It was our last full day and there was another gorgeous sunrise to get it going.

D made a sensational breakfast. He is a trained but uncertified chef. What he is particularly good at is repurposing leftovers in fresh and novel ways. Good thing, as we had a fridge full of food that we needed to use and distribute. He learned this when we owned a number of buffet restaurants back home.

I was glued to the suite. I wanted to soak everything in and bottle it up until our next travels. Plus, I only had a 1/4 left of my book and I wanted to finish it before we left.

During our twnty years visiting the island, I was always told to stay out of the ocean on the east side. I spotted someone enjoying the crashing waves that day. Joe had great water shoes to protect against the coral and enjoyed walking into the surf too.

We walked into Centro for our last sunset. I am so blessed that D and I love so many of the same pleasures in life. He is the reason we get to travel as often as we do. His hobby is finding affordable airfare, packages and offers and he has us listed on Home Exchange now, so we are trading our city and lake homes with other folks wanting to do the same. He is not yet retired, but can work anywhere in Canada, so we have a fabulous west coast adventure coming up this fall.

I always seem to take more photos closer to departure day. I guess it is my way of storing up these memories. I must have 1 Zillion sunset photos but it is never enough. I am always on the search for that “not to be missed” shot.

Many years ago, we made the mistake of not taking food with us to the airport. We paid a fortune for a ghastly pizza and so now we always plan ahead. We had declared Sonny’s was our favourite pizza on this this trip so we returned for dinner that evening.

We met my sister Sue for good byes and ice cream at Cafeteria Juanita la Bendicion , the blog link is attached.

We savoured our last glass of wine under the stars. Isla you give me so much. Each and every time.

Departure Day: I am never sad when I have to leave the island because I know that it will always be part of my life (in some way or another).

Our normal routine was followed that morning- D at tennis, me putskiing ( a made up word) and enjoying my last coffee while gazing at the turquoise sea.

After another yummy breakfast, we divided the spoils of our bar and kitchen and took 2 cabs in opposite directions.

Joe and Deb to join friends at Punta Sur and us to the ferry.

It was a rather uneventful way home.

What did I come back to? My D (husband for almost 40 years), my six wonderful kids (including 2 SILs and a DIL), my five amazing grandkids, my enormous family (50+), two homes (one in the city, one at the lake), my one church, two gardens to tend, satisfying work to do and hundreds of Isla pictures and thoughts and a thousand precious memories. There, I counted my blessings….

Kath’s quote: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”― Terry Pratchett

Love never fails.

Perhaps God knew that my days on the island were winding down. The sunrise that morning was spectacular! I could have posted one of a dozen pictures of it.

Joe and Deb served up breakfast (again).

They along with D, headed to Castilla de Garafon to snorkel for the day. On the otherhand, I stayed put to soak up our little place on a perfect day. Sue came and joined me but they had just shocked the pool and we couldn’t swim. But never fear, I was into another fabulous book!

On Isla, my hair is a real challenge. I have naturally curly AND naturally straight hair. It is an unusual situation and quite a challenge because one lock of hair will shape itself into a beautiful ringlet but the next, will be poker straight. It is impossible to curl the straight clumps for a unified look, so I straighten the curly ones. That is, if I have an hour to spare and on this day, I did! And then I took a selfie (or course).

We were going to walk into Centro that evening but I caught the beginning of a gloomy sunset before we left.

While walking, the skies cleared and it got hot! I captured this image while en route. Between the exertion of the walk and the last heat of the day, my hair was a curly/straight mess just in time for dinner.

Grill Garden is one of my top ten favourite restaurants on the island. Right off the top, I love the ambience. If you are a regular to the island, you will know that it is a tough choice to whittle it down to ten favourites. I absolutely cannot believe the quality of Island food! I don’t know how it compares to other popular destinations but you know what? I am hesitant to explore other locales because I love island food so very much.

Even though we were there to sample their new menu, I just had to have one of my old favourites-their fried cheese in cilantro sauce! We sampled many new menu additions and it was a “blow your mind” kind of dinner. Read here for all the amazing details. https://foodmusings.ca/isla-mujeres/isla-mujeres-2024-restaurant-features-grill-garden/

We were home in time for wine on the balcony where I daily thank my lucky stars that Isla Mujeres is a permanent fixture in my life.

Kath’s quote: “Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful and fulfilled life.“-Jack Canfield

Love never fails.

Another beautiful morning.

We decided to make it a pool day as the opportunities to do so were fading away. Sue joined us for water time and visits with her Minnesota friends.

We were visited by the resident Iguana, that one of the guests decided to feed.

I love being this close to accessing the Caribbean!

We stayed pool side until there was just this little crack of sunshine on the shore.

Sue treated us to dinner at Rosa Sirena’s. It is lovely being up in the trees with a light breeze (but the spiral staircase to get up there was a bit tough).

We started with beautifully crafted cocktails!

There were beautiful views from our table.

And equally beautiful food. We ended dinner with this gorgeous coconut cheese cake.

Owners Debbie and Willy are wonderful hosts and it was so lovely to finally meet them. We arrived home to share some night time wine with Deb and Joe.

Kath’s quote: “I’m going to soak up the sun…”- Sheryl Crowe

Love never fails.

Woke up to another amazing day in paradise.

Deb and Joe made breakfast at the house.

We sent my brother Kelly, Lorraine and our friend Donna home that day. I had already taken pics of their sad faces. These were their happy ones.

We shopped at Hortencia’s and then had a tall cool one at Marea. I was happy to meet the owners there. Did you read that Restaurant Feature by sister Sue? https://foodmusings.ca/uncategorized/isla-mujeres-2024-restaurant-features-marea-located-in-selina-poc-na/

After a snack at home we left to meet Deb and Joe’s friends and take a dip in their pool. What a beautiful house and setting!

We cabbed down to Centro to join a sunset cruise. After the cruise we were peckish so we headed to Sonnys for amazing pizza. It was a late night for us old folks.

Kath’s quote: “You are my anchor in life’s unpredictable sea.” – Unknown

Love never fails.

We stayed in bed a little late but the sunrise was later too. I couldn’t believe that all three of these images were of the same sunrise. I was particularly enamored by the bottom one-there is reflection on the sea but where did the light come from?

After coffee we headed into town for Island Church at Jax and then stayed for breakfast. I love Jackie’s glassware.

D put down those overflowing breakfast burritos and I went for more traditional fare. Jackie tells us that this would be a typical breakfast back home in Texas. I loved the crispy bacon and perfect home fries.

We visited Jax on our very first trip to Isla some twenty years ago. I mourn the loss of their view, when the day tripper place was built across the street and sits virtually empty when I am in the vicinity. But it still is one of the best places to wait for sunset.

We headed home for showers and a snack, then were back in town to visit Marina Bartolome for an early dinner. We were blown away! If you follow this link you will see that my friend Valerie and I connected years ago when they had 1000 Tacos, which was my favourite taco on the island, pre-Covid. https://foodmusings.ca/isla-mujeres/isla-mujeres-2024-restaurant-features-marina-bartolome/

Valerie’s husband returned from fishing as we were eating dinner. The guys headed to the dock to see his haul.

We have on occasion watched sunset from Marina Bartolome. It was just beginning to go down that day.

I captured the end of it from our deck at home. I was excited to “try” to watch the Oscars from our place but after an extended struggle, I gave up. Oh well. I had a lot of writing to do that evening anyway.

Kath’s quote: “Every sunset is also a sunrise. It all depends on where you stand.” – Karl Schmidt

Love never fails.