A Perfect Day! (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 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 on 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 down riggers.  

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. 

 


Now the fish stories start ...Brent, Lawrie, Dave, Charlie



A truly fine day in paradise.

Returning to the Scene

I don’t get it.  I just don’t get it!  Put me out in really deep water twelve miles off shore and out of sight of land surrounded by 40-foot-long Whale Sharks and I am happy, ecstatically happy.   But a 100 feet off shore in 10 feet of water – I’m terrified.  What's up with that?

Whale Sharks - freaking big fish!

Last summer my sister Joann and I, plus three other friends, hired a boat on Isla Mujeres for a Whale Shark tour.  This was my second trip to see the Whale Sharks, and it was just as thrilling as the first time a year ago. 

The name Whale Shark is a bit of a misnomer.  They are not whales, but a filter-feeding relative of the shark family. 

They can range up to 20 meters in length (about 60 something feet long), weigh up to 79,000 pounds, and live in excess of 130 years.  It's hard to get the proper perspective on the size of the Whale Sharks, until they slide along beside or under the 31-foot boat – then you see that they are scary big. 

On our tour boat, we donned the obligatory life jackets and had the 5-minute lecture on etiquette - don't touch the Whale Sharks, put your sunscreen on now not later because it harms their plankton food supply, and no alcohol until after the last dive.  Then we headed out east of Isla Mujeres to where the fish were last seen. 



Ah, cute.  Wild dolphins.

We traveled 40 kilometres on choppy seas, spotting a gorgeous pod of dolphins first and then circled for 30 minutes looking for the Whale Sharks.  Finally an excited radio message alerted the 10 or 12 tour boats in the area that the pods had been spotted.  

A short dash across the water and our boat met up with the group of over 200 fish.  My three tour mates and I were so excited we just babbled: Wow, they’re beautiful, big, really big, and beautiful. 

Did I mention that they are beautiful?  And big?  Really big.

The tour boats are licensed and the number of licenses is tightly controlled in an attempt to protect the Whale Sharks from harassment, and to protect the tour industry.  All of the boat captains kept a respectful distance from each other to allow their passengers the freedom to swim with the Whale Sharks.  The tour season is May to September, although there have been a few sightings earlier in the year.  These creatures have been seen at various times of the year along the coasts of South Africa, Belize, Western Australia, Honduras, Mozambique, and near the Mexican islands of Isla Holbox, and Isla Mujeres. 

Joann and I went in first – only three people from any one boat are allowed in the water at a time to limit the amount of interference to the pod.

We paddled around for a few minutes before we realized that the Whale Sharks were still too far away for us to swim over to them encumbered by the mandatory life jackets bouncing around our necks, so we dragged our bodies back on board via a cantankerous little swim ladder while the captain moved the boat closer. 

So here we go, toppling over the edge of the boat and swimming towards a freaking big fish with a mouth that is open wide - wide enough to swallow this Gringa!  Breathe, breathe.  It's okay, it won't eat you. 

The Whale Shark is a filter feeder — and feeds on macro-algae, plankton, krill, crab larvae, and small squid. To feed, the fish sucks in a mouthful of water, closes its mouth and expels the water through its gills.  During the slight delay between closing the mouth and opening the gill flaps, plankton is trapped against the dermal denticles which line its gill plates and pharynx.  Even though denticles are similar to scales, they are really modified teeth and are covered with hard enamel. These structures are packed tightly together and grow with their tips facing backwards. 

So, really, they are not interested in squirming human bodies unless of course you happen to resemble a small squid.



In the water, spine-tingling fabulous!



The creature lazily flicked its tail and all 40 feet slide past me too quickly. 

What a feeling!  I am addicted.  I wonder if I can get a "Frequent Swimmer" discount card?  

This is downright spine-tingling fabulous!  

More info:

http://www.whaleshark.org   or   Wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark





Colour on the water!



Caribbean Island water taxi (passenger ferry)

 Wow!  Would you look at the colour of that boat?  Eye-popping purple and green!

