Isla Mujeres 2015 ~~ Day 5 ~ 6

Isla Mujeres 2015

Day 5

Everyone is up to enjoy the sunrise today….

We enjoy the views while eating a quick breakfast…Vince and Jason are off on a snorkeling trip with Captain Tony Garcia this morning.

Shortly after 8 they are on their way to see the fishies.   They are followed by these nice fellows…okay, not really being followed!  At least I hope not!

While they’re gone I do some tidying and maybe just got a bit lazy and just sat and enjoyed the view some more….never get tired of it!

Shortly after 11 the boys are back….had a great time with Tony, as always.   Vince and I head off to Playa Norte and Jason arrives in the usual spot just a little later.

  

It’s another beautiful day….still not super hot, but very comfortable and much warmer than at home, of course!  The boys go for a swim….the water is still very refreshing…ie it takes them a while to get in!

  

We laze away the rest of the afternoon and then guess who’s hungry.  And guess what he wants…”Mom, what time does Olivia open?”  Yup, one more time! Jason must be Olivia’s biggest fan…next to us!  Off they go, arriving back a short time later with still-warm parmesan bread with tzatziki and an order of pastilla…chicken in phyllo. 

I seriously doubt that anyone has had a delicious picnic on the beach like this!!  Jason is definitely in his happy place here!  And with our yummy snack, we get to enjoy a beautiful sunset movie….

Another wonderful day in paradise….

When the sun has disappeared we wander home and then somehow, Jason is hungry again.  Off to Hidalgo where he decides to enjoy some grouper at Asia Caribe again.    I decide to have my favourite once again, California Special Rolls, while Vince has the pecan-encrusted grouper and Jason has the herbed grouper.  While we’re waiting for dinner I’m chatting with Cori of Caribbean Casa on FB.  She says to say hi to Annelise and Peter.  Of course I do that and then we find a fun way for them to say hi back!

Food arrives and it is delicious as always…..with 2 bottles of water, the bill is $495 pesos plus tip.  And it’s our lucky day….we are treated to a complimentary coconut cheesecake dessert….oh my…soooo light and yummy!  We’ll have this again for sure!  Gracias!

We wander home and take a few minutes to see the crowd at the zocalo where Carnival is underway.   Jason and I play a game of backgammon while sipping on kahlúa and ice.  Just around midnight we hear some rumblings out on the street…sure enough, it’s Keith and Elisa!  Our downstairs neighbours for the next 10 days!  Great to see you again amigos!

Day 6

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

My last sunrise from the sofa bed…it’s actually quite comfortable but I am looking forward to settling into the upstairs master suite today.  Sad for Jason to be leaving though, as we’ve enjoyed sharing our Isla with him.

Jason is flying out this afternoon so he needs a hearty breakfast….they head off to M & J Cazuela at 8:30. 

I stay behind and start moving our things into place….stopping to enjoy the view many times of course!

One last time to Playa Norte for Jason…..he finds a chica along the way…

It’s another really gorgeous day…..

This tree shall henceforth be known as ‘Jason’s Tree’!  haha….

Too soon it’s time for Jason to head to the ferry.  He’s enjoyed his time on Isla…a nice break for him.  As I write this he is busy planning a 5-week hiking trek through France and northern Italy.  He definitely has the travel and adventure bug!  Adios Jason!....hasta luego!

Since we’re in centro, we do a bit of shopping and Vince picks out a nice flower bouquet for me….aw, thanks sweetie!

When we arrive back at Caribbean Casa, our amazing house cleaner, Fatima, surprises us with her own homemade flan.  Wow….it is incredible….sooo very good!  That was so nice of her and greatly appreciated!  She does a wonderful job keeping Casita Isladise spotless!

We spend the rest of the afternoon lazing on our balcony, reading, with Maná playing in the background.  Isladise perfection!

We enjoy another wonderful sunset….the sky is on fire!

We had made reservations for Valentine’s Day at Olivia’s for the 2 of us, but when we found out Keith and Elisa would be on Isla then, we asked them to join us.  Just after 8 we walk together and are warmly greeted by all the staff.  Poor them…..they will be so tired of seeing us by the time we leave!  Just kidding….they are all so amazing!  We enjoy another wonderful dinner in the garden….

Keith, goofing around with his sweetheart!...

