Where the heck are we? Tourist photo-ops,

Dance troupe, whale shark statue on Isla Mujeres

We’ve all done it, posed beside a large decorative sign with a recognizable name.  The signs are memory joggers for photo buffs, those of us who snap hundreds of pictures on a two-week holiday, trying to capture all of the excitement, all of the beauty. The signs remind us of the location of a fun experience, a quirky building, or an interesting street scene.

Sunrise side of Isla Mujeres

Recently, we have seen an increase in bright, cheerful signs simply proclaiming – Isla Mujeres. 

We think the signs have been installed to help combat TCS, tourist-confusion-syndrome. Symptoms of TCS include an inability to distinguish between one city and another. Sufferers of TCS are usually oblivious to their surroundings due to the overuse of selfie-sticks and alcohol. 

Conversations with a visitor who suffers from TCS can sound something like this:

“This is my favourite part of Cancun,” the bikini-clad woman said. 

“Cancun?”  The islander asked, his eyebrows lifting, questioning. Then he noticed the woman was wearing an identification wristband from an all-inclusive resort located on the Riviera Maya.   

“Yes, we are on a day trip from the hotel zone.  This is my favourite part of Cancun.”

“Actually, this isn't Cancun.” He patiently replied, “We're a separate community. This is Isla Mujeres.”

“Oh! I’ve never heard of it,” she said.

Arriving on Isla Mujeres

If you are here on a day-trip, the first indication that you aren’t in Cancun is the enormous metal sign spread across the top of the Ultramar passenger ferry terminal – Isla Mujeres. Snap a phone pic of that one to help you remember where you were. 

Or just a few steps from the boat, at the head of the wharf, is another photo opportunity – an anchor, a painted wooden sign, and the beautiful blue ocean. During the Christmas holidays, an enormous inflatable, woolly bear complete with Santa hat and scarf sits beside the anchor. It is an ideal stop for a memory-jogging photo.

Whale Shark statue at night

If you rent a golf cart to tour the island, there will be several other visual clues that you are not in Cancun, you are on Isla Mujeres. 

There is a large whale shark statue, suspended over a sculpture of a small fishing boat, a panga. It is located about five minutes south of Centro, on the western side where the Malécon runs along the water’s edge. The statue is a popular place to stop for a touristy photo. Driving past this area can be interesting when golf-cart drivers suddenly brake and swerve to the curb, pointing excitedly at the statue with their selfie-stick.

Isla on the winter solstice, December 21st 

Back in Centro on the eastern shoreline, the sunrise side of the island, there is a newer, yet already rusting, large sign proclaiming the name of our small community: Isla Mujeres, Island of Women.  The sign is located behind the Casa de la Cultura.  Abasolo Avenue will take you right to the sign – but please remember the Malécon is a walkway.  It isn’t a place to play dodge-em with dog-walkers, joggers, and parents walking small children. The Malécon narrows and ends at a wall, leaving you, the obviously-not-an-islander, red-faced and reversing to extricate yourself from the jam. 

For the folks who are only visiting for a few hours and plan to walk around Centro, one of the newer tourist stores on the double-wide Rueda Medina Avenue, Plaza Don Agustin, has a perfect place for a memory-jogging photo inside their store. 

On the wall is a depiction of a whale shark along with the name of our community.

In the same neighbourhood is the Miramar Restaurante, located on Rueda Medina Avenue and across from the Señor Frog store. After enjoying a snack, or lunch, or perhaps a cold beverage, you can walk out on their dock for yet another Isla Mujeres photo op.

Islanders try their best to help cure TCS, tourist-confusion-syndrome.

Now, if someone could convince the souvenir salespeople to stop selling Cancun-branded t-shirts and touristy gee-gaws, maybe we could make some real progress.

Cheers, Lynda, Lawrie, and Sparky

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

or

Death in the Vineyards

Swimming with the Whale Sharks - again

Orectolobiformes Rhincodontidae

No matter how many times I swim with the Whale Sharks, those bus-sized sea creatures that include Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox in their annual migration, it is still a fabulous encounter.  

