Our last week here in Isla Mujeres has been relatively uneventful. We enjoyed some relaxed time onboard, without going ashore. The weather still isn’t quite “tropical,” with continued cold fronts and winds, but it has been far better than our dealings with fronts at anchor in the Exumas and at Fort Jefferson! Here we’ve had more and more sun and less intense winds, and the shore is easily accessible with much to do, so things are definitely improving!

We ventured out to Pizza Friday. Each week, cruisers gather at Oscar’s, a local marina and restaurant, for a byob happy hour on the dock, followed by pizza at the restaurant.  Scott and I took a quick and affordable cab ride there, not wanting to ride our bikes back in the dark. It was nice to meet and chat with some of the other cruisers, and put faces with the boat names that we hear daily over our vhf radio. We also met Tim, and got to put a face to the voice of the daily cruiser’s net here!

Our dinner was great! The pizza and garlic knots at Oscar’s are terrific, and I now know where to head for a pizza craving in Isa Mujeres!

Afterward, the cruisers aboard Dayz Off, John, Becca and their daughter Zoe, offered us a dingy ride to their boat (John is flying to Houston for a visit, and offered to carry some mail with him. A huge favor, as getting things in and out of Mexico can take weeks!). We spent some time visiting with them, and then made the quick walk back to Marina Paraiso where we’d left our dingy.

We had a low key Valentine’s Day and spent the afternoon  on the Aluminum Princess, taking her out for an extended ride versus the usual back and forth to various local docks. There is a cut that leads to the western shore of the island, facing Cancun. The shoreline is dotted with homes, hotels and villas. Some are pretty impressive.

From there, we came back through the cut and headed to the north end of the island, passing by the crowded beaches of playa centro (central beach).

As we rounded the end of the island, passing by playa norte (north beach), the water turned a beautiful blue, from the more shallow depths and sandy bottom.

Monday’s adventure was by bike, circumnavigating the southern end of the island. We stopped at The Joint, which had been recommended to us more than once. As we approached I noticed this sign…with this sticker, which you Baltimore people will appreciate!

The Joint has a neat atmosphere, and the food was really good. Unfortunately, the prices were much higher than at other restaurants in the area, so with our budget this would be a one time visit.

Having had a rest, and renewed energy from food and drink, we continued on, rounding the southern end of the island and pedaling along the more rough and rocky eastern coast.

We stopped again at Villa Bella, for some cervezas at the swing bar. The couple next to us  were visiting from Texas (apologies for not remembering their names…I knew I should have written them down!).

We had a great time talking with them, before continuing on to the grocery store and then back to the boat. It was nice to go ashore for the day and move our legs a bit!

This morning  we had extensive rain…like rainy season rain, which was of course not in the forecast! We took full advantage, filling the water tanks. It rained a bit yesterday, which helped to wash a lot of the salt and such off of the boat, so today we could collect free rainwater. Scott sets up filters at the tank openings, and we just wait for them to fill…quickly in this case. Once the tanks were full, he pumped water up to the flybridge through our hose and filled the jerry jugs as well. We’re now full to the brim, saving us both generator and water maker run time…woohoo!

So that’s the last week in a nutshell. We plan to attend a craft fair today, and will do a bus trip to Chichen Itza on Friday…road trip!

Here are a few more photos from this past week.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”