Isla Holbox – a different kind of paradise

Isla Holbox Yucatan Mexico

Isla Holbox is a little island off the coast of Mexico, similar to the island in Mexico we call home.  

Just a twenty minute ride on the passenger ferries from Chiquilá on the mainland, Isla Holbox is nestled in the mint green water of the Gulf of Mexico.  As the crow flies it’s not far from Isla Mujeres, where we are surrounded by the turquoise Caribbean Sea, but it’s a world away in atmosphere.

Golf cart taxi on Holbox

Arriving on the island a bright yellow, golf-cart taxi drove us along sand covered streets to our beachfront hotel, Holbox Dream, on the eastern side of the island.  

Okay, we could have walked the six or so blocks dragging our suitcases through the mid-day heat, but this was our first time to Isla Holbox and we didn’t yet have our bearings.  A short inexpensive taxi ride was a great solution.   

Cool, clean and good staff!

We were warmly greeted by Benjamin at the front desk, and quickly checked into our rooms.  

Nice and cool.  Simple décor.  And clean.

After freshening up it was time to look for a good dinner location.  

Viva Zapata for dinner

The local favourite is Viva Zapata, just a short walk from our hotel.  

It’s an attractive location with traditional Mexican dishes, oodles of fresh fish choices and tasty steaks.

Ambling around the town after dinner we noticed the fun artwork painted on homes, stores, and businesses.  

One of the Holbox murals - L. Lock photo

Our friends Becky and Craig McHugh were recently on Holbox, and her blog Life's a Beach, features many of the colourful murals.  Here’s the link if you would like to see her collection of photographs: http://lifewithbeck.blogspot.mx/  

By the time our bedtime rolled around our hotel was quiet, with the assorted vacationing pre-schoolers tucked up in bed and snoozing soundly.  

Another one of my favourite murals - L. Lock photo

We had a restful night, even though I must admit the two small pillows on the bed were thin, and well, darn it, just too small.  I have a thing about pillows.  

Even though we didn’t take our pooch, Sparky, with us I still woke up at the regular walk-the-dog time of 5:30 and I was impatient to get going.  

Strangely enough my three travel companions, Lawrie, John and Maia, insisted on staying in bed until the sun was properly up and the smell of brewing coffee wafting in the air.  Hmph! 

Le Jardin Bakery - dogs welcome

Once everyone was up and dressed we walked two short blocks to the Le Jardin bakery for fortifying coffees, warm flaky pastries, and other delicious breakfast items.  Hugely popular with locals and tourists the line-ups start well before opening time.  Normal low season hours are 8:30 to 12:30 Wednesday to Saturday, but be warned, they close when they run out of their freshly baked goods.  They also have a communal dog water-bowl and welcome signs for the many furry, four-legged companions on the island.  We noticed several establishments with water bowls available for any passing dog, cat or bird.  It’s a thoughtful idea.

42 kilometres - primarily nature preserve

Mid-morning we decided to rent a golf cart and explore the island.  Isla Holbox is a mostly-undeveloped, low profile, sand-bar that is about 42 kilometres (26 miles) long and 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) wide.  That’s huge compared to Isla Mujeres at 7 kilometres long.  

Centro - Isla Holbox

We located a golf cart rental company near the square in centro, renting by the hour for $150.00 Mexican pesos: cheap!   We paid for two hours and off we tootled bumping over the sand-packed dips and hollows created by rain storms and vehicles.  Unlike Isla Mujeres there are not many fast drivers on Isla Holbox.  We actually had to speed up keep the golf-cart from stalling as we crossed over the one speed-reducing tope that we did find.  Most of the islanders get around on bicycles, motos, ATV’s and of course golf carts. 

Two choices of passenger ferries - same price

And then it was time to head back to Isla Mujeres.  We checked out of our hotel, and began our four hour arrival journey in reverse.  First the golf-cart taxi ride back to the passenger ferry.  Then a twenty minute boat ride to the mainland community of Chiquilá, where we walked two blocks to Don Patricio’s parking lot, to retrieve our rental car.  

