Last year Marnie found
out about a secret beach on Isla Mujeres, that few people, including locals,
know about. She went there, and loved it, and told us about it later. She
gave us the idea that it was up near Casa de Suenos (house of dreams) at the
south end of Isla, facing Cancun.
Everyone had left Isla,
and Sandy and I had rented a golf cart. Our mission was to find that beach. We
asked several locals, but no one knew what we where talking about. All we had
was a cellphone photo that Marnie had sent Sandy that showed a flower-covered
wall with concrete steps going down to the blue water across from Cancun.
I am not sure how we
finally found it, but we did, and spent a few hours floating and exploring
totally by ourselves. You need to wear your Tevas on this beach because of the
small rocks, but the water is lukewarm. Who the hell is Luke? And why is he
always warm?
On our way out, we
talked to the pleasant Mexican/Mayan women at the front desk, and
had a look around, and took mental notes about a possible future stay there. This
is actually Hotel La Joya’s beach.
The next day our mission
at Playa Norte was to find a favorite former waiter from Restaurant Zazil Ha at
Na Balam, who was now working up the playa somewhere. We found Elvis! (Well, his
mom loved Elvis. So she named him Elvis and that is the truth.) Don’t you LOVE
the Mexican names? Hortencia, Veronica, Iris. Iris is pronounced “edys.” Rommel
is Ro-mell. Luis is Lew-ees. Jessica is Yessica. Braulio, . . . no one on Isla can
pronounce his name. Not even his mom. Ja Ja. Abel is Ah-bell.
Sandy got sick one year
on Isla, and between Elvis with his chicken soup and the help of Enrique (another former
waiter from Zazil Ha, as it was called back then), we survived. Where do
you think Elvis’s wife works? . . . At the front desk of Hotel
La Joya. You can’t make this stuff up.
In the 1980s, Jose
Chevez was the patron of the swimming pool gunite crew. His Mexican mom was an
English school teacher, way up in the mountains beyond Puerto Vallarta. While
gunite-ing, we would share burritos off the hot diesel engine of the truck. My
Mexican connections are many. He also named his son Elvis.
Amy came up with a new
outing next year for the Joga group. Catholic Mexican Mass on Domingo at the
church facing east, with all the glass overlooking the ocean. We have to offer
up one Mayan sacrifice from the group. Who will it be? This will be followed by
breakfast / lunch, of course, right across the calle at Mango’s Cafe. Mmm
mmm good. The name of that church is Guadalupe. Guadalupe also happens to be
the name of Enrique’s esposa but he calls her Lupe. They own the tiny laundry
up near the super mercado near the vocalo on Calle (yippee kye aye) Guerrero.
Sometimes at night, when you walk by, she is sitting in his lap. Sweet, sweet
Mexico.
BREAKING NEWS
Clara Gamboa from Maria
Del Mar “Cabanas” had a baby boy!
Your servant and ferry
boat greeter,
Roberto Francisco Tocino
p.s. Carnival happens the
same week as the yoga retreat.