A group of island neighbours decided they wanted to experience swimming with the Whale Sharks. 

  

Did I want to join them?  Sure!  Count me in!

Yumiko, Andy, Julie, and Rob

Until a short time ago, I was convinced (via a Wikipedia webpage) that Whale Sharks were neither whales nor sharks; instead, they were considered the largest fish species in the world.

However, a well-informed reader of our blog told me they are classed as Orectolobiformes (Carpet Sharks) and comprise the only member of their family, Rhincodontidae.  

If I knew how to pronounce those complex scientific names, I might be scared, but these big teddy-bears of the ocean eat plankton, krill, and tiny baby squid, not humans. They have big, scary names and gentle personalities. 

Victor Ancona

 Our friends, Julie and Rob Goth, recently established as full-time islanders, booked our group outing with Xoc Lifestyles.  

It is a relatively new tour company owned by Victor Ancona and his Canadian wife, Kasie Dobbs Ancona. The name Xoc, pronounced something like Shok, is Maya for shark.  

For generations, Victor’s large and extended family group has been busy island residents.  

Victor’s younger sister, Amaranta Ancona Cervera, owns a hair and esthetics salon near the Poc Na Hostel on Isla.  

Omar Ancona

His well-known and popular uncle Victor Cervera Cervera has Casa Havana vacations, and previously Casa Havana Restaurante, located behind the naval base on Juarez. His beautiful mamá is Delia Cervera Cervera.  

Victor’s grandfather, Wandy Ancona, who lives a couple of blocks south of our home, had a career in the Mexican Navy until his retirement. Abuelo Wandy and Abuela Olga frequently enjoy sitting on their front porch in the cool of the evening, watching the street activities, and waving at passersby.

Victor’s love for the ocean is in his blood. He and his siblings learned how to operate boats at a young age, and he has many fond memories of staying two and three months at a time on nearby Isla Contoy while his papi, Esteban Ancona Argaez, fished in the surrounding ocean. 

Leaving Isla Mujeres behind

So off we go on our escapade: the five Musketeers, Julie, Rob, Andy, Yumiko, and me. Two more adventure-seeking vacationers joined our wacky group, Shonna and Matt from Austin, Texas.  

A quick run through of the rules, and Victor cast off the lines, while his older brother Omar Ancona Cervera expertly backed the boat away from the family dock in the Makax Lagoon.  

Julie & Rob - let me at 'em!

Headed towards the northern end of Isla Mujeres, we passed several marinas and beach bars, the car ferry, Playa Centro, and rounded the point by Playa Norte.   

We powered through relatively calm, turquoise seas to join the huge flotilla of tour boats gathered seventeen miles offshore at the current location for the Whale Sharks.

Now comes the fun part – swimming with these beautiful creatures. Two people, per boat, are allowed in the water at any one time. 

Life jackets are mandatory. And touching is not allowed. Human contact can damage the delicate surface of their skin and disrupt their feeding timetable. 

Check out this beauty!

All set to go with dive mask, snorkel, and life vest, Shonna and Matt are the first to jump in, swimming hard to catch up as the critters slide past with a lazy flick of the tail. 

Two by two, we take turns, some of us dive in more than once, while others are content to watch from the boat.  The Whale Sharks swim continuously, like a shark, never stopping their effortless but rapid forward movement.

Yumiko and Andy

The excitement of my adventure-mates is infectious. When it is my turn, I am so electrified I forget to pull the diving mask over my eyes, wondering why my underwater vision is so damn blurry. 

I sort out my mask and eventually realize that ooo-ing and aah-ing underwater is not advised; it is a great way to ingest seawater.  

Craving a high-quality underwater camera, one of those stupendously expensive ones that take National Geographic-worthy photos, I stare in open-mouthed awe as the black and white spotted leviathan cruises past my face.  

