A No-Beach Day

How could that possibly be so? It was my original intention. But what does that mean in island life - the land of no plans, or obligations.

I arranged to meet with Rachel and Greg for breakfast at the downstairs restaurant - the home of the cezuelas, which is a combination of souffle and omelet. I chose the one with chayulas, which is a Mexican spinach. One can always benefit from greens, I say. We caught up on our adventures since we saw each other last. They had already been to the bus station in the morning because they were looking for the best way to get to Ek Balam, a Maya site close to Valladolid. What excitement! The question was whether I was going to go along or not - they were leaving on the ferry in 40 minutes. What a problem - to spend my next 24 hours on Isla Mujeres or travelling inland, and seeing a new (well that would actually be old since these are ancient ruins) site. Travelling by car (they decided to rent) - a lovely opportunity. What a decision! Imagine this being the biggest problem of the day? After only 4 days from home, I was hardly ready to be on the move again. For now, I am staying put.

Last night, I had a thorough emergence into food on the island - the best places to eat, the best food to each at certain places... It seems I have much to do here yet.

All of this researching and walking and talking ended in the middle of the afternoon. I was sitting on the balcony when the beach goers came home; the wind chased them away from the sand. So going to beach then didn´t seem like an idea.

I went into the streets. "You look just like a Mexican," the tour operator at the corner said to me. "Those dark eyes," I said. His eyes travelled over my shoulder. I looked behind me and saw two young women approaching his door. He was gone as quick as he appeared.

I spent dinner last night with Kim and Brenda and their friend Rick, here from Regina. Out of our 10 rooms at the hotel, 4 were occupied by Canadians. Kim and Brenda are Isla-socialites; and they do their homework. A wealth of information.

As we walked last evening, they took me to a street corner (as in many places in the world - much happens on street corners) where a woman sold her baking out of the back of her pick up truck. Pineapple pie? Who would think of putting pineapple in a pie? It was a must have! I have had two bites, and it is yummy.

My routines? In the evening, I try to find the novellas on TV (an idea suggested to me by my new workmate Vilija) and listen to Spanish. Oprah is on at 8 pm, but I haven´t seen her once. This is prime time to be on the streets of Isla. There is always much to discover.