Some things never change

Longer days - beautiful weather

Huh!  I’ll be darned!

Scrolling through 20,472 photographs of Isla Mujeres that we have taken in the last few years, I realized that there definitely is a repeat pattern to life here on the island. 

June is prime time for the boisterous political parades.  The campaign for Governor of the State of Quintana Roo was in June 2009.  The campaigning for Presidente of Isla Mujeres occurred in June 2010, and it is happening right now in June 2013.  Typically the state and federal elections are every six years, while local elections are every three years.  The mandate for our local Presidente, Hugo Sanchez, was a bit shorter as the election officials wanted to synchronize the dates, statewide.

2009 State elections

The political parades are entertaining so we don’t mind the noise of the various campaign slogans and accompanying music.  PRI party seems to like rap music similar to Pit Bull, and the PAN soundtrack sounds like One Night in Bangkok, or maybe it’s Putting on the Ritz – one of those.   I find myself humming along as the boom-box golf carts pass by our house, again and again and again.

June is also the time for torrential rain storms interspersed with silky smooth seas and brilliantly sunny days.  In June 2011 Tropical Storm Arlene paid us a visit flooding many parts of the island.  

This year a storm sat overtop of Isla for about a week, before grudgingly moving on to Florida, where it became Tropical Storm Andrea - the first named storm of 2013.  Andrea set records for the amount of rainfall in various parts of the USA, and probably here on Isla.  I have seen reports of up to two feet of rain for the week.  That’s a lot of water!  

2011 TS Arlene flooded streets in centro

So much water that two separate sightings of crocodiles swimming on roadways were reported; one in the hotel zone in Cancun, and one in the area by the Hacienda Mundaca Park on Isla.  

Strange areas such as Captain Tony’s front yard at the higher southern end of the island were turned into lakes.  He and his dog went kayaking - on the front lawn.  

We were wet and cranky, experiencing a bit of cabin fever as we huddled in our house, staring out the rain-drenched windows as sheets of rain obliterated our ocean view. 

 

Lawrie - clearing street drain near our house

And predictably every year the heavy rains cause migraine-sized headaches for store and restaurant owners in the busy centro area of Isla.  Even though we are an island made primarily of sand and coral, the water doesn’t dissipate rapidly enough.  The various pumps just can’t handle the flow.  This time there was also a problem in the electrical panel for the pumps causing a further delay in reducing the water build up.  Many drainage trenches were clogged with sand and trash.  

In the summer months we frequently check the two large drains a few hundred feet south of our house.  We have on occasion been out there in the pouring rain, rakes in hand, clearing the debris, reducing the accumulating water to a few inches instead of a few feet.  I wonder do we qualify as city workers?  Maybe we will get an invitation to the annual Christmas party?

Swimming with Whale Sharks June 2009

On the upside of June, it is one of our favourite months because the ocean is teeming with sea life.  It is turtle mating season, and the beginning of their nesting season.  June is also in my opinion the best month for enjoying a swim with the Whale Sharks, those graceful forty-foot long submarines that are in truth neither whale nor shark, but the world’s largest fish.  Fewer tourists equal a better experience when swimming with these gorgeous creatures.   In June most Canadians, Americans, and Europeans are enjoying fine weather in their own home-towns.  Later in the summer, when crowded cities heat up, we will see another up-tick in tourism, particularly from European countries.

Turtle tracks in front of neighbour

June is also the beginning of the migration season for various species of ray including the Golden Rays and Manta Rays.  We were fortunate a few years ago to watch as a large group of rays passed our house on the east side of the island.  The females leapt high into the air, contracting muscles, and expelling a cylinder-shaped live baby ray.  The babies’ wings unfurled as they entered the water, and away they sped following the family group.  Pretty darn cool to see!

It’s comforting to know that some things never change.  Next year we’ll be doing most of the same things again; viewing the turtles’ mating season, swimming with Whale Sharks, watching for the migration of rays, and enjoying life with our friends and family. 

Ah, June - beautiful peaceful June.

Hasta Luego          
Lynda and Lawrie