Local knowledge - an author’s best resource

We love living in a small community. The people are friendly and willing to share their insider knowledge. 

A few days ago while I was working on Tormenta Isla book #3 of the Isla Mujeres Mystery series, I was stuck for an answer.

I popped a message to two of my island friends, Tony Garcia and Isauro Martinez. Within minutes both guys had responded with oodles of intriguing bits information. How great is that? 

Captain Tony Garcia

Captain Tony is a well-known wedding, special-occasion and island-ambiance photographer. 

He is also a tour boat captain, and judging by the photos on his Facebook page, he’s a terrific chef.

Isauro Martinez is the affable and always smiling owner of Indio’s golf cart rentals. 

Indio was his dad’s nickname, and his is Apache. He always has fun stories to tell about growing up on the island.

Isauro Martinez - Indio Golf Cart Rentals

And then there is Freddy Medina who has been a good friend since we moved to the island. 

In the first novel of the series, Treasure Isla Book, I had one of my main characters, Yasmin Medina, jokingly name the crocodile that lives at the Hacienda Mundaca Park after her fictional cousin Freddy. 

The real Freddy owns the El Arrecife Bar in Centro. He and his five sisters have been fabulous a source of island information and personal stories, especially for our weekly blogs.

Freddy and Yadira - after Christmas parade

Many other islanders and ex-pats have big-heartedly answered questions, contributed bits of information, and recounted funny anecdotes. 

It’s all part of the island colour that I try to bring alive in the novels.

My recent questions went something like this:

What happens to the car ferry during a hurricane?  “It normally is used as a breakwater across Laguna Makax to prevent big waves from destroying all the smaller boats stored in the lagoon.”

Chatting while cleaning the day's catch.

Is the lagoon jammed with boats by the time everyone gets their vessel inside the area?   “They are tight around the edges but not in the center. The center is muddy and if you drop anchor there, the boat would move. Berthed at a marina or tied to the trees is much better.”

What’s the name of the bit of water between Puerto Juarez and Isla Mujeres? “Bahia de Mujeres.”

Morning gossip group - I gave them all a copy of this pic.

You just can’t get that type of information from the internet. (Okay, maybe I could have eventually found the name of the bay on Google.)  

You may be wondering why most of my information comes from men and not women. Maybe because the guys like to gossip, to chat, to chew-the-fat? 

I don't know.  What do you think?

Cheers Lynda & Lawrie

Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series
Available on Amazon e-books $2.99 USD

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious

CA review on September 26, 2017

Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.

 Treasure Isla 

Book #1 Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

            $2.99 USD on most e-book distribution systems.

Here are the links:

Treasure Isla on Amazon

Treasure Isla on Smashwords

Treasure Isla on Kobo Books

Treasure Isla on iTunes

Treasure Isla on Barnes and Noble Nook

Tangled - the parade that never was

Pretty Carnaval dancer

A hot salsa beat pounds out of enormous speakers, as a truck and trailer filled to overflowing with Carnaval dancers heads for the parade assembly area.  

The street is stuffed with happy spectators.  The street-side restaurants are overflowing with celebrants waiting for the start of the Carnaval parade.  It’s all part of the fun, knowing that the parade never, ever starts on time.  

And knowing the wait will be worth it when the dancers finally arrive.

Group arriving at the north end near Jax Bar & Grill

Truckloads of costumed dancers drive past our chosen viewing outpost on Rueda Medina.  

The groups lurch forward, then stop as the troupe manager decides they should do an impromptu performance – hoping to make a little more money from the crowd to help pay for their expensive costumes.  

The street is a whirl of pink and purple and green and orange.  

Great-grandmothers and Grandmothers

Great-grandmothers and grandmothers strut and twirl.  Their daughters, granddaughters and grandsons follow with more energetic routines. 

The traffic stutter-steps along the proposed route, inching along in the wrong direction.  Other groups have assembled near the Navy base for the three o’clock start time, while the renegade groups buck the system and party on.  

High flying dancer

By four o’clock we decide to walk south along Rueda Medina, towards the beginning of the parade, looking for more dancers.  

Many groups are still performing in the street, nowhere near the assembly point.  The crowd doesn’t care.  Everyone is having a great time. 

A little further south, directly in front of the UltraMar passenger ferry terminal we finally find a dance troupe that is headed in the correct direction.  This group is also dancing enthusiastically and their forward progress is slow, very slow.  

Energetic dancers outside UltraMar terminal

The street is noisy and awash in bright colours as costumed performers strut, twirl, leap and spin.  

Arriving ferry passengers are caught up in the mad whirl.  

Some are startled by the pandemonium, others instantly meld into the chaos – bouncing to the beat as they weave their way through the crowd, dragging unruly suitcases along bumpy sidewalks.  

For them it’s an unforgettable introduction to Carnaval.

Fun introduction for visitors to Carnaval in Mexico

The south-bound trucks get diverted by the municipal police, the wrong way on a one-way street, to enable the troupes to join the parade line-up.  By six o’clock in the afternoon we have given up on the idea of an actual parade.  

Groups of dancers come and go in front of us.  I snap photo after photo, wondering how soon I will exhaust the camera battery.  The last and the largest group finished their spectacular display in a candy-coloured whirl of pink, orange, blue, green and yellow.  Worn out from all the fun we walk back to where we parked our car. 

Last and largest dance group

The next morning while chatting with friends, we discovered that the parade never did get as far as the corner by Jax Restaurant and Grill - the official end of the route.  

Many groups gave up part way along, too exhausted by their three full days of energetic dancing, and then the energy-sapping long delays during parade. 

Ah well, there is always next year!

It’s Carnaval.  It’s Mexico!  Nothing ever goes as planned.

Hasta Luego

Lawrie & Lynda

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Several of our friends dancing in this group

Christmas Parades, Parties and Processions

It’s that wonderful time of the year! The island is buzzing with seasonal activities, music and colour. 

Early in the month the Mexican Christmas celebrations begin with the Feast of Our Lady Guadalupe; many church processions and masses are held in her honor. Then on December 16th the Posadas started and continued until December 24th. The word posada means inn or shelter, and in Mexico the posadas are re-enactments of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem. 

The procession makes its way to a different home on each night of the posada, and the participants sing a traditional song asking for admittance. The family inside the house responds with another song telling the group that there is no room at the inn. 

Eventually the song changes and the group is admitted to the home and supplied with food and drinks, plus a candy-filled piñata for the children. It is an important Christmas celebration in Mexico where an estimated eighty-five percent of the population observe the Catholic faith.

Colegio de Bachilleres students

By mid-month most of the schools were preparing to close for their Christmas holidays, and groups of students performed songs, plays, and skits for their parents and school friends. 

The basketball court across the street from our house was the venue for the high school skits. Each group of students had choreographed their dance routine to a well-known Christmas carol. 

Colegio de Bachilleres students

It was great fun to sit on our upper patio watching the enthusiastic performances of Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Baby, and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. 

I’m thinking someone should re-write those songs for the tropics: maybe Rocking Around the Palm Tree? Or Riding on a One Dolphin Surfboard? Any volunteers? Many years ago I was booted out of a community choir for my lack of musical talent, so it won’t be me. 

Lupe, Yadira, and Freddy (Elmo) 

On Saturday December 19th we participated in the 3rd Annual Christmas Golf Cart Christmas, the brain-child of our friends Freddy Medina and Yadira Velázquez. 

It was hilariously good fun as we ricocheted through the tightly packed neighbourhoods, following Manolo Figueroa’s very changeable route. 

Sandra Buckholts and her sweetie

Many of us pondered the effectiveness of the brakes on a dilapidated party bus at the head of the parade. We faithfully followed the route up the only-steep-hill-on-the-island, zig-zagging through the narrow streets, and back down the only-steep-hill. 

We didn’t hear of any mishaps, so assume that everyone successfully negotiated the route. 

This year there were at least thirty golf carts festooned with lights and Christmas decorations. About a hundred and twenty excited participants dressed in costumes and a variety of Santa hats.

Valerie and John Pasnau

A surprise arrival of a golf cart driven by Santa and Mrs. Claus (John and Valerie Pasnau) was a great addition to the parade. 

Our police motorcycle escort was terrific at keeping the group together - like herding cats - as the line of golf carts and motorcycles wound its way through various areas on the island. 

Great job guys - keeping us all together! 

Freddy Medina and Lawrie

Everyone had candy to throw, but as usually happens we all get overly enthusiastic at the beginning of the parade, and run out of treats before the parade ends in Centro. 

Note to self: ration the candy, don’t toss huge handfuls at every child. Love this time of year in paradise.

It may not be politically correct to wish you Merry Christmas instead of Season’s Greetings or Happy Holidays – but on this island Christmas is an important family and religious celebration.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Lawrie & Lynda





On a personal note: We have a young female lab-retriever who has been residing at our house for over two weeks.  She would like to be returned to her own family, but we don't know where she lives.  If you recognize this young lady please leave me a message on the comments below, or on FaceBook.  She is a sweetie: gentle, house-trained, and leash-trained.  Someone has put a lot of love into her upbringing.  I am sure there is a family anxiously waiting for her return.

Female, about 2 years old, good health, spayed.

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Dancin' in the streets, all night long!

Super Heros Dancin' - photo Maria Medina Figueroa

Carnaval! (Or as we say in English: Carnival!)

Crazy colourful costumes, pulse-pounding music and exuberant dancers – it's the best time of the year to visit Isla Mujeres. 

The annual five-day event kicked off on Friday night with the traditional coronation of the kings and queens representing various segments of the island population. 

Yadira Medina Velazquez in the middle

Early on Saturday afternoon I popped out to a Kyra Thompson Drennan and Bruce Saaranen's house to watch our friend Yadira Medina Velázquez and her amigas dance in the street. When I arrived Freddy Medina pointed out that a latch was open on the bottom of my camera. I looked inside – empty! I had accidentally left the camera's memory card in my computer at home! No memory for my camera – and apparently I have no memory. Fortunately Janet Davison had a card that I could borrow for a few hours. Saved! Thank you! On with the show!

Dramatic black and purple costumes

Thumping music, smiling people and the ladies swinging and swaying to the tunes. Awesome. The twelve women danced several times in the hot afternoon sun, stopping only briefly for a costume change. The first costume was dramatic purple and black, the second cheerful lime green and hot pink. These impromptu and intimate performances are, for us, the best part of Carnaval. Its a chance to get to know the dancers and their friends. Too much fun!

Saturday night in Centro - waiting to dance

Later on Saturday evening we trekked down to centro with John and Maia to watch the Cuban dance band. We arrived around 9:30 and the square was packed with people. People watching the dancers. People buying food from the street vendors. People enjoying a warm Caribbean night. We watched a number of dance troupes run through their energetic routines until around 11:00 in the evening. By then we were too tired to wait any longer for the Cuban band, and trekked back home. 

Red Devil Angels & White Saintly Angels

The few taxis that we saw were overflowing with passengers. No chance of a ride that night. Fortunately we are only about a twenty minute walk from centro, but when you are sleepy that twenty minutes seems like twenty hours.

On Sunday Alexis and Darren Grabby asked us to stop by their house. A neighbour across the street is in a dance troupe, and her group was putting on a show for the neighbourhood. The ladies were a bit late arriving, but eventually a collection of red devil angels and white saintly angles showed up on a convoy of motorcycles. They looked a bit weary, however, they cranked up the tunes and ripped through several dances with big smiles on their faces.

Kids troupe - dancing on another street

While the red devils and white angles were performing at Alexis and Darren's casa, we noticed a second group arrive just a block away. 

I snapped a few photographs of the young dancers. They were all about elementary age; a dozen young ladies, and one brave young man. He seemed to be enjoying himself: a lot.

Kids, kids, kids!

And then it was time to scoot downtown to see the first parade. We met up with a dozen or so friends on the upper deck at Jax Bar & Grill, settling in to wait for the 3:00 o'clock start time.…...... waiting, waiting, waiting. No one was particularly worried as the time was consumed with eating good food, and drinking cold beverages. It's a very pleasant way to pass an afternoon with friends.

King & Queen of Carnaval - totting heavy headdresses

About an hour past the scheduled start time we could hear the police motorcycles sirens clearing the roadway, and luring sunbathers off the beaches and swimmers out of the ocean. Parade time!

The first group to arrive were the reining King and Queen of Carnaval, toting heavy feathered headdresses and brocade costumes, followed by their feather-bedecked entourage. 

The teenager dance troupe

Then the other groups flowed past – each stopping at the reviewing stand to dance for the judges. Teenagers in orange, black and red. Youngsters in blue, red and gold. Grandmothers in sparkling pink, yellow and purple. Thirty-something women in lime green and orange. Supermen – plural. Wonder Women – plural. 

Lime & Orange costumes - very tropical

By the time Carnaval is over the roads will be littered with small decorations that have fallen off various costumes. Hundreds of brightly coloured feathers are already fluttering forlornly on the edges of the road – so many hues I wonder if a flock of psychedelically-dyed poultry had recently met its demise.

Grandmothers kicking up their heels!

The five days flow together in a confusion of colour, motion, and music and soon it will be done for another year. 

(Written in 2015 -  long before the COVID pandemic changed our world.)

Murder and mayhem, revenge and romance 

on a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea

The Isla Mujeres Mysteries

Making kids, big and small, smile

Freddy Medina & Yadira Velazquez 

"Santa! Elmo! Mickey! Minnie! Batman!” dozens of little kids ran giggling and laughing towards the parade. 

Participants riding in the decorated vehicles tossed glow sticks, small gifts, and candies into the shrieking hoards.

This was the second year that Freddy Medina and Yadira Medina Velázquez asked us to participate in a Christmas parade wearing the Mickey and Minnie Mouse costumes that were originally purchased for a Hallowe'en party at Villa la Bella. 

Marcy and Chuck - our drivers

The costumes are hot, clumsy, and exhausting to wear but when we see the smiles on the faces of the kids it's well worth the trouble. Behind our foam mascot-heads Lawrie and I were grinning from ear to ear – not that anyone could see our smiles.

Our good friends Chuck and Marcy Watt again volunteered to be our drivers, plus enlisting their visiting friends John and Di Worhaug as the official candy-tossers for our golf carts. Numerous other friends joined in with decorated golf carts, or rode the funny bus. Too much fun!

A little Minnie Mouse!

The collection of vehicles assembled at a wide spot in the road, next door to our house. Everyone was on time! Wow! 

And this year we had two motorcycle policemen assisting at intersections, keeping the parade vehicles together. 

At six in the evening we started off with a flotilla of fifteen decorated vehicles and a collection of motorcycles.

No one had any idea where the parade route would take us. The bus driver and his navigator were responsible for deciding the route. 

It all depended on whether or not the bus could fit in a particular street, or if it would be too narrow. 

Dick, Tony, Paul and Mim

Even with these precautions the folks riding on the top of the bus had to duck a few times to avoid low hanging electrical wires. 

The excitement was all part of the fun as one of the bus riders would yell: Down! 

And then: Okay, clear!

Barlow, Brad, Tiff and Lior

We began by heading south, winding through the various neighbourhoods, up and down streets, around the Super X-Press, past the parks: waving, waving and waving.  Ahead of our vehicle I could see Freddy (Elmo) dancing and waving the entire two hours. That takes a lot of stamina!

Julie, Patty and Deb

Eventually we turned north along Rueda Medina passing the various restaurants and hotels, still waving and having a great time. 

Anna Karina and Lazardo

At the Soggy Peso entrance the parade came to an abrupt stop while one of the ladies on the bus made a mad dash for the baños! Upon her smiling return off we went again, winding our way through Centro, turning the corner at Jax Restaurant and finishing at Brisas Grill on the beach. 

Wbeymar Maldonado and his wife Karina Avila hosted an extended Happy Hour at Brisas Grill for the motley crew, allowing us to unwind, and rehydrate.

As I gave Freddy a hug, and a thank-you kiss on the cheek, I realized he was soaked with perspiration, right through Elmo's thick red fur. 

Have a couple of cold beers my friend, you've earned it!

Freddy and Yadira 

Thanks again for including so many gringos in your fun. Our faces hurt from smiling!

Happy New Year to Everyone

Lynda and Lawrie

This week's photo credits: Deb Rosa Sirenas, Diana Worhaug, Kevin Petty, Marcy Watt, and the Medina family.

More happy participants

Tonda, Tuggi, Kay and Kevin

Mickey, Minnie, Luz Medina 

You can find us on the web at:

Humerous stories about critters we have known:

http://animalsandfamilymembers.blogspot.mx/

AND

The Adventures of Thomas the Cat: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Adventures-of-Thomas-the-Cat-Las-Aventuras-de-Tomás-el-Gato