Wow, just wow! And then so quickly it was over, time to motor back to the island. Time for a bit of liquid refreshment and snacks. Playa Norte was a traffic jam of returning tour boats. Big and small, luxury and modest, dozens of boats anchored to allow excursionists a chance to swim, drink cervezas, and chow down on afternoon treats.

Playa Norte 

Our very able and entertaining crew of the Brothers Ancona, Victor and Omar, dished up some tasty ceviche, quiche, with fresh fruit, and of course cold cerveza.  

You just can’t go on a Mexican adventure without cold beer!

What a fun adventure!  Thanks to our neighbourhood friends for including me.  

Omar and Victor, our fabulous crew!

And you may have guessed, Lawrie didn’t join us.  He doesn’t swim with any creature that has the word shark in its name.  

It’s that 1970s Jaws-thing.

Cheers,

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas

Look carefully - he's there!

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

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.  

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 youngsters tucked up in bed and snoozing soundly.  

Another one of my favourite murals L. Lock photo

We had a restful night, even though 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 sandbar 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 rainstorms and vehicles. Unlike Isla Mujeres, there are not many fast drivers on Isla Holbox.  We actually had to speed up to 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, ATVs and 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 speed bumps and topes in three tiny unmarked villages. Pressing on towards Nuevo Valladolid, my bladder was starting to suggest 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 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, and Sparky

Centro Isla Holbox

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

Or

Death in the Vineyards

May on Isla Mujeres: What to do, what to do, what to do ……

North Beach - Playa Norte  L. Lock photo

It’s May in paradise, and surprisingly, there is still a lot happening on the island, just at a slower pace.  

The weather is consistently warm, with light winds and seldom any rain. 

In a few days, the whale shark season officially opens, allowing access to these beautiful forty-foot creatures as they leisurely swim and feed.  

Whale Shark, National Geographic

Whale sharks are slow-moving filter feeders in the carpet shark family. They suck in a mix of macro-algae, plankton, krill, crab larvae, and small squid, then expel the water through their gills, trapping the food against their scale-like dentils.  

They aren’t interested in eating the annoying critters that thrash in the water around them, faces squashed into diving masks, and words of awe bubbling to the ocean’s surface. When I swim with these leviathans, I lose my obsessive fear of the ocean, if only for a little while. It’s amazing.

Sea Turtles mating at Punta Sur  L.Lock

Later in the month, the giant sea turtles congregate at the southern tip of the island, enthusiastically mating. The lineups for the available females are long, as two, three, or four males anxiously paddle along behind waiting for their turn. It’s a pretty cumbersome business, with the smaller male piggybacking on the larger female. 

They both seem happy with the results because the process is repeated year after year. A few weeks after fertilization, the females will come ashore at night and lay up to 180 eggs in a deep nest laboriously dug with their flippers. If you are lucky enough, you can sit quietly nearby and watch the females lay their eggs. Don’t touch or disturb them. Just let the ladies do their difficult job, and then return to the safety of the sea.

Details for May 2016 Fishing Tournament

And for those of you who like a bit more action, there is always deep-sea fishing, fishing tournaments, and just plain fun fishing.  On May 20^th, 21^st, and 22^nd is the annual Torneo Internacional Pesca that features prizes like 350,000.00 pesos for first place (About $20,000.00 USD). The second-place prize is a pick-up truck. 

Third place, won by island friends of ours in 2013, is 100,000.00 pesos. Other prizes include a boat and motorcycles. Judging by the happy faces at the end of the day, everyone had a great time hanging out with their buddies, drinking beer, and catching fish.  Winning a prize is an added bonus.

Happy fishermen!  

Most of our Canadian and American friends have returned to their northern homes. They are looking forward to catching up on family news or gardening, golfing, and fishing. 

We have settled into a less hectic routine, fewer parties, more quiet evenings enjoying a good book and a glass of wine on our ocean-side patio.  

Ah, May, in paradise.  Our favourite time of year.

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, and Sparky

Boats  racing to check in before the deadline

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

OR

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries