The day I arrived in Cancun, June 10, there was a tropical storm on the west coast of Mexico which developed into a category 1 Hurricane Bud which then dropped lots of rain during the six days I just spent in Isla Mujeres.
That rain forced the cancellation of my next plan - an overnight trip with Claudia to Isla Holbox and her and Eric’s property in Solforino.
Our decision to cancel was a no-brainer. It made no sense to take pregnant Claudia over partially flooded roads into the jungle when it is a muddy haven for mosquitoes. We were both disappointed, but moved on to Plan B. Claudia’s story centers around her planning for her baby shower on Saturday - more on that as it happens.
As for me, I lucked out and was able to extend my time at Analia’s AirBNB house for another three nights.
Here we are having dinner together on my last night in town in her neighborhood’s Cuban restaurant that I also went to on the first night I stayed in her house.
The next three days were sunny but still different than I imagined because:
1: I am staying three miles away from the city center and the beautiful public beach (leading to transportation issues because)
2: All the walking in the rain the last few days created a blister on my right foot, making it uncomfortable to walk ( which I really like to do)
3: It got really host and humid, so solid beach days did not seem like the best idea anyway.
But I’m getting pretty good at making lemonade out of a situation and have a story to tell about how I talked my way into a good Plan B for my extra sunny days on the island.
I started out on Analia’s bicycle the first day, still wondering what I should do with a sore foot and sunny heat. I was greeted along the way in to el centro with a feel good sign that I took to mean I’m on the right track….
I locked the bike at one end of north beach and walked along the beach (really my only option for walking long distances since I did not need shoes at the waterline) to the other end where I stopped at a shore-side restaurant. I chose what I’m sure will turn out to be NOT the best ceviche I get on this trip, but the place had great ambiance - another important feature in my idea of a good restaurant.
On the way back to the bike I took a pass along the street past a busy tourist shop area. I was invited in to many stores along the street but the shop employees/owners as is common in a tourist place like that….”come in senorita”and “do you want a ???? Lady?” I usually just smile and say “no gracias” or nothing at all. Who knows why I decided to stop and talk to this pair?
Maybe it was because Alejandro, the guy in orange followed me along the sidewalk a little way past his stand saying “ I don’t want to sell you anything” or maybe it was because I thought he was selling boat tours and if I was to buy anything a boat tour would be it.
In fact, last week when It was rainy, I stopped at a boat tour stand to discuss a tour to Isla Contoy. I knew from my boat tour experience last year that this island was quite a distance away from Isla Mujeres, and was a bird sanctuary and other animal preserve area. That day I stopped at three different stands and got three different prices: $90, $80 and $75 US dollars. A lot of money for me to pay even if it was for something I knew I would enjoy.
So today with this guy following me, and two more sunny days to kill I figured “por que no?” So I stopped and told him in Spanish I wanted to go to Isla Contoy for 400 pesos ( $20 USD ) which I knew he would reject as not a viable offer.
Instead he got excited, and waved me back to his stand saying he could get me there for only 200 pesos. Too good to be true? Well, it turned out to be true, but there was a price. I just needed to sit in on a one hour sales presentation at a resort hotel in Cancun with “no obligation” to buy. I bet you have all attended at least one of these “tour/presentation/no obligation/resulting in some gift” experiences before and I (Mike and I) have too. This time I knew I could sit through the presentation without buying and I had the time, and all that he said he would give me in exchange sounded good - free ferry passage to the Cancun port, free taxi ride with him to the resort, breakfast at the resort, return transportation AND the trip to Isla Contoy for the ridiculously low price of 200 pesos. In this case, simply the ferry boat ride over and back to Cancun would be worth it - so I said yes.
Alejandro’s instructions were specific. He gave me paperwork documenting our agreement, his cell phone number, the ferry tickets and his prayer that I “do not disappoint” him. I walked away laughing at myself for this crazy idea, but accepting my plan.
That night Analia offered to cook us dinner again, so I had an opportunity to tell her this story. She was skeptical about the 200 peso tour part because she knew the price was a regulated. When I told her the part about the resort sales pitch, she shrugged her shoulders as if to say “well, then, whatever” then researched the resort on her phone and said “well, OK, but be careful”.
So next morning Analia and I took a taxi in to the ferry terminal together ( coincidentally she was off to Cancun herself at 8AM - a good omen?) and I used the first of my free round trip tickets to cross to Cancun. Feeling pretty saucy.
Alejandro was not at the other end in the ferry terminal when I arrived, so I had 30 minutes to sweat and wonder how I had fallen for a 200 peso scam to sail round trip to Cancun on a ferry. But he DID show up at the time he said he would - at 9:15 (the ferry crossing was at 8:15 and took only 30 minutes) with a smile and a “Gracias for not disappointing me”. He hailed a taxi and during the ride to the resort he asked for my paperwork because he needed to change our agreement so it read that my compensation for coming on the tour was a 1,000 payout in pesos to me from the resort since that was the base price of the tour to Isla Contoy. Crazy, right? When the taxi dropped us off at the resort, he escorted me through the resort entrance and waited until I was securely in the hands of the sales team. Good-bye to Alejandro for now.
After I cleared the admission desk I was introduced to my assigned tour guide - Victoria - a youngish gal originally from New York City and an avid traveler who recently moved to Cancun to work for this resort selling membership shares. We enjoyed eating the resort-style buffet breakfast together before she started her introductory remarks and then showed me around the place.
