"Nothing Remains Quite the Same" ... Jimmy Buffet



Benito Juarez - National President

The head of a very distinguished-looking man rests on the ground, glaring a thousand-yard-stare, wondering how this came about.  His blade-shaped nose, piercing eyes, and neatly combed hair give him an air of quiet authority. 

"A victim of a serial killer?"  You ask.  No, the victim of a politician's whim. 

"Let's give Benito Juárez a new head." 

And so the painted fiberglass head was removed from his statue and a new version glued in its place.  The newer head is slightly larger, is turned a bit more to the left, and has a few more realistic aging details. 

The real Benito Juárez is remembered as being a progressive reformer dedicated to democracy and equal rights for his nation's indigenous peoples.  He was also a staunch defender of Mexican national sovereignty.  Elected President of Mexico twice, he died in office in 1872.



Decorated for Independence Day

In the past four years the Isla Mujeres statue dedicated to this distinguished gentleman has gone through a number of changes.  First his black fiberglass statue was painted a dazzling gold.

Then the paint on his protective barricade was changed - in tune with the seasons, or for special events, or in the political colours of the outgoing or the incoming Mayors. 

The white pillars were bathed in pink lighting in celebration of Breast Cancer Survivors, and then draped in red, white, and green bunting for Independence Day. 


Celebrating March 21st birthday for Benito Juarez

Next came bright green and eye-popping orange in celebration of his birthday on March 21st.  Then two weeks later the colours were toned-down with the current white and green combination.  For us, it's an amusing past-time to spot the changes around the island.  Just down the street from our house there is a small park surrounded by a tall fence made out of plastic PVC pipe and concrete. 

At various times the fence, and the nearby benches have been painted white and turquoise, pink and light blue, orange and dark blue, now white, pale blue and green. 



One of the colour combinations on fence

If you happen to peer over the edge of the wall, you can read the entire colour history in the various haphazard paint jobs. 

Bits and pieces of every previous colour remain on the sea-side of the wall, while the street-side is uniformly painted the new colour choice.


The other side of the park wall

On the eastern seawall the paint jobs are even more interesting.  The wall has been painted a kaleidoscope of colours over the years, including very detailed depictions of various countries national flags, or paintings of turtles and fish.  It is currently a hodge-podge of designs as the former colours fade, wear away.  Waiting for new directives from city hall.

Eastern seawall painted with country flags

The most entertaining story we have heard about the public face-lifts concerns the new seawall on the western side of the island, and the beautiful new whale shark statue. 

As dozens of workers rushed to complete the sculpture in time for the official opening of the seawall by the Governor of Quintana Roo, the surface finish of the boat-shaped base was suddenly changed from all blue tiles to a small amount of blue depicting the water, and the balance of the boat-shaped base was covered in bright red tiny tiles. 

Whale shark statue and boat-shaped base in PRI colours

Red being the colour of the PRI political party, and of the current Governor of the state of Quintana Roo - the person that authorized the state funding of  the seawall and the whale shark statue.

Blue is the colour of PAN, the arch-rivals of PRI.

Blue would not do!

I wonder what Benito Juárez would have thought about all this fuss? 



Secret Seclusion and Public Pandemonium

Hacienda Merida VIP

Step through the door and you are in another time - Mexico two hundred years ago.  The Mexico of haciendas, sisal plantations, Spanish nobility and Mayan peasants.  Colonial Mexico, with cool fountains, rustling palm trees, candle lanterns and hushed secret courtyards inside thick stone walls that protect the hacienda.

Secluded courtyards have been prized in homes since the time of the Greeks, and Romans.  The Moorish invaders brought this architecture to Spain in the 700's and the Spanish conquistadors brought it to the New World in the 1500's. 

The inner facing design provides defence, ventilation, and illumination for the occupants of the house.  The plants and fountains help mitigate the heat and dryness.  The design is very appealing, relaxing.  In Mexico it is still a very desirable design - when the space allows. 



Entrance to Hacienda Merida & VIP Merida

Outside the courtyard, the city traffic of Meridá rushes by on the street, a scant eighteen inches from the door of the Hacienda VIP boutique hotel. 
A rushing bus nearly catches my camera's leather strap as I lean back, snapping a photo of the entrance.  I gulp, and hop a step towards the doorway.  

Having escaped that life-altering-close-call, I hustle back inside to the quiet calm interior of the hotel.  Lawrie is already relaxing with a complimentary cold beer.  My glass of wine arrives moments later.  Civilized.

Civilized!

The Hacienda VIP is a tiny hotel with only four deluxe rooms or suites.  It is located on Calle 62, close to the historic cento area of Meridá.  It is the newer section of the nearby sister hotel, the Hacienda Meridá featuring eight deluxe rooms or suites. 

We were on a half-business-half-pleasure road trip first to Progresso, and then over-nighting in nearby Meridá. 

This was our treat - a night at a hotel rated "Best New Hotel in the World" by the travel company Conde Nast.  Lawrie and I have our own rating system; Dependables, Delights, and Disasters. The Hacienda VIP is definitely a Delight.

Beach vendor Progresso Mexico

   
Before the hushed privacy of our hotel, we were in the hectic and hot Port of Progresso just 30 minutes east of Meridá  looking after a bit of business. Progresso is on the ocean - but the Gulf of Mexico water is green, slightly opaque, nothing like the turquoise Caribbean Sea that surrounds Isla Mujeres. 

Traffic is bumper-to-bumper through the town.  Police stand in the intersections, waving drivers through red lights, trying to clear the back log of cars.  Horns honk.  Engines rev.  People laugh, shouting out greetings to friends.
The beaches were busy with domestic tourists, vacationing with exuberant children free from school for the week.  It's hot!  We're hot. The white sand reflects the intense mid-day sunlight.  We hide under a cool palapa, enjoying a light lunch, waiting until our 1:30 appointment with a government contractor.  

Beach Vendor - white sand, green water

Vendors trudge up and down the beaches, toting a collection of wooden carvings, yummy sweets, inflatable toys, plastic buckets and shovels. 

Our favourite is the man with the tray of sweets balanced on his head, shouting: "Meringues, meringues, meringues."  His hands stay calm, not reaching nervously to steady the tray.  His walk is relaxed, smooth.

Merinques, merinques, merinques

Later with our business successfully completed we arrive at our hotel in Meridá with its secluded courtyard.  After sundown with the heat of the day slowly dissipating, we venture out. 

A short taxi ride takes us to the La Tratto Restaurante, on Paseo de Montejo.  We sip wine and share an appetizer, people-watching. 

We sleep well at the hotel.  It's cool and quiet, silent. 



Peaceful sleep!



Maybe we have time-warped back to two hundred years ago before televisions, cars, airplanes disturbed the night. 

The Textures of Isla ...... continued

Goin' visiting

A giggling young boy runs bare-assed naked from his home to visit a friend, a few houses down the street. 

He zips down the middle of the road - passing a brightly painted house with a cat quizzically watching from a fence. 

A sign on a small store proclaims;  "Wonder" 








Mariachi Band on Hidalgo Avenue

 A group of Mariachis stroll Hidalgo Avenue strumming guitars, enticing restaurant guests to pay for a song or two.  "A little musica?"  the lead player asks, hope lifting his voice into a question mark.  

An eight-foot-tall Johnny Depp look alike struts on stilts hovering over groups of prospective customers.  "Come have dinner with us."  He implores, pressing a small advertisement  into friendly hands.

Neighbours out for dinner

Expats gather to share a dinner, a glass of wine or a cold beer - one last time before everyone scatters to their northern homes.  We prattle on in English, not struggling to communicate with a mixture of English and Spanish, laughing knowingly about a shared experience, a delay, a frustration, and the fun, oh so much fun.

It's all Isla.




Makax Cottage



We have now lived on Isla Mujeres full-time for nearly four years.  Our first experience was not as home owners, but as tourists in May of 2002. 

We rented a charming little cottage via the internet for one week on the west side of the island, at Villa Makax.  The after-dark taxi ride from "Centro" led along a bewildering series of dark streets, curving roads, and a potholed-almost-not-a-road, eventually arriving at the property.   The cottage was situated on a very private piece of land with a beautiful sandy beach and two congenial hosts - Steve and Lindell Leher - who have since become island friends.

Rolandi Hotel on west side of Isla

For the second week, we had not made any advance reservations and eventually settled on moving one block down the street to the small luxury hotel, the Villa Rolandi. 

The Villa Rolandi provided full-on pampering with gourmet dinners, an infinity-edge pool, and bar service anywhere on the property.  

Steve and Lindell on the other hand, well, we never quite got them properly trained to magically appear with a glass of wine, or a cold beer. Perhaps if we had stayed longer they would have been trainable?

A few years later we returned to Isla Mujeres, this time we were cat-sitting for family members while they returned back to Canada to deal with personal business.  We stayed at the house they had rented on the eastside of the island. There the breeze is constant, the waves are larger, the beach not so sandy, but the slightly cooler temperature were perfect for us. 



Our view on the east side of Isla Mujeres



Several years later we built on the windward side of the island for just that reason - cooler year around temperatures. 

We are still discovering and exploring. 

Two days ago we found a new lane, a undiscovered twisting sand-strewn road that lead us to a different view, a new layer, a different texture.    

Pretty!

The Textures of Isla

A Canadian friend recently mentioned that Isla has textures, many textures - layers within layers.  He's right.

El Varadero Cocina Criolla - on the inner harbour of Isla

We have had similar discussions with friends while sampling food at restaurants, or relaxing with a cool drink at various locations on the island.  Conversations that start out with; "This is amazing!  You wouldn't even know we were on Isla." 
We might have been sitting at the Cuban restaurante El Varadero Cocina Criolla, hanging out over the water in a scene reminiscent of the 1951 movie African Queen starring Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, waiting, just waiting for the famed boat to putt-putt past.



Bar cente piece at Captain Dulche


Or perhaps we were sitting at the Captain Dulché Museum and Restaurante on the sand-swept west side of the island.  This location with its marine artifacts, metal sculptures from Cuba, numerous Maya antiques, huge palapa restaurant, and rotating bar is so over-the-top-beautiful it could be in any 5-star resort in the world. 

The view towards the Cancún skyline is gorgeous any time of the day, but the sunsets can be downright spectacular.

Today we had a terrific lunch at Zazil-Ha on the north end of the island, tucked inside the Nabalam Hotel complex. 

We gazed out onto Playa Norte, famous for its blindingly-white sandy beaches featured in the Corona beer commercials. 

Lawrie tempted the beer gods at lunch. 
He ordered a Sol beer, instead of a Corona.  Oh,oh!

Sol beer on a Corona beach!

A few million dollars in bad-boy yachts were anchored in the shallow waters of North Beach, allowing guests to swim in the shallow, turquoise water.  Playa Norte is the beach that most of the tourist sun-worshipers prefer with rentable beach chairs or loungers, restaurants, bars and beach vendors all looking to sell their wares. 

It's also a location that topless sunbathing is grudgingly accepted.  Topless, or wearing a thong is not the norm in Mexico as the people are quite conservative.  The women and girls frequently swim fully dressed in shorts, t-shirts, and underwear, while the men will remove just their t-shirts and swim in their shorts.

Enjoying North Beach

A little further around the corner on the northwestern side of the island are the public beaches where most of the domestic tourists and their families gather to enjoy the deliciously warm Caribbean Sea.
 
Across from this beach is Jax Bar & Grill.  Their second floor patio one of our favourite places to hang out and watch the action. 

The entertainment can include watching the locals playing a pick-up volleyball game, or savouring the smells wafting up from the street vendors food carts, or listening to the families enjoying their beach, their island, their country.



Just play!  Don't speak to me!


Sometimes we loaf around at Cocteleria Minino's, discussing the beauty of the island with our toes dug into the soft sand, watching the two eighty-something brothers play the marimbas.  They are still angry, not speaking to each other after a fight several years ago.  Awkward.  They make beautiful music together, they just don't speak. 

On the beach, between Cocteleria Minino's and the PeMex gas station is a worn, wooden booth where the fisherman clean and sell the day's catch.   Mmmm.  Good sounds, good smells.  Just good. Very good.



Birds looking for treats at fish cleaning station



There are many, many more layers of Isla to discover.  We are taking our time, enjoying, savouring every minute.  Waiter, another Sol, please.   
 
Señor, otro Sol, por favor.

 

     _______________________


Walking, camera in hand, is one of our favourite things to do early in the morning, or early evening - snapping photos of the various areas of the island.  In sorting through our more than seven thousand digital photos of Isla, it is a chore to decide between photographs.  This photo or that one?   Have I overused that particular photo?  Does this one show the flavours, textures, layers better?  

Ah, well, there is always next week to show you more about our little Caribbean paradise.    To be continued .......





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!