Trip Report: Isla Mujeres/Tulum January 12-19, 2008 DAY ONE

[Berto]

You forget just how gorgeous this part of Mexico is until you get on the ferry to Isla Mujeres once again and see the bright blue, aqua-blue water surrounding the boat. Ah, back on Isla again after almost two years since our last visit. We walk through the downtown area following the guy hauling our suitcases & snorkel gear bag on tricycle cart. All the sights and sounds of a vibrant Mexican tourist town hit us. The memories of this place flood back.

We check-in to the hotel we discovered four years ago, La Playa la Media Luna, situated on a small beach on the northeast (Caribbean side) of Isla. A wonderful cooling breeze blows through the lobby from the open door to the infinity pool that faces the beach. All is set. The man behind the front desk, Wizer Pat, is the same man I have exchanged emails with to arrange our reservations via the internet. Everything has been already paid for by credit card from the states. They give us the same second floor room #15 that we had last time. That makes us feel very much at home. I step out on the balcony (every room in this hotel has one, complete with hammock, that overlooks the ocean) and snap a photo of the view:http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120146.jpg

Usually this would be the time to take a little siesta and rest up from the day’s long journey. We had to get up at 4:00 AM for a two hour drive to the airport to catch the Funjet to Cancun. But this day is different. Our hometown team, the Green Bay Packers, is playing Seattle in the NFL playoffs. The kickoff is at 3:30 PM and the game has already started. On our walk through town to the hotel we passed a restaurant that was showing the game and the Packers had suffered some early bad luck and were losing 7-0. So we head on over to JAX Bar & Grill about six blocks directly west on the bay side of Isla. It is owned by some Texans and carries all the USA sporting events on a myriad of TVs. They say it has the best hamburger on Isla (I don’t know because I don’t think I have never eaten a hamburger on Isla during my five visits there since 1982). Here’s a shot of JAX from across the street:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120153.jpg
The bottom floor of JAX is packed with football fans watching the game. We head up the stairs to the open air second floor area and easily find a seat near some other Packer fans.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120148.jpg


The TV shows the game being played in a raging snow storm in Lambeau Field. Our Packers have rebounded from a rough start and are up by a touchdown. Life is good! We are Cheeseheads in Paradise!
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120150.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120150.jpg?t=1201023835)

The Packers really pour it on to the shouts of the fans and get a big lead by halftime. I go out and take some photos:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120152.jpg



http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120156.jpg
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http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120157.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120157.jpg?t=1201024471)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120158.jpg
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http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120155.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120155.jpg?t=1201024687)

Apparently, Isla Mujeres is a good place to bring your boat for the winter. We met some folks watching the game who were living on their boat. We also met some guys there for the fishing…Isla is one of the best spots in the world for catching sailfish.

Of course, the Packers won the game, now known as the “Snow Bowl” in GB. We were happy to be out of the snow and enjoyed some good food at JAX. Vicki had the guacamole and I ordered fish tacos. They brought me fish & chips by accident but it was very good and reasonably priced. Other than that the service was very good there. It was dark now and we headed out to explore the town a little bit. We found a small shop selling Italian style gelato ice cream….had a small cup of the tiramisu flavor for 20P…yum, yum! My wife likes to take pictures of the doors on Isla. After the last trip a friend of hers did an oil painting from one of her photos which now hangs in our basement….I mention this now because she found a door that she liked across from the gelato shop:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120164.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120164.jpg?t=1201028386)

Next to those doors I spied a storefront with glass doors showing through to on the inside models of the new luxury condos they are building in the former vacant lot just up the beach from our hotel. If you have about half a million dollars you can plop it down here and get in on the ground floor of this development:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120162.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120162.jpg?t=1201028716)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120163.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120163.jpg?t=1201028766)



We walked on down to the zocolo and ran across this cute cheerleader selling something. She did a little dance for us:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120165.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1120165.jpg?t=1201028925)

Sweet Melinda
The peasants call her the goddess of gloom
She speaks good English
And she invites you up into her room
And you're so kind
And careful not to go to her too soon
And she takes your voice
And leaves you howling at the moon.

---Bob Dylan “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”

(Well, I just wanted to get a Dylan quote into my trip report somehow.)

We walked back to Playa la Media Luna stopping for a couple pieces of pizza to-go from Aqui Estoy, a hole-in-the wall pizzeria off Hidalgo Street (that’s the main restaurant and shopping street for tourists that runs down the middle of town and is blocked off to car traffic). We sat out on our balcony, snacked on pizza and listened to the waves pound the shore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
More to report....will try to get it out over the next few days.

[PhyllisB]

Excellent! I'm really enjoying your report so far. Cool pix too. Sorry your Packers didn't have better luck on Sunday.... :(

[Karen in OH]

Yea a trip report! We spent our last vacation on Isla and you took me back, beautiful photos and thanks for sharing. I will be looking forward to more of your report. :)
Karen in OH

[minniemex]

Great report so far! I do love Isla!!

[Lynnette]

Great start....Isla & Tulum are the perfect vacation combo!! We love Isla and Media Luna is our favorite hotel...good to know that Wizer is still there. I can't wait for more!!! :)

[beachreader]

Great report! The beauty of trip reports is also the curse--every time I read someone's report of someplace I haven't been, I MUST go there! One of these days I'm going to have to just take a full month and start at Isla and work my way down all the way to Xcalak.

[AdGuy]

It's been several years since we stayed on Isla and this brings back fond memories. Thanks for sharing! :)

[Lynnette]

One of these days I'm going to have to just take a full month and start at Isla and work my way down all the way to Xcalak.

Wouldn't that be the all time perfect trip?!! A month might not be enough.....make that at least two!! :D

[dionski]

Berto,

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I visited Isla over 20 years ago and will return in April. Love seeing your pics. Lynnette has it right Tulum and Isla are a perfect vacation combo.

As far as that shirt is concerned it looks like you are more of a Deadhead Badger Cheesehead in Pardise. :cool: Love it!

d2

[Berto]

As far as that shirt is concerned it looks like you are more of a Deadhead Badger Cheesehead in Pardise.Hey man! I think you have me pegged to a "T". Now I'll just have to work in a Hunter/Garcia quote into one of the next trip report segments.

---What A Long Strange Trip It's Been.....

[beachreader]

"Cheesebadgers in Paradise". OK, not Hunter/Garcia, but apologies to JBuffett. :rolleyes:

:D:D

[Julie in PA]

Thanks for the trip report and pics - Isla was the first place we ever visited in Mexico - it holds a special place in our hearts! When we ruled out Playa this year we thought about going back to Isla but decided on Tulum as we have not vacationed there yet. Media La Luna was at the top of our list for a hotel - they had just finished building when we were there back in 2000 and we got a tour - very nice place!

[FITZ]

Last time on Isla, we saw the display of the resort that is going to be built. It's huge and intimidating. My friend that lives on Isla told us that the govt. isn't properly controlling the building on Isla and at this point it's like almost anything goes as far as buying lots and building. She was really worried about the impact it would have on the look, laid back feel and the eco structure. What a shame. Last visit we thought it had gotten too touristy and way too much concrete.

[FITZ]

Oops! Sorry Berto!
Great report and the pic's are beautiful.

[Berto]

Day Two-Pre Dawn Hours

For some reason I tend to be a light sleeper when I am on Isla. It seems like I don’t need as much sleep down there. Yet I wake up with the dawn and have plenty of energy. But this night I go in and out of sleep. I lay in the bed soaking in the sound of the surf. The sound starts to trigger memories of Isla past…..images of past times on Isla float in and out of my mind…like the first time I came to Isla in 1982. I was working as a child protective social worker in Chicago and took my first vacation. I flew solo into Cancun on a roundtrip ticket, $300 in my pocket and a guidebook in my hand. My plan was to spend two weeks in Mexico living on the cheap by finding a palapa hut to rent on the beach. I quickly left Cancun, much too expensive for my meager budget, by bus to the nearby town of Puerto Juarez. The guidebook listed a $10 a night hotel there. What was the name of that place?
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/PuertoJuarezHotel82.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/PuertoJuarezHotel82.jpg?t=1201212891)