I noticed there were LOTS of other people being toured around as well.
The resort was over the top extravagant. Five pools, several restaurants, etc. etc. with rooms that could and DO suffice as full time living quarters for some ( forgotten by me)percentage of the guests. Victoria was pleasant and not pushy, but she was running through her script, I could tell.
By the time I got to the “close the deal” phase, I was with Victoria at a table in a room filled with other people going through the same experience as me. Some of the “lots of other people” in the room were buying in and when they did, bells would ring and everyone would cheer and clap.
Victoria and I had been together for 2 hours. After she got to the end of her pitch I told her “sure it is a good deal, but I’m not buying”. When she could make no progress with me, she brought in Larry and we sat for another half hour at least. When I finally convinced them they could not convince me to buy in, the cost to me had dropped tremendously but I can’t remember the numbers since I was not actually interested. They took me to the exit room where another very low-key guy laid out yet another even lower-cost deal and I almost bit, but the underlying truth is I prefer to travel the way I am currently traveling rather than going to 5 star double diamond ya-da ya-da ya-da resorts.
So I declined again and was directed to the cash out room where I waited in line for another half hour with other non-buyers and finally got my 1000 pesos per Alejandro’s modified agreement. Another prepaid taxi and ferry boat ride took me to the Isla Mujeres ferry terminal. Just a short walk from there I returned to Alejandro’s street stand. I gave him the 1000 pesos and he called Juan,
a rep from the Isla Contoy tour company, have him my 200 pesos along with the additional 800 pesos contributed by the resort cash out office and I had a seat on tomorrow’s day long tour to Isla Contoy. WooHoo!
The day of the tour was a little sketchy to start, but in the end, I got more than my 200 pesos deserved,
The first hurdle was getting to the tour boat in Cancun. I was the only person going today from Isla Mujeres, so Juan met me at 8:00 AM at the ferry terminal and waited with me for 30 minutes or so while we exchanged get to know you conversation in Spanish while he kept calling to see when and where my boat would arrive. When it finally did, I got a private catamaran pontoon boat trip from Isla Mujeres to Cancun!
No kidding! I’m the only passenger on the boat built to hold a couple hundred, I’m sure. I’m glad I brought my own breakfast - cut up mango and avocado I bought from the fruit mart yesterday for just this purpose.
I had fun trying out different seats and feeling smug about being the first one on the boat. I thought this was the one going to Isla Contoy. But no.....when we got to Cancun - (at the marina next to the very same resort I had toured yesterday)
I was ushered off the boat and led to a crowded room of people standing in lines waiting for tickets to various tours outbound that morning. Back of the line, I’m still smiling at my gullible self
When some worker who knew my name came to get me saying “ you can skip this line”. He went to his co-worker passing out wrist bands to other people, obtained my 2nd wrist band of the day from the table and gave it to me with an invitation to approach the breakfast buffet. This breakfast was not nearly as inviting as yesterday’s offering, and I’d already eaten but I did take a piece of sweetbread and enjoyed it while waiting to answer the call for all English speaking passengers to Isla Contoy. Now I was positive I was going to make it. Yeah!!!!
The boat ride was an hour long over manageable seas with 23 other people - all choosing to going the English speaking boat, but definitely NOT all from the US. I was the only traveling alone passenger, so I did not for comfortably with other people, but I did enjoy the boat ride. 
We all went snorkeling before we got to the island.
The equipment included fins and was much better this year than that I received on the snorkel tour last year. The current was strong so it was challenging to make progress in the water. We followed a guide from the boat over a coral reef that was pretty, and housed pretty fish and one 5 foot shark who was sleeping under a coral shelter on the sea floor.
We all went snorkeling before we got to the island.
The equipment included fins and was much better this year than that I received on the snorkel tour last year. The current was strong so it was challenging to make progress in the water. We followed a guide from the boat over a coral reef that was pretty, and housed pretty fish and one 5 foot shark who was sleeping under a coral shelter on the sea floor.
Back on the boat 
We had a short 5 minute ride to the island where a dozen other boats
We had a short 5 minute ride to the island where a dozen other boats
and 300 other people spent a couple hours enjoying the sandy beach, comfortable water
and delicious dinner served in two shifts under a shady shelter with basic drinks, including beer was served. 
This is where I spoke with two gals traveling together from Chicago and two sisters from Switzerland. I also spent time reading the National Park signs about native protected plant and animal life
and joined a 20 minute walking tour led by the MC of our boat
Beer and tequila drinks flowed freely on the return boat ride and we saw very large turtles swimming in the water as we sped by. The final stop on this tour was an hour layover on Isla Mujeres for all those who boarded the boat in Cancun. But since that is where I started 9 hours earlier on the empty party barge, I checked out with El Capitan and stayed on the island where I belonged for one final night.
This is where I spoke with two gals traveling together from Chicago and two sisters from Switzerland. I also spent time reading the National Park signs about native protected plant and animal life
and joined a 20 minute walking tour led by the MC of our boat
Beer and tequila drinks flowed freely on the return boat ride and we saw very large turtles swimming in the water as we sped by. The final stop on this tour was an hour layover on Isla Mujeres for all those who boarded the boat in Cancun. But since that is where I started 9 hours earlier on the empty party barge, I checked out with El Capitan and stayed on the island where I belonged for one final night.
I call that an interesting three days of sun - not always on Isla Mujeres!
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