Chunk Kay

No, this post is NOT about my current condition! (Although, I am in quite a state after my progressive dining on Isla and all that Italian food and cream pie I consumed in Kansas!) I've been forgetting to tell you all about a new restaurant we happened upon one afternoon on Isla. Actually, Marcela from Isla Beckons mentioned it to me when I was checking in at Deep Blue, but I completely forgot about it until we saw the sign when we were riding in the golfcart one day and decided to give it a try.

The name of the restaurant is Chunk-Kay and it's located right next to Veradero, the funky Cuban restaurant on the boat canal. If you know where the gym is on Isla out by the junior high -- it's right behind that. It was empty when we arrived, but I did notice a local realtor at the bar before we left. I'm hoping it catches on because the food's good and it's a nice addition to out-island dining!

We took a seat up off the sand at a table under the main palapa.

Craig ordered a Dos Equis Amber for his first course.

Chunk-Kay has a very nice bar! I didn't get a photo of our waiter, but I recognized him as one of our young friends from Bally Hoo.

I had to walk out by the dock and snap a photo. It's blue and you know how I love blue!

The restaurant is a very large palapa with seating in the pavillion by the bar and also out on the sand.

The waiter brought pico de gallo and chips to start. They were very fresh!

And look at these shrimp tacos! Muy muy bueno!

Seso Loco and Election Night

I think it's time for me to return to my trip reports from Isla. I still have a lot of photos and stories to tell!

I continue to be amazed at the food we found out in the colonias on Isla. Basically, we only ventured into El Centro a few times to eat dinner when we were staying at Deep Blue. One evening, actually it was the 4th of July, we headed to Seso Loco because we were anxious to see their new restaurant. We always loved the food at their location on Hidalgo, and hadn't eaten there since they moved.

Fancy sign! We had no problem finding the new location. It's on one of those corners on the bayside road (Rueda Medina?) once you get into the colonias. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd go find my Isla map and give good directions! But I don't want to deny you the adventure of looking for the place. HA!

I was surprised at the nice ambience! Lots of plants, wooden chairs, interesting mosaics in the floor, etc....


A lot nicer than their former location on Hidalgo!


Lots of choices on the menu! And reasonable prices.

I especially loved the tablecloths!

Craig was fully into relaxed Isla mode by this time in the trip!


He ordered a pizza that was really good!

And I had the Azteca soup! (In addition to some of his pizza!)

As a little postscript, July 4 was the night of the election. Craig had no trouble ordering a beer with his pizza, but on the way from Deep Blue to Seso Loco, we'd encountered an intersection crowded with people and Federales. A man had yelled and gestured at us to go the other way. We, of course, interpreted the situation as something bad going on and quickly turned the cart around and got the heck out of there. Earlier in the day, we'd noticed heated arguments and policia breaking up a few fights in the vicinity of the street by Deep Blue.

On the way back from Seso Loco, we had to wind our way around the colonias due to blocked off streets. The main police station was locked down tight with a show of force posted at the gate. When we finally got back to Deep Blue, we realized the crowds in the street had multiplied. The elementary school behind the condo was a polling place. Not being familiar with elections on Isla, we couldn't figure out if the blocked streets and crowds gathered in the streets were normal, or some kind of demonstration. I'm laughing now, but at the time, we were a little puzzled and concerned because we truly thought we were witnessing some kind of demonstrations. We went up to the rooftop to observe what was happening. At one point after I snapped a photo from the rooftop, we noticed a group of taxi drivers running our way on the street below. We quickly got ourselves back into the condo.

And the moral of this story IS how easy it is to misinterpret what's going on when you're in a foreign culture and country. HA! All was well on the island. The next day, I was told by Ruben, the Deep Blue manager, that the presence of Federales on the island was simply to insure something bad didn't happen. The crowds in the street were gathered waiting for the election results, much like the groups that gather at campaign headquarters and hotel ballrooms in the United States. So I should never assume because you know what they say about assuming. It makes an ass out of u and me. Sorry, couldn't resist!

