Isla Mujeres 2014 ~~ Day 4-5

Isla Mujeres 2014

Day 4-5

Day 4~~Monday Feb.10

“Let the Laziness Begin!”

Well, how many winks was that?!  Not enough, but even without an alarm, I am wide-awake before the sun.  Oh, how I have dreamt of seeing this!  I sit on the perfect sunrise balcony at Casita Isladise (www.ourcaribbeancasa.com), and just soak it all in.  The fresh morning air, the soft breeze, the waves lapping on the shore, the little dog barking next door…..in my mind, it’s the most perfect time of day. 

So, I linger for a long time, writing in my journal about the past few busy days.  We have zero plans today other than just finding our Isla rhythm.  Oh, and yes, be here for the electrician who is coming at 11 to finish the repairs on the new electrical meter.  Power surges on the island take their toll on things like that.  Time is ticking on…time to get the sleepyhead up and moving!

By 9, we are walking our way to Chedraui, stopping many times just to savour the views and take it all in.  We load up our cart with all the goodies that we will need for a few days and then grab a taxi home.  As we arrive, there’s a fellow on a bike with fresh OJ for sale….it’s pricier than the market, but that will hit the spot for sure!  Time for brekkies with our freshly baked goods….love those nice soft buns with cream cheese and jam….

And we have another perfect view to enjoy….funny how long you can just stare at this and never tire of it.  I’m on sensory overload after missing this for 2 years!

The electrician arrives and gets to work downstairs.  We get on our swimsuits and walk all the way to our sunny balcony, complete with dipping pool.  Although we hear Playa Norte calling our names, we decide that this will be the perfect spot to spend our first day.  Relax to the max!!

Once the power is back on, we plug in some music and enjoy listening to Maná, re-living the concert all over again.  We’ve worked so hard holding a book and flipping over, so it’s time for lunch…fresh buns again with some sliced ham from the deli, avocado, mayo con limon….yum!  Funny thing at the Chedraui deli….how many kinds of ham are there?  When we found a good one, I would keep the tag so I would know which one to ask for next time.

The afternoon passes with many zzzzs….good thing no one could hear us snoring!  For sunset we climb the ladder to the rooftop to enjoy the 360-degree views.  Amazing! 

Feels like we are on top of the world! 

The sun goes down so quickly….blink twice and it’s gone….

There’s a brief but heavy rainstorm while we’re getting ready.  Hmmm….even though they’re really good I’m not sure if I can face another meal with a bun so I hope the rain stops so we can still get to centro.  We walk a few steps south to pick up Jan and Bruce….the boys dressed like twins!

Dodging the puddles, we walk with Jan and Bruce along the malecon.  Funny how even though we haven’t been here for 2 years, it all looks and feels the same.  A few new restaurants as we walk along Hidalgo.  Our feet carry us to Asia Caribe at the north end of Hidalgo.  Annelise and Peter are wonderful hosts and we’ve enjoyed many meals here in previous years.  Maybe it’s strange to be craving sushi while on Isla, buy why not?! 

First though, we decide on those decadent and famous sticky ribs.  They are so good!

Fish tacos with achiote seasoning…

Pork tenderloin with black mushroom sauce and jasmine rice….

California special rolls….

I think this was a coconut soup?  Jan said it was very good…

Service is very good, food was very good….yes, prices are up since 2012, but it’s still very good value for the meal we enjoyed.  We’ll be back many times during the next month.

We bump into several people we know….that’s what is so special about coming back to the same place every year….seeing old friends and just having that feeling of instant comfort.

We get the first of many ice cream treats from the shop right by the zócalo….the tiramisu is deeeelicious!

By 10:30, the eyelids are drooping…must be things catching up with us.  We wander home and hit the pillow…such party animals!

Day 5~~Tuesday Feb.11

“Press Repeat!”

Where do you think I am at 6am….on the balcony of course!  It’s not spectacular today, but I just can’t think of sleeping through it. 

Time for some yogurt and granola and fresh OJ….

Our amigo Brian drops by and we sit on the balcony and spend the next few hours catching up.  Brenda and Brian own Casa Flores, which is a beautiful home available to rent  http://www.vrbo.com/427605 

We decide to do a repeat of yesterday and be totally lazy here at home.  That’s what’s so wonderful about Isladise….with the sunny balcony, comfy loungers and perfect dipping pool, there’s really no reason to leave! 

We have company arriving for sunset, so we put a yummy snack tray together and are happy to see Isla newbies Dan and Steph, as well as long-timers, Jan and Bruce.

Enjoying the view…

See you mañana sol!

Jan and Bruce have dinner plans so they dash, while the rest of us stay and chat.  We’re happy to hear that Dan and Steph are enjoying their time on Isla.  They stayed at Caribbean Casa last fall and fell in love with Isla.  It’s so cool when someone ‘gets it’.  We look forward to lots of fun together over the next few weeks.  We tire Dan and Steph out and they head home while we wander to Hidalgo for dinner.  We can’t quite figure out what to have tonight as we’re not super hungry, but as we near the end of Hidalgo…..what!?  who!?  Can it really be?  We see Jan, Bruce, Jean, and Rich having dinner at Qubanos.  And who is with them?  Frank!!  I knew he was going to surprise us!  Well, I didn’t really know, but he had been making a few hints on FB over the past few weeks.  Great to see him once again! 

There are no tables available at Qubanos, so we wander just a few steps and decide that my sushi craving is not complete yet.  Why not! 

Complimentary crunchy pickled cabbage appetizer….

Frank comes over to join us while we nibble on fish tacos and California special rolls once again.  I could eat that every day!

We have a bit of room left for ice cream, duh!....Frank treats us and we slurp away before it melts.  Just another perfect do-nothing day in paradise!