Day Two: Expats on Isla Mujeres

You get what you put into this world (most of the time)! If you put the cool vibes out, you will get cool ones in return. Today we started the day late, well not really.

I woke up and made Gia and I breakfast. After that, she had some down time as I had a client call on zoom. It's kinda cool to be working while on vacation. I help women transition through weight loss surgery, via Zoom! It's a great experience, because I have been in their shoes and once upon a time I really struggled through weight loss surgery.

Gia is having limited time on electronics and so far I haven't heard much complaints about her phone not being here, but we are only on day two!

After breakfast we got dressed and headed to the market to grab some things for the house. As we walked back we went to a street stand, they are all over the place. They are selling food, gifts to bring home or household goods! Really, you can find whatever you are looking for quