17.05.18-21. Bye Bye Isla Mujeres

Before I left the Island on May 18 I was happy to start my day with another yoga session in the PocNa Hostel beach yard. 

I attended yoga here five times over the nine mornings I woke up on the island, and by the fourth yoga session I had opted for bathing suit attire due to the heat and the beach aura. 

While I only stayed at PocNa two nights, I returned almost daily for yoga in the morning, hammock swings in the afternoon or one Saturday night beach bar beer gathering. Then  I spent 15 minutes talking to a young man from Cancun who spoke several languages besides Spanish and English and said he frequently comes over to PocNa for the weekend to meet the international clientele.

I told him ( and everyone I speak with in Spanish) about my recent loss:  "mi esposo murió hace cinco meses" and about "mi familia local porque mi hijo caso Claudia de Cancún".  I could tell he understood what I was trying to say because he was complimentary to my Spanish and encouraged me "continuar practicando".  I encouraged him to continue on his Saturday night journey and soon he was talking to some chicas his age on the yoga pad turned dance floor.  I took it as a compliment that he chose to spend some time with me:).   

 

Thumbs up for PocNa!  Now back to my day.  

After yoga I returned to my hotel to vacate by noon, but had time to kill before boarding the ferry for Cancun, so I followed a local street vendor's recommendation (I must have looked lost in street clothes carting my bags) to Picus Cocteleria.  This was a pleasant outdoor restaurant located literally on the sand between the street and the water near the ferry dock.  I had lunch in the shade and watched charter catamarans offload boatloads of people from Cancun.  Some came to Picus for lunch. Others disbursed to enjoy other beachside restaurants, shopping or la Playa Norte.  Mike and I always used to say it was good to live  (i.e. in the motor home or for ten days on Isla Mujeres) where other people come to vacation. 

Since I was comfortable in the shade and had time I decided to share some more photos and Isla Mujeres stories.....

This is the pool I decided to crash one afternoon. 

 

In the lower right corner you can see a small blue water foot bath provided for guests to rinse the sand from la Playa Norte off their feet before getting in the big pool. I figured this was an invitation, and if necessary, I would buy a drink or leave, depending on the situation. Instead, I found a comfy lounge chair in the shade and worked on my blog for a couple hours and saw no one to challenge my presence. I did watch a bunch of rowdy tourists from somewhere in the southern US enjoying the pool and discussing the peso/US$ exchange rate and cost of drinks and excursions.  Made me happy to be staying in a small locally owned hotel where I can speak Spanish with the staff. I did enjoy this pool, though:)

One day I took the recommendation of Ricardo (Richard, from Oregon, the fluent Spanish speaker I met at PocNa my first morning) to rent snorkel gear and enjoy the shallow lagoon with protective reef at the shoreline.  

  

The fish were interesting and the water was warm so I spent an hour or so swimming  with snorkel gear in this large lagoon surrounding an all inclusive resort at the end of la Playa Norte.  

 

I did run in to a current heading out to sea, but nothing like the tidal river I described in my "Under the Sea" post.  By noon I'd had enough exercise and decided to head for the shade of a palm tree on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. 

I'm happy to report that after 10 days of beach activity I am not sunburned. I think this is partly because I had a pretty good base from my time at Carlsbad in April, I used sunscreen and wore a hat, and partly because I have a low tolerance for sweating so chose the shade whenever possible. No straight up laying in the sun for me.  

The only sun complaint I have is that my lips are chapped. I guess they don't like the several types of facial cream, medicated lip balm or lip gloss that I've been using to bring them back to normal. 

Good thing I'm not wanting to use my lips for

any amorous activities right now:)

Except to blow a kiss to the beautiful Isla Mujeres. Bye Bye Isla. You have been very good to me:)