The recent repainting of the Caribbean Island one of the several passenger ferries that traverse the 8-mile stretch of water between Cancún, and our little island - Isla Mujeres - brought to mind the various boats that we see on a daily basis.


Boats to go fishing.  Boats to transport people from the mainland, to the island and back.  Boats to take tourists snorkelling, diving or swimming with the whale sharks.  Some are ordinary work boats, and others jazzy multi-coloured tour boats.  Ghostly grey navy ships, red, black and white Coast Guard cruisers, pale blue sailing boats, sleek black 'bad boy' yachts, and car ferries - boats, always great subjects for photos. 



Commercia fishing boats


Settled hundreds of years ago by the Mayas and later colonized by Spanish explorers the island of Isla Mujeres is situated in the Caribbean Sea, north-east of the City of Cancún.  Cancún and its multi-million-dollar hotel zone, generating nearly 10% of the Mexican GNP, were created out of a sand-swept stretch of beach in the mid 1970's by the National Fund for Tourism Development.  

For the islanders who were very self-sufficient up to that point living primarily on fish, shell fish, and turtle meat, they now had better reasons to cross the water in a boat.  Groceries. Supplies. Restaurants.
All the trappings of 'civilization.'

Panga fishing boat in a smokey dawn

Living here on a permanent basis we have become attuned to the nautical comings and goings around the island.  One of my early morning treats is to watch the fishermen navigate their small brightly coloured pangas along the reef in front of our house, picking up their nets. 

Later in the morning turquoise and blue tourist boats drop vacationing snorkelers into the surf.  At one o'clock precisely a bright yellow tour boat passes by on its daily circumnavigation of Isla.  I have - twice - had the pleasure of adventuring several miles off shore to swim with the gigantic but benign Whale Sharks.  Lawrie and I have been deep sea fishing a number of times with Charlie Simpson and various friends. 



Whale Shark - benign giants


 Isla Mujeres is a maritime community.  The ocean defines the activities.  The boats are the local workhorses, adding character and flavour to the island; the wild paint combinations, the stacks of nets, the rusty anchors, the wooden fish cleaning tables awash with fish scales, blood, and innards.   


It is Isla.  It is beautiful.  And it is very colourful.
 
That purple and green boat - it fits right in.



Frigate birds dive bombing a ray carcas



Fishy Fishy, Come Bite My Line



Local fisherman and his helpful dog



Well, damn, I can’t remember the name of this particular fish. 

I have asked local friends at least three times what the name is, but because I don’t write it down, it’s gone out of my mind – again.   

A few months ago, right about the time a hurricane was sliding across the Yucatan Peninsula thankfully avoiding us, a local family was busy fishing just in front of our casa with hand lines, pulling in dozens of this particular fish – long, thin and bony.   

It seems that the north winds bring this species down from further up in the gulf and the hurricane was creating strong northerly winds for a couple of days which pushed the fish towards Isla.



So many fish!



We have seen this family before, and it is amazing how efficient they are as fishermen.  The brothers and one sister have a great routine. 

The sister either runs along the shore or climbs up on the higher rocks to “spot” the fish for her brothers who then deploy hand lines, or if the fishing is particularly hot she has her own hand line and can haul in as many as the boys.

This dog was trying to be so helpful ...

On this day the fishing was so good one of the boys ran back to the Colonias to get their dad and mom, uncle and auntie, and possibly an older brother or cousin in on the action.  In about 30 minutes the group had a dozen or so of the long bony fish landed – with two Spaniel-type-mutts trying to help out. There was a lot of growling and other fierce noises going on while the dogs shook the hapless fish in their teeth.

It seemed like a pretty good way to have a family outing – and then the rain started.  But the intrepid fishermen kept working the surf for another 15 minutes or so, before giving in and heading back to their homes.

Still fishing in rain storm

Lots of fish for the family dinner that night!

Our friend Tony Poot emailed to say the name of the fish is Lady Fish (English) and Sosin (Spanish).  So, now that I have it written on my blog - I should be able to remember it! Hopefully!

