Another beautiful sunrise on an equally beautiful day-the day my twin brother and sister were born 65 years prior.
Have you ever been on Centro Beach when the car ferry went by? It seems that it travels dangerously close to the shore where people frolick in the water.
This was the view from the hammock that day-swaying palms and impossibly blue sky!
The beach was huge and there seemed to be room for everyone.
Just after this pic was taken of my handsome guy, the clouds that you can see to the right edge of the photo, started rolling in. We got back to the apartment in time, but soon after, it started to pour. On Isla when it rains heavily the streets flood in Centro making it impossible to keep your feet dry as you hop scotch among the puddles. We wanted a perfect evening as we were celebrating the wonderfulness of those newly senior twins!
I cherish all my siblings. K and K are closest to me in age. I have always been proud of my handsome brother with his keen sense of humour and his athletic abilities. I watched many of both his hockey games and practices in the olden days, when they weren’t always in indoor arenas. In Manitoba, Canada that’s love.
Sister #2, Sister #3 and I have always been magically close-acutely feeling each others’ pain and mountaintop experiences. The bond between three sisters, like three chords or rope, are not easily broken.
Here is the eldest of the twins with her husband and daughter. The latter traveling all the way from Australia to be with us on this day.
Here’s my D with Sister #3 and our SIL L. We are family who happen to be friends and friends who happen to be family.
Fredy too, is an important part of our extended Mexican family and we couldn’t imagine celebrating anywhere else. To read about many other visits, click this link. He put aside a table far from the rain, allowed us to decorate and ensured that he had stocked up with our families’ favourites-his pork chop above and shrimp below, along with ribs, Mexican platter, chicken fajitas, etc. etc. All prepared beautifully with flavours that we dream about from one season to the next. In fact Sister #2 and her family hadn’t been on the island in six years and I think she yearned for Fredy’s shrimp that entire time!
Fredy also gave us permissions to bring in desserts prepared by our lovely friends at Dulzara Argentinian Bakery. One was a tropical fruit cheese cake and the other a chocolate and coconut concoction-both rich, decadent and perfect for a very special occasion like this.
You can see the fun that we have as a family.
Fun that continues, even after the smoke from the blown out candles has cleared.
Kath’s quote: “With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come.”-William Shakespeare
I was getting pretty use to these solo sunrises. They are better when shared I must admit. But pretty darn good on my own.
Sometimes the colours of the sunrise sky go on and on. On this morning I could still enjoy them from “home”.
Sister #3 and I were off on an adventure. We took the bus to check out a restaurant new to us, near Punta Sur. We passed the entrance to Little Garrafon (as we always called it). The gorgeous blue of the water was even more beautiful against the red of the Coca Cola truck. Boy, the locals sure love their Coca Cola!
Sister #3 enjoying the wonderful cocktails at Rancho Capricho. Click here to read more.
After our delicious lunch, we got back on the bus and headed back to Centro. We met a lovely woman from Scandinavia who was travelling alone. She had many fascinating ports of call on this side of the Atlantic and it was a pleasure to meet her and have a quick chat about the world.
The bus stop we got off at, just happened to be right by our favourite liquado and popsicle store. We sat on the wall in front of this fabulously painted building and enjoyed our dessert-a lime popsicle for Sister #3 and a pistachio one for me!
By this time. it was definitely the hottest part of the day and I needed some cooling off. D was already on the beach. He was pretty easy to spot as we take down our own chair and hammock and don’t line up at the water’s edge with everyone else. We claimed the space just off of the sidewalk where there are still palm trees (some of them impossibly small) to string our hammock and luxuriate in the shade.
As the afternoon wore on we headed home for showers and then headed right back with cocktails to enjoy the setting sun.
People love to see D come by as he volunteers to takes everyone’s pictures so they don’t have to wrestle with selfies.
The sunset was a beauty and we were grateful anew to always return to this special place.
For dinner, we decided to dine in our little apartment. We often buy these chops that are half ham/half pork chop when we are on the island, so we cooked them up pastor style with salad and orzo. Delish. We always intend to dine in more often, but get pulled by the lure of being with family and friends and visiting the many fabulous restaurants within walking distance of Centro. Besides, I had already dined out once that day.
And when we don’t spend on supper, that means….churros! Everyone has their favourite carts. Ours is Churassic Park! They don’t taste greasy, are made to order and we love the cinnamon and sugar sprinkle.
By this time, we wear getting weary and with D playing tennis every morning before sunrise, it was time to get ready for a new day.
Kath’s quote: “Churros are like long Mexican doughnut sticks that have been fried or dipped in cinnamon sugar or, as the sign tells me, strawberry sugar. They smell like God’s footprints. I’ve never had a real churro, but halfway down the promenade, I make a decision to give up on everything: finding Alex, finding another job, the meaning of life. Just give me that sweet fried dough”.-Jean Bennet.
As the sun rose on this day, we were excited that even MORE family were coming for a visit.
In the mean while, I witnessed this touching sight-a traveler teaching his kids how to sit patiently to witness the sunrise. As a Glamma I try my very best to instill the joy of simple things in the lives of my grands.
D and I had a breakfast date that morning at Oceans, which was fabulous if you would care to read here.
And then we were off to the ferry terminal (again). This time we were meeting another niece and her husband who were visiting us from Cancun. They had been married there the year previous. We needed sustenance again but also some time in the sun. These two only had a week in the area and wanted to soak up the vitamin C. There are many new beach clubs on the island. Sister #3 suggested M7 at it was a great choice. Their pina coladas took two hands to sip them but they were first rate.
Niece R wanted to try the shrimp tacos. She indicates she tries them everywhere. These came pastor style and were deemed pretty good.
The lay out at M7 provided lots of options for shade or sun. Lounge chairs or tanning beds. At least part of the gang returned a couple of times over the next few days.
Here’s the group above. Unfortunately Sister #3 was blocked in the pic but it included the 3 sisters, 1 SIL, 1 Bro, 1 BIL, 2 nieces, 1 nephew in law and husband D!
We did some shopping at Hortencia’s with the gang and then headed mid island to see Sister #2 digs for the week. Dinner that evening was in their neighbourhood.
Another lovely day in paradise made even more so by having precious family come visit.
Kath’s quote: “Blood makes you related. Love makes you family.”
At sunrise it looked like rain was inevitable and I seem to recall that it did rain that morning, for an entire 27 seconds, which is often the case.
I did a loop of the Malecon to say hi to some of my old Isla friends.
I am pretty sure that this was D’s first day of tennis with his new buddies, as I watched sunrise on my own. I sent the kids a selfie from that morning and they all teased me that I looked like I had been on a binder the night before. And no, I am not going to repost that picture here.
By the look of the sky, I thought that Sister #3 and I would have to forego our plans to hit the beach.
But no. See how clear the skies were only a half hour or so later? My beautiful sister who had been in Mexico for about 10 days at this time. She has diligently studied Spanish as she respects and loves the Islanders to such an extent. Between her language capabilities and her beautiful tan, she gets mistaken for a local. As does our brother K, but that will be a future picture.
I loved that first day at the beach. I had shaken off my malaise after being on North Beach the day prior and was happy to walk along the water’s edge which was quite unoccupied at this end. I took a number of refreshing dips that morning and remembered anew the wonderful feeling of being in salt water. D soon joined us as did another gal from our apartments. We met a gorgeous redhead from Saskatoon who we all immediately bonded with.
Soon it was time to head up for lunch and showers. I had figured out how to light the gas element in the apartment, so I rustled up this quesadilla with re-fried beans that Sister #3 provided and the gooey Manchego cheese that we love in Mexico.
By this time, three family members were on the island -Sister #3, Bro K and SIL L but we were soon to double that number! Sister #2 (Bro K’s twin), brother-in-law M and niece D would arrive later that day! If we are in Centro, we do our best to meet ferries when they arrive with loved ones on board. Sometimes it means we meet a number of ferries, not knowing for certain how hectic the airport was or the traffic to the ferry terminal. Later in our stay, we waited for a ferry that never came, even though family messaged us to say they were disembarking. But that is a story for another day.
There were many embraces to be had. This gang had not been on the island for 6 years, even though for most of us we had only skipped one year due to Covid. They were staying in an Air BnB in a familiar neighbourhood because they used to stay at Bahai Chac Chi. The guys assisted BIL M in getting the luggage and a cab to check in, and the rest of us tried to figure out where we should go for a bite because the new arrivals had endured a long travel day and we didn’t want them to get “hangry”. Lola Valentina was our destination.
We have long-loved Lola Valentina. I couldn’t count the number of times we have visited. In fact, the rehearsal party for a family wedding, six years prior, had been held here.
We started by sharing a starter of Lola’s unique guacamole with the inclusion apple, crumbled bacon and panko-crusted goat cheese bites.
Coconut Shrimp was enjoyed by Sister #2
as well as Stuffed Chicken by SIL L.
D and I split an order of Chorizo Bombas. They were hearty balls of mashed potato, cheese and ground chorizo, panko encrusted again and served with a yummy chipolte cream. But I was particularly entranced by what Niece D was served.
I had enjoyed the complex tastes of Tamarind Fish on a previous visit but I had forgotten how exquisite the presentation was. This tower of rice, veggies and the catch of the day was topped with papaya-cucumber pico de gallo and drizzled with a garlic, ginger, tamarind sauce. As much a feast for the eyes as the tummy. It wouldn’t be our last visit to Lola’s while on this trip.