One of several parking lots for Isla Holbox visitors

We didn’t take our Mini-Cooper convertible on this road trip.  We needed something a little bit roomier for four people and two travel bags.  Lawrie found an inexpensive rental car at Car-Flex located in the La Isla Shopping centre in Cancun.  Pepe, the customer representative, was amazingly helpful.  The total cost was $100.00 USD for three days including insurance.  Great deal. 

Car-flex rental - $100.00 USD 3 days

Next we drove via Highway 5 back towards the little community of Kantunilkin, through a bit of road construction that, in typical local fashion, lets the drivers decide which side of the work zone they would like to drive on.  

It was a bit of a free-for-all, but eventually we got through it.  From there it was another hour negotiating through numerous speedbumps and topes in three tiny unmarked villages.  Pressing on towards Nuevo Valladolid my bladder was starting to make suggestions that we find a rest stop, or baños soon.  Very soon.  

John's turn to drive, with Maia navigating

We turned south once we reached Nuevo Valladolid on Highway 180 and stopped at the PeMex outside the of town of Leona Vicario.  Closed for renovations, no baños!  Okay, then.  We continued on to the outskirts of Cancun, coming in on Avenida Lopez Portillo heading towards the UltraMar ferry docks at Puerto Juarez.  My bladder is now becoming quite insistent. 

Motorcycle based transportation in small towns

Lawrie parked the rental car in the UltraMar parkade.  He, John and Maia headed towards the boarding line.  I raced for the baños, and double-timed it back to the ferry dock.  We slid on-board as the ramps were being raised.  Headed home!

We enjoyed our quick visit to the quaint little community of Isla Holbox, but also really enjoyed returning to our little slice of paradise on Isla Mujeres. 

Hasta Luego

Lynda & Lawrie

Centro - Isla Holbox

News Flash! Isla Mujeres is not really part of Mexico

Isla Mujeres - "not really part of Mexico"

Every once in a while you just have to laugh at the absurdity of “it’s the rules” that really large companies, the behemoths of consumerism, operate by. 

Recently we decided to replace two eight-year-old appliances, a stacking washer/dryer and a small fridge, that were showing signs of age due to rust and corrosion.  

(On the other hand, our big GE Profile refrigerator has been replaced three times, and we finally got smarter and switched to an LG model without all the fancy electronics.)

Isla Mujeres. I'm pretty sure we live in Mexico

Lawrie had discovered Costco Online shopping with lower prices than the stores, better choices in brand names, and best of all - direct delivery to your front door, anywhere in Mexico.  

Anywhere.

A phone call to Costco confirmed that, yes they would be delighted to deliver to our front door on Isla Mujeres, at no extra cost.

Encouraged, Lawrie ordered the new Frigidaire washer/dryer combination, plus a Frigidaire wine fridge that would fit perfectly into the under-counter spot recently vacated by the demise of our third dishwasher.  The dishwasher was not going to be replaced.  We decided that for two people and two pets we sure as heck didn’t need another electronic-nightmare princess-of-a-dishwasher.  I mean, really, how difficult can it be for our dog Sparky to clean a few plates, pots and pans?  The utensils, well, that’s a bit more of a challenge because he has to be careful of the sharp knives and pointy forks, but he gets the job done.  

Bird of Paradise in paradise. Isla Mujeres

I was excited about the new appliances.  A new rust-free washer/dryer would be nice to have in hopes of preventing more rust stains on our clothes, but in my humble opinion, the wine fridge was a necessity.  Confirmation of our order came through our email.  We could expect delivery of said appliances in about twenty days.  

A few weeks ticked past without any more information, then we happened to be shopping at the Cancun Costco store.  We stopped at the customer service desk and they referred us to a very helpful English-speaking employee.  She checked the status of our order and pointed out that the invoice said: twenty working days, not twenty days.  Saturdays and Sundays were considered non-working days.

Looks like Mexico to me ....

“Oh, okay, so that would be around November 5^th?”

“Well, more likely around November 9^th, because there was also the October 31^st, November 1^st and November 2^nd national holidays to celebrate the Day of the Dead.” 

“Perfecto! Thank you so much for the update.”

