Isla Mujeres 2014 ~~ Day 18

Isla Mujeres 2014

Day 18 ~~ Monday Feb.24

"Sun, Sand & Surf"


Are you getting tired of seeing the sunrise?  Sorry!  I'm not so I'll keep posting every one of them!  Not sure which part of my body it is that wakes me up for this every single morning.  Whatever it is, I'm happy to see this….just feels good for the soul to start the day out with the sun...

And since I never go back to bed after sunrise, we are out the door early after some yogurt and fruit.  Nice long beach day coming up!  And look at how the beach has grown!  Our very own little sand island taking shape...

Deene stakes her claim and gets settled with her book…..she sizzled away all day there!  Perfect spot!

I read all day but there were a lot of moments where I just put down the book and stared….never get tired of this amazing view...

Standing in front of Maria del Mar area, looking north towards Mia Reef...

Looking towards our beach spot in front of Maria del Mar...

To the south...

Happy little sausages!

Join me!….

Frank calls all of his chicas to join him…..he surprises us with beautiful hand made Isla Mujeres bracelets, made by Jana Everett Epperson….undisputed Isla goddess!  Thank you Frank…such a sweetheart…and thank you Jana…..love it!  Here's a link to Jana's Etsy shop…..she is completely sold out right now, but check back for future items  Jana's Silver Moon Gallery

One of our sons was looking for a black bead rosary.  Pedro had the perfect one!  Gracias Norma y Pedro!

By late afternoon, we're feeling a bit sunburnt so it's home to the casa to relax.  There's a bird party going on...

They're often flying around this area, but this was a major gathering!  Fun to watch them dip and soar….

And another perfect ending to another perfect day...

As soon as the sun has said adios, we zoom off on our scooter to see Keith, Elisa and Arlene and Tom at Nautibeach Condos.  They are staying there and invited us for a glass of wine...

We enjoy a visit and the wine and then it's time to scoot off to dinner with some amigos at Oscar's Grill, just a short way past Chedraui.  Keith and Elisa follow in their golf cart.

Margaritas arrive….very good!

A few baskets of the famous garlic knots arrive and everyone dives in….fist fights almost broke out!

Nice place to sit down by the water….

Our lasagna arrives.  It was recommended to us by our amigo Brian.  What he failed to tell us was that we should share 1 order!  We each had a serving this size…huge!  And woohoo…more garlic knots!  

Needless to say, we had left overs!  Good price at $130 pesos.

While our experiences with Oscar's have been good and we had no issues at all this night, some of our group were not quite so happy.  One, an avid fisherman had ordered grouper.  When he received his dinner, he said there was no way it was grouper.  I trust him to know.  On top of that it was cold…as in, perhaps still slightly frozen.  There were also some issues with bills….mixed up or just wrong.  Everything was right with our dinner and bill, but I will say the service was disorganized.  I know large groups can be a challenge, but this is a large restaurant and should be able to handle it.  

Once everyone scatters, we hop back on our scooter.  And….go nowhere.  Won't start.  Phooey.  We are just not having a lot of luck with scooters this time.   Eventually, with fingers, toes and eyes crossed, it starts.  Zoom zoom!

Isla Mujeres 2014 ~~ Day 17

Isla Mujeres 2014

Day 17 ~~ Sunday Feb.23

"Olympic Gold and a Yummy Lunch!"


Up even earlier than usual today….no time for sleep!

It's been 4 years since the last time we watched hockey while in Mexico.  Promptly at 6am we are in front of the TV searching for a channel showing the Mens game for Gold.  I can only imagine what our neighbours might have thought with all the whooping and cheering going on!  An awesome game and so proud of both the men's and women's Canadian hockey teams!  Gold for both!!  After all, it is OUR game!  :)

It was a bit surreal to be watching a hockey game and a sunrise at the same time!

Keith and Elisa drop in as our friends Darcy and Barry invited us for a tour of nearby Casa Perlita.  It's just a few doors north of Caribbean Casa and enjoys the same beautiful views.

And with the view in our direction I make a mental note not to wander around semi-naked….bird's eye view!

Rooftop of Casa Perlita…Vince, Darcy, Barry, Keith and Elisa

Casa Perlita was recently sold but is still available to rent….great location….

After our visit, we're off to Chedraui for some supplies.  As we drive along on our scooter, all of a sudden, pop!!!  The back tire went completely flat!  Luckily we were on Juarez and not too far from the scooter shop, but it was still a long hard and hot push to get it there.  The fellows are so great though…quickly giving us a brand new shiny scooter!  This was our third one so hopefully, number 3 is the charm!

As we near Chedraui, we see smoke billowing from Kash Keken Chuc…..hmmm, that could be a yummy lunch!  We get our other groceries and then come back for some delicious boneless ribs….cooking away on the grill….

We get our order…..love the smiles on the folks in the background….wonder if they're laughing with us or at us!  