Oh yea, the Hotel Posada Janett….I took a short nap and then got up and went to look for a more economical place to stay for the longer term. The book indicated some palapas on the cheap in the next town a few kilometers up the beach road, Punta Sam, so I started hiking in that direction…a white car driven by a blond Australian guy with a Mexican, from Mexico City, girlfriend
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/FriendsatPuntaSam82.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/FriendsatPuntaSam82.jpg?t=1201213364)
stopped to give me a lift….they were staying in the campground at Punta Sam and invited me to join them for diner. We bought some beer & tortillas and were soon grilling fresh fish on the beach with an eclectic group of campers from around the world…I was starting to relax and enjoy myself. This is fun! There was a beautiful sunset. It got dark and the most amazing host of stars showed up in the sky...I asked my new friends where they were headed and they said “Isla Mujeres”. I said “Where’s that?” They pointed out to the ocean where I could see some electric lights. They said they were taking the car ferry the next day and invited me along. Why not? The car ferry left from Punta Sam so the next morning I checked-out of my hotel and joined them waiting for the afternoon boat.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/PuntaSam82.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/PuntaSam82.jpg?t=1201214100)

The cars rolled on to the ferry and we were off. And soon I got my first views of Isla Mujeres before docking at the island.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Isla82FirstView.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Isla82FirstView.jpg?t=1201214301)

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http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaHarbor82.jpg
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(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaCarFerryDock82.jpg?t=1201214516)

We drove out the island’s only road to the south end to find a campground that we were told was there but couldn’t find it. It was getting late in the day so we drove an unpaved road to the south point and decided to camp out there under the stars.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/CampingatSouthPoint82.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/CampingatSouthPoint82.jpg?t=1201215120)

In ’82 the south point of Isla was mainly undeveloped with only a weather station and a Mayan Temple at the tip(that you could hike around and explore without paying any fees). I think that was the spot that where the Mayan women would travel to worship the goddess of fertility, Ixchel, in the old days. Then the Spanish arrived, found female figurines and named the place Island of Women….
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaSouthPoint1.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaSouthPoint1.jpg?t=1201215311)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaTemple1.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaTemple1.jpg?t=1201216406)

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(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaTemple2.jpg?t=1201216465)
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaSouthPoint3.jpg

I slept that night on a bed of sand on the road in my sleeping bag….thank God it didn’t rain so we didn’t have to pile into the car for the night…we got up early, it was a sunny day and the Aussie wanted to go snorkeling at this Garrafon reef spot on the coast nearby…I had never been snorkeling before but it sounded cool so I paid a few pesos to get in, rented some snorkeling gear for a few pesos more. Garrafon was a lot less developed back in those days:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Garrafon82.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Garrafon82.jpg?t=1201217145)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Garrafon823.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Garrafon823.jpg?t=1201217305)

I put on my mask, snorkel & fins and entered the water through a small, shallow passage way in the rocks…and WOW! UNBELIEVABLE! Hundreds of beautiful colored fish before my very eyes:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/GarrafonSnorkeling4.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/GarrafonSnorkeling4.jpg?t=1201217537)
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We swam all around that reef for hours and I saw fish I had never seen before:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/GarrafonSnorkeling5.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/GarrafonSnorkeling5.jpg?t=1201217803)

The Aussie showed me how to dive down for a shell:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/GarrafonSnorkeling3.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/GarrafonSnorkeling3.jpg?t=1201217941)

My life was changed that day. It was like another whole world had opened up under the sea. I went back for a photo opportunity at the ruins in the full sun.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/BobatIslaTemple.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/BobatIslaTemple.jpg?t=1201218192)

