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Trip Reviews, Ratings and Comments - Trip Review - Media Luna 3
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Friday, June 15, 2001
Mike says, “This was our day to explore the island. We needed pesos and a golf cart. Around 7:00 we headed for Cafe Cito on the corner of Matamoros and Juarez. When we arrived, it was still closed, so we checked out the menu. We started for the bank. On the way we stopped to visit with Capt. Tony. His dad invited us in to sit and wait for Tony. Reuben called out Tony, and we discussed a snorkeling trip for Saturday. We would need to be at his house at 9:50 if we wanted to go.
We continued on to the bank, but it was still closed. ¿Que’ hora es? Maybe I should wear my watch. Cafe Cito was also still closed. The French Bistro was open, so we ate there. Pretty good ham and cheese omelet. Diane had a waffle which tasted kinda whole grain. Next we walked over to Ppe’s to make arrangements for a cart. Then it was back to the bank to exchange some money. Next Diane wanted to go to the market again. Finally we picked up the cart and made our way successfully through the one-way streets back to the Media Luna. I remember last year going the wrong way down a one-way. Didn’t even know the streets were one way! Now I know to check the road signs mounted on the corner buildings.
Our first destination was the turtle farm. A guide gave a tour with a lot of interesting information. The aquarium had many pretty fish. After that we decided to stop at Rolandi’s for a quick look at a room. The room was quite nice with lots of drawers, a jacuzzi, free sandals, and robes to use. It was $190 usd per night which includes breakfast and another meal. The room had two single beds.
Mundaca’s was our next stop. It looked closed. A man came to the gate and said it was closed because there were too many mosquitoes. That was fine with me because our next stop was Playa Lancheros for sun and pescado tikin xic. We ordered a beer and a coco loco and got to sit in the lounge chairs with umbrella for that price. We went under the big palapa after awhile and had lunch. There was a lot of fish, rice, spaghetti, cabbage, and tortillas. One serving was enough for both of us.
Our next stop was Punta Sur on the southern tip of the island. The different colors of ocean and rock and all the varied textures in land and sea make this one of the most beautiful places on Isla. After a little walk and a few pictures, we walked back towards our cart. There was a woman selling things that Diane wanted to check out. I went to sit under the big palapa and enjoy the view. I saw Diane peel off her t-shirt and shake it out. Then she folded it up and handed it to the lady. Weird! In a little while Diane came back with a beautiful Mayan mask made of pieces of malachite and abalone shell. It cost her 132 pesos and her t-shirt. We don’t know whether she “lost her shirt” in the deal or not. It was a cheap t-shirt she said she got for around $2.00 on clearance at Target four or five years ago. She felt bad since it was sweated through and probably a little ripe from our day in the sun.
We drove back to Media Luna to unpack our gear. Then we returned the cart to Ppe’s. We walked back to the hotel and walked the beach in search of shells and a quick swim in the pool. After showers and cleanup, we went to Chimbo’s to watch a pretty red sunset.
We walked to the plaza and watched a wedding begin. It was fun to see the bride and wedding party. Rolandi’s was our stop for a pizza. It was very good. Before we went home, we stopped at the Bar With No Name for drinks and live music. The owner, Genevieve, and her friend Logan had asked us to come back after we ate supper. Actually they wanted us to eat there too, but I was in the mood for pizza. The band played Caribbean music and was pretty good. We found out Genevieve is from Ohio. She said she’d probably call her place Isla Tequila. We headed home to read and sleep and get ready for a day of snorkeling with Capt. Tony on Saturday.”
Saturday, June 16, 2001
We slept in a little. Around 8:00 I walked to the beach in hopes of getting some good shots. A large gray cloud promptly blocked the sun, so I just strolled. Finally that one dark cloud for the day rolled off.
We enjoyed fruit and rolls at the hotel. Then we leisurely packed up the snorkel gear sans the bulky flippers. We’ll use Capt. Tony’s. We arrived a little early, so we “visited” with Reuben. Pretty tough with our limited Spanish. Tony did some interpreting for us and also shared his photo albums of the island. He has some great shots.
As we were walking out the door, Reuben decided to go along. He had been very talkative at his house but on the boat, he was very quiet. Mike thought perhaps Tony is the captain on his boat. Soon we were anchored near the old car ferry. Tony helped Mike on some snorkeling tips while I snorkeled to the left of the rocks and saw many beautiful fish. A spotted eel slithered from his cave, and a langosta rested in his own cave. The coral was so much more colorful than at Garrafon.
I was frustrated about not being able to dive down for a closer look, but many fish were near the surface. One has to wear a life vest at this national park. I mentioned liking to dive, so Tony took us to the place where the water pipes (old and new) cross the Isla bay. Many fish congregate there including some large barracuda. They looked like they had indigestion...grouchy. My ears were starting to hurt from diving down too fast. I tend to want to get down there to spend my air exploring the bottom. Tony suggested submerging more slowly to relieve the pressure in my ears. Good hint.
Tony moved his boat close to a colorful sailboat, so I could get a good shot. He had some good ideas on lighting and filling the frame. Sometimes I take pictures from too far trying to include all the beautiful sights and end up with teeny images.
After getting dropped off at the beach, we swam a little before long showers, and then another delicious lunch at La Lomita. While we were perusing the menu of daily specials, a lady named Mary Louise came from the kitchen. She is a physical therapist on the island and eats lunch there almost every day. She explained the menu before leaving. I had pollo y mole’ again while Mike enjoyed Yucatan style chicken. It has the same coating as tikin xic fish. It came with a yummy noodle soup. Mary Louise said there might be chicken livers in the soup, but they must have strained them out for Mike. Estrella, our young waitress, was all smiles this time. I think repeat business is much appreciated, or perhaps Mary Louise put the stamp of approval on us.
Mike went home for a siesta while I shopped. Rosie had her famous t-shirt sale, and Tony’s mom had the 100 peso shell package I saw at two stores for 35 p. She also had some other very pretty shells which I bought for the neighbor girls who helped their mom cat sit for us. As I left, Tony’s mom pressed another shell into my hand. She looks good for marrying in 1946. There is a wedding picture of her and Reuben hanging in their living room.
I was pitted out from the shopping - such difficult work, so yet another shower was needed. We enjoyed some Negra Modelo and munched some bollilos, cheese, and guacamole which I made using some canned salsa and one of those big guacs.
We strolled to the plaza and sat for awhile. At Don Chepos they lured us in with feliz hora 2 x 1. Two yummy pina coladas for 35 p. An odd bebida to wash down nachos, but it worked for us. While we sipped, a wedding party went by on golf carts. They blocked traffic for awhile as they sang and danced while the taxis beeped. Mike thought the song was Hebrew. Earlier in the day I had met Eta from Israel. She had just arrived and asked me for help on hotels and restaurants. I happened to have a map, so I was able to mark some locations for her. Mike and I met Eta later in the evening when she stopped me to say thanks.
The guys at Adelita had been giving us 2 x 1 tickets almost every night. On this evening they rushed out with samples. Pretty good, but we wanted to listen to the band at Genevieve’s Bar With No Name (Isla Tequila). They did some nice renditions of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. The harmonica player and lead guitarist were particularly good. We walked home to Media Luna and watched the stars twinkling over the sea before turning in for a peaceful sleep.
Submitted by: Diane -- acorn@netins.net
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