We share parmesan bread and tzatziki…I can’t get enough of this stuff!  I order my usual, beef kebabs…Vince and Keith have ribs in beer sauce…Elisa has pastilla…

We share a nice bottle of cab sauv and our portion of the bill comes to $670….very reasonable price for a wonderful meal!  Guess what…we’ll be back again many times!

Tummies happily full, we wander to the zocalo where dancing is in full force...

We continue walking home and then finish off our evening with an iced Kahlúa and maple walnut ice cream. 

Around 1am we fall into the super comfy king bed in the master suite.  Ahhh….now we’re in Isladise!

Isla Mujeres 2015 ~~ Day 3-4

Isla Mujeres 2015

Day 3

No need for an alarm clock when I’m along on holiday….wide awake at 6:30 so I haven’t adjusted to the time change yet, darn it.  I lay in bed enjoying the view from my pillow….

By 7:20, it’s time to tiptoe onto the balcony and enjoy it just a bit closer….buenos dias sol!  Let’s get this day started!

The men folk are slow to wake but by 10:30 they are on their way to centro for brekkies.  I stay behind to do some tidying.  They end up at Ruben’s…sorry they didn’t take a camera so no photos.  Vince had pollo chilaquiles for $65 pesos and Jason had a ham cheese veggie omelet for $80 pesos.  Vince’s first time there…he said it was okay but didn’t rave about it. 

While they’re munching away I just continue to enjoy my views…stopping at every window just to see that the ocean is still blue….  

Once the boys are home, Vince and I head to Playa Norte…Jason decides to just hang out at home for a while.  We land at ‘Jason’s tree’ once again….

A wonderfully lazy afternoon, snoozing and reading.  Late afternoon and Jason arrives with his leftover shawarma from Olivia’s last night.  He offers us bites…oh my…even yummier than last night! 

After the delicious snack, Vince and Jason head to the Mia cove for some snorkeling.  The water is quite refreshing….ie a bit chilly…but they see a few fishes.  

For the walk home Vince and I head for the malecon as it’s easier walking, but Jason walks along the beach the whole way home.  We miss the sunset but Jason enjoyed it all the way, lucky guy!  The sky is still pretty when we arrive home…

So, what’s for dinner tonight?  We’re letting Jason make all the decisions while he’s here but do suggest a few places.  He loves fish so we decide on Barlito’s for some yummy grouper.  We take a taxi to Barlito’s but they are having a fundraiser tonight and we will have at least an hour wait.  Hmmm…maybe another night then.  We’re so close so we wander to Chedraui to pick up a few things.  Taxi back home $30 pesos. 

Not quite sure what we’re having now, so we wander to Hidalgo and let our noses lead us.  Along our way we meet Jan and Bruce, Gail from NY, April and Joe, Frank, Lloyd, and Jean and Rich.  Jason thinks we know everyone here now!  Great to see all our Isla amigos!

Our feet, noses and tummies lead us to Asia Caribe.  Nice to see Annelise and Peter again too!  They’ve made some nice renovations since last year and it’s good to see the busy tables.  The food is always good here! 

I get my sushi craving fix with California Special Rolls…$75 pesos while Vince has grouper fillet with herbs…$185 pesos

This is not itemized on the menu but they are happy to make it this way for you if you ask.  The fish is wonderful and fresh and the herbs give a nice added subtle flavour.  Jason gets the pecan-encrusted grouper which is also delicious….I steal a few bites!

By now it’s 11:00 so time to wander home.  Walking up Juarez Jason spots a tiny hermit crab on the sidewalk near La Lomita’s.  He scoops it up and goes through the empty lot there to the malecon, over the wall and to the water and sends the crab on his way.  Hope that crab isn’t saying to himself, “Nooooo..I’ve spent the last 3 days trying to get to La Lomita’s!” 

A nice Kahlúa on the balcony under the stars…..perfect bedtime story!

Day 4

Uhoh…slept in today…..eyes don’t flutter open until 6:50am!  Yikes, almost missed it!

  

Everyone is up and moving fairly quickly as we are getting golf carts today for an island tour.  Vince’s co-worker is coming over from an all-inclusive south of Cancun for the day and we will show them around.  Vince and Jason head off to the golf cart place right near Bahia Chac Chi Hotel, across from the ferry parking lot.  If you’re there by 8:45 before most of the day-trippers arrive, it’s no problem getting a golf cart.   Jason drives one back to the casa while Vince waits for his friends.  Time goes by and Vince still doesn’t arrive??  Finally Jason and I drive the cart back to the ferry area to see what’s going on.  Seems that the friends must not be arriving today after all.  We wait for every ferry until 11:30 and decide that 2.5 hours of waiting is enough.  After we got back home to Canada it turns out that they couldn’t connect with my cell phone and had forgotten my email address so couldn’t let us know that they couldn’t come over.  No worries!  We try to give the second cart to friends but everyone already has plans for the day.   We all hop on one cart and set out for some exploring.

