The Painted Ladies of Isla

Great background for memorable photos

They are the grand old dames of Isla, the painted ladies of centro – the one level wooden houses that are scattered throughout the downtown area of the island.  

Built back in the 1920’s and 30’s they have survived hurricanes, infestations of wood-eating tropical bugs and progress. 

La Tablitas - Hemingways different colours again

Tablitas or Hemingways Bar is probably the most photographed of all of the buildings.  Located on the corner of Matamoros and Guerro Avenues it was a favourite local cantina with a noisy mix of people enjoying their afternoon beverages.  It is a prime location for wedding photographers to capture a bit of local history and provide a colourful background for a memorable wedding photo.  Tablitas closed on Monday February 29^th under the previous management.  According to island scuttlebutt the owner of the building did not renew the operator’s lease and is planning to open a cantina under his management.  Hopefully it will maintain its funky and fun character.

Tony Garcia's auntie owns this pretty building

Another beautifully painted grand old dame is on the corner of Matamoros and Juarez Avenues.  

Built originally by Tony Garcia’s grandfather Heriberto Delgado de Tejada, father to Guadalupe Delgado Diaz, the house now belongs to his auntie Apolonia Delgado Diaz.  

Painted a cheerful combination of raspberry pink, sunflower yellow and pale blue it is an eye-catching resident of the neighbourhood.  Recently the doors facing onto Matamoros Avenue were open and it appeared that a lady had set up a sewing business. 

Quite close by is another of our favourite painted ladies.  Located on Juarez Avenue it is divided by two fanciful paint jobs.  

The southern half is bright yellow with blue, red and white trim, while the northern half is a tropical orange with white trim.  We have never been able to figure out if this is two homes, or one home and one business. 

Hard to see in the daytime with souvenirs piled everywhere

Most of the other interesting houses are located along the pedestrian only street where the souvenir sellers are congregated.  Some contain shops, others are a false front with the entrance located on the main road of Rueda Medina.  In the daytime these buildings are usually hidden under piles of merchandise, and is difficult to really appreciate their character.  

Silk-screen printing shop

Facing the square near City Hall is a fairly recent addition, La Casa Madera, which has replaced the silk-screen printing shop.  

They have done a beautiful job of restoring the old building, and judging by the photos on their Facebook page are a very popular lunch stop for locals and tourists.

We have been told that the old wooden houses are protected from demolition by city bylaws.  The one thing that they can’t be protected from are fires – either accidental, or convenient fires.  

Fingers-crossed, the painted ladies will survive for many more years adding a bit of fun and character to the northern part of the island.

Hasta Luego

Lawrie & Lynda

Now Case de Madera Cafeteria

If anyone has more details on the history of these old time houses, please feel free to email me, or post a comment on the blog.  I can update the article as I find out more information.  

Beach porn

Ah ha, you couldn’t resist that title, could you?

White sands of North Beach

This week’s blog is not about rude photos of nude people.  It’s about the pretty beaches on Isla Mujeres, and the things you can do on a beach – legally!

Lawrie, my idea-man, tweaked the slang expression food porn – referring to the photos that travelers post to internet sites such as Trip Advisor extolling the virtues of a particular meal, at a particular restaurant.  Food porn – beach porn it is all about photos and memorable moments.

Crystal clear waters

The sugar white beaches of Isla Mujeres lend themselves beautifully to sun-tanning, and lounging, and daydreaming for the laid-back personalities; the people who can stare at a grain of sand for hours perfectly content to let the hours slide by as they bake first one side of the body, and then rotate to bake the other side.  Bake, grease, flip, and bake.  A bit like a BBQ rotisserie.

Build a sand pyramid

And for the slightly more active beach-dweller, there is snorkeling, shell hunting, and swimming in the luminously clear water.  

The sweeping sandy beaches are primarily located on the northern and western sides of the island.  This is where sand sculpture contests, organized or random, take place; people expressing their creativity while working on a tan.  

Dolphin Discovery 

These beaches are also where the majority of the restaurants and bars are located, serving refreshments and meals to the thirsty and the hungry.  The Sac Bajo area on the western side also has Dolphin Discovery where visitors can play, swim, and interact with dolphins, or rays, or manatees.  Either the northern end, or the western side are fabulous for personal sunset celebrations; a glass of wine, a few good friends – life is good.

Wild and rocky Punta Sur

For the more adventurous the beaches at the south end of the island are less inhabited, and more difficult to access.  Most of the area requires a hike down dangerous and friable cliffs to the pounding aquamarine surf.  The turtles, and the rays, love the south end for mating during the summer months.  It’s a great area for photographs; lots of sea life, and wave action.  Sea glass collectors also haunt this area, searching for the perfect specimen for their collections.  On the south-western side of the island is Garrafon Natural Reef Park, with zip-lines, and great snorkelling.

 

Sunrises and moonrises on the eastside

On the sunrise side of the island, where we have a house, the surf changes dramatically from season to season; calm and easy-going in the summer, wild and pounding in the winter.  There is a thriving coral reef that is a favourite with the day-trippers.  The dive boats drop snorkelers and divers into the surf to explore the long reef that runs the length of the island and continues further south to Belize.  It is ranked as the second longest reef in the world. However, swimming on the eastern side is a bit trickier, not because the coral is skin-tearing-sharp but it is lumpy underfoot, making the walk out to swimming-depth challenging.  But in exchange for the bother of coral underfoot, we get turtles, lots of turtles laying their eggs in my neighbours’ yard, or on the beach in front of our houses.  We think it’s a good trade-off.  

Beach treasures

The one beach-oriented activity that surpasses all others is weddings.  

There have been a hundreds of weddings celebrated in various beach locations around the island.  Good friends Bob and Leanne Frye, and Chris and Marianne Shannon chose beaches on opposite sides of the island.  This year I witnessed the communal Valentine’s Day weddings at Punta Sur.

Going for a walk with his best friend - Dad!

Friday evening we will be at Playa Mirada for a wedding, and Saturday our neighbours are hosting a traditional Mayan celebration on their beach.  Tropical beaches and weddings: perfect.

Ah, it is another sunny day, with a light breeze, and a few fluffy clouds.  It must be time to snap a few more beach-porn photographs. 

Hasta Luego          
Lynda and Lawrie

Wedding Stalker!

I love stalking weddings!  I can usually get great candid photos while the wedding participants are concentrating the official photographer's very detailed instructions.  "Stand here.  Look over your shoulder.  Turn this way.  Pretend you are blowing a kiss."  (You know, you've all been there at some point either as the bride, groom, bride's maid, or best man.)



Photographer setting up the shots!



The young couple staying next door at Casa Luna Turquesa for the last few weeks, planning their wedding, finally tied the knot on Saturday afternoon.  Vows were exchanged on the beach in front of the house while an intimate gathering of family looked on.  I hung off of our upper floor balcony - paparazzi-style -  to take a few photos of the group, just as they released a blizzard of iridescent soap bubbles into the air.  The bubbles were a very pretty alternative to confetti!



Love her shoes!



A little later in the afternoon two blocks south of our house, we spotted another bride and groom working with their photographer.  This bride was wearing fabulous black sequined high-heels, not intended for clamoring over a rock-strewn beach.  However, her very attentive groom tried his best to help her totter from location to location, lifting her up and over the larger obstructions, at the direction of the photographer - looking for the very best photo opportunity. 



November 2011 in Centro



This got me to thinking about how perfect Isla Mujeres is for tropical weddings with sugar-white sand beaches, palm trees, mild and sunny weather most of the year, dozens of great restaurants and catering companies, plus lots of accommodation choices for the incoming guests. 

We have a number wedding and event planners working and living on the island, making it easier for couples to get married here. 

These talented coordinators will help with locations, flowers, cakes, entertainment, catering, photographers, and a myriad of details to make it a very special day.

First there is Tiffany Lanier and her group of talented wedding coordinators working under the name of SunHorse Weddings.  Tiffany has been creating fabulous weddings since 2002. Her website is -http://sunhorseservices.com/shw_images.html   

Then there is the sister team of Maria del Mar, and Kin Lima who grew up on Isla Mujeres, are fluently bilingual and are descendants of the Lima family.  Their website is - http://www.weddingsislamujeres.com/

The third wedding planner is Sabina Tamm, arriving in 1988 from Germany she has been organizing special events for the past fifteen years.  Her website is - http://www.sundreamers.com/

For great catering our favourite is Barlito's Bakery and Cafe & Sonrisas Catering, with yummy creations from Brad and Tiffany Wareing.  They have a FaceBook page that you can join for more info. http://www.facebook.com/groups/Barlito/



Well equiped photographer - she has 3 cameras!



So once the decisions are made and the day begins - just remember to relax, enjoy, participate, and be present in the moment. 



And keep your eyes open, you may see me smiling in the background, snapping photos of your special day.

                               

Our Recent Restaurant Review:  Limón Restaurante

Limón is the brainchild of Sergio Martinez and Charrissa Gillingham - formerly of Sergio's on Playa del Sol.  It is situated on the ground floor of their pretty family home, near the Super Express in la Glorias.  (If you are looking at the Super Express, turn to your left, and look for the terracotta-coloured house just up from the corner.)



Limon Restaurante on Isla Mujeres



Out of a possible 1 to 5 Forks  - here's our rating for Limón:

Food:        4 Forks - My Seared Tuna was fabulous as were my Mussels.  Lawrie had delicious Beef Carpaccio and a Trilogy of Rosemary Kebabs with beef, chicken, and shrimp.  His only difficulty was in removing the meat from the skewers - maybe a little spray 'pam' would fix that situation.

Ambiance:  5 Forks - lovely inside, and in the garden

Service:     5 Forks - with the exception of one forgotten beer - perfect!

Wine:        3 Forks - one red and one white, good wines, but limited selection

Value:       4 Forks - $800.00 pesos for the two of us including tip and wine



Charrissa and Sergio