I enjoyed the rising sun while walking the malecon. A new friend of an old friend intercepted me on my morning walk.
She stays in a wonderful place that has private bedrooms and washrooms but communal living spaces. I was enthralled.
Birds on a wire…One of these is not like the other one…..Laundry day in the hoodI was still eating breakfast out of a coffee cup.The street where I live
Isn’t it freaky how close to the shore the boats go by on Centro Beach?
After lunch I joined Kelly and Lorriane for some beach time.
By this time it had clouded over but it is my favourite place to visit them. I walked to Hortencia’s to get a dress made from fabric that I was gifted at home. I had a lovely catch up with her daughters Sarah and Marie-Cruz.
I almost missed the sunset as I walked to a Hidalgo restaurant to meet Sue.
Isn’t my sister beautiful?
We had a delicious supper at Adelitas on Hidalgo. For all the details, check out: https://foodmusings.ca/uncategorized/isla-mujeres-2025-restaurant-features-la-adelita-by-sister-sue/
I love people watching and see so many faces that I recognize from my 20 years of visits.
One of my favourite Margaritas at Adelita’s is called Mango Aquacate. It has avocado in it.
The island has changed but the hearts of the persons who I love here, have not.
Kath’s quote: “Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts”. Charles Dickens
That day, I vowed to make a new start of island life and I was successful with only one blip (that I am not going to go into detail on). I walked the Malecon with the gang. I find that the morning colours of the sky are always different.
I also love the little glimpses of life from the Malecon.
I begin my walk by walking past these 3 buildings to the ocean
Also notice how non-busy the streets are early in the morning. I attended Isla Church with Pastor Ken which I always love.
I then whiled away the afternoon under the palms at Centro beach sharing a lasagna lunch. Here’s a blog link for all of the delicious details. https://foodmusings.ca/uncategorized/isla-mujeres-2025-restaurant-features-il-pompodorino-by-sister-sue/
Sue and I took a cab to the middle of the island to join in on an a fabulous cooking class. Check out the authentic wooden tortilla press. Please follow this blog link to read all about it. I will admit, I was the lousiest tortilla maker. https://foodmusings.ca/isla-mujeres/isla-mujeres-2025-restaurant-features-hala-ken-authentic-mexican-food/
Sun, food, family and new friends. The day could only be more perfect if D were here with me.
Kath’s quote: “Food, to a large extent, is what holds a society together, and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences.” – Peter Farb
The alarm woke me up at 630 which I had planned (believe it or not). I had joined a group of Malecon walkers so that I could kick off my day and enjoy the sunrise while in motion. It also made my first cup of coffee taste that much better. It was tempting to plop back into the hammock but the sun was peaking onto the edge of our balcony so I set up my chair in the sun
and Donna and Sue kept me company. Our landlord was coming to collect the rent and when we couldn’t agree on an exchange rate, she insisted on pesos. So I headed to the money exchange to collect some. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take my passport, so I had to repeat the trip. I owe my husband Doug an apology about not obtaining pesos in the first place.
Anyhow, with all this back and forth, I was hungry. So I fixed myself my favourite Isla sandwich of cucumber, cilantro and lime mayo. Once I was re-energized, it was to “work” -writing an Isla Restaurant Feature from the evening before. I had no end of technical hassles.
In the midst of this I bought a cookie to have with tea and a delicious piece of carrot cake for dessert. I guess you can tell that I am a stress eater. Both were scrumptious but didn’t fix the source of my stress. I walked to Hidalgo and paid a visit to Kelly and Lorraine to pick up a frozen pizza that they had purchased for my supper, as our prearranged restaurant visits for the day hadn’t panned out.
This was how stressed I was…
I was kinda frustrated with all of this, so I made myself take a “timeout” in the hammock.
The start of sunset from my balcony.
After supper I felt much better so Donna and I walked to the beach to take in a cloudy sunset. Kelly and Lorraine joined us for our evening walk up and down Hidalgo. I have to remember…walking helps me cope, eating doesn’t.
Kath’s quote: “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn
The other day I had the pleasure of spending a leisurely afternoon with Memo and Yadi of Xaman (pronounced shaa.muhn) a fascinating restaurant mid island located above Caribbean Brisas. I visited last year and enjoyed the restaurants nod to traditional indigenous culture in both the food and surroundings. The restaurant was temporarily closed for a while but is open again and better than ever.
Restaurants, like people, sometimes need to change and evolve. And just like owners Memo and Yadi, Xaman has been on a journey and all have emerged refocused. “We wanted to be true to ourselves, and live a more sustainable life, and that needed to be reflected in our restaurant”, Memo shared. He believes that recent changes to their personal and professional lifestyle have helped clear their minds and deepen their spirituality and now they want to share that energy with the wider community.