First stop is the Crayola House….. I started calling it that way back in 2004/2005…didn’t know the name would stick!  What else could you call such a fun colourful house!  We have to drive by it at least once each holiday just to see if there are any changes.  As pretty as always!

On the Caribe road, enjoying the scenery and fresh breezes…

A stop at the cemetery….

We turn around and head across island via the ‘freeway’….not quite sure why this needed to be 2 lanes per side….we rarely see any other traffic on it!  A stop at the Women’s Bead Co-op where Jason picks up a few items for chicas back home and I do the same.  There are many wonderful trinkets to be found here…definitely must check them out for your shopping!

The tummies are grumbling now so we stop in at Kash Keken Chuc for our planned picnic lunch of boneless ribs.  

Vince has a bit of trouble ordering…the big order board is not there as they are doing some renovations.  I was waiting in the golf cart and finally see him come out with a bag so that must be good news.  200g for $140 pesos.  Unfortunately no limes.  Sigh…it’s not the same without limes.   Well, we’ll just have to rough it….back to the beach on the caribe side, spread out the pareos and dig in! 

  

We always have this a few times while we’re here, but this batch was a bit disappointing….not as good as usual.  They have opened a take out spot but we drove by it a few times and never saw it open.

After some seashell hunting, we’re back on the road again…stopping in at Punta Sur to enjoy more beautiful views….can never get enough of these vistas!

We’re feeling quite thirsty so what better than to enjoy more views at Capitan Dulche’s.  I love this place.  That bathrooms are awesome clean, the grounds are beautiful and the staff is very friendly.  It’s such a nice quiet relaxing spot.  I’m really hesitant to tell anyone about it because I love that so few people seem to go there, but I really want them to stick around so want to send them some business too!  Definitely check this place out on your next holiday!

Yes, the drinks are a bit pricey…2 strawberry margaritas $170 pesos but they are made with fresh strawberries, not a mix, and that includes all the gorgeous views, and those are priceless!  We sit back and enjoy the live Latin music playing quietly in the background…perfection!…

And on top of that, the health inspector hubby is super impressed….the waitress made the margaritas, took the money…and then washed her hands!...good to see that some places are conscientious that way.

Once we had our moped later in our holiday, we went back here quite often.

A quick scoot down Sac Bajo and then it’s time to return the carts by 5.  Sunset time finds Jason in his favourite spot.  It’s fun to catch him with a bag of chips….although these were baked ones I think, and the ‘least bad’ ones….he usually only eats organic healthy stuff, but sometimes you have to fall off the wagon just a little bit! 

Our great day ends with a beautiful sunset….

Vince and I have quick showers and dash off to the Artist Fair in the zocalo.   I had already made arrangements to get a copy of the “Thomas the Cat” book for Amaya.  When Jason took it home to her, she loved it! 

Facebook Page for Thomas the Cat

Vince also finds a leather bracelet from some fellow who was staying at Poc Na.  Lots of wonderful things from many talented people.

Jason has picked dinner again…he’s been here less than a week and already in a rut! But it’s a good rut and we like it….back to Olivia’s!  Yes, he really really loves their food.   It takes a lot to impress Jason but I think he could happily eat here every day!  Then again, I could too!

We start out with still-warm parmesan bread and tzatziki.  Jason has a shepherd’s salad (like a greek salad) with one beef kebab skewer.  Vince and I share the same.  $175 pesos.  Soooo yummy!

By now the wonderful fun staff know Jason quite well, and thinking that they will not see him again before he leaves on Saturday, they offer him a complimentary dessert..baclava.  Oh my oh my oh my!  Unbelievably decadent and delicious!  I haven’t had baclava in years but this is amazing!  Phyllo, walnuts, honey and cinnamon.  Love on a plate!  And no freakin’ picture because we swarmed it and devoured it in seconds!  Awesome treat!  Gracias Olivia’s!

As we turn out the lights that night, I don’t think Jason is ready for his last full day….and will he return to Olivia’s one more time????  Stay tuned!