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| North Beach - Playa Norte |
Armed
with rakes, shovels, and large black plastic garbage bags, a dozen or
so hardworking ladies gather every morning on the public beaches of
Isla Mujeres. It's their job to keep the sand clean. They chat, rake, and pick up trash while bopping along to music played via their
cell phones, IPODS or MP3 players. Their job is a never-ending
task.
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| Beach cleaning crew |
The
current municipal administration of Isla Mujeres is working toward a
Blue Flag designation for North Beach – Playa Norte. The list of
requirements to obtain the coveted blue flag is extensive, and the
list is reviewed every year before the status is renewed. For
example, a Blue Flag beach must provide full-time life guards, clean
public washrooms, garbage containers, strict control of domestic
animals using the beaches, clean drinking water, wheelchair
accessibility, and frequent water quality sampling – to name just a
few of the conditions.
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| New, vacant, life guard tower |
If
you have been down to North Beach recently, you probably have noticed
the addition of three lifeguard towers and a big blue tractor-type
beach-cleaning machine. The tractor operator sweeps past, sweeping up debris and levelling the sand very early in the morning, before the
concession operators set out their loungers and umbrellas for the
day.
I
often wonder if the machine gathers up the
lost necklaces, chains and other items that the
metal-detector-wielding beachcombers usually search for. I wouldn't
mind a turn driving the tractor. Big machines fascinate me, just
ask Lawrie, who in the past has rented fun machines like a
32-foot-high scissor-lift, or a Bob-Cat loader, or a Bush Hog Rotary
Cutter, so I could do stuff around our property in Canada.
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| I want a turn driving this tractor! |
However,
back on Isla, when our low-to-the-ground dog, Sparky, and I amble along the shoreline, giving him a chance to swim in the calmer water of Playa Norte, I enjoy watching the preparations for obtaining
a Blue Flag designation. The addition of clean, public washrooms
would be a wonderful thing. It's a bit tricky right now for the
crowds of folks who use the beaches. Many of the nearby restaurants
are frustrated by the situation and have posted signage: restrooms
are for the use of paying customers only. So what do the
beach-users do when nature calls? I really don't want to know.
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| Busy beach! |
And
yes, I do carry my handy-dandy supply of puppy-poop bags to clean up
the beach after Sparky has done his business.
However, I am sure that under the Blue Flag designation, we will have to find him
another place to swim.
But
seriously, North Beach is a beautiful area, enjoyed by thousands
every month, and a little extra cleanup is a good thing. It's a great
place to hang out for the day, people-watching in the shade of a big
old palm tree. A cold beverage or two helps the day along as well.
Blue Flag or not, it's a beautiful location.
Hasta
Luego, Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas
PS: When Sparky and I were doing his morning swim/walk, we noticed this. It is a boat which arrived at North Beach sometime just before dawn, filled with Cuban refugees.
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| Cuban refugee boat arrived on North Beach early Sept 12th |
Murder. Mayhem. Revenge. Romance.
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3 comments:
You could come drive combines next summer for us :)
Great blog post as usual
Monica- YES!
It will be interesting to see if this comes to fruition. And I'm for anything that keeps the beach a little cleaner.
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