Election night scene in the street below Deep Blue.

Flora

I could use some flora in my life today. Yesterday, I cut a curb too close and ended up ruining one of my low profile tires on the Beetle. So that cost four new tires and a lot of hassle in the hot temps of Arizona. Today, I'm headed to my dentist for him to fix the problems left by the former dentist. And that'll be a new crown. Ugh! Here are some snapshots of Isla flowers and plants!

Vinca just jutting out of the rubble!

And a stray hibiscus that popped out from somewhere!

I think these are hibiscus. They're a gorgeous pale pinky lavender.

I swear, philodendrens get monstrous in the tropics!


Is that a banana tree?

These are gorgeous what-you-something's. I may know what they are, but it eludes me right now!

It's Hot Outside!

We all hung by the pool this weekend since the temperature was over 110. Once again! Saby monitored the lizards, while I watched the blue dragonflies and orange butterflies fluttering about. Craig tended to the plants, repotting a few of the babies that he's divided off of existing plants in the landscaping. This year, we didn't plant any flowers in pots since we knew they required more water than desert type plants and we wouldn't be home as much to water them. I can't wait for August to be over. Of course, September's not exactly a picnic, but at least by then we can see the cooler temps at the end of the long hot tunnel!

Craig getting ready to take a dip.

The torchglow bounganvillea's still thriving despite the summer heat!

Some flowering plants like hibiscus don't do well in the 110 degree summer heat, but these lantana love it.

Craig's little baby plants that he divided from bigger plants last year are doing great! This aloe has outgrown its pot!

This Katie Ruellia sprouted like a weed in the landscaping and now fills a pot.

Craig transplanted these little aloe plants a month ago and they're gone nuts!

These agaves also started as babies last year.

And speaking of babies, here's Saby hiding in her fort. She lies back in the shade waiting for one of the lizards to make a move, then leaps through shrubs and bounds around the backyard after them!

Eat Pray Love!

I hesitated to go on the first day the movie was out, but went to see Eat Pray Love yesterday morning. The matinee was packed! And the movie was wonderful! Truthfully, I was going through my own stuff at the time I tried to read this book and ended up putting it down. She was depressed -- I was depressed. I couldn't take it. Now I need to go back and read the book! Lots of wisdom and beautiful cinematography! This quote struck me -- I want to go someplace where I can marvel at something! Me too!

The theatre was packed with large groups of women. Yoga classes? Book clubs? I'm not sure. Some of them were in attire that mimicked Julia Robert's clothes in the movie. One rather large woman had an identical hat to the one Julia wears in the movie and never removed it. People watching was almost as good as the show!

Here's the trailer. If you get the chance, go see it! I want to purchase the soundtrack immediately. Great music!

Waffling!

I promise I'll stop talking about booking Yelapa after today, but I thought I'd give the update. We've decided not to book the Bob Dylan suite. After taking a second glance at its upriver location (my knees would never make it up there, much less to Bob's perch everyday) and the completely open palapa minus any doors (housekeeping wouldn't be knocking and neither would the critters) backing into the jungle, I got real and decided to stay down in the village area.

I found a cute little casa in the village on the water that has vacancy -- and a door! Casa Joanie. All the windows are open and I can deal with that, especially since it's right on the water. It has kind of a rustic elegance to it with a lot of amenities, like lots of places to sit down and hang out. And a big safe, CD player, and beach down below. In addition, the roof is not actually a palapa. I like that because palapa roofs can be a huge nest for practically everything.

In the process of looking at lodging reviews on Trip Advisor, here's a funny one I found. It's the classic encounter of A.I. couple meets tropical berg. It reminds me a LOT of some of the funny reviews I've seen on Trip Advisor about Isla over the years. This woman's still hopping mad enough after two years to post what she thinks is a scathing review.

