Isla Mujeres (or at least a small piece of it)
Taking a catamaran with all inclusive food and drinks out to see Isla Mujeres might not be the most economical way, but it's good for those who want to spice things up party wise. Your glass never gets empty, the music is high and the boat is full of young couples taking selfies. We had been sold a super mega offer hell of a price trip on the street and had it all included: snorkeling, the under water museum, something that looked like some sort of parachute behind the boat and a lunch buffet to round things off. I've done a few of those package deals with all sorts of incredible treats incluided, and have the experience that they are usually not what they promised... So my hopes were not high to the ceiling when we took of from Cancún in the morning. But the day was nice and the water like a swimming pool so it can only get so bad I thought.
First stop was the snorkeling. After twenty minutes on the boat we reached the coast of Isla mujeres. The crew started handing out fins, snorkels, goggles and... life vests. And I get it, I really do. They don't want to be responisble and so on, but for me it kind of took away a part of the experience. So there we swam in a line like a kinder garden class going to the park, looking down at the rocks and the little fishes. And not much more.
Fran took his life vest off!!!!!!! And got in t r o u b l e.
After swimming in line for a few minutes we came to the under water museum. And I, whom had been seeing pictures of it on Google and thought WOW was at first a little disappointed.
The museum consists of concrete bodies, people, and is actually an art work to show how they all react different to the environment. They have different face expressions, do different things. There is a Beetle car, a man sitting by a desk with a dog under it and various other people standing in a group. The thought of this was to attract tourists and let the coral reefs recover all the damage, and to with time create a new reef.
And time has made the museum a part of the sea, as you can all probably imagine. You don't really see the faces or the details of anything really. Even less when you approach them snorkeling and not diving. So I was disappointed, before I came home and read that they acutally let them get covered in algiers for a reason. Now I'm happy again :)
And then we came to this... parachute thing. Which is acutally like a swing getting caught in the wind. A light person could maybe fly up to five seven ten what do I know meters. But the problem was the wind. And maybe the beer. Because Fran didn't fly very high at all.
This is not Fran.
This is Fran.
Then we set sight for the shore and docked in what seemed like a touristy town with a touch of fishing village. There they gave us two hours to walk around, go to the beach, have a drink, or do whatever we wanted. We had a drink at the beach.
Isla Mujeres translated to english means Women Island and used to be the holy island of the mayan love and fertility god Ixchel. It was a place where the mayan people would leave offering gifts in female shapes and where young women did their pilgrimage. The conquistadors found the island in 1517 and named it accordingly. After that is has also been a prison island for pirates (like the real Jack Sparrow for example). Today the island is famous for it's beautiful beaches and water life. It is for example a good place to find whale sharks and swim with them.
We ended the day eating a buffet by the beach and then cruising home with Enrique Iglesias on the highest volume in the afternoon sun. Beer, dancing, singing. And then me sitting in the front of the boat wiggeling my toes. I'll always be like the bull Fernando I suppose.
These package trips are perfect for those that like to enjoy the place and not have to think of anything. But for those who prefer to be travelers and not tourists I would recommend doing something like Isla Mujeres alone. Take a ferry and discover it another way. Because if not, at least something will disappoint you. I'm always happier doing it my own way, without expectations and promises.
At the moment I am sitting right in a storm. It's been raining like crazy the whole day and the walls are shaking from the thunder. I also have no idea where Fran is. Probably stuck in a puddle somewhere. Oh, life.
Hasta luego <3