For my last sunrise from the malecon, I was treated to a glorious display.

About 10 am my neighbour G from Luna d’Miel said that her friends had vacated “our” room so I hopped in a cab and got settled at my home for the next week.

I was able to get caught up with G and H while spending some time on our sea side patio in the sun. That day called for popcorn and beer for lunch!

Sister #3 and Dona picked me up in a cab on the way to Chedraui so I could stock up on some treats (i.e. Kahlua, wine and beer) for D who would arrive later in the day.

We were enjoying another Happy Hour at Xbulu Ha when Sister #3 was checking her email and realized she was supposed to be at a reception for the Isla Scholarship program.

Later they joined us at Abuelo’s where we had an exceptional dinner.

Word from D was that the timing of his arrival was working well so we all headed over to the ferry dock to meet him. I had bought some churros from the zocolo en route and he sure appreciated the treat. We cabbed it back to Luna D’Miel for a glass of wine by the ocean and tales from home. I felt overwhelmingly blessed to be in this place with him by my side.

Kath’s quote: “Every long separation is a test: A test to see how powerful or how weak the will of reuniting is!”― Mehmet Murat ildan

Love never fails.

I have always loved my dinner experiences at Abuelo:

• 2014
• 2015
• 2016

This year was no exception. There were five of us and then we were joined later in the evening by Sister #3 and Dona who had been at a Isla Scholarship reception earlier.

We were kind of boring as we all ordered coconut shrimp. That is with one exception. Rudy ordered chicken schnitzel and was very impressed but I neglected to get a good shot of his plate. I may prefer Abuelo’s coconut shrimp version to all the rest as I love their over abundance of long strands of sweet coconut. They also do a great job of grilled veggies, baguette and a vegetable rice.

Dona has enjoyed Abuelo’s green enchiladas in the past and did so again when she and Sister #3 finally arrived for a late dinner. Do you know what makes this sauce green? It is the tomatillo which is also known as the Mexican husk tomato and is a staple in Mexican cuisine. They have a slightly herbal taste, and are somewhat fruity and tart in flavour. I tasted green enchiladas again at Basto’s the following week and was blown away.

Later that evening we stopped for ice cream and churros purchased on the square.

Kath’s quote: “The food was delicious, the wine even better, as elemental and earthy as the wild hills where the grapes grew. They finished with sips of chocolate-infused port and cinnamon churros. ” ― Susan Wiggs, The Beekeeper’s Ball

Love never fails.

When we stay in Centro our favourite spot for sunset is Playa Sol. I love the setting sun on the local’s boats on the shore.

The silhouette of the palms is one of my favourite Isla sites.

Playa Sol is a special spot where our family loves to congregate for sunset.

As we walked past the cemetery, the angels hushed us.

We chose Abuelo’s for our first dinner where I indulged in bacon-wrapped shrimp

and D chose lobster stuffed fish.

Friends and relations (my second cousin) were dining at Abuelo’s too. I couldn’t resist also taking a photo of one of their meals.

We have enjoyed dining at Abuelo’s since it was a three table spot and loved watching as the family succeeded and re-invested in their family business.

As would prove to be our Isla routine, we walked the beach and then Hidalgo. I was surprised that we were still awake at 9 pm when we had been awake since 4 that morning.

Kath’s quote: “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”-Rabindranath Tagore

Love never fails.

We had a wonderful sleep and set up our chairs to watch our favourite show-“Sunrise on Isla”.

As much as we love every moment of every day spent on Isla, our quiet mornings, sitting shoulder to shoulder with our coffee mugs are magical.

The reflected light on our “neighbour’s” house.

The sea was golden on this morning.

I could just sit in this place all day long but D loves to get on with his day and I know that these chairs are always waiting at home for me.

We set off to Centro via the seawall for breakfast at Alexia & Geovanny’s . At fist we met our friend Jean who walks the seawall and then airport strip daily. Passing the Roca Mar we ran into V & D (our Grandbaby’s “other” Grandparents) at the Roca Mar as well as friends Jan & Bruce, Doris &, Vince and we were introduced to John & Faith whom I had heard about for a number of years. They were dining at La Cazuela M & Js along with owner Julie. The latter is also the originator and curator of Isla Mujeres.net the very first Isla website I ever visited, chatting on the former message board and meeting many of my Isla friends. I love having breakfast at La Cazuela M & J’s and would dine there more often if we stayed in Centro.

Our first stop after breakfast was to the local market (right next door to the Loncherias) for limes and cilantro. For some reason the Super Mercado next to the square didn’t have either but we were happy to have the excuse to enjoy the beautiful produce displayed there. I am sure that you, like us has a favourite market stall. This is ours and it always has everything we need. We particularly enjoy his freshly squeezed juices.

The morning was warm and we had done a lot of walking, so we headed down to Playa Norte for a dip. No wonder this beach is ranked one of the best in the world. We can’t believe that we are blessed to continue to return to it each and every year.

We walked through Centro and along Hidalgo to see who and what had changed since our previous visit. We stopped for coconut & lime popsicles at our favourite liquado place before we hopped a cab home with our groceries.

D didn’t stay put for long. He was anxious to check out the condition of the tennis courts in Colonias as he had brought along his racquet. I was excited to check out my prized beach combing spots so I grabbed my sturdy waterproof sandals and scrambled down over the coral and rocks. Pictured above was my first day’s haul.

When I climbed back home, D was already settled into our hammock.

Later that day, we once again made the walk into town, picking up V & D en route and then to fetch Brother #3 and his wife.  Both couples have been loving their time on Isla, almost as long as D and I. Our 1st stop was the 2nd floor of Jax for sunset and a bucket of Caronas. Our 2nd stop was to Restaurant Abuelos for garlic fish and coconut shrimp. Unfortunately D was still not feeling well and needed air even before he had taken a single bite. We packaged supper up and grabbed a cab home.

Spending the rest of the evening back at Luna D’Miel was not a hardship in the least. We spent our time under the stars by the crashing ocean and I indulged in a glass of wine. We were optimistic that D would soon be feeling better.

Kath’s quote: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” –Confucius

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

Restaurant Abuelos was a recent find for us, near the end of our 2014 sojourn to Isla 2014 Blog Post. We were absolutely delighted by the find and (in my humble opinion) kinda wished it would have stayed exactly like it was, with its compact space and family members taking care of us.

We remembered the fabulous fish and their street sign indicated that it was still the focus of the menu.

Our server took us on a “tour” of the fish that was available that evening. I couldn’t help but think that the custom would never get past food safety standards back home. But, when in Rome….

Dinner at the second floor open dining room commenced with mojitos and margaritas in hopes that we could cool down a bit.  The evening was humid with no breeze which is very unusual for the island.

D and I couldn’t decide between the coconut shrimp and garlic fish. In the end we ordered both to split between us. Unfortunately, before he could take a single bite, he was overwhelmed by his bad head cold and had to leave and take a walk. This was in no way a reflection on the food because I had a couple of bites and it was excellent. But I had to make our apologies and have our dinner packed up for home.

Once D was feeling better (it took a couple of days), I recreated our dinner in our kitchen at Luna D’Miel. We would have loved to have returned to Abuelos later in the trip but when you are on Isla Mujeres, there are so many excellent places to eat and not enough time.

Kath’s quote: If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”-James Michener

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.