mouth…it looked like a piece of rope…

But he still had it when he flew away…

They painted the ledge on the malecon since the last time I was there…

And the posts are all painted a bright pinkish red…

I kind of liked the turquoise of the old ones better…

Which you can still see on the shore…

So I took some souvenirs to keep with my sea glass stash at home.

This guy was making these things with bananas on Medina…I can’t remember what they’re called, but they looked delicious!

The fishing nets always provide great photo ops…

As do the boats…

And, of course, the sunsets…

Buenos noches, Isla…

Posted by EditorDeb | January 9, 2011 | Categories: Puerto Morelos | 10 Comments

Akumal and Puerto Aventuras…

I didn’t think I was going to do any side trips during my week on Isla, but after the third day, I said, “what the hell?” When I went to Akumal last March, I posted on my Choosing Doorways blog that there wasn’t that much to do there, and received several comments in response saying that I didn’t check it out enough. Okay, so I’m always willing to admit when I’m wrong, so I decided to go back again. I also thought I’d check out Puerto Aventuras at the same time since I was in the area. So I headed out on that day’s adventure…

Adios, Isla…but I will be back. It’s a nice feeling to leave on the ferry knowing you’ll be back later that day. (It’s a different thing when you’re leaving for good.)

I took some long-distance pictures of the Cancun coast on the ferry ride. While I have absolutely no interest in visiting Cancun, I thought it was worth a few photos.

I thought this boat was interesting. The angle is wrong in the photo so it’s hard to see, but there was a big cross on the front being held down by ropes. I don’t know, but I think I may have some misgivings about getting on a small boat that has a big cross on the bow which kind of shouts, “I sure hope we make it to the other side.” I’m not afraid of the water and am a good swimmer, but I’m just saying…

So here we are at Puerto Juarez where I catch a cab to the Cancun bus station for 50 pesos.

The bus stations are always a hoot in Mexico. When your Spanish is less than perfect, you just kind of hope you end up where you want to be going. So far, I haven’t had any problems. I will again have to say that the bus system in Mexico is incredible… inexpensive, comfortable and easy to use once you get used to it. I just need to learn more Spanish so that I can understand the movies they play on the little drop-down TVs.

In fact, this trip went really smoothly in that I just had less than 10 minute waits for my rides. I took some pics of the Cancun scenery through the bus window…

So I get to Puerto Aventuras and get off the bus in what seems like just a small Mexican town in the middle of nowhere. I start walking towards the town and realize I am NOT in a touristy area of Mexico. I go into a little tienda and a girl points in the direction of where the “tourist” area of Puerto Aventuras is. So I walk under the highway and see a big sign that says, “Puerto Aventuras” with a gate and a guard. I ask the guard if I can walk in and he says, “si,” so on I go and eventually see this sign…

I walk a little further and get to this nice walkway…

And then look to the right and see this…

Oh, Lord…a golf course. I have nothing against golf, but I don’t necessarily want to see it in Mexico. So then I walk on and see all these manicured lawns with lush condos and lagoons…

Suddenly, I’m thinking I’ve been transported to a retirement village in Florida. But I go on…I DO like the name of this boat…

Then I get to the main “village”…which is not really a village, it’s just an expensive touristy place where wealthy people go to spend a lot of money.

Lots of cute (expensive) shops and restaurants. The main hotel is the Omni and this is what you see when you walk through the lobby…

And here’s the beach view…

Beautiful…but you pay for it. As I was walking back through the lobby, I saw the price posted on the wall…3750 pesos per night. Let me just get out my credit card. (NOT)

I walked around the area a little more and saw that they had a big dolphin area where guests could swim with them.

And be kissed by them…

At this point I didn’t have much interest in spending any more time here, so I decided to head down to Akumal. I walked back to the main area near the highway and really didn’t feel like waiting for the next bus, so I asked a taxi driver how much to Akumal. He said 140 pesos. Not a problem…so off we go down the highway to Akumal at I’m guessing about 90 miles per hour. After all, he needed to get back to his post for his next fare. I’m a bit of a lead-foot myself, so I’m not one to question Mexican cab drivers who may seem to put your life in danger but ALWAYS get you where you need to be in a timely fashion.

So here we are in Akumal again. I was told that if I walked further past the main area, I would run into a better area.

I did run into the police station…I’m thinking they don’t have a lot of crime in Akumal.

I walked past a bunch of nice homes…and then on towards a bunch of hotels.

I will have to admit the views are beautiful in Akumal…the bay is stunning.

But, I will say again, that there is just not that much to do there. I know they’re big on snorkeling and diving, but I think they cater to a higher-end clientele and that just isn’t me. Their prices are higher and I just don’t feel as comfortable there as I do at Isla Mujeres or Puerto Morelos. I guess I’m just a simple girl.

On that note…I’m headed back to Isla…

I think I took the 8:30 p.m. ferry back to the island and geez was it COLD!! I thought I’d sit down below because I figured it would be warmer, but they had the air conditioning on!! I suffered on top, huddled up against the wind. I was glad to get back home. Till next time…

Posted by EditorDeb | January 6, 2011 | Categories: Akumal, Puerto Aventuras | 8 Comments

Why do Isla lovers love Isla?

My most recent trip to Isla was just a relaxing getaway. I didn’t want to think about anything…just veg. And I can’t think of a better place to do this. Isla seems to have “healing powers”…a place to let things go and just appreciate life. I don’t feel that in Texas. I am not a native Texan…I don’t wear cowboy boots, I don’t do the two-step, and I’m not a country-western fan, so I don’t feel that loyalty that so many natives feel here. I guess I’ll always be an outsider…which is why I enjoy going to Isla (or anywhere in Mexico for that matter) to get away from all that.

So why do I love Isla? Let me count the ways. First of all…to get my toes in the sand…

It’s always the first thing I want to do when I get there.

Not to mention the serenity…

Secondly…I love the colors and the activity. Waking up after my first night, I head out to breakfast and/or coffee and just love watching the activity as the island comes to life. Vendors delivering newspapers…

Finding a place for coffee…

And just exploring what may have changed…

Then there’s the food…

The shrimp cocktail at Picus…

The fish and chips at Bally Hoo…

And the Huevos Motulenos at Tacostumbras…definitely the best this time around…

Not to mention the views from your table…

There’s laundry day…

The familiar…

The quirky… (I’m sorry, but it would haven’t taken about 60 seconds to paint the back side of the ball on top of that post, but I guess because it was at the end of the malecon, it didn’t matter…haha…that’s Mexico.)

The shopping!!

One of the best shops on the island in my humble opinion…

And the animals. This little sweetie was laying on the sidewalk and I clicked my tongue so that it would look at me for a picture. Well, it got up and walked over to me and just sat at my feet while I massaged its ears. Sooooooooo cute…and I love the sweater!!

I’ve seen this little guy begging at Cito Cafe…
I decided to bring my cat, Nutter, along on this trip…

Haha…I kid. This is a cat who took up residence next door to the Hotel Plaza Almendros. Here’s Nutter…

Amazing likeness, huh? Apparently, the vast majority of tortoiseshell cats are female…just a little tidbit of information. Anyway, this little sweetie would wait for me outside the hotel every morning, so it was like going out and greeting Nutter each day. In fact, I would go outside and say, “Hi, Nutter!” She didn’t care if I didn’t get the name right…she was down for a little affection.

Then there are the people…the hard workers who walk up and down the beach every day…

The hard working fishermen…

And the children…

And some interesting characters??

And, finally…the water. That beautiful, blue, clear water. Every time I see it, I can’t believe it…and look for ways to remember it in my everyday life.