As a result Xaman has gone from being a bar and restaurant, with most activity in the evening, to an alcohol-free, vegetarian restaurant open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Xaman is a communal place that hosts a wide variety of events, from song circles to intuitive practice circles. It is a great place to book for a private event or group retreat. Join their Facebook page to stay informed of upcoming events. There you will also see their Croissants for a Cause, a monthly 99 peso special with all proceeds going to support cats on the island. Seventeen of whom were rescued by the couple.
Xaman has a very welcoming vibe. While my friend and I enjoyed our lunch there was a woman who came in to order a grab and go meal and enjoy a beverage. A young man spent an hour in a comfortable corner with head phones enjoying coffee, earlier a group had been in for breakfast which turned into a friendly game of rumi. There are games and books available for the individual and groups alike.
So on to what we tried. As a bit of a tea-totaler, I am always thrilled to see a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages and fancy moch tails. One of the only alcohol beverages I still indulge in is my annual summer gin and tonic at the cabin. I love the taste of gin. So I was delighted to see a pink gin and tonic on the drink menu. Made with a zero proof spirit where the taste of the juniper berry comes through loud and clear. The tonic was crisp and refreshing. I was a very happy girl. My friend enjoyed an elderberry lemonade, one of their 25 cold beverage options. They also offer 13 ways to enjoy a hot or cold coffee. Their coffee is a combination of beans from Tabasco, Chiapas, and Veracruz. Memo blends his special ratio and grinds it fresh for each cup.
While Memo is the master of the beverages and front of house hospitality, Yadi is the hard working woman responsible for the beautiful food.
The menu offers breakfast and lunch selections. Egg dishes, fruit bowls, croissants, salad, toasts, hamburgers and baguettes. There is something for everyone. Vegans, vegetarians, and those who are neither.
After much consideration we ordered the caprese pesto baguette. The flavour combination has long been a favourite of mine. The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, caramelized onion, and tangy balsamic reduction are in perfect balance with the herby pesto and melted mozzarella. All presented in a crunchy in-house baked baguette. Yadi also bakes the brioche buns they use for their burgers.
We also ordered the “traditional” croissant. Filled with scrambled eggs, plant based ham, onion, garlic and cheese, it is served on a delicate sourdough croissant. I can honestly say that if I was craving a breakfast croissant, this is the one that would come to my mind.
I recalled from a previous visit that I enjoyed the truffle fries and they were as I remembered them. Skinny crispy fries with a touch of truffle oil and Parmesan.
We thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food and wonderful hospitality. Do yourself a favour and make your way to Xaman for a great way to start your day or gather with a group of friends.
Kath’s quote: “It is one world. And it’s in our care. For the first time in the history of humanity, for the first time in 500 million years, one species has the future in the palm of its hands.”— David Attenborough
Dulzara Argenta had been open for two years when we first visited them in 2019. That first time, we didn’t know that we had arrived at it, until we were right on their doorstep. There is a main floor sign but you have to walk up a flight of stairs to truly find them.
Dulzura means sweetness and tenderness and although that describes this female duo’s business, it also describes themselves. They embraced and kissed my cheek when we, total strangers went upstairs to visit their bakery, that first year.
I noticed then that it had a small inside eating area with beautiful open windows that make you feel a part of the community and a charming and colourful upstairs patio.
Over the years that business has experienced ebbs and flows, through Covid of course but also when one of the pair was injured and couldn’t do her share of the baking due to pain and the need for therapy. But these hardy Argentian women, survided all of it and more.
At one time, armed with their manual pasta maker that they hauled all the way from Argentina, they lovingly prapred ravioli and fettucine that they ladled their light and delicious tomato sauce over. That proved to be too problematic and is no longer the case. I must admit that I miss those days.
But I am happy to say that they are still open for a delicious and economical breakfasts!
But for the moment let’s go back to their primary offerings-pastries! We have tasted everything over the years from luscious lemon pies, raspberry cheesecake
and special birthday cakes for my twin brother and sister’s monumental birthday, that we celebrated together on the island. I have missed tasting their quince pie, that I understand is very Argentinean.
Over the years we continually enjoy the tastes of two kinds of “Alfajor”, another traditional Argentian confection. In both cases, two cookies are sandwiched together with a filling. In the case of the chocolate one it was a luxurious dulce de leche. Each pastry was sealed with either a dip in chocolate or a role in coconut.
When I visited this year to buy D his welcome pecan tart, they told me that they were out but would bake that very afternoon to accommodate my traditional welcome to the island gift for D.
Both women obviously love their business, the island, the islanders and all the visitors that have found them over the years. But their greatest joy comes from making and serving their traditional food. They say with glee “we cook what and how our Mommas cooked! ”
Kath’s quote: “I compare a pastrycook who makes good colifets to a distinquished fashion designer, endowed with perfect taste, who can make charming things with vey little material. In the same way, out of almost insignificant scraps of pastry, we have to create pleasing and graceful things that also tempt the appetite”.–Antonin Careme (Marie-Antoine Careme) (1783-1833)