Secret Beach on Isla Mujeres

-->

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.