Little Surprises

Isla Mujeres is in a mural state of mind.  In addition to the large murals that were painted last year on buildings and walls, little surprises are cropping up all over in nooks and crannies.

  

Free the fish!

This wall painting's not new.  Can anyone guess where?

This wall looks official.  The art sometimes kicks up a notch when you park something in front.

Actually, I like Tarzan's jip with this background better.  Now all we need is the yell and a Jane!

An ode to kitties?

This mural covers the entrance to the Mercado.

Graphics creep up a stairway on Juarez.

The motos blend with the mural.

Mural in progress on a little casa across from the downtown cemetery.

Holiday mural on the side of a house on Juarez.

I'm liking mural fever!

More Clothesline Fetish Snaps

At home, I hang mine on a rod in the laundry room because in my tight little world, clotheslines in public view aren't allowed.  After all these years, I'm still getting my clothesline kicks on Isla Mujeres.

Red, white, and blue -- my favorite colors!  This little house by the Chimbo's entrance to Playa Norte always has a nice line.

It took almost a month before we wandered out to the colonias where some of the best clothesline action can be found.  We lunched at the Mango, cabbed to the Coopertiva de Las Mujeres (taxi lingo that got us to the bead ladies' shop), and walked La Gloria for clothesline photos.  These people must be very happy because they have very colorful clothes!

Hope these people got their clothes picked off before the rain fell!  We grabbed a cab back to town right before the deluge.

Some of the best lines can be found on the malecon -- a prime location for clothesline peepers.  Fortunately, the walk was right outside my door and part of my daily routine.

Stripes and indigo are so in this year!

I caught Las Palmas' sheets billowing in the wind on our walk down Guerrero one day.

These people on this Hidalgo balcony must do laundry everyday!

More malecon madness.

Meanwhile back at the Dulceria across from the elementary school, I finally managed to sneak a clothesline photo.  I just wasn't on my game this trip!

I never show my own clothesline photos on Isla because ours come home squeezed into a tight little bag.  I guess I'm just as tight when I'm on island!

Dock Tales

Morning solitude.

Counting lobsters.

A different lure for fishermen.

Official pace boat of the U.S. Congress.

The morning meeting.  Two pelicans, two businessmen, and some guys cutting fish.

The view from the dock.

Pink?  Time to drink!

Yo Ho Ho and a Great Mojito!

My friends round here who consider me to be the neighborhood teetotaler would gasp.  Varadero's mojitos are so good -- I consumed two.  

What better place to be on a Saturday afternoon than Varadero's porch listening to Javi and the band playing Cuban music.

We thought about eating fish, but ordered another round of minty rummy Mojitos instead!

Warning to Varadero customers.  You may need to call the waiters to help remove a napping dog  from the cart when it's time to depart!  LOL

 

See you in July Toby!

 

 

 

 

 

No Tequila Sunrises

Every trip to Paradise, I vow not to miss a sunrise. I only woke up for one this entire trip, and it wasn't worth the photo!  So no tequila sunrises!

The good news is we managed to take in a lot of sunsets.  It was easier since we were staying at Villas San Miguel in town across from the zocalo.  The island's only a few blocks wide in that area, so we could quickly hop to the docks for sunset photos.  (Okay, hop's an exaggeration with the new knee.)

Here's a progression of my favorite sunsets from the docks in January.

  

The Village People, Part Uno

I'm suffering from dazed reentry syndrome.  I wake up in the morning with no clue where I am.  Instead of crashing ocean waves or the faint thud of drums from the Navy marching band in the distance, I'm waking to the roar of diesel engines building a new road a few blocks over.  Saturday while eating lunch, a woman came bounding across the patio at the local club yelling my name and I'm ashamed to admit I had no clue who she was.  It took me a few seconds.  I think I need a Lumosity subscription!

The village people here look very strange to me!  Not at all like the people I was used to seeing and hearing for a month.  No one calls us honeymooners when we walk down the street and asks me to come take a look.  No one says it's my turn now.

Here are some people you may recognize that I'm missing from my sometime January/February life. Let's just call them the village people.

The fish taco vendor in the zocalo.  We passed him at least 10 times a day since he was right across the street from our home away from home.

The balloon man.

The friendly tie dyed hipsters who cruised El Centro on foot most days.

This man with the sombreros who sells a bottle of rot gut tequila with tourists' pictures in the sombreros plastered on the front has never pestered me.  If memory serves me right, one time in the early years he caught a table of us at Fayne's partying and I insisted I was going to take his photo and charge him five dollars.  LOL

The women from Chiapas with their exotic village clothing.  Well, it looks pretty exotic to my eyes compared to the shorts and t-shirts everyone wears at home in Arizona!

This is not my best shot of Basket Man, but I swear he poses for me now everytime he sees me and my camera.  I was a distance away from him in the square and he turned, faced me, and gave me a knowing smile.  LOL  Anyone know his name?  Guess I'm not so anonymous afterall. 

Man with fish.  I bet if we ate breakfast at Bobo's in the morning everyday, I'd have a lot of these photos.  This is the first time I've caught a photo of a man walking through El Centro carrying a large fish.

Mariachis were out in full force this trip since it's high season.

  

I love that some local women still wear the traditional huipils.

I see this guy on the island every trip now.  Maybe the stalker is being stalked!

To be continued!  Now, back to reality.  Guess I'd better drag myself to the gym or pool and get back into the old routine! I'm hoping my cultural confusion clears in a few days!

Pretty Murals Everywhere

Pretty murals dot the island now.  Among my favorites are these paintings over the bus benches south on Medina. If these four are knitted together horizontally, they combine into a beautiful panorama.