Lola Valentina is right on Hidalgo across from our friend Fredy’s. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner from three separate menus and are open daily.
Kath’s quote: “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
Since we didn’t get a great sleep that first night, I was content to keep snoozing when D got up to watch the sunrise. This is another one of our Isla traditions and we don’t miss many of them. D made his coffee, strolled down to the Malecon and perched himself on the wall looking in the direction of town, not the sea. This was because he was absolutely positive that I would be joining him. I heard the door gently close, I tried to settle for a moment and then sure enough, I whipped off the covers, found my flip flops and jean jacket and was walking down our short street to the Malecon in mere moments. After decades of marriage, he knows me better than I know myself.
It wouldn’t be long before D connected with a bunch of tennis guys and would enjoy his early morning time on the court, but this first day he walked a lap of Centro and the airport strip while I enjoyed my quiet time. The location of our apartment meant that we didn’t have much of a view but in the early morning sunshine, I was content.
A couple of downfalls of the apartment was that it didn’t have a balcony per se, just a path really to get to the stairs. And secondly, it did not have a comfortable chair in the place. But D and I were undaunted. We brought our own hammock, beach chair and umbrella! I could perch here in the sun with my coffee and my thoughts which were all about gratitude. Thankful that we were on the island with family with more on the way. Thankful that we found a little economical place so we could extend our stay to a month. Thankful that Isla is a permanent part of our life.
While it was still relatively cool, we donned our walking shoes to make the trek to Chedraui. I felt so confident about the walk because I had a second knee replaced since I was last on the island. But knees aren’t the only joint that make walking possible. Unfortunately, it was not cool enough. My feet expanded from the heat and I could feel a rubbing on my heel. Sure enough, by the time we made it, my foot was a bloody mess. In fact, I could not pull on those shoes again until we were home in the cold, 1 month later. Note to self: decide in the summer, which shoes to take to the island.
We always enjoy our “stock the kitchen” shop at Chedrui. We feel like locals (except when we go through the cashier). The rumoured climb in prices was very real. We predicted that we paid approximately the same price for our groceries, as we would have back home. And we live in the centre of Canada where all our produce has to be shipped in from Mexico and the southern US! The next time we needed fresh ingredients, we went to the local market in Centro.
Once the groceries were put in their place (there were also no kitchen cupboards, but we managed), we took a fresh torta, slathered it with lime mayo, pulled off a hunk of spicy fried chicken as the filling and enjoyed our lunch. How come everything tastes so amazing on the island?
We decided to walk the beach starting at the place we always pitched our umbrella the year previous. We were in for a shock. The sandy area under the palms was now a permanent beach club space with tables for lunch and chairs and umbrellas as far as the eye could see. I will admit, I was bummed out. But we turned to the right and made our way close to The Mia. Family of K & L were already set up there as well as a number of Isla friends. Boy it felt good to hug again! We continued our stroll back to the apartment to get ready for the rest of the day.
We had followed the story in the months previous of a young Islander in the hospitality business who crashed his motorcycle to avoid a negligent tourist in a golf cart. He had been critically injured and there was a grave concern that he might not survive. A group of us prayed for him regularly and watched his ongoing rehabilitation. That afternoon Tiny Gecko, who supports so many philanthropic events, was holding a fund raising event on David’s behalf. We were happy to see him in the flesh and to contribute a small amount to this event.
From Tiny Gecko, we continued along the Malecon to meet up with long time friends J & B and see their apartment that allows for an even longer stay than us-3 months! They had already been ensconced on the island for a number of weeks and led us to a hidden spot we had never been to before-Chefcito! These were the chicken nachos that we shared as a starter. Their black bean sauce was so amazing that we made quick work of the platter.
J loved her loaded chicken tostados,
B his fish Vera Cruz,
and D his Coconut Fish. When I asked him just now to recount what he remembered, he said “Oh, it was fantastic!”
Under that mass of sauteed onions were two grilled porkchops. I was really pleased with my selection. They were no where near the thickness of my fav double boned pork chop at Fredy’s, but they were carefully prepared so as not to dry out. Little forkfuls were delicious as was the taco I made of the fixins.
Chefcito is a delightful spot on a Salina next to Isla Brewing. That evening there were no mosquitos but there were…roosters! Supposedly they wander over from another yard and are a delight. I must admit, I was glad that I hadn’t ordered the Chicken Tostados. Another lovely aspect of the evening (besides getting caught up with our good friends) were the reasonable prices at Chefcito!
Aw, our first full day. I was still too excited about all the days ahead, to settle into a good sleep.
Kath’s quote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one’s lifetime.“-Mark Twain
