“If light is in your heart, you will find your way home.”

–Rumi

Isla Mujeres MX, 2022, Part IV, Final

Gracias por un tiempo maravilloso. Hasta que nos volvamos a encontrar, que estés bien, que estés a salvo y que tengas otra Margarita conmigo.

As I start to gather up my stuff, packing to see that all my extra belongings actually do fit to go home, I can’t help but continue living in the last five fabulous weeks. I so needed this time, the space to gather myself to myself, to fully appreciate all that I have and all that I love, cut all the worries loose and embrace the excitement of returning home to the Napa Valley. And yet, there’s always time for a few panic moments, “where’s my passport? I know it’s here somewhere…”

I’ve been using up my sourdough and have just enough for pancakes today and tomorrow morning, finishing up the fresh fruit in the fridge. And just enough pesos as well to get me through.

The thing about being on an island is that you really have the sense of being with yourself, and everyone around you, the end of the streets, the beginning of the ocean to everywhere. For a pisces girl like me, the sea is always calling.

When I go out early in the day, walking into the cool/warm water, a simple and yet overwhelming love grabs my soul. The salty water lifting me up as I float, the quiet sound of waves flapping on the shore, the birdsongs. I could float forever and be happy wherever I land. 

The birds swooping over me in the early morning air, I have not a worry in the world. When I leave the water, my blanket, hat and towel are waiting just where I left them, a calling card to sit and relax before a short walk to a cup of hot tea, breakfast, coffee, and whatever more is on my plate for the day.

Reading, that’s been a fine job for me. The books I finished, one I brought from home, and the others I picked up here at Libros por Raúl, I gave to Raul. Sell them again! I told him. And I’ve still got one on hand to read on the plane tomorow.

Feeling grateful, joyful, sometimes a little lonely (it passes), happiness and gratitude is my touchstone. The grief of the loss of a good friend this past week and the enseless murders elsewhere stay with me. I do my best to remember the best.

My five senses try not to miss any of the beauty, and the challenges here on the island are ever present. I’m one of those people who like absolute quiet for sleep, so here I wear earplugs to drown out the night sounds in the street. I’m looking forward to putting them back in their little pouch Tuesday, until the next trip. I’ve opened my last few packets of herbs and supplements and even started sketching. ‘took me a while…

These are the days I’m grateful I never got covid and lost my sense of taste and smell, because both are on overload here every single day.

I talked a little about my trip to the south end of the island with Carmen. To fill in the blanks, I first met Carmen when I came here couchsurfing, my first trip to the Yucatan 2010, I think. So long ago. I hit Cancun, Tulum, Isla Holbox, Chichen Itza and the sweet Yucatan Mayan Retreat, Ecohotel & Camping in Yokdzonot. So many years ago. A couple years later, I was back with my friend Kelley. We’ve discovered the magic now of the Yucatan and we won’t let go.

So this time around, Carmen was able to get away from her work at CondoSurfers in Cancun, and we went out for a glorious day. She hadn’t been here to Isla in a while. We greeted each other with a big hug at the ferry and proceeded to laugh through the day after a simple breakfast at Cafe Cito, a brief visit to my airBnB and then off to get a golf cart. Carmen was the driver of the day and we savored all the nooks and crannies of this island.

I think she was quite surprised at all the changes from one end of the island to the other. For me as well, so much is new. We landed at Punta Sur, exploring the sculture garden, absolutely a beautiful day of it.

We watched the storm on the horizon. The wind blew in first and pretty soon the heavens opened up, showering down an amazing rush of rain, drowning us as we stood laughing on the good solid earth. Phone/cameras were stashed from the water’s onslaught and we savored the feel of the cool rain on our hot skin. Then we got back into that golf cart with its little roof to move on to more fun. But not before ice cream.

Carmen is a mural magnet. She’s got pages of them on her social media profiles. And Isla is nothing but its own magnet for beautiful murals; they are everywhere on the island. We found a string of them near the Women’s Beading Collective and spent a few minutes with the murals and with the women weaving their stunning beads. The rain had stopped and we had all the time in the world.

I mentioned in an earlier post about local artist David RLP, who was scheduled to have an art exhibit opening that night. Carmen, like me, was eager for the event.

We had dinner at Coco’s and found our way to David’s opening at Casa Sirena’s Hotel rooftop patio where David’s completed mural now graces the side of the wall and my new t-shirt. If you f’book, you can find him and more of his art here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=davidrlp

The day too soon came to a close and it was time to say goodbye to each other again. Until the next time. I can’t believe we didn’t get a selfie of the two of us together. Hahaha, crazy.

I came across a little history of Isla the other day. You might like to read it.

https://islamujeresmagazine.blogspot.com/p/tourism-comes-to-isla-mujeres.html?m=1

Carmen and I were talking about something or other when she mentioned the continental Isla Mujeres. I knew she was talking about the mainland stretch north of Cancun, but I didn’t understand much else. ‘Turns out it’s the stream of land with giant hotels & resorts, loaded with tall concrete behemoths I can see from here.

Costa Mujeres, it seems it’s called, north of Cancun, seems to be full of things to do with several huge resorts open for your pleasure. The information I found online didn’t beckon to me. I think I’m more of an Isla island girl. The municipal seat of both the mainland and island sections, is here on the island, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Cancun, over the Bahia de Mujeres (Bay of Women). It’s also the easternmost municipal seat in Mexico, Isla Mujeres island, where the sun first shines on Mexico.

Here starts the rainy season I suppose. The wind came in with a roar around 3 o’clock the other morning, followed by rain. It didn’t last long into the day. The change in weather to cool and breezy, I have to say, is quite nice. The morning sidewalks are fresh and clean. Except this corner, but only for a short time. Nothing unusual according to the locals. It certainly didn’t slow me down or anyone else, after the rising sun.

It did make me hope that the rain would not be falling like that during my ten minute walk to the ferry on my departure day.

I’ve certainly had a good period of reflection, which we all need sometime or other, in a wonderland of beauty and human kindness. Where I think I’m ordering a double shot expresso Americano and get two singles instead. No problemo – it’s caffeine. Where the food and drink is excellent everywhere I go. Where the churches are simple and brilliant. Where you turn around and there’s another beautiful or unique something to take a picture of. Where you walk by scads of tables and chairs skewed on the sand and know that it wasn’t an earthquake – it’s the early morning set-up. Where everone you meet has a smile waiting. And where one day, I stop to check out the little lady’s shop a few steps from my place.

One morning, I walk near a worker digging holes for an umbrella, as he does day after day after day. He and I make a little eye contact, exchange smiles, holas and “buenos dias’s” and I pass on one of my homemade infused lavender oil lip balms to him, just because it’s a nice moment, and why not?

I never do know what I’ll find on the beach here; that’s why I go every day, to find out. Poor fishy, missing parts and all, still a bit pretty to look at. And for the first time that I’ve seen, a soccer pitch set up at the beach.

It was this past Saturday that Liverpool played Real Madrid in the Champions League final. I found an empty chair at a table with four or five fine hombres set in front of a room full of tellys high on the walls of the raucous crowded Snappers Sports Bar. I can now say I’ve hit two different sports bars. Basketball at Jax and Futbol. The amigos shared their nachos, I shared my onion rings and we all shared our laughter and raised a cerveza in salute to Real Madrid on their win. https://www.snappersislamujeres.com I was too busy cheering, drinking and eating to take any pictures. Sorry.

Hurricane season begins on Wednesday. I leave for home on Tuesday, and today, Monday, we’re seeing quite a bit of rain. Do hurricanes really have a datebook on them?

Keeping my fingers crossed that it’s not roaring tomorrow morning when I go get my covid test and walk my luggage to the ferry. Assuming I get a negative test. I begged off a couple of large trash bags from the AirBnB folks, just in case I need a quick cover-up. LOL.

Early morning, pre-rain…

A positive covid test would keep me here several days longer. Oh, what to do. Health-wise, I really don’t want to get saddled with that virus. And honestly, I know personally more people now dealing with covid than ever before. Not here.

So, that’s it, for now, a little Santana to close us out. I’ve really got to get to that packing. First, a little sidestep, at least 40 paces, to Los Tacos de Humo for my last awesome tacos of the trip.