We decided to be cheap and catch the bus to Puerto Juarez. We drug our suitcases through the foyer and out to the bus stop in front of the JW. We caught the bus and hoped that it was heading toward “El Embarcadero.” We dismounted and were immediately greeted by a gentleman selling us boat tickets for the Ultramar. We paid $30 roundtrip for both tickets and headed to the dock to wait. Feeling a bit out of place with our luggage in tow and being the only gringos around, we waited on the dock and Tracie chatted with the ticket taker.
The boat finally arrived and we dropped our luggage, exhausted and a bit grumpy at the transfer from the hotel to the boat. We decided to sit up top to see if we could see some delfines again, and got some nice pictures of Cancun as we pushed off from shore.
Halfway through the trip, we were greeted with a downpour of rain that drove us downstairs. Some other people riding on the boat said that they come to Isla every year for a week and that it has never rained on them.
We got into Isla and were greeted by a nice main with a trike that had a large luggage basket in front. He offered to transfer us to the hotel for free “only for teeps.” He gave us a nice tour of town and recommended that we eat at La Lomita. We never did find this restaurant despite our efforts.
We checked into our hotel and were surprised to discover that they did not have a key that would work for our room. They said that they would work on it and that whenever we needed to get into our room, we just needed to ask at the front desk and they would walk us to our room. This was a bit awkward, but if this is your biggest worry about a trip, you’re probably doing okay.
Our room at Ixchel Beach Hotel was a funny little room with two twin beds, a refrigerator, bottled water, and a nice shower head. We had a partial view of the water, almost 90 degree view if you craned your body far enough out the window.
Eager to hit the beach, we paused to eat first and stopped at a little restaurant that had 15 peso (12.5 pesos = 1 USD) fajita tacos. I ordered one along with a Leon amber beer. The waitress wasn’t pleased that we didn’t place a bigger order and did not smile once throughout our dining experience. I wolfed down the fajita taco and fell in love with the Leon beer.
We hit the beach for awhile and walked for a long time along the beach. That night we walked for quite awhile along Hidalgo comparing menus and peeking in stores. We finally got hungry enough to make a decision and decided to try a Let’s Go suggestion, El Paisano. El Paisano was one block off of Hidalgo and off the beaten path. It started to pour just as we ducked in and were greeted by 4 or 5 tables. The décor was hilarious with table fans tied to the ceiling, the TV covered in plastic blaring telenovelas and music videos and a monkey hanging from the ceiling.
Tracie ordered Chicken Fajitas, and I ordered the combo plate. We each ordered a beer but were informed that the only beer that had left was Sol and Modelo Especial, a very light beer.
My food ended up being very good while Tracie’s was a bit undercooked. We cracked up when, after we asked for another beer, we were told that they were out of cold beer and they would put some on ice. The second beer arrived, Sol on the rocks. We went through about 40 napkins throughout the meal as they literally fell apart in our hands. We wondered if the roof was going to cave in as the rain continued to pelt down on the roof. Was the TV covered in plastic for a reason?
Our young waiter was so nervous and eager throughout the meal, we felt bad for making him work so hard. More tortillas, chips por favor? Otra cerveza. More napkins please. By the end of the meal we were both cracking up at the experience and I was wiping my hands on the tortilla cloth.
That night we went for a very nice walk along the beach in the dark. We will never forget the sound of the waves crashing on both sides of us in stereo.
Day 4 Tuesday
We spent most of the next day at the beach. We had a great time eating chips and salsa and drinking beer that we had purchased from the supermarket. The toughest decisions of the day were which beach chair to pick, when do we eat, should we lay in the sun, jump in the water, or go for a walk?
That night we walked through the markets some more and bought some gifts for the kids. We decided to eat a late lunch for dinner with our feet in the sand at a great little beachfront restaurant. Tracie had some excellent fish tacos and I had some fantastic brochetta. We spent a great night swinging in the swing and watching the sunset.
Day 5 Wednesday
We decided to rent a moped for our last full day on Isla. We paid $25 USD and decided to drive around the island. When I started up the moped, I hit the gas and the rental guy’s eyes got as big as saucers. “Gentle my friend.”
We cruised out of town and immediately fell in love with the moto. The last time we rented mopeds, Tracie didn’t want to drive. This time however, she was feeling more adventurous. Just as we got out of town, Tracie started it up and was immediately a pro. I will never forget the look on her face of pure exhilaration and joy as we sped out of town at 25 km/h. A couple of miles down the road she would feel more comfortable and be up to the speed limit of 40 km/h.
Shortly into the trip to the south side of the island it began to rain. We didn’t notice the wind before the rain started but the combination of the two made for quite a memorable moto ride. With squeals of joy, Tracie asked if we wanted to ride north back into the rain to the tip of the peninsula where the turtle farm was. So just as we neared the south end of the island, we turned back north and were drenched again. The wind was really beginning to pick up now and after reaching the end of the peninsula, we turned back south to head to the Mayan ruins on the southern tip of the island.
The wind was blowing so hard that the rain felt like ice daggers. We eventually made it to the ruins and got out of the rain. We sat in a gazebo for a little while to try and dry off. Chances of drying off were slim as it continued to rain and we were drenched to the bone. The rain finally let up and the sun peeked out enough that we decided to climb up the light tower. The view from the top of the 50 stairs was beautiful as we had a panoramic view of the island.
We were disappointed when we discovered that there was a fee to walk down to the ruins now. This combined with the fact that Garrafon was now $50 to get in was a bit disenchanting as even Isla was becoming commercialized.
We decided to pass on paying the fee and instead decided to go get some Guacamole and Beer at Los Abuelitos. For 100 pesos, we got a basket of chips, guacamole, and 4 beers. Tracie had the moment of the meal when the salt shaker came off of the salt shaker and poured a ton of salt onto the chips. I think there was more salt than chip on some of the chips. It was hilarious.
We considered snorkeling at Garrafon Castillo for $4 per person, but decided instead to drive up the East coast and beach comb. This turned out to be an adventure as we found a beach that wasn’t very easily accessible. I jumped down into the water and had to time it just to reach into the water and catch the shells as the waves deposited them, then pulled them back into the surf. I managed to grab 3 or 4 nice ones before it started to rain very hard again.
We got on the moto and decided to drive back to dry off and see if the rain would stop. It did stop raining shortly after we returned to the hotel and we decided to drive back up the east coast of the island to see the rest of the island. Though it had stopped raining, it was still fairly cold. We decided to beach comb some more until the rain picked up again.
We had the most adventurous ride yet as the rain was blowing incredibly hard and I thought for sure that the wind would flip our moto backwards onto a wheelie at any moment. We laughed all the way home and stopped off just for a moment to take a picture of the xanadu sign.
That night we had a nice dinner at Chile Loco’s, restaurant recommended by Let’s Go located on Hidalgo. The menu boasted that they served beer “colder than a penguin’s ass,“ and that Happy Hour lasted from “11am until you’re drunk.“ Tracie had good quesadillas and I think I had Fajitas again.
Day 6 Thursday
I woke up early on Thursday around 4:30 and went for a walk to catch the sunrise. I got some great pics of the rocky side of Isla as the sun came up.
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