My husband and I went here to celebrate our anniversary 2 years ago.
We chose Yelapa because we wanted to do something:
1.a bit rustic/adventurous
2.charming
3.romantic (as I mentioned celebrating our anniversary)
4.non-touristyThis is what we got:

1.We rented a home called Casa No Name for 4 days We took a boat from PV to Yelapa and we were lead by the local children through the village to our rental house. We arrive at the base of a hill & the kids point up the hill to our house. I look up and notice that effectively 3 out of 4 walls are missing – open air style but no screens! When researching potential places to spend our “week of romance” I questioned Yelpa’s no-screens-on-the-window tendency, but I was assured by multiple people especially the owner of Casa No Name, that Yelapa is virtually bug and critter-free. We open the door and rose petals were sprinkled in a trail leading up to our bedroom. My husband puts down our bags and uses the bathroom as I follow the floor petal trail to our bedroom. “Ahh, how romantic it all looks and the mosquito net above the bed gives such a romantic feel.” I swear to God, as I look up to admire the “rustic charm” of it all, I see a huge black claw coming through the open space where the wall and ceiling meet!! I calmly get my husband who gets the neighbor kids. They took sticks and rocks and where able to get the 4 foot long black iguana to reveal itself in full and scurry off! Welcome to Yelapa! The bugs, insects, and critters had omnipresence from the first moment of our trip to the last.

Okay, enough fun with the woman! But I love the iguana scene with the kids trying to get it out of there with a stick!

Here's another video of Yelapa I found on YouTube. There's an even better one on the Casa Joanie website if you follow the links. Have a great weekend and I promise to return to normal programming (whatever that is) next week.

To Yelapa

or not to Yelapa? That is the question!

Yelapa came onto our radar a few years ago when we were researching a trip to the Puerto Vallarta area. I'd never heard of the place but was intrigued since there are NO cars and visitors sleep in open air palapas! Gentrified camping! A place where you arrive by boat and a mule helps haul your bags up the hill. A place, I've read, that didn't get electricity until the turn of the century -- the 21st century! That trip got cancelled, but not before I'd already chickened out on Yelapa. Too many horror scorpion tales on Trip Advisor reviews!

Last year, I read a couple of posts about Yelapa on The Big Sweet Tooth. Check out Misty's link because she has wonderful photos that capture the essence of the village.

I remembered Yelapa again this week when I was thinking about where we should go after Bucerias. My first inclination was spending the rest of the trip farther up the coast in Guayabitos until I realized we'd probably do all those beaches on daytrips while we're in Bucerias. So my thoughts then zoned in on Yelapa.

The thought of sleeping open air in the jungle with creepy critters is a little daunting for me, but I truly think if we don't go there on this trip, I'll regret it! I'm still mesmerized by the photos and magic of a destination where you arrive by boat and don't have to dodge cars, golfcarts, and motos. And how can you go wrong when there's a woman who walks down the beach everyday selling banana cream pie! After looking at some photos posted online and some YouTube videos, Craig and I are sold!

I contacted a few rentals yesterday and Craig and I are now in the process of booking. Actually, I'm booking -- he's going to work every morning and looking at the links I send him when he has time for a break. We've decided on a unique property called Casa de los Suenos. The room I requested was already booked, so the owner suggested the Corona del Sol casa -- Bob Dylan's old haunt when it was a celebrity hangout. Locals call it The Watchtower in his honor. How does sleeping in the open air for four glorious nights listening to the sound of the waves and the birds and critters sound? Craig's threatened to channel Bob Dylan and sing a few songs, but I promise not to record it!

I booked airfare yesterday, so now we have a long countdown! Woo hoooooo! Take a look at this travel photography blog of Yelapa! How beautiful is that! Can't wait to be there!

Isla Mujeres 2010

Isla Mujeres 2010

Infidelity

I figured that post title would get hits from all over the place! No, Craig and I are fine, but we're in the process of cheating on Isla. We've been flip flopping on the destination for a Thanksgiving vacation, and the airfares and another gorgeous penthouse have made up our minds.

A few years ago, we planned a trip to the Puerto Vallarta area, but life intervened and we didn't get to go. So now the time seems right. In the process of searching airfares last week, I noticed that the direct flight from Phoenix to Puerto Vallarta was $200 per person cheaper than the Phoenix to Cancun fares. And then yesterday, while browsing through VRBO listings, I found this beautiful condo in Bucerias, north of Puerto Vallarta. OMG! I can actually fall asleep outdoors with a palapa roof over my head on a sofa listening to the waves while Craig's in the bedroom watching television! Dream come true!

So anyway, that's why I've been absent for a few days from the blog and Facebook. Planning another adventure takes time! We'll spend a week in Bucerias, and then we plan on moving to someplace different for the last four nights. Anyone ever stayed in a palapa in Yelapa? If I can get over my scorpion phobia, maybe we'll give that a try!

The Box of Junque

The box of goodies from my whirlwind antique tour of Kansas/Oklahoma/Missouri arrived yesterday and I've been having fun finding places for the stuff. Literally, I think it cost more to ship the junk than what I paid for it, but that's because I basically limited myself to $1, $3, and $5 purchases. It got to be a big joke. I'd see something I really wanted with a big price tag and just have to say no since it didn't fall into the $5 and under range. Actually, I think I paid $7 for something on that table.

My favorite puchase from this box was the mail holder decorated with birds. Once again, it's an item that reminded me so much of my aunt and her love of birds. My aunt fed birds and knew exactly what to put out to attract each variety. My friend Judy's sister Jill lives right now the road from Woodgate and says the number and variety of birds increased exponentially last summer after my aunt died. She'd never realized the reason until that moment. So at least we now know all those little birdies have found a new home. The little wicker tray with the feather bird under the glass is a souvenir from Mexico, so that's special too.

This little child's watering can was the exception to the $5 and under rule. I can't remember what I paid now (I probably blocked it), but I think it was $12, and I had to have it! : )

Craig and I watched American Pickers on the History Channel the other night. Those guys seem to be stuck on paying $50 on most things. I guess I'm the $3 picker! This apple didn't fall far from her Grandpa Bowman's frugal gene tree. He's the guy who shopped the grocery store with a little clicker adding up purchases and made the cashier go back over every item if the store's total didn't match his. (I'm not THAT bad!)

Can't wait to go back again next year and do it all over again. We were even talking about the possibility of a fall trip, but don't think that'll be a go since I have a wedding in Chicago and maybe a return trip to the tropics. But who knows, I could always hop in the car on a whim and just drive!

Isla Doors

I still have loads of photos from my July Isla trip, but I'm having problems remembering what I've already posted since the Kansas trip intervened! So I apologize if you've already seen some of these. I didn't photograph as many doors this trip, but I did discover a few I hadn't noticed before.

My doors onto the Caribe!

Cute colonia door.

Beautiful white wrought iron.

I love doors with curtains!

Punta Sur entrance.



One of my 2010 favorites!

White on white.

This doorway's unique because of the sleeping guard dog.

Classic rustic!

The reflection in the glass reveals this door's location.

Definitely minimalist, but love the plants!

Pink and white with a splash of Corona.

I'm guessing this door on Juarez has no occupants behind it since the entrance is overgrown.

Pale blue and a plant in a Comex bucket.

Some Road Trip Oddities

The truly ugly.

Well . . . maybe I could use one of these!

I could keep him in the closet!

I'll pass!

Mork from Ork

Need a Swinger license plate?

The mythical jackelope.

He's everywhere, he's everywhere!

A body shampoo?

What every home needs.

A penny for your thoughts.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

For the sinners who succumbed to the body shampoo?