El Centro Walkabout

Yes!  We finally arrived in Paradise!

 

We took a little walking tour yesterday to see what's changed.  Now I know why they were painting murals on this building in high season!  A little restaurant has opened across from the cemetery on North Hidalgo.

Did they finally name this street for Captain Tony?  Ja ja ja.

 

We ran into the catch of the day down on the docks.

 



 

This pelican was hanging out by Bally Hoo.

 

 

 

 

Local kids were having a fab time swimming at the docks Saturday evening.

 

While waiting for the hazy sunset.

 

Frigates look a little spooky when they're not in flight.

 

 

Today was a great beach day!  Here's a Playa Norte teaser.

 

 

 

Almost Gone Girl!

Wish I could click my ruby red slippers and just be there!  Now!

We leave later today for Phoenix on one of those small regional planes, overnight at an airport hotel, then fly to Cancun Friday morning  Sometimes one has to jump through hoops to get decent airfare.  It's $300 cheaper per person to fly rather than drive ninety minutes to Phoenix for the non stop to Cancun.  Nuts!

I can't wait to see all that sunny yellow against the backdrop of the turquoise Caribe!  For the first time in a few years, we'll be crossing the bay during daylight hours!  Can't wait to sit up top and get some salt on my face.

Stay tuned!

Throwback Thursday

Facebook now features memories from the same day in years past.  How convenient!  Three years in a row, we took summer trips to Isla Mujeres in June.  These photos popped up in my feed today from June 18, 2012!

Our day started with a dramatic sunrise, probably the best one that trip!

It was a Playa Norte day, but I didn't use Chimbo's banos!

The guys were absent from the FeliPez booth, so no bunny ears in this photo!

Here's the evidence we stopped off at Mogagua for a frappucinno post-beach.  Dr. Simi was handing out fliers with the weekly specials.  Can you imagine how hot that outfit is in June?!!!

Later in the day, Craig and I drank refreshing mojitos at El Varadero.  If my memory's correct, we also shared an order of guacamole.

Down the street in the same neighborhood, we spotted the Thing.

Sunset was as dramatic as sunrise.

The day ended with a stroll on the west malecon and a photo of the boat!

Three years later, I'm starting to think about packing.  Maybe I'll drag the suitcase down from the closet shelf today!

Four Fotos and a Hurricane

I found some old photos in an abandoned Flickr account tonight.  Time for another throwback post!

The year was 2011, the month November.  My trip started with beautiful sunny weather for snapping photos, including this one of the lavanderia.

I happened across my favorite clothesline that trip!

And the poor broken mermaid on her Guerrero patio.

The Flickr account included this photo of the Lety, one of my favorite old pangas.

And then I found this photo of a very memorable night.  That 2011 trip ended with a tropical storm turning into a Cat 2 hurricane named Ida.

Four favorite fotos and a hurricane.  What an adventure!

Bug Season

It's bug season here in Arizona.  It's always bug season on Isla Mujeres! Here's my favorite kind of bug. 

(If this was a drinking game and the code word was bug, I'd be well on my way to a happy day.)

#100HappyDays

Throwback Thursday

Arriving to a lowrise skyline in 2004.

A lone moto parked on a side street.

The beach outside the Maria del Mar gate.  No teeming hoards.

These two gals didn't need to shush anyone.  The island was relatively quiet.

Juarez hadn't been gentrified.  I remember being shocked at the leftover rubble from Gilberto in the early 90's.  

The ruin at the end of the island.  (And don't ask which one.)

In the Beginning

Playa Norte was wide and empty.

The cemetery gate was wooden with an unobscured view.

And Hotel Secreto was $75 a nite.

Muy tranquilo!  Memories make #100HappyDays.

Totally Random Friday

(kind of like my day)

These signs seem to crop up randomly.  Actually, the sign could be fairly permanent, but the actual detour location can change daily without notice!

Recycling seems to be less random on the island.  These bins by Poc Na are overflowing!

Drivers may pay random attention to these signs on Isla.  

Hope these noisy things stay totally random!

This man is not random.  (Random joke alert.)

Hope yours is a random Happy Friday!  #100HappyDays

An Isla Street Primer

Well, not really a primer, since I can't ever remember the names of side streets.  Today I thought I'd post some photos of street life on Isla for those who haven't been to the island.

Basket man headed down Juarez to the beach in the morning.  Juarez, between Medina and Hidalgo, is a mixture of residential and shops.

The fruit cart passing between Rolandi's and Compadres on Hidalgo at lunch time.  Hidalgo, lined with shops and restaurants, is a pedestrian walkway (so please don't drive a golfcart down it).

Someone's headed to the ferry early.  See the bags in the malatero's trike on Rueda Medina?

Once upon a time, there was a shop named Digame on Guerrero where we used the phones and internet to stay in touch back home.  Not sure if it's still in business.  Love how the Bug matches the building.

Got fruit?  Hope I see this truck (on Juarez in this photo) in a month!

Dear Fidel, an island icon who passed last year, biking down Juarez.

The scene in front of the Catholic Church in La Gloria on a Sunday.

Headed up the hill between Medina and Juarez towards the Rocamar.

Noon rush with school girls and a beer delivery on the corner of Hidalgo and Matamoros.

The famous Jeep bakery at the end of Hidalgo by the cemetery.

Sorry, but I wanted a funny ending.  And no, he's not giving away free toilets (on Rueda Medina).