                                                           

Graffiti - it's in the eye of the beholder

A few weeks ago a twenty-something Belgium backpacker known as "Spear" decided to add his unique brand of graffiti to the abandoned La Perla Hotel.  Situated on a beautiful stretch of beach on the eastside of Isla the three-story tall La Perla Hotel was partially damaged during hurricane Gilberto, and finished off by hurricane Wilma in 2005.  It has languished as a crash-pad for vagrants, a unsightly place littered with garbage and beer bottles.

Arriving on Isla, Corentin "Spear" Binard, discovered the crumbling structure and decided he would leave his mark there.  For three wild days working in a frenzy of creativity he sprayed, splashed, dabbed, and painted.  He created five large, animated portraits of friends on the south walls of the damaged hotel rooms, and two more the north end of the structure.     

Born in Brussels in 1988, Binard "Spear" started out scribbling on the wooden benches at school, eventually studying architecture, before deciding he wanted to explore portrait painting further.  He works with oil, acrylic, charcoal, graphite, watercolour, and yes, even ketchup when nothing else is available.  His riotously creative brain looks for new ways to express brightness, contrast, and expressions of his subjects.  His original plan was to continue the paintings on the third level, but with the lack of access to the upper floor, due to the hurricane damage, that plan never came to fruition.  As of February 25th the La Perla Hotel has been under demolition, authorized by the City of Isla de Mujeres.  

Did he bring too much attention to the sad, dangerous structure? 

Spear has created similar portraits on the north coast of the Honduras, in a tattoo parlour in Belize in exchange for food and lodging, and in the jungles of Coast Rica while looking for new ideas and mediums.  A loose translation from his website which is in both French and Spanish gives his mission statement; to leave my mark and live wild adventures!  Sounds like a great plan!

Corentin "Spear" Binard    

www.spearart.be

                       



                         ________________________________

We Move Forward 2012 - a 3 day International Women's Day conference taking place on Isla Mujeres March 8, 9 and 10, 2012 - is hosting a public Fiesta in the Square on Friday, March 9 from 8:30 to 11:30 pm.  This Fiesta is being held in partnership with the Municipality of Isla Mujeres Gender Equality branch. 

There will be Live Music by Javiar's "The Band with No Name" and there will be Carnival Dance troupes to entertain the crowd during the band break.  La Luna will have a bar set-up in the square to purchase drinks.  Food vendors will be there to offer traditional Mexican Food. 

We hope you will come out and Celebrate International Women's Day with us.  Together we can show visitors to Isla a wonderful time in Isla's Zocolo.    Viva Mexico!

"Oh the noise, noise, noise, noise, noise. There's one thing I love, all the noise, noise, noise, noise!" (To paraphrase Dr. Seuss and the Grinch)



Local cutie in parade



Carnival is over!  Finished for another year.  Damn, we miss it already.  The loud music, whistles, honking horns, laughter and traffic-stopping parades created havoc for the five days, and we loved it.  As the third annual Island Time Fishing Festival and country music acts were winding up, Carnival was revving up.

There were events for everyone to enjoy.  You could watch the coronations of a number of kings and queens, starting at pre-school age, working up to seniors, culminating with the celebrity king and queen.  A number of dance competitions were held on various evenings at the municipal plaza.  Or you could take your pick of three different parade nights, if you were patient and didn't mind the confusion of start times, or start locations. 



Rio-style whistles, drums, horns



We decided to watch the first parade, on Saturday night, before Lawrie and I headed into Cancun to see a concert.  We picked out a good viewing spot along the Malecón and settled in with friends to wait for the parade.  One side of the Malecón was blocked to traffic to allow for a staging area.  However, the driver of the Corona bus apparently didn't get the memo and tried to enter the parade line-up from the wrong end.  Part of the problem was the bus was too tall to move under the electrical wires. These wires were scheduled, last year, to be re-routed underground as part of the new road work project  ... instead a Corona employee was stationed on the metal roof of the bus with a long piece of wood, assigned to lift the electrical wires up while the bus moved along the road.  

A logistics nightmare!

Then a number of floats, or pick-up trucks stuffed with dancers and celebrants formed up at the head of the line, blocking the float for the carnival king and queen.  The celebrity floats were then moved from the back of the line to the front, but someone forgot to tell the participants about the change in location.  So, we waited, and waited, and waited for the parade to start.  Eventually the celebrities found their floats and the parade began.  The enthusiasm of the dancers was contagious.  Everyone in the crowd joined in - yelling, whistling, clapping and cheering with great vigor.  Unfortunately with the late start we had to leave before the parade was over to catch the water taxi into Cancun.  We had tickets to see Pitbull.  Pitbull - a high energy hip-hop Cuban-American singer.  Yep, that's us.

More Carnival parade participants

We checked into the Ibis Hotel in the business district of Cancun and had a tasty dinner at their in-house Italian restaurant.  Then we were off to the concert, scheduled to start at nine in the evening.  We got to the football stadium around 8:45, and hiked to the end of the extremely long line-up.  Doing the ten-step-shuffle for forty five minutes we arrived within a hundred feet of the gates - just as they were slammed shut.  That side of the stadium was full, and everyone now had to run around to the other side and line up again.  It's quite entertaining to watch young women run in skin-tight jeans and five-inch tall stiletto heels.

Amazing Carnival costumes

Eventually we found a good spot in the general seating section, costing around $25.00 as opposed to the floor seats, starting at $150.00 finishing up at $500.00 dollars.  Then, yes, we waited, waited.  Waited.  Around 11:00 p.m. a warm-up act started, then another, and another and finally the main attraction, Pitbull, deigned to start his act at midnight.  It was a fun and lively performance.  And we were very entertained with people watching.  In the expensive section the seats were white leather sofas, with waiters attending to the needs of the audience.  Every long-legged blonde in the Cancun area was there on the arm of a purportedly rich man, strutting their stuff in sequined shorts or mini-skirts.  We watched one couple take a tour of the stadium in-field every hour, showing off her sparkly shorts and long legs.

The final events of Carnival wrapped up on Tuesday with the burning of Juan de Carnival (in effigy) after the late night mass service.  We, on the other hand, couldn't stay up that late opting instead to attend the very successful annual PEACE Mardi Gras fundraising event held at La Luna nightclub in Centro. 



Last night of Carnival - wrapping up in Centro



Today we are back to normal. 

Quiet.  Eating at home.  Reading.  

   

Life is good.



(We didn't get any photos of the Pitbull concert.  Didn't take a camera with us, thinking it might be confiscated at the gate.)

Great Music & Deep Sea Fishing



                   782 photos later, I think I got it! 

Nick Norman and Jon Stone at Soggy Peso

Mal Richards introducing singer Danielle Braund

I think I captured the essence of the Soggy Peso country music event on Wednesday February 15th. 

As part of the third annual Island Time Fishing Festival, that includes a fishing tournament and a fabulous line-up of country music stars, the Soggy Peso Bar and Grill once again hosted a fun-filled afternoon of music and laughter.  It's a great way to raise money to help support the Little Yellow School House charity.  www.Islandtimefishingfestival.com

The afternoon started off with a thirty-minute performance by singer-songwriter Danielle Braund.  

She had an opportunity to showcase her gorgeous voice and original material, singing just before Nick Norman and Jon Stone arrived to perform.  Danielle is originally from Ontario Canada.  She and her friend Kristi Kirik both worked with Lawrie at Hillside Estate Winery in the Okanagan Valley BC.  http://www.daniellebraund.com/



Nick Norman and Jon Stone performing at Soggy Peso



The two guys were fabulous - entertaining, joking with the crowd while singing non-stop.  Nick's a South Carolina Southern-Baptist boy who dreamed of playing his guitar instead of attending Sunday school.  His killer smile and bluesy raspy voice are beautiful compliments to the smooth guitar notes.  He calls his music country rock.   Check out Nick's website for more information about his music.  http://www.nicknormanband.com/    

Jon Stone of The Jon Stone Band is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based artist who performs tributes to country music outlaws of the 60's and 70's.  He pays homage to artists such as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and David Allan Coe.   These two guys played together last year at the Soggy Peso, wowing the crowd with their music and humour.

http://www.jonstonemusic.com/home.cfm

Enjoying Danielle Braund's music at the Soggy Peso Bar

And tonight, Friday February 17th, the annual Carnival festivities rev up. One festival is ending, and the other is just beginning! 



Thank you! Sally and Mal Richards, Soggy Peso Bar & Grill

Festival Week on Isla Mujeres

Parade March 2011

Sequins, balloons, skimpy costumes, tropical-coloured feathers and the thumping beat of salsa music – it is Carnival time in Mexico.  We love this time of year, with 5 days of impromptu parades and dance competitions all over the island.  Traffic stops!  All the dancers pile out of a friend’s pickup and the music cranks up! 



Got the moves!



The group will do a fifteen minute routine, pile back into the pickup and head off to the next stop.  Everyone from the smallest kindergarten kid to the oldest grandmother knows the moves. 

This year we have two big events overlapping during the next eight days.  First up is the 3rd Annual Island Time Fishing Tournament and Country Music Festival starting Tuesday February 14th and ending Saturday February 18th.  Check the website for the details http://www.islandtimefishingfestival.com/  This fabulous event features performances by music legends such as Phil Vassar, Craig Wiseman, Dallas Davidson, Rodney Clawson, Brett James, Tim Nichols, Tim Norman, Jon Stone and EG Kight.  

Phil Vassar February 2011 at Jax Bar & Grill

Then starting Friday February 17th the kick-off for Carnival starts with the Coronation of the various kings and queens, leading into an-all night party and dance that will continue until dawn. 

Here are some of the events listed on Tourism Isla FaceBook page:

Friday February 17th - 8:30 p.m. Coronation ceremony for kings and queens starting with the youngest and working up to the famous.

Friday February 17th - 11:30 p.m. Coronation dance continues until dawn



Queen and King of Carnival 2010



Saturday February 18th - noon to 5:00 p.m. music and activities on the public beach near Jax's Bar and Grill

Saturday February 18th - 5:00 p.m. start of 1st parade near Jax Bar and Grill at the north end of the island, near the fisherman's statue.

Saturday February 18th - 8:00 p.m. Noche de Fantasia at the Municipal Plaza in Centro

Saturday February 18th - 11:00 p.m. to dawn, dance at the Municipal Plaza

Sunday February 19th - noon to 5:00 p.m. music and activities on the public beach near Jax Bar and Grill

Sunday February 19th - 5:00 p.m. 2nd parade same route, same time  -  probably featuring different dance groups as each group must stop and perform for judges at the reviewing stands

Sunday February 19th - 8:00 p.m. Noche de Cubano in Centre, Dance competitions

Sunday February 19th - 11:00 p.m. Presentation de Show in Centre

Carnival Parade March 2011

Monday February 20th - a number of impromptu dance demonstrations at various locations on Isla  

Monday February 20th - Noche Regional Caribena, 8:00 p.m. dancing and 10:00 p.m. comedy.

Tuesday February 21st - 5:00 p.m. 3rd parade same route, same time  -  probably featuring different dance groups as each group must stop and perform for judges at the reviewing stands which can make for a very slow, but interesting parade.



Tuesday February 21st - in the afternoon Negrada,  Black Face and different costumes for dancers gathering at Municipal hall around 9:00 p.m.

Grande Finale Tuesday February 21st - 11:30 p.m. church services, and around midnight burning of the effigy of Juan de Carnaval in Centre



Carnival Parade March 2011



You may have noticed I use the words "approximately" and "around" when listing starting times.  The times are just a suggestion! 

This is Mexico.  The events are fabulous, however they seldom start on time. 

Relax.  Enjoy the sounds, sights, smells. 

Isn't that why you are here?