I certainly get my monies’ worth from a trip to Isla (even when we go at high season and the plane fare costs a small fortune) because I savour the anticipation and recounting of a trip just as much as I love the time actually spent there.  On this day, here on the Canadian prairies, it has snowed overnight and and the promise of frigid weather is ahead.  But I am warm and cozy, still in my housecoat, having shared a pot of coffee and the weekend paper with D.  He is meeting a friend for coffee, Daughter #2 is at work and the house is quiet.  I can prepare for this blog post by reading my travel journal and sorting through pictures and all of a sudden-I am on Isla again.  I am smelling the fragrance of mornings there, tasting the freshness of food, feeling the early sun on my skin and listening to the sounds of the breeze and scooters and the friendly greetings of the islanders.

Day 4 was golf cart day-one of my favourite days on Isla.  We always select the carts where all the seats face forward because I feel so ridiculous sitting on the back of one of those things with this big silly, self-conscious grin on my face looking into the windshields of the taxi-drivers or few vehicles on the island.  We always pack up lots of stuff for the day too, so we wait for a cart that has a storage compartment on the back.  We take books, chairs, snacks and beverages, just in case we get the urge to plunk somewhere on the eastern shore.

We started by heading up the west road all the way to the Garrafon look out.  Along the way I was able to show the Newbie where I stayed my first year on Isla and the route to my early morning walks to punta sur and the cliffs of the east shore.

We have spent some special time in Italy and even though I love the soft gellato colours that the houses are painted in Positano and Cinque Terre, I am crazy about the rainbow of bright colours that islanders paint their homes.  We are so concerned about long-range things like “re-sale” values in Canada that we wouldn’t dare pull off such a daring colour scheme.  But the islanders live for the day and for the joy that a vibrant dash of paint induces. 

When it was time for lunch, D wanted to find the little place that we had discovered a year previously.  It had no name and we kind of had the feeling that the family was operating a lunch stop out of their living room.  D knew exactly which house it was and went to investigate.  Sure enough, it was someone’s living room and the industrious folk had converted it back to their family home.

I was on the search for Monchi’s, but when we couldn’t find it easily and we knew exactly where La Bruja was from previous visits, we opted for there instead.   

Our Newbie couldn’t believe that her 3 chicken tacos only cost her 150 pesos.  She couldn’t finish them and took leftovers home to our son who was under the weather and back at the hotel.

Daughter #1 ordered chicken fajitas and

D chose beef fajitas.

I had garlic fish and was hoping to substitute their homemade French fries for the rice.  I got both and “carb-lover” that I am, both were delicious.  We love this family restaurant for their simple but oh-so-delicious food and caring service.

We made a stop at the Ladies Bead Co-op on the way back to Centro and met these young apprentices who were learning the trade from their Moms.  We are guessing that this was because it was Christmas break from school.

We headed back to Centro and I whipped up homemade guacamole because the avocados from the market were at their ripest.  D made nachos with just a bit of manchego cheese and cilantro.  We also got to witness this gorgeous sunset from our balcony.

Someone expressed a hankering for pizza and so it was Angelo’s for dinner! 

Angelo’s has a wood-burning oven and this delightful puffed up flatbread is the first treat served from it.  They serve it with a fine balsamic and olive oil reminiscent of our lovely and memorable meals of Italy.

Because we clung to the west coast of Italy, I ordered fruite de mare pizza (and pasta) wherever I could and the redition that Isla’s chef’s serve at Angelos (and Brisa Caribe) are just as splendid.  And a trip to Isla is so much less expensive than one to Italy (when the middle of Canada is your commencement point). 

Everyone loved their choices and there were leftovers to eat around the pool in the future.   

Penne with asparagus, garlic, white wine and cream.

Shrimp in an exceptional tomato sauce.

Carbonara on bow-ties.  With every dish, you get to select your choice of pasta noodles.

Ham, Italian sausage and artichoke pizza.

At Angelo’s and the other places that set up tables on Hidalgo, it is always so much fun who you will see on the sidewalk.  In February, it is often the many fellow travellers that  have become good friends, that we see passing by.  During Carnivale it may be one of the colourful and skilled dance ensembles, sometimes it a troupe dressed in ancient Mayan garb but on this day it was…

Santa!  He was accompanied by the old man of 2011 and the baby representing 2012.  They sang Feliz Navidad and collected coins from the diners.

 Some in the family saved room for a sweet taste and we stopped at the newest gelato shop at the corner of Hidalgo at the zocalo, where coconut, pistachio and nutella flavours were sampled and enjoyed. 

We walked off a portion of these calories with time along the seawall where a strong breeze was coming off the water.  Another day had drawn to a close on our precious Isla.

 Kath’s quote: “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”-Federico Fellini

 

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