Then we got in the car and headed into town at the north end of the island. My friends went to get supplies and directions to the campground. I decided that my back needed a break tonight and went to look for a hotel room with a shower and a bed. I inquired at the Hotel Maria Jose and discovered they had a nice clean room for $6 a night. That fit my budget better than expected. I ended up staying 13 nights there:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/HotelMariaJose82fromacrossstreet.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/HotelMariaJose82fromacrossstreet.jpg?t=1201218598)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/HotelMariaJose82.jpg
….Isla Mujeres was a place that was so nice and easy on the pocketbook…there was really no reason to leave…perhaps the manana syndrome set-in…I’ll leave tomorrow…there were a lot of little restaurants that had nightly specials featuring meals of fish or chicken and the trimmings for a dollar or two….there was a beach on the north end of the island, just a few short blocks from my hotel, that was outstanding. It was called Playa de Cocos (now known as North Beach) because of all the coconut palm trees growing there. It even had a palapa roofed restaurant that served cerviche, a fresh seafood marinade dish eaten with chips that was out of this world:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/NorthBeach823.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/NorthBeach823.jpg?t=1201220133)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/NorthBeach822.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/NorthBeach822.jpg?t=1201220373)

What was the name of that palapa restaurant place?
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/BuhosParadise82.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/BuhosParadise82.jpg?t=1201220542)
Oh yea…Buhos Paradise. There were a lot less cars back then. I think there was only one Taxi on the island.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaTaxi82.jpg
Some of the streets were paved like today and had shops selling stuff to tourists:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/IslaStreet82.jpg
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All these images of Isla past were passing through my mind like old photographs as I lay in the bed listening to the sounds of the ocean. The same sound that has been there on Isla for years and years and I flashed on the memory of a local person who lived on Isla back then…who everybody knew…he was like a surfer dude…a young Mayan man with long bleached blond hair….very athletic…the chicks dug him…he hung out on the beach and taught windsurfing….he had a nickname…what was it…Adonis…no, that’s not it….darn…I can’t remember…this really bugged me…was I losing my memory of past trips to Isla…I lay awake in the early morning hours trying to remember….then it came to me: Tarzan…that’s it, he was called Tarzan:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Isla%20Mujeres%201985/Tarzan85.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Isla%20Mujeres%201985/Tarzan85.jpg?t=1201232626)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Isla%20Mujeres%201985/WindsurfingSign85.jpg
(http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Isla%20Mujeres%201982/Isla%20Mujeres%201985/WindsurfingSign85.jpg)

Feeling relieved, I finally drifted back to sleep.

[beachreader]

Amazing! I mean, amazing pictures, amazing stories, but I'm also really amazed that you could actually find pictures from 1982! I'm sure I have them crammed in a box somewhere in the basement, really need to go dig some of them out.

Of course, none of them were of such a cool place!

Thanks so much for sharing this trip back in time. Bravo!

[Lynnette]

Berto...your old photos of Isla are a treasure!!! I didn't think that Buho's went back to the 80's and what a great shot. Isn't there a Tarzan's beach rental on Playa Norte, at least there used to be a few years ago. I wonder if it is owned by your long haired surfer dude??? As for Playa Norte, it breaks my heart to watch that beautiful beach eroding.

My sister first traveled to Isla solo, like you did, in the early 70s...she's going to love seeing your photos!! Thank-you so much for sharing your early memories of Isla. I'm looking forward to more of your report and your impression of Isla in the 21st century.

[minniemex]

I was wowed!! I was on Isla before much of the building, but still not until 1996!! Thank you for the wonderful trip!! I was almost crying because so much of its ambiance has been destroyed. Thanks again for such a memorable trip back to Isla!! Wow 1982!! I am truly envious of your memories!!

[PhyllisB]

Fantastic! It's always so great to see old pictures of places that have changed so much. The pictures really evoke how it must have felt then, too. What a special place! THANKS for finding the old pics, scanning them (I imagine....) and posting them -- I really enjoyed that installment!

[Karen in OH]

That was great, love all the old photos and your wonderful memories of Isla past! Keep up the good work, I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment! Thanks so much for sharing!
Karen in OH

[Julie in PA]

Isn't there a Tarzan's beach rental on Playa Norte, at least there used to be a few years ago. I wonder if it is owned by your long haired surfer dude???

Yes, there is. Or at least there was back in 2001

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h149/julie_in_PA/TarzanWatersports.jpg


Berto - thanks for the vintage pics of Isla - can't believe how much it has changed. Great report too!

[Berto]

You guys are a fun group to write for. I love to tell people my old Mexico travel stories. The problem is, when I do it in person, my wife, who has heard them way too many times, will kick me under the table to get me to shut up or throw me one of those "there he goes again" looks. It happened last week when we were riding the first class ADO bus down to Tulum from Cancun. I was seated on the aisle across from a 20-something German backpacker dude on a two week tour of Mexico before starting his first job in Berlin. I started going into the story of how when I was 23 and traveling around Mexico I ended up in the Yucatan and rented a house across from the beach for $24 for two and one half months on the gulf coast...my wife was poking my arm to get me to shut-up. (I'll share that one with you folks some day if I can find the photos...I actually have Super8 film of that one...that gives me an idea: YouTube!)

I discovered the '82 photos when I was looking for my '85 photos of Isla to get the one of Tarzan. (By the way, I was told that Tarzan is still on Isla, rents gear on North Beach and is still the ladies man!) They were in an old, cheap photo album that was falling apart. I was blown away myself when I saw them for the first time in years. I decided to work some of them into the trip report in a flashback sequence...one could say that it was a Trip Report turned-in 26 years late. Oh well, better late than never. I actually have more good photos from then but need to finish this 21st Century trip report first. I would like to get them all scanned & backed-up.

Gracias y Hasta Luego,

Berto

[Berto]

Day Two: Sunday on Isla Mujeres

I think that my favorite time on Isla Mujeres is in the early morning hours as the sun comes up and fills the nearly empty streets with a beautiful soft light. For sure it’s my favorite time to walk around the town and take photos.

So I wake this Sunday morning at dawn and take my first photos of the sunrise off the beach in back of Hotel Playa la Media Luna. I have been coming to this spot to photograph the sunrise since my first trips to Isla in the ‘80’s, way back before the hotel was ever built.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/P1130171.jpg

I walk south along the beach. First, I come to the construction site of the new condos. I remember how this was a vacant lot two years ago when I made this same walk and I discovered it filled with beautiful yellow butterflies. Now no butterflies… just these newly constructed walls. My heart is touched by a twinge of sadness to think of more paradise lost to “progress” otherwise called “development”. This does seem to be the way of our modern world. What is going to become of our natural world? What kind of world will my teenage daughter inherit from me?

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/NewCondos029.jpg

I get to the malecon walk way, the path along the Caribbean shore alongside of town that in recent years always seems to be in a state of repairs or maybe better said in a state of “disrepairs”. The only people I pass are a small group of young people who appear to be still drinking some beer after a long Saturday night of partying at one of the dance clubs. The faded aqua blue of the pointed spire on the seawall reflects the early morning light:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/Malecon035.jpg

The streets of Isla are quiet and peaceful in the early morning hours.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/IslaStreet042.jpg

The multi-colored boats rest tranquilly in the harbor. Did I mention that I LOVE walking around at this time of day on Isla.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/MorningBoats045.jpg

A Mayan lady disembarks from the people ferry, the “Caribbean Lady”, with plaid plastic bolsas loaded with fruit to sell at the marketplace.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii298/bobfresen/Mexico%202008/MayanLadiesOffFerry052.jpg

[PhyllisB]

Yeah! More of your report! Mil Gracias! :)

[beachreader]

Yay! Thanks for giving us more!

[Toni]

We have not been to Isla in years and years. Your old fotos are bringing back wonderful memories. I still wear a beautiful bracelet that I bought from a vendor sadly to say over 20 yrs ago. Been too long since we have been back. Keep the report and fantastic pics coming!