Wed 1.5 Isla Mujeres part V.

I have to look at my watch now to see what day it is. (the time no longer matters) I’ve been here long enough now where I don’t feel pressured to do anything. It’s relaxing just to sit and read. It makes me sad to see other travelers who rush and don’t relax, trying to squeeze every minute with an activity. I’m sure they will arrive home more ‘tired’ than when they left it. (*reminds me of the train to Copper Canyon – Divisadero, Mexico where the passengers got a fifteen minute delay to photograph the view. They all rushed off the tracks in mass buying some trinket, posing together with the valley behind them, smiling and saying cheese, then running back up to board the train. Often never turning around and really looking down at the amazing view at all…) How many of these tourists will return home without really ‘seeing’ mexico? Oh well, I better jump down off my soapbox before I fall and hurt myself…

Yesterday I survived the mighty moped without incident. (I did scrape the undercarriage on some speed bumps, but no wrecks.) The ‘other end’, Punta Sur, the south end of Isla is all residential. (I couldn’t find a restaurant to eat lunch at all, not one.) It sits a little higher up off the water and has some hills. (~100ft high?) the shoreline has cliffs and bluffs instead of flat sand beaches. Imagine a baseball bat with the town (where I’m staying) on the handle end, and then an airport down the shaft and last all the houses on the bat end. (*the airport: I saw one helicopter there. Period. No tower, no hanger, no planes. Just a mile of runway, two guards and a navel rescue copter. It’s not even entirely fenced in.) So, my moped. For $350pesos ($35us) you get the big moped, or for $250pesos you get the tiny moped. I went small. I went top speed about 30-35mph. plenty of power to climb the massive 100ft high hills. The worry for me was the slack tension in the brakes. The rolling down hill at 35mph toward water with mushy brakes kept me honest! I survived without incident. There are two roads to the end of the Isla, one north and one south side and both have shoreline views. So I did the ‘Cancun’ side on the outbound and the ‘Cuba’ side on the return. First I went to the Turtle Farm ($3 admission) and did the quick run and shoot photo stop. Not really much to see. Just glad they are trying to save the turtles. It’s a few big tanks with some babies, a sand lot fenced in where I assume they nest them? A tiny lab where they have a do not enter sign. Nothing too scientific looking anywhere. Second I went to the park at Punta Sur. ($3 admission) I am sorry to see that they have chosen to ‘include art’ at the park. For whatever reason they have many statues placed out on the ground at the point. It also has a Mayan building of some kind on the very tip. I felt that the artwork was distracting and ugly. (im no art critic) imagine riding your tiny moped half an hour to the “most beautiful view” of the point where the cliffs overlook the ocean, the Mayan ruin sits, only to find lots of gaudy painted crappy sculptures sitting in the way of a great photo. (I’m sure the artists mothers are all proud – but I didn’t like it. My opinion and again be careful when stepping down from the soapbox.) The scenery was spectacular and the day was perfect for photos. I got some sun, some shots and finally felt burned and hungry and had to run off in search of shade and food… (chicken tacos at a little spot back in town. $3.50us) Third note; the prices are high on the island. I know it’s because everything is so labor intensive. Nothing can be trucked in. well it is trucked in, but it comes by boat. And since the town streets are so tiny they have to offload everything and carry it on even smaller trucks. I guess I should say the prices are higher than I expected. Ultimately it’s a tourist destination and that’s what drives everything. Charge what the market will bear. But how do the locals live? How can they afford to live on the island? I did see some shanties on the Cuban side of the road. Also several new million dollar homes hanging onto the edge of cliffs. I wonder if some of the service industry takes the ferry back and forth each day from the mainland? (I’ll investigate and report later!)

sitting across the street watching for hours.

Base/Dodge/Kick BALL… My favorite new sport! for several nights I have been intrigued watching the locals playing some game on the basketball court. So I watched a game and am now ready to report. It’s two teams, numbers don’t matter as it can be even or more smaller kids against fewer larger ones. Also no set number is required and you can stack the outfield. The ‘first base’ line is the Basketball baseline, half court line is second base, and third is the other end of half court, home is back where you started. Picher stands in an area and rolls the ball to the ‘batter.’ He then Kicks it. A kick which lands on top of the church is an automatic out. A kick that hits a storefront is an automatic out. All else is deemed fair play. A kick caught on the fly is an out. A runner who is tagged, or hit by a fielders throw is out. (thus the dodge ball) So the team sits on the wall behind the basketball baseline awaiting their turn at bat, while the opposing team is spread all to hell and gone across the basketball court, back to the city park behind – for the long fly ball. I see them playing this starting about 5pm and have seen it going on till after 11pm. It seems to be enjoyed by everyone. (*note; 2 nights ago during the middle of the Base/Dodge/Kick game, a pickup game of basketball between two guys commenced on the goal situated in what is ‘the infield.’ Much to my surprise no one said anything. Both groups are happily playing their separate games overlapping the same space. My fear was a line drive kick into the head of one of the two basketball players but it never happened. To my amazement both groups appeared to be oblivious of the other.)

Well I’m hungry now and need to got find something to eat. There’s a light breeze from the east and it’s partly cloudy today. Great weather for a nap later!

Hope it’s perfect where you are.

Xo Pirate Skip