Can't miss the bright pink building….

We zoom zoom home and get all the goodies ready….so good!

And with that view….priceless!

And speaking of price….this huge yummy meal and all the fixings….$70 pesos!  What a deal!

Gotta have lots of lime!

After our late lunch Vince takes a little walk along the malecon….for our amigos Chen and Lee from ComoNo….miss you!

Another perfectly beautiful day in paradise!

Toasty warm on our balcony….

The view from my lounger, looking up….

Before we know it, the sun is dipping low...

The days are slipping by way too fast…..2 weeks from now, we'll be back home….can't think about that right now…back to the view!

Not sure where we're headed tonight….no real plans, so we linger and enjoy….

We eventually make our way to Morgan's for some tasty margaritas.  No amigos around or walking by….where the heck is everyone!  Finishing our drinks, we realize we're not that hungry after such a big lunch.  We wander Hidalgo waiting for our tummies to decide.  Let's go light tonight and enjoy some sushi at Asia Caribe.  We get California Special Rolls and Spring Rolls...

While we're eating, Keith, Elisa, Tom and Arlene walk by.  They haven't eaten yet, so they join us.  We enjoy a great meal together and then Tom and Arlene head back home, while us young folk go off to find trouble…haha!  Trouble leads us to ComoNo at El Patio….up to the rooftop to enjoy one of our favourite desserts….Chocolate Tempura…..decadent and delicious!

We're apparently not as young as we thought and by 11, the eyelids are drooping…..home to dreamland!

Isla Mujeres 2014 ~~ Day 16

Isla Mujeres 2014

Day 16 ~~ Saturday Feb.22

"FIESTARITA DAY!!!"

I really would have liked to sleep in today, but it's not happening….up with the dawn once again…

Ah well, who'd want to miss out on this anyways!

Something new today…..I look down to see an entire crew picking up trash from the malecon area...

It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day so after a quick brekkie, we are off to Playa Norte.

It's hot and toasty already so we rent a parasol to go along with our beach back chairs…$60 pesos, which includes a free pop from Maria del Mar.

Another wonderful relaxing day and I wish we could stay until sunset….but…..we have to get home to get ready for Fiestarita!!!

Fatima, the amazing Caribbean Casa house cleaner has made our little home spotless once again.  We get things all arranged for our guests….Cori…we need more chairs!  :)

A swan by Fatima

Señor Frank is the first to arrive, bringing lots of delicious goodies with him...

More amigos begin to arrive

Just a few of the chicas

So busy enjoying the company that we almost miss the sunset!

Elisa and her mom-in-law, Arlene

How many people can you fit on the Isladise balcony?….

6th Annual Fiestarita!!!!

Another beautiful days sets….

We couldn't figure out where Danno and Steph were….she was bringing the much-anticipated bean sopa….turns out they were having a 'nap'….ahem, yup, sure….we're onto ya!  

Lots of laughter and chatter...

Keith, Bruce, Arlene and Vince

Vince had picked up our jumbo take out order of sticky ribs from Asia Caribe.  Elisa and I served them and they went like hotcakes…well, no, they went like sticky ribs!  So quickly that I didn't get a photo!  I do wish I'd gotten a photo of Elisa licking the plate!  Thank you Asia Caribe!

Just some of the wonderful food…..over the years we have progressed and now the potluck is downright fancy!!!

Rotisserie chicken….yummo!

Steph's' 'better late than never 'cause we were napping' bean soup!  ;)

Jan's broccoli casserole

Brian's garlic mashed potatoes

Amigos getting settled with food and drink

Deene and Lloyd whipping up another batch of margs

Faith showing us that she's still bendy!

Smile!

And then….surprise guests!  The Newlyweds!!!  Hola Capitan Tony y Betsy!!

Faith and John missed the wedding but got a photo with the honeymooners.  We will celebrate their first anniversary next year!  

And more amigos….Darcy and Barry arrive!

Once again, seeing all these people together, makes me so grateful that we could be here in this magical place together.  What amazing friends!  Thank you all for joining us and bringing such delicious food.  We'll do it again in 2015 for #7!

With most of the amigos gone, a few of us decide to wander to Poc Na Hostel as there was a big concert there tonight.  We don't have tickets but we should be able to hear something from the malecon.    We walk up the malecon but run into security who turn us back around…darn!  We don't give up easily though so we head into centro and head to Poc Na from that direction.  More security, but we go through the check point…girls in one line and boys in another.  The girls breeze through but the boys get a thorough pat down.  We can now get to a fence and see into Poc Na and of course, the music is loud and great!  Selfie time...

We probably looked pretty funny, standing there on tippy toes looking over the fence.  We meander once again and go into Poc Na but it's all closed off from that side.  The bass is thumping so I'm sure glad we're not trying to sleep anywhere nearby!  We give up on crashing the party and settle for ice cream instead.  Perfect finish for a very fun day with very great friends!