Isla Mujeres, quirky, haphazard, and delightful

Interesting old building in Centro

I have an accumulation of thousands of photographs taken over the past few years, photographs that we like to include in this blog, to write about, to explain. 

When stumped for an idea, I will sit and peruse the files, clicking and scrolling, mentally sorting out the where, when and why of the photos. Usually, an idea for the weekly blog post will pop into my head after a few minutes of contemplation. This time, Lawrie was casually looking over my shoulder and suggested a focus for the article just as the idea was formulating in my head! Damn! He's reading my mind again.

Fruits and veggies - near our house

We were both thinking about the contrasts on the island: the big and the small, the expensive and the economical, the grandiose and the modest. 

Contrasts such as the unlit, narrow aisle leading into a quaint little neighbourhood tienda, a small local store providing fresh vegetables and a few assorted dry goods to customers within a few block radius. 

Chedraui Super Store 

Contrast that with the large, bright Super X-Press, or Chedraui Super Stores, offering new motorcycles, alcohol, baked goods, vegetables, meats, dairy products, or pharmaceuticals. 

 Everything from refrigerators to toothpicks.

Expensive plaything

Then my eyes flicked over a series of photographs featuring sport fishing boats, yachts and cruisers ranging upwards to over a hundred feet in length. 

Grandiose indeed! 

Five fishermen headed out at sundown

Contrast those luxury playthings with the average twenty-six-foot-long open-topped work boats, loaded with fishermen, nets, hooks, and bait, heading out at sundown in hopes of catching fish to sell to local restaurants.

Modest and cozy

Or housing. On Isla, there are many humble little old-style houses made from wooden stakes or concrete blocks protected by roofs made of corrugated cardboard, impregnated with waterproof tar. 

 These tiny homes are just wide enough to comfortably hang a hammock at night.

Colourful and charming!

In the colonias, the thickly populated neighbourhoods, a myriad of modest, brightly painted abodes lend a colourful, haphazard appearance to narrow streets. 

Cozy and charming, these houses vary in shape and size with sufficient room for a family and pets to congregate for meals. 

Architectural wonder - Villa del la Vida

And then there are the splendorous shapes with commanding views of the turquoise ocean - the architectural wonders of shiny glass, glittering metal, and dazzling white walls.

Contrasts; everywhere you look. It is part of the charm of Isla Mujeres, quirky, haphazard, and delightful.

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas the Cat

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky