The Silly Social Side of Paradise

Turquoise water and sunny skies  

Isla Mujeres has an eclectic mix of residents. 

There are the folks who were born on this island nestled in the Caribbean Sea, as were their parents, grandparents and several generations before them. 

There are the long-time resident expats, arriving in the early 1970s to add their flavour to the island mix. A number of the younger expats married islanders and started families of their own. Some tourists return year after year for an annual holiday.  And there are the newbies, the folks who have just discovered Isla Mujeres.

Mary & Charlie, Bloody Mary Goodbye Party 

Among the mix are a few hundred foreigners who have lived here part-time, or full-time for ten, fifteen or twenty years. 

Many of us have become friends as we sort out the intricacies of living in a foreign country. Learn the basics of the Spanish language. Or navigate the laws and bylaws of the municipality, the state, and the country.

A Super Bowl party at Charlie & Mary's

Right from our first year on Isla, Charles and Mary Simpson made us very welcome in their island home.  Well-known for their Bloody Mary Sunday morning get-togethers, or their spectacular Super Bowl Pig Roasts, Charlie and Mary were a fun-loving fixture at every gathering. 

Now, after eighteen years of island life, they are off on a new adventure. As of this week, they have sold their home and are moving to Florida, closer to their children and grandchildren.

Lawrie, Steve and Charlie - going fishin'

We will always have great memories of both Charlie and Mary. 

Memories of deep-sea fishing on Charlie’s boat. Calm seas, with not a breath of wind, gorgeous sunrises, sea turtles, dolphins, and tiny iridescent-blue flying fish skimming over the water ahead of the boat. 

And we fished, reeling in fat Tunas, sleek Wahoo, golden coloured Dorado, and Rainbow Runners. The first fish might be caught at nine in the morning, and a minute later, the first cold beer would be cracked open.

Charlie being the girl on their team

We have wacky photos of Charlie wearing a woman’s shawl as a skirt. His Cornhole bean-bag team, made up of him and Ron Berge, was required to have one woman and one man. Charlie circumvented the rules with panache. 

There are photos of Mary and Charlie in Halloween costumes sprinkled throughout our collection, as well as pictures of Charlie’s 80^th birthday and Mary’s 75^th.  

Mary’s trademark is her beautifully coordinated outfits. I have a chest of drawers full of shorts and t-shirts. Mary has dresses, shoes, shawls, and jewellery all organised by colour and style into easily accessible outfits. 

Mary and Charlie, Villa la Bella party

And who hasn’t noticed Charlie’s gold fishhook piercing his left earlobe?  

Our social gatherings will certainly be a little less colourful with their departure.

Your many island friends wish you fair winds and following seas. You will be missed.

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, and Sparky

The Shoppers, Charlie, Gary, Dave, Barney, Lawrie

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

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You might be ready to retire to Isla Mujeres, Mexico if...

You might be ready to retire to Isla Mujeres, Mexico if:

Fishing tournament season

You are familiar with the four seasons: fishing tournament season, whale-shark tour season, we wish the tourists would hurry up and return season, and holy cow, things are smoking busy on Isla season.

Swim with the whale sharks season

You know that rust is not just a fashion colour made popular in the 1970s; instead, it is the ever-present by-product of salty air and ocean spray, corroding everything made of metal. 

You have learned to love concrete, glass, granite, marble, wood and plastic.

Rust - not just a fashion colour

If the first name of most of your male friends is Juan or Jose, and your female friends are called Maria or Guadalupe. 

 

Everyone has a second name or a nickname that they use instead of their biblical first names. Juan Alfredo = Freddy. Juan Batista = Patricio. 

Lawrie was destined to live in Mexico; he is John (Juan) Lawrie, but has always used Lawrie as his first name.

Our daily transportation

Your everyday vehicle is a golf cart. Personal golf carts range from the plain vanilla original colour to a wild assortment of paint jobs, upholstery colours, festive decorations or fancy hubcaps. Individuality is the key!

You instantly recognize the sound of a motorcycle helmet being blown from the rider's head and bouncing across the pavement. According to the law, riders are required to fasten their helmets, but often the straps flap in the wind or are clenched in the rider's front teeth. A choice of looking good instead of being safer.

Family transportation

You know that five people can, and frequently do, ride on a motorcycle.

When we first moved to Isla, three on a motorcycle was pretty novel to us, then four became the standard, and now we hardly notice when a family of five zips past crammed together on a moto. We are waiting for the next level, six passengers! 

We have also seen up to twelve locals or tourists jammed onto golf carts, and twenty-four people in a pickup truck.

Coveted treasure - 4 litre plastic jugs

You might be ready to retire to Mexico if you understand the value of an empty four-litre plastic jug, complete with a good-fitting screw cap. Early in the morning or later in the evening, you might see the familiar parade of motorcycle riders returning from the gas station with a couple of litres of gasoline in a plastic jug. The gas is used for cooking family meals. 

If you put a clean empty container on the curb, it will last about two and a half minutes before someone on a motorcycle scoops it up, shouting “gracias” as they zip away with their treasure.

Wide range of fun friends 

Your friends range in age from early 20s to late 80s, and everyone happily gets along. 

The very best thing about living on Isla Mujeres is that no one cares who you were in a previous life. What you did, or are doing, for a living is just not important. 

What is important is do you enjoy life?  Answer yes to that question, and you'll fit right in.

You don't participate in seniors' organ recitals: “Oh, my liver. Oh, my spleen. Oh, my stomach. Oh, my heart.” Try doing that on Isla, and you will get a quirked eyebrow in response. You're getting older… oh, well, aren't we all?

Daily attire - shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops

And finally, you might be ready to retire to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, if your daily attire consists of a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.

Are you ready to retire to Isla?

Hasta luego,

Lawrie, Lynda, Sparky, and Thomas

Murder and mayhem. Revenge and romance. 

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

Feeling good all around (Lawrie’s turn to write)

Captain Lock freezing his ***** off in northern BC.

Last week I had the experience of a lifetime.  I was privileged to participate in the 4^th Annual Reeling for Ronnie Fishing Tournament.

Yeah, I know, fishing, no big deal, but this was different. I was with a great bunch of guys in northern British Columbia at the top of the Haida Gwaii (former Queen Charlotte Islands) within view of the Alaska panhandle.  

Charter plane then a helicopter ride to the fishing camp

Getting there was no mean feat, involving a charter plane from Vancouver to Masset, BC, and then a helicopter ride to the camp.

The West Coast Fishing Club is a floating fish camp that could put any five-star resort to shame with amazing service and gourmet meals. For three days, we fished for salmon and halibut in a pristine wilderness surrounded by humpback whales, sea lions and bald eagles.

Lots of Humpback Whales playing around the boat

The fishing camp operates on a catch-and-release program using simple fish hooks, no barbs allowed.  It makes for exciting times as salmon are fighters and frequently a big one will shake the hook loose just as it arrives at the boat!  But usually the guides quickly net the fish, lift them slightly out of the water for weighing, snap a souvenir photo and then release the fish back to the freedom of the ocean.    

Lawrie, Salmon was shipped to his son in Vancouver

For anyone who wishes to keep their catch, the strict limit is two salmon and one halibut per day. The accepted practice is that all large fish are immediately returned to the ocean, as soon as they have been weighed. One of the newest guides, fishing during his free time, caught an eighty-pound salmon that had to be released.  The guides are not allowed to keep anything they catch, plus the fish was so big it was considered too important to remove from the gene pool. The West Coast Fishing Camp takes a very responsible view of sustainability. Every year since they opened, they have returned more hatchlings to the area than fish that have been caught.  

Richard Lock

But here’s the best part about the experience!  This fishing tournament is in honour of Ron Brown, a former Isla Mujeres resident. He and his wife, Gwen, contributed to several charities on the island. Still in his prime, Ron passed away in 2009. The event was created in celebration of Ron’s life. 

The Reeling for Ronnie Fishing Tournament raises funds to pay for tuition and expenses for a select number of female students on Isla Mujeres who wish to attend university or college. Ron’s memory is also preserved in the minds of these young ladies. It just doesn’t get any better.

The only downside to participating in the event is that I live in the tropics twelve months a year. My blood has thinned. Cold! Wow, I don’t think I have ever been this cold. The average daytime temperature was around 12°C (53°F), dropping further at night. I’m just not used to that anymore.

The biggest fish for the day ..... 

Everyone was supplied with a survival suits by the fishing camp operators.  We had to wear them when we were out in the boats, because the ocean temperature is so chilly, the risk of hyperthermia was pretty high if we had experienced an unscheduled dunking. I had three layers of clothes on under my survival suit, and my teeth were clacking together. I guess this means I won’t be moving back to Canada anytime soon. 

Oh well, I will just have to tough it out in Paradise! 

Thanks again, guys, for the great time during the Reeling for Ronnie Fishing Tournament.

http://westcoastfishingclub.com/

Nice warm sunrise on Isla Mujeres, June 2013 

Hasta luego          

Lawrie

Murder. Mayhem. Revenge. Romance.

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

You know you’ve picked the right place to retire when ….(Lawrie’s turn to write)

North Beach from a penthouse at IxChel Condos

Okay, I admit it, we got lucky when we chose Isla Mujeres as our retirement destination. Captivated by the turquoise water and friendly locals, we jumped at the chance to live here. Now, prestigious TripAdvisor has named our little island #6 in the world for islands to live on.  Travelocity rated Isla as #4 for Value Vacations, and even Fox News and NBC have gotten into the act, touting this little paradise.

Looking south from the IxChel Condos.

Isla Mujeres is a very small island, 7 kilometres by 1 kilometre, situated off the coast of Cancun. It’s about fifteen minutes by passenger ferry across the azure and turquoise water to reach this little paradise. Tourism is the #1 industry on the island, followed by fishing, although reeling in tourists is far more profitable than fishing. Tourism is increasing, and more people are travelling.  Fishing is decreasing due to fewer fish available.

One of our favourite views, fishing boats.

An abundance of island restaurants cater to every taste, and there are many great watering holes serving up icy cold beer and frozen concoctions to help your vacation along. And of course, there are beaches, lots of beaches. All very safe.

We are not the type of folks with what we refer to as a drawbridge mentality.  You know the type; once they have discovered a place, they don’t want anyone else to discover it lest it might change. Change is good. It keeps the community vibrant and alive. 

And fishing nets ....

Some of the things that make living as an expat in a foreign country easier are electronic readers that enable us to download the most recent novels, magazines, and newspapers. We and many of our friends have magicJack phones that allow us to call anywhere in the US or Canada – free. The nearby Cancun International Airport gives us travel options with direct flights to many countries. It’s all good.

Mini market and restaurante near Salina Grande

So, if you are thinking of a great retirement location, or just a vacation slightly off the beaten path, consider Isla Mujeres.  If you are like us and dive right into a new adventure, you will find professional real estate companies, good builders, and a very fun and affordable little community that will make you feel right at home.



Hasta Luego          
Lynda and Lawrie

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Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

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Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

A perfect day, deep-sea fishing: Lawrie’s turn to write!

The start of a perfect day!

Of course, it’s all in the eye of the beholder, but my perfect day started with a phone call from our friend Charlie Simpson. The next day was going to be a great day for the weather, with calm seas and very little wind. Was I up for a fishing trip? Absolutely!

This retired life is hard, however, with some careful planning, I figured I could squeeze a little fishing into my busy schedule. 

We met at the dock at 8:00 a.m., four of us, Charlie, Dave Waddell, Brent Kraushar, and me. 

It took us about twenty minutes to load the gear, ice, bait, beer, and sandwiches, and we were off. 

Charlie has a Grady White 30-foot fishing machine, all set up for multiple rods and downriggers.  

It’s the ultimate guy-toy.

The perfect day

The day was perfect, sunshine, calm turquoise waters and good friends to have a laugh with. The trip took us about an hour to get to the area where we were going to fish. It is an underwater plateau about twenty-five miles offshore called Arrowsmith. 

And no, you can’t see land from anywhere around there, but the boat has some pretty sophisticated electronics, so we knew exactly where we were. Once all six lines were in the water, we decided to have a breakfast beer. 

Great fishing today

Fifteen minutes later, we hooked our first fish, a really nice Blackfin Tuna, and now it’s time for another celebratory beer.  Charlie decided to circle around with our troll, just in case this fish had friends and relatives in the area. And yes, he did!  Lots of friends! 

We stayed in the same one-mile area all day and caught eight more big tunas. What a haul. Good eating!

Late in the day, it was time to head back to the dock, clean up a bit and hit the Soggy Peso Bar for a few more celebratory beers and lots of fishing stories. 

 


The fish stories start, Brent, Lawrie, Dave, Charlie



It was a truly fine day in paradise.

Hasta luego, Lawrie

Grab your copy today!

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky