The islander life is fabulously simple, carefree, blissful and utterly and totally relaxing.
A day on Isla Mujeres goes something like this...
Sleep in and / or wake up at the time your body decides it has rested enough and have breakfast.
Swim (on a beach with the whitest of sands and the bluest of water).
Have lunch; steak, chicken or fish tacos, quesadillas, or something else depending on your mood.
Sit in a beach side or poolside lounger and read, watch the world go by or simply rest your eyes.
Swim.
Perhaps change locations - further down the beach or by the pool.
Swim.
Head inside for a siesta, read some more or eat some fruit.
Swim.
Back on the beach or by the pool, order Sol or Coronas, Margaritas, pina coladas, and drink the late afternoon and early evening away.
Shower, dress and head out for dinner.
Wander along the main street trying different bars, listening to music and browsing the stores.
One of only three bars open past midnight is the beach bar, at a hostel. There you can dance until your feet hurt, lie in hammocks listening the the music and the ocean, or sit at the bar and talk to fellow travellers.
The novelty of a beach front, outdoor bar with drinks for $2.50 was not lost on us, so we were patrons of this fine establishment 3 nights out of 5!
Dance. Drink. Dance some more. And then wander home sometime between 2 and 5 am, fall into bed and do it all again the next day.
Having not realised this urge until getting to the island, I was suddenly overcome but a pressing and essential need to drive around the entire circumference of the island in a golf cart (a common mode of transportation).
We paid a reasonable rental amount, and like the winner on a game show, I was handed the keys to my very own buggy.
What a sweet, sweet feeling - driving on the wrong side of the road, putting your pedal to the floor, wind in your hair and cruising along the coast, or past lagoons, forest and the neighbourhoods. Even at its fastest speed, the golf cart was at a slow jog at best, but such minimal speed allows the driver to take in the surroundings all the while not having a vehicular accident and injuring yourself or others.
We drove to the Southern (or Eastern?) most point in Meh-i-co, visited a very endearing turtle farm (did you know there are albino turtles?), took photos at a very colorful and decorative cemetery (not as morbid as it sounds), and drove around as much of the island as possible - which as it turns out, is only a two hour round trip.
Aside from the usual swimming, sunning, eating, drinking and dancing, one of the highlights of this leg of the trip was watching Mexico play Croatia in the World Cup at a restaurant / bar actually IN Mexico.
The atmosphere was electrifying - an endless blowing of horns, cheering, singing and shouting. After a goal free first half, the mood grew more intense but no less loud.
Not long into the second half, Mexico scored their first goal, followed very quickly by a second. Suddenly, there we were, with locals and tourists alike shouting "MEH-I-CO, MEH-I-CO', banging on tables, yelling, cheering and applauding, and accepting free shots of tequila from the restaurant owner who was the epitome of happiness.
A goal to Croatia, and then a third goal for Mexico in the 80-something minute, resulted in a 3-1 win and a very happy island. It was nice to be Mexican for an afternoon!
As they say, all good things must come to an end and on our 6th day, we sadly consumed our last tacos, packed our bags, took the ferry and left our island.
Highlights and lowlights include giving a stellar performance on stage on the beach at our hotel, late night swimming (okay fine, it may have been skinny dipping!), getting so very sunburnt on our second day that sitting became a painful task (followed by the dreaded sunburn itch) but ultimately leaving the island tanned, happy and with memories to last a lifetime! Oh, and our pet iguanas who can be found by your hotel pool, on rock faces, and in gardens all over the island.
Gracias Mexico, you and I will be amigos for life ;)
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