Then on November 3rd we received an email from Costco.  The appliances were now on their way from the distribution center and would be delivered to our front door by Almex, a worldwide ginormous transportation company whose modernized company name is a shortened version of All-Mexico.  Another week ticked past and still nothing, but the online status showed that the appliances are out for delivery and should arrive on Isla by November 16^th.  Okay, a little later than promised, but no big deal.

Oh look, there's Cancun in the real Mexico, I guess

November 16^th comes and goes, and once again we happen to be shopping in Cancun at Costco.  The Store Manager gets involved this time along with two other very helpful employees.  

They attempted to reach the Almex trucking company distribution center to find out the status of our order.  An hour and many minutes later on his cell phone the Store Manager finally gets through to a person at Almex.  

The response: “We don’t deliver to Isla Mujeres, it’s not really part of Mexico.”  Well, that’s strange: our address says Isla Mujeres Quintana Roo Mexico, the islanders speak Spanish, and the local currency is Mexican pesos.  Who knew we weren’t really living in Mexico?

Stacking washer/dryer

Very patiently the Costco Store Manager explained to the Almex branch manager, “Yes, you do deliver to Isla Mujeres.  It’s in your contact.  It’s listed on our online webpage.  You deliver to anywhere in Mexico.”

“No. We don’t!”

Really, a trucking company giving Costco, another worldwide ginormous corporation, the proverbial finger?  Wow!

Eventually, the Store Manager fought his way through the maze of Almex personnel to reach someone more important in the hierarchy who very grudgingly agreed, "Yes, we will deliver to Isla Mujeres." The Costco manager told us the trucking company would call within an hour and arrange a date and time convenient for us. 

Lawrie and I do a mental eye roll, and chuckle to ourselves.  Sure.  Sure they’ll call.

Finally arrived. 7 weeks after ordering

For the next few days, we hung around the house, concerned about missing the delivery.  By November 21^st our patience is getting a bit thin.  We would like to join our friends for Happy Hour, not be stuck at the house waiting.  Lawrie sends off yet another email asking Costco Online what is the status of our order.  They in turn say that Costco Head Office has had a very up-close and personal conversation with Almex Head Office. 

We will be getting our appliances delivered on Saturday November 28^th.  Guaranteed!  Costco Head Office apologized profusely for the delays. 

Well, just when we thought it is never going to happen - it does.  A day early.  On Friday November 27^th at 8:30 in the morning, when both Lawrie and I happened to be out – the appliances arrived!  

Thank goodness for strong friends!

Fortunately, Lawrie was just next door at his sister Linda’s casa having coffee. His brother-in-law Richard noticed the truck at our house.  Whew!  If we had missed the delivery I am pretty sure that Almex would have refused to try again.   They would have been only too happy to give those pesky islanders, and Costco, the middle-finger-salute!

We have to say we are delighted with our purchases, especially the pretty 42-bottle wine fridge.  The Costco staff went out of their way to help us out.  

The Store Manager even called on the following Monday to make sure that we received our order and that we were happy with the new purchases.  Yes, and yes.

Fisherman cleaning catch and feeding bird

Almex on the other hand might need a lesson in geography.  Isla Mujeres really and truly is part of Mexico.  

It would be interesting to hear from other islanders, or residents of Isla Cozumel or Isla Holbox if you have successfully had a large delivery from Costco Online, or did Almex cause you some hair-pulling moments too? 

It’s all part of the daily fun of living in paradise.

Hasta Luego

Lynda & Lawrie

(Updated August 2024)

We hope you enjoyed this post.  If you did please feel free to share it with your friends and family. 

Grab the Bull by the Horns! A conversation with Javier Velázque Euan

Javier Velázque Euan

How do you load six or seven head of cattle onto a passenger boat?  You grab the bull by the horns, of course!

In a fascinating three-way conversation, Javier Velázque Euan recounted his experiences as the captain, for twenty-two years, on the Sultana del Mar.  He and I chatted at our kitchen table while his son-in-law Freddy Medina provided a running commentary and translation.   

Born sixty-nine years ago on Holbox Island, Javier Velázque grew up in Campeche, and moved to Isla Mujeres when he was a strapping seventeen-year-old: a young bull.  His first position on the Sultana del Mar was in the engine room, and then as a mate, finally taking over as captain of the ship from his uncle Captain Titio sometime in the mid to late-1960’s.

Sultana del Mar - Dan Kane photos

Javier’s eyes twinkled with mischief when he recounted loading live animals onto the boat.  Each “res” (cow, bull, steer) took three strong men to drag and push it on board; one man on each horn, and a third man pushing the terrified animal from the back.  I wouldn’t have wanted to be the back-end person on that job.  Javier, as the Captain, assigned that treacherous task to his deck hands.

At that time the Sultana del Mar did not have the second level, and it had an open deck in the back.  In the years before the car ferry service started a small car and perhaps a truck could be loaded on the back deck.  The island streets were mere ruts in the sand, and there were not a lot of vehicles, so once or twice a week handled the vehicle traffic.

Live pigs, crates of chickens, fruits, vegetables, and stacks of glass bottles containing beer, water or soda pop – anything the islanders needed came across on the boat.  Pet monkeys bounced around in the rafters tormenting and teasing the passengers.  Javier worked from two o’clock in the morning to eight o’clock in the evening seven days a week for the sum of $180.00 pesos per week.  (That’s about $15.00 dollars a week at today’s exchange rates.)  During the summertime, when students were out of school and families ventured on day trips to the island Javier and the crew worked almost twenty-four hours per day for six to eight weeks.  Their bonus was an additional $150.00 pesos for the entire summer.

Sultana del Mar - courtesy of Abby & Neil Fox

The forty-five minute crossing was done without a radio, or navigational equipment other than a compass.  

The city of Cancun had not been built.  It was only a small fishing village, and the main port was Puerto Juarez, where buses from the cities of Valladolid or Mérida would discharge their passengers.  

The buses would drive to the docks, and flash their headlights three times, in the direction of Isla Mujeres, to signal the boat captains that there were passengers waiting for them at the port.

In the fleet of passenger boats owned by Ausencio Magaña the first boat was the La Carmita, a banana-shaped boat that rolled and wallowed in the seas creating havoc with the tender stomachs of landlubbers and tourists. Freddy Medina remembers standing in the back of the boat, well away from any seasick passengers, enjoying the salty breeze.  

The next ship was La Novia del Mar and then La Sultana del Mar.  A fourth boat, La Dama Elegante, was equipped with a six foot (2 metres) by two foot (60 cm) glass insert for viewing the sea life.  A sunken shrimp boat, the Blanca Beatriz was rescued from near Isla Contoy, and refurbished.  That boat was primarily reserved for circumnavigating the island with sightseers.

Sultana del Mar 2013 - half sunken live-aboard

Amongst our North American friends there are many people who have had a long term connection with Isla Mujeres, and I asked them about their memories of the Sultana del Mar.  To a person they remember the “sign in sheet.”   Most of them thought it a great joke to sign in as Martha Washington, Dolly Madison, James Bond, Goldie Hawn, or Frank Sinatra – any name but their own. 

Vivian Reynaldo fondly remembers gazing at the sea life during the crossing; dolphins that followed along, starfish on the sea bed.  Michael Feldman remembers crossing the in open boat – probably the La Carmita – during a rain storm.  The passengers and cargo were soaking wet, but everyone arrived safely in paradise.  John and Cathy Stuckless remember riding in the Blanca Beatriz as well as the Sultana del Mar.

Steve and Lindell Lehrer have a fond memory of his elderly Aunt Honey – a very proper Palm Beach lady.  When faced with a weather delay, and then a wet, dark and crowded trip across the bay, she pulled out from her stylish Chanel travel bag a small bottle of Vodka.  Aunt Honey passed it around for everyone to share.  Guitar music started and the forty-five minute ride passed very pleasantly.

Abby Fox on the Sultana del Mar

Other friends, Abby and Neil Fox chuckle over the ownerless dog that rode the boat, by itself.  It crossed to Puerto Juarez and disembarked, presumably to visit a girlfriend or two.  Later in the day the dog would reappear and board the boat to return to Isla Mujeres.  He was completely at ease with the boat, the boarding routine and the workers.  

On one of these trips an islander was crossing to Isla with a large sack of pig knuckles to sell in his store.  While the man was chatting with another passenger the dog took a pig knuckle and settled down to enjoy his treat.  After a few minutes the man noticed the dog, and retrieved the pig knuckle, placing it back in the sack with the others!  

No worries, a little dog saliva won’t hurt anyone.

                                _____________________

Thank you everyone for sharing your island stories.  I have much more information – enough to write a second article another day.  And thank you again Dan Kane for starting me off on this tangent.

Javier Velázque Euan and Freddy Medina - I take full responsibility for any mistakes between what you told me, and what I heard.   I am still giggling at the mental image of loading cattle onto a passenger boat.  

That’s really taking the bull by the horns!

Hasta Luego 

Lynda and Lawrie

Three … two … one … none!

Mooring lines on car ferry

For a few days this week the island looked like the aftermath of a small hurricane.  The sugar white sand of north beach covered the streets, spilling over the seawall and drifting across the sidewalks.  A strong westerly wind had been blowing for three days.  

Besides the unexpected appearance of sand dunes the grocery store shelves were bare, ATMs flashing out-of-service-signs, and the centro gas station was out of gasoline.  What the heck happened?

It was an unlucky confluence of events that conspired to create chaos.  The car ferry was out of service for a few days.  Tragic?  Not really.  Terribly inconvenient?  Absolutely.  

Living on an island has one disadvantage – everything must be brought to the island, or taken away from the island by boat.  No car ferry creates havoc with businesses and personal lives. 

The two nearly identical car ferries on Isla Mujeres

When we first moved here in 2007 there were two nearly-identical car ferries that were capable of carrying quite a number of the larger trucks, and passenger cars. 

Around 2009 the private company that owns and operates the car ferry service decided to sell one of those boats and purchased a different style of ship from South Korea, one that had better passenger carrying capacity, but less space for vehicles.  

The new kid on the block Sergio G. Aquilar

In the summer of 2010 one of the two identical boats was sold to Isla Holbox.  The new ship, re-christened the Sergio Gracia Aquilar, was faster but unruly when it came time to docking procedures due to its tall superstructure.  Eventually the captain and crew learned to tame the boat.  It was kept as a backup to be used on Sundays and national holidays when the number of passengers far outnumbered the vehicles.

About two weeks ago the remaining large capacity boat was sent to Campeche for emergency repairs to the bottom of the ship.  In previous years the car ferries were taken to Cuba, for a re-fit or repairs, until the cost became prohibitive.   

Once that boat was out of service, we were left with the smaller capacity car ferry - in use during high season.  Not the best solution, but the only one available.  The line-ups to get on the boat were longer and the chances of missing a sailing due to an overload increased exponentially.

How to berth an unruly car ferry - sideways!

And then Murphy and his law struck; Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.  

Yep, the remaining car ferry broke down, out of service for a couple of days, leaving the local businesses scrambling to remain open.  The shelves in the grocery stores looked like people had been panic buying in preparation for a hurricane.  Fresh produce?  Nothing.  Empty ATMs at the banks and grocery stores refused to dispense cash.  

Jammed in on the Sergio Gracia Aquilar

Lineups were common at the one gas station that still had fuel.  Restaurant owners forced to make additional trips into Cancun to re-stock kitchens.  The paving project at Sac Bajo came to a halt – no asphalt available to continue.  

The garbage-hauler was unable to remove refuse from the island.  And most importantly the beer companies Corona and Sol were unable to replenish supplies!  In Lawrie’s estimation that was a national emergency!

Sunset through the superstructure of the car ferries

The smaller boat is back in service now, running a catch-up schedule.  It sails from either side when it is full!  The larger boat is due to return – eventually.  At one point in 2010 we had three car ferries, then two in 2011 when one was sold, then one as the larger ship recently went in for emergency repairs, and then none for a few days this week.

Synchronicity?  No, Murphy’s Law.

Hasta Luego          
Lynda and Lawrie