Isla is Booming!

2015 concrete docks, bigger boats, new signs

Our little paradise here on Isla Mujeres is rapidly changing.  We think it’s great.  The focus has been gradually shifting from a sleepy fishing village to a tourist-based economy with more amenities available for everyone.

Our Presidente Agapito Magaña was ahead of the curve on this.  A great many of the projects he has introduced have the tourism industry front and foremost, from having our beaches designated as the coveted Blue Flag status, to getting Isla Mujeres chosen as a Pueblo Mágico destination in Mexico. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Isla has been frequently mentioned in the news:

Ferry terminal - 2007 Lawrie waiting for friends

TripAdvisor - Top Beaches in Mexico

NBC News – Best Islands to Live On

Travel & Leisure - World’s Best Islands

Islands – Best Islands for Retiring Early

And as you explore the island on a golf cart, you can’t help but notice the construction of new homes, condos, and resorts, including the infilling of vacant lots in the local neighbourhoods.  

2015 Street entrance to the new terminal

On our street, in the last seven years, there have been twelve new houses built, plus several other existing homes have undergone major renovations.  Chris Shannon, Managing Director of Mundaca Real Estate (Isla’s biggest real estate company), told us that it is hard to keep up with the requests to show property.  Their sales team is busy, and it’s a good busy!

At Punta Sam, the continental part of Isla Mujeres, a larger car ferry terminal is under construction.  We haven’t heard what the projected completion date is, but it looks like the project is well underway.  Hopefully, the new facility will have a better system for selling tickets to drivers.  

It is amusing, and unnerving, to wait, and wait, and wait until mere minutes before sailing time to see if you are actually going to be able to get your vehicle on the ferry.  It’s all part of the adventure of living here.

Feb 2015 starting to remove tower 

At the south end of the island, Punta Sur, the large observation tower that was built shortly before, and severely damaged by, Hurricane Wilma in 2005, was finally demolished and removed in February of this year.  The newspaper report said that there were 100 tons (metric tons) of metal to be removed.  The demolition company cut the tower into several slightly more manageable chunks and lowered them to the ground.  
At the present time, there are four modern homes/townhouses being built in the same area.  The removal of that towering menace is certainly a relief to everyone living within its considerable reach, had it broken off and crashed to the ground.

Oct 2015 Four new homes at Punta Sur

Another new project this year was the completion of a new fire hall, next door to the renovated police station and across the street from the soccer fields.  Now the new fire truck has a home out of the weather, and hopefully will last longer than the last vehicle.  The previous vehicle disintegrated into a heap of rust.  As we have often mentioned, living on an island surrounded by warm, salty water creates a huge corrosion and rust problem for anything electronic or mechanical, although for humans, it’s a perfect environment. 

New fire hall and new truck

We know some of you will lament the changes to Isla, remembering the sand-covered streets, the small tiendas (shops), and the slower pace, but change happens, and we can’t go back.  We wouldn’t want to.  We love our large, well-stocked grocery store, the new hospital, a second gas station, the larger passenger ferry terminal, reliable electricity, paved streets and sidewalks.  And the internet – well, it works, most of the time. 

The island people have not changed.  They are still the most welcoming and friendly folks you would ever meet, but now they have more employment opportunities to provide for their families.

Hasta luego, Lawrie, Lynda, Sparky, and Thomas

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or 

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky 

It's 5 o'clock somewhere - a dog's eye view of Isla Mujeres Part 2

Happy Hour at Nico's @ Isla 33 

Hola, amigos! This is Sparky, or you can call me by my Spanish name, Chispita. 

It's my turn to write the weekly Notes from Paradise.

For those of you who don't know me, my people tell me that I am a purebred Mexican low-rider. That's pretty cool. Don't you think?  A purebred Mexican low-rider. I think it sounds kinda sexy: low-rider. But I really want to tell you about a fun thing that happened to me when we were out for an evening ride in the golf cart.

Happy Hour - 1/2 price appetizers and drink specials

Last Friday, we stopped at Isla 33 Resort & Villas complex, on the eastern side of our island. There was a big sign at the entrance of Nico's @ Isla 33

Restaurant that said: Happy Hour. It looked like there were a bunch of happy folks there, so we stopped to investigate. There were two guys, Poyo & Payo, playing guitars and singing good tunes. 

Luis - pouring a glass of wine

There were lots of people chatting with friends and sampling great-smelling appetizers. 

There was a really nice man, Luis, who poured a light-coloured liquid into a big glass and handed it to the lady that I hang with. She seemed to like it a lot. I think Luis poured her a second one later on.

My people ordered something called Sliders. The three Sliders looked like little hamburgers, the perfect size for a small dog like me. I could smell cheddar cheese, bacon, Gouda, caramelized onions, and other great stuff. They kept saying how good the Sliders tasted. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try any of them, and it was hard not to drool all over my people's sandals.

Sparky's Spanish-speaking friend, José Cauich

But the coolest thing was this nice man, by the name of José Cauich, came over to me and started speaking my language: Spanish. 

I knew exactly what he was saying. “Acuestate.” Boom! I'm lying down.

“Sientate.”  And now I'm sitting.

Easy, I get this guy.  The man and woman that I have lived with for the last year and a half have always spoken another weird language, trying to get me to do stuff, but darn, it's hard. 

First I have to figure out what they mean, and then translate that into something I know how to do. I just wish they would learn to speak Spanish to me. It would be so much easier. 

A lot of my friends get adopted by people who don't speak Spanish, and I guess they all have the same problem. 

Gotta learn a new language, plus figure out the new people. It can be a big headache for a little dog, even a special and sexy dog like me, a purebred Mexican low-rider.

Personally, I am not clear on this Happy Hour stuff.  I think we were there for more than an hour, and everyone was still happy. I might see you there next time.

Hasta Luego, mi amigos

Sparky

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Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky