Isla Mujeres, Mexico’s luckiest island!

Sunset looking towards Cancun.   

Luckiest island? Just because we are blessed with amazing beaches, fabulous restaurants, and gracious people?

Yes, but also because this year we dodged several natural disasters that devastated our surrounding neighbours. 2017 has been a hyperactive hurricane season in the Caribbean Sea with seventeen named storms, including Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, and Rina.

Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Nate were projected to ride right over our little sandbar of an island. Thankfully, both storms changed their travel plans, leaving us in peace. Our neighbours in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Cuba, Belize, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico were unfortunately subjected to the wrath of several big storms this year.

Earthquakes in September 2017

In September, Mexico suffered a series of devastating earthquakes on the Pacific coast and in central Mexico. Hundreds of people died in the huge quakes. The communities are still in recovery mode, with unstable buildings and damaged infrastructure. 

Thankfully, we don’t seem to be in an earthquake zone here on the Caribbean side of Mexico. 

Most of the quakes are concentrated further out where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, near Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Virgin Islands.

Local policewoman and her daughter

On the more personal side of living on Isla Mujeres, we have a very low crime rate. Most of the problems are crimes of opportunity. A purse snatched. A pocket picked. A camera or electronic device taken from tourists in a rental property. With 16,000 residents and two million visitors a year, the opportunities abound for thieves. They prey on people who assume that since this is a small island, they do not have to worry about any crime. Well, you do have to take precautions. Keep track of your valuables. Use the safes supplied in your accommodation for your passports, extra cash, and electronic devices. Lock your doors when leaving your lodging, even if you are just going out for a few minutes. Don’t leave any small electronic devices out on display. Someone will take them.

Sunrise on the eastern side of the island

And sadly, you should be aware of the possibility of sexual assault. Twice in recent weeks, a young woman has successfully fought off an attacker.

But on the upside of living here, the weather is nearly-perfect, the environment is healthy, and the municipality tries to provide a variety of cultural experiences for everyone. 

There is an abundance of beaches, restaurants, and bars, plus ethnic activities on most weekends in Centro. The Artist Fairs, located at the Casa de Cultura, are back in operation starting this week. The plan is for every second Thursday, but will likely change to weekly as the high-season tourist traffic increases.

Folk Dancers in Centro

We have a reasonably good police force, and the large comforting presence of the huge navy base across from the passenger ferries. 

It’s nice to know those folks live here year-round, providing extra security, search and rescue for lost boats, and occasionally emergency medical evacuations. 

The two navy drug-sniffing dogs and their handlers frequently greet the passenger boats or car ferries, checking for contraband. We enjoy watching the dogs work.

Navy dogs and handlers at the ferry terminal

So yes, we think Isla Mujeres is the luckiest island in Mexico. 

It’s a beautiful island with friendly locals and resident foreigners. 

(That’s us! Resident foreigners.)

Cheers from paradise

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Max

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Here's the link to Mujeres Mystery Series - L. L. Lock

Isla Mujeres truly is a global village

This last week, as three hurricanes and one earthquake were causing havoc in our part of the world, we realized that this little island really is an international village. 

We had inquiries from friends in Canada, the USA, Scotland, Ireland, France, Norway, Sweden, Australia, and Mexico asking if we were okay.

Big waves from Hurricane Irma in Florida

“Yes,” we replied, “we’ll be fine. The hurricanes were a hundred or more miles east of us, and the earthquake was on the other side of Mexico.”

As fortunate as we were, it was devastating for the folks who were directly in the path of nature’s fury.

We, in turn, contacted our various friends who live in Texas, Florida, and the western side of Mexico, checking to see if everything was okay with them. Except Graeme in Texas, who has been a friend of the Lock family since the 1960s, they are all people we have met since we moved to Isla Mujeres in 2008. They are an eclectic mix of full-time residents, part-time residents, frequent visitors, or first-time vacationers.

Pierogi in his storm poncho

We smiled to hear that Charles and Mary Simpson were visiting mutual acquaintances in Oregon. They had recently moved to the Tampa, Florida area to be closer to the family, but were well away from the hurricane when it landed. 

We giggled at the photos Alexis and Darren posted on Facebook of Pierogi in his storm poncho. Pierogi is a lovable island rescue-mutt that relocated to Florida about a year ago with his new family. An accident amputated one foot when Pierogi was a baby, but he can still run like the wind on the remaining stump and his three good feet. Sparky still misses his tall, playful friend.

We also contacted one of our favourite authors, A.E. (Allie) Howe, and Melanie Howe in Tallahassee, Florida. 

He writes the Larry Macklin Mystery Series, and his wife, Melanie, does the editing. 

Between them, they produce humorous, fast-paced mysteries that we devour within hours of purchasing. 

There are eight books in the series, and four more planned, with a new one, June’s Trouble, scheduled to be released soon. 

I can hardly wait!

Moored boat sunk by higher than normal tides

I mentioned in my email to Allie and Melanie that I was currently working on Book #3 of my Isla Mujeres Mystery Series. It takes place in September, and it includes a hurricane. 

They thought that was pretty funny because, according to Howe, the last book in his series is called September’s Fury, and it includes a hurricane. Perhaps between the two of us writing about monster storms, we tempted the Caribe god of evil, Hurican, just a little too much.

Beach closed due to large waves the day before

On the island, the surprising thing about Hurricane Irma was the amount of water that was pushed our way, past the outer islands, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, to create huge waves that battered the eastern shoreline and flooded the bays. We didn’t get the wind, just big breakers that were high enough for several surfing enthusiasts to enjoy. The waves have eroded the friable sand and coral cliffs in some areas and littered the beaches with debris and seaweed, but overall, they were dramatically beautiful, not deadly.

15-foot-tall monster waiting for the perfect wave

We have one personal bit of good news / bad news resulting from the storm. The huge, derelict navigational buoy that has been lying on the beach in front of our house since October 7^th, 2014, broke loose and floated free. It rolled and crashed back and forth in the surf for two days, causing considerable worry about where it would land. Inside our casa? Or in our neighbours’ casa?

The good news is, we don’t have to stare at its rusting carcass. The bad news is, it is directly in front of our neighbours’ house and more of a hazard now that it doesn’t have a rocky outcropping to prevent it from rolling up the beach. Before the storm, our neighbour was attempting to obtain permission to have it cut up and dismantled. Her Spanish is a hundred times better than mine, so she’s talking to the authorities. The buoy is federal property, and it’s a very complicated situation.

Playa Centro - high water tide line and junk

Other than that, everything is back to normal on the island. Bright sunny skies, hot, humid days, and a light breeze.

It’s a perfect day to enjoy a cold beverage and toast our friends scattered around the world. Thank you for checking on us. And in turn, we are happy that those involved in the recent ordeals are safe.

Cheers from paradise,

Lynda & Lawrie

And the rest of the zoo: 

Sparky, Max, and E.B. the Cat.

~

Isla Mujeres Mystery series, by Lynda L Lock

Death in the Vineyard, by Lynda L Lock