I am familiar with the layout of Isla Mujeres since I stayed here eight nights last year (see the blog entries dated 17.05.09-18) and because it is a small island, only 8K from one end to the other and very narrow in places, but never more than 1/2 mile wide.
I was interested in experiencing something different, away from the busy “el centro” district where I stayed last year.
So, after booking my introductory first night (which was conveniently located - walking distance from the ferry terminal in the heart of el centro) in a hostel, but before I arrived on the island, I found what I hoped would be a good place to stay for my remaining five nights.
The AirBNB add said “habitación en casa con vista al mar (solo mujeres)”. This sounded good to me so far since I love the sea and I am a solo mujer. I traded AirBNB messages with the owner and she responded quickly. No, she did not speak English. Yes, there was a bicycle available for my use. Yes, she wanted women only because she lived alone. Yes, she would be there because she usually works on her computer from home. Being the adventurer that I am, she had me at “no inglés” so I booked.
In the morning of my first full day on the island, I woke and re-read the message I received from my AirBNB contact last night and realized she needed to meet me to transfer the keys at 10AM rather than the 2PM check in time since today was a day she needed to go to Cancun for work. So I packed immediately ( it was already 9AM since I am not an early riser) and took my bags down to the hostel’s common area for breakfast. I texted Analia at 9:30 telling her I was ready ( although actually I was just starting my breakfast, thinking I had 30 minutes) and before I was done with breakfast, she appeared asking “estás Denise?”
We spoke a few introductory sentences en español - the kind I am very familiar with since I have been meeting with others for Spanish conversation whenever I can back home.
Bonus for me, I did not need to figure out how to get to her house. Instead, she hailed a taxi outside the hostel and took me back to her house for 10 minutes of instruction about keys, A/C, bicicleta, cocina, etc. Before she left for the day.
Here is the house
And the view of the sea from her front yard.
First thing I did was a happy dance because la casa feels muy bien. Then I called to make an appointment to get my hair cut with the belleza Analia recommended, took a shower and washed my hair ( they don’t always have a wash station in the salons here) and took a taxi back in to town for a much needed haircut.
Finally I can see out from under my bangs again!
When I came out after the cut, it was pouring down rain and basically, it continued to rain for the next four days.
So, my vision of relaxing on the beach did not exactly happen, but I found plenty of other ways and places to relax.
The first day was more cloudy than rainy most of the time, so I pretended it was a beach day anyway and took off on the bike for a tour of the south end of the island.
There were very few other people out in places where the beach clubs would have been full of people on boat excursions had there not been the forecast of a tropical storm. I walked in to an empty place, learned they were open, but expecting no party boat landings due to the weather, but it was OK if I bought a beer and relaxed on their beach for a while.
There were no tourists in the beach chairs, but I did find a display of iron figures on the dock - like the ones in the underwater museum I saw while snorkeling here last year.
I returned to the house in plenty of time for the dinner that Analia offered to cook for us tonight. We walked to her neighborhood grocery store for food, she cooked and we had another “get to know you” session over dinner. Very good!
Analia is in her mid 40’s divorced for 8 years since her husband left her for another MAN. Her two daughters are estranged too, and she moved from Argentina to Isla Mujeres 4 years ago. She works in real estate managing rental properties.
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