No trip to Isla Mujeres would be complete without a visit to Fredy’s. Read here about past visits: long ago, 2011,  2013, 2014, 

We have been friends with Fredy for so long that Sister #3’s photo of them together once adorned his restaurant wall (prior to the most recent renovations that is). One year we even ate Christmas dinner at Fredy’s!

We don’t even look at the menu any more. Almost everyone knows what they will order.

Baked Chicken Fajitas for Sister-in-law #3.

Mexican Platter for Sister #3.

Double-boned pork chops for the rest of us (4 of us on this evening). My husband D had not been to Fredy’s as often as the rest of us and was absolutely blown away by his pork chop. He went on and on about the cut, the preparation, the grilling, the tenderness and the taste.

D has owned his own restaurant and was a broiler chef for years and years and he knows his stuff. He could not say enough about Fredy’s skill in the kitchen.

When we first sat down, Fredy brought out his chips with guacamole and pico de gallo. I rarely order cocktails at dinner but Fredy’s pina cooladas are stellar!

You owe it to yourself to check Fredy’s. His food and clever/dry wit will have you coming back for more.

Kath’s quote: “I have three sets of humor. One I keep in a bag of salt, because it’s the dry one.
” ― Jarod Kintz

Love, that is all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes a usual and common place sight on Isla, strikes me as exceptionally beautiful.

I love the colours that Islanders paint their homes, especially all the turquoise hues.

We accumulated some fixings for dinner at our cozy apartment at Luna d’ Miel including flan from Pita Amore.

There was plenty of afternoon left so I ventured out again for some sea glass and other treasures.

This is the view from one of the other rooms at Luna d’Miel.

There was a gorgeous sunset that evening seen from the street side of Luna d’Miel.

So we shared our feast of rotisserie chicken as we watched the disappearing sun.

I spent the evening sorting the efforts of my beachcombing habit, watched a couple of episodes of Suits on Netflix and polished off a couple of chapters of my book. A perfect evening in a perfect place.

Kath’s quote: “Sometimes, the simple things are more fun and meaningful than all the banquets in the world …”  ― E.A. Bucchianeri

Love, that is all.

A beautiful sunrise

and another glorious day on Isla.

The day started with shelling before heading into Centro to meet Sister #3 and Dona.

Even when the walk is warm on the airport road, the breezes along the malecon create the perfect temperature for our walk into town.

And you never know what sights you will see along the way.

I love the colour turquoise in whatever setting.

Beauty and colour is everywhere on the island.

I stopped at a outdoor kiosk that I had never stopped at before.

Loved the texture and colours of these coconut stocks.

Passing our time while we waited for the ferry.

For a treat we stopped at 7-11 for a coffee slushee and our favourite jalapeno kettle chips.

We love hanging out at the ferry terminal and didn’t mind at all that we had to wait for a second boat.

Sister #3 loves Casa el Pio and has been staying there for many consecutive years. We helped them haul their luggage and loved to have a fresh look around.

Casa el Pio is simple, convenient and oh so comfortable.

On our way up to the new rooftop, I spotted these old seawall pieces that other guests had collected.

The view to the south is gorgeous.

D finding the shade before we all headed to La Lomita for lunch.

Kath’s quote: “The hasty and the tardy meet the ferry.” –Arabian Proverb

Love, that is all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been going to La Lomita since we first started visiting the island in 2005-see a couple of links here: 2013, 2014, They have always served their cervesa by the glass and I was never a big fan. But that has all changed. The new brightly coloured terracotta glasses must have been kept in the freezer as they were frigidly cold and made or the most thirsty-quenching beer that I can remember drinking.  We loved them so much we tried to duplicate them when we got home. Our youngest daughter found three such vessels at a second hand store and they now keep a permanent place in the freezer at our beach house.

We always order the chilies relleno, one of our favourite Mayan dishes served on the island. Stuffed with goey Mexican cheese, floating on a light and tasty tomato sauce and topped with crème fresh and a crumbling of a second cheese which resembled a feta.

Friend Donna (we call Dona while on Isla) ordered the delectable breaded fish.

Sister #3 sampled the garlic fish. Everyone was delighted by their choices as always.

I am always amazed at what comes out of La Lomita’s kitchen.

I sometimes dream about La Lomita’s lime soup featuring a spritely broth, pulled chicken and crispy tortilla chips. Portions are always so plentiful that I often take left overs home for a second meal. Such was the case on this day.

Kath’s quote: “Fish in the hands of a skilled cook can become an inexhaustible source of gustatory pleasures.”-Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin

Love, that is all.

I caught D’s cold and slept through sunrise. Since I missed the day before too, I was in withdrawl.

D took his typical walk into town to fetch the newspaper. He got a little bit sunburned the day before and spent the rest of the morning in the hammock trying to finish his book.

Since we were sticking close to home, I prepared a big breakfast in the convenient kitchen of Luna d’Miel. It was sensational if I do say so myself.

After breakfast and tidy up I went shelling.

We stayed around the apartment all day because of D’s sunbrurn. I finished my book and started a new one.

In the evening we ventured out for dinner at Basto’s with Luna d’Miel neighbours Gloria and Huw.

Since we were in the vicinity of Limon, we couldn’t head home without dropping in to visit our friend Sergio. He insisted that we stay for a glass of wine and chit chat.

We had brief snatches of time with Sergio as he worked the grill and made his guest feel right at home.

The gentleman sitting at the next time was also enjoying Sergio’s attention as well as sharing an appetizer with him and eventually we got to chatting too. It turned out he was Bob of Joyce and Bob’s Casitas del Mar. I have long admired the tidy units as we buzzed along the east shore road and was particularly intrigued because Joyce and Bob were the names of my parents.

The connections did not end there. Turns out that D knew Joyce’s sons when they work at the restaurant that D managed. It also turned out that D also knows Joyce’s brother and calls upon him for his business purposes. Joyce’s family is from Saskatchewan as is mine and her family immigrated from the Czech Republic as did mine.

We had so much fun connecting the dots in this way that Bob insisted that we stroll to his home to meet Joyce in person.

We enjoyed one last glass of wine in their beautiful walled garden under a covered palapa.

In 2016 we will divide our time between Luna d’Miel and Villas San Miquel. We are so looking forward to our first visit to the Villas. With its convenient downtown location, if D needs to stay close to home because of a cold or sunburn, I will still be able to wander town or head to North Beach. We keep thinking that the Villas will offer the best of both worlds-the convenience of Centro with views of the Caribbean!

Kath’s quote: “All true friendliness begins with fire and food and drink and the recognition of rain or frost”.–G.K. Chesterton

Love, that is all.