Isla Mujeres is an island in the Caribbean Sea 13 kilometers east of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The ocean is jewel colors of blue.
Before relaxing on the island, we explored the mainland.
Tulum ruins are a 13th century Mayan archaeological site south of Cancun.
It was a walled seaport, the only Mayan settlement in Mexico built along the sea. The stairs to the beach were blocked off because, apparently, it was quite windy. This was the only time it rained on the trip - for a little over an hour while driving and at the start of our walk. It still felt marvelous to us, though, compared to sub-zero temperatures and 8 inches of snow at home.
The Castillo is the largest building at Tulum. Guides were available but we preferred to wander on our own and wonder what might have been.
Mayans worshiped Gods of the underworld, presumably because of the region's intricate system of underground rivers and cenotes. This building was built around a cenote where bones were found, which may mean it was a sacrificial site. The opening to the cenote is the hole under the archway.
Cenotes are fresh water caves with cool, clear water ideal for snorkeling.
Stalagmites and stalagtites form.
This is El Gran Cenote near Tulum. Upon entering the cave, bats darted about us, flapping and screeching to get away from us. That is one on the rock above Wil.
Little black fish exfoliate you when you stay still. It is a firm tickle. Wil and I didn't swim in this one - just enjoyed the exfoliation.
This iguana was on the walk to Xcacel Cenote. It's quite a big one, according to Jerry and Wil.
Xcacel Beach is famous for hatching turtles in August. Still beautiful, even in January. The sand is so white and feels like finely mixed flour and sugar.
An invigorating cleanse before entering El Gran Cenote was required. There are instructions to not use sun block or insect repellent. The same was true while snorkeling at Akumal Bay with the sea turtles.
Jerry took this photo at El Gran Cenote while we snorkeled. These are smaller than the sea turtles at Akumal. We snorkeled with the big sea turtles at Akumal until I felt we were bothering them. The colectivo driver that took us to Akumal was going more than 120 kilometers per hour, which I later converted to 75 miles per hour. It felt fast on the highway. The colectivo drivers race each other to the next stop so they collect more fares.
This was the first "real" meal we had on our first morning in Cancun with Jerry. We told him we wanted food made by locals that the locals ate. He drove us straight to this taco stand on the highway where truckers and delivery drivers were stopping for breakfast and the food was excellent. Places like this serve until their food is gone, then they go home for the day and the children go to school. A boy about ten was chipping ice into a cooler to put into the freshly squeezed orange juice - perhaps my favorite thing I consumed on the trip.
These guys were performing outside of Tulum and were happy to receive tips. Apparently our tip pleased them as they captured me for a group photo. The young man on my right is yelling "tequilla!"
Musicians were at most restaurants. This group was playing during our delicious lunch of fish and shrimp tacos in Tulum town.
This was the view from our balcony in Playa del Carmen, half way between Tulum and Cancun.
It is a party town filled with people, noise, shops and...noise. The only time I heard the music stop was between 4am and 5am.
The merchants here were aggressive. We were among the oldest tourists. One merchant hollered out to us "hey, silvers."
At dinner I was delighted by this band - there were four band members but I especially liked this little guy. They were so peppy!
We greatly enjoyed the taste of tacos al pastor that Jerry told us to try. It is marinated pork hanging and twirling over a fire. Then the meat is shaved off. Whatever it is they marinate it in is deeeelicious!
A short and festive ferry ride from Cancun took us to our main destination of Isla Mujeres. A singer had memorized Jimmy Buffet songs and other American songs with tropical themes, but I don't think he spoke English. Some of us sang along. It was quite fun.
The water was warm - just right for bouncing in the waves.
Perhaps my favorite encounter of the trip was with these two ninos who had mischievously laid there hombre dolls across the street, waiting to see if golf buggies would run over them. We circled back around specifically to take their picture.
More musicians at dinner. They were happy to sing but expected a tip. When we learned what people in Mexico earn in wages, we were looking for locals to give our extra pesos to. We did not spend nearly as much as we thought we would because things were not expensive. We felt happy to share our left over pesos with the locals in exchange for making our visit to their land so enjoyable. We still came home with a small stash of pesos.
The WorldMark Resort on Isla was exquisite - inside and out.
Wil enjoyed spending his time at poolside perhaps even more than gallivanting about the island. He discovered he could order a strawberry daiquiri with un poco rum and I could drink almost half of it. Naturally, he had to finish mine for me.
For some reason I needed very little sleep while there so spent my early mornings - madrugada - on the front porch. This is a picture of the moon before dawn. At that time of day the gardener went about the grounds in his coat with the hood up. It was cold to the locals but pleasant to us.
These are artists at the Womens' Bead Cooperative, where I purchased items hand-made by them. Very few locals on Isla spoke English. I managed to convey to them what I was asking and decipher a few words they said in response. Once, I asked a young man how to get to el restaurante de Cuba and his directions sent us to the scuba shop. Maybe my accent was hard for them to understand. Hand gestures were helpful.
We enjoyed the food but we didn't quite figure out how to order all the little extras. Ordering full entrees was the best way to go. This was the first time we tried mole and it was delicious.
The Green Verde beckoned us with its colors and cute decor and seating. The electricity was out on the island for two nights and mornings. We ate most of this meal by candlelight and received the last order of cooked food. It all added to the charm.
When the power had been restored, Q' Bravo finally opened again, which was a breakfast place that had received good reviews on Yelp. The food was good and I loved the colors of the place.
Our last night on Isla without power led us to a restaurant right along the beach where candles were the only light. The waiter welcomed us and led us to a table directly in the sand. Very cool! Our meal of red snapper was delicious - something we had never had before. Pleasant service, great food, another serenading musician, an ocean breeze at sunset with our toes in the sand. Yes sirree.
Sunset on Isla is the main event of the day. People stop their golf carts wherever they are and watch it.
Ixchel, Goddess of the moon, fertility, medicine and happiness, was worshipped by the Mayans.
These Mayan carvings were part of a small ruin at Punta Sur.
My blog is not complete without a photo of a plant. The lines on these leaves at Tulum caught the artistic eye of Wil.
There's my honey, happy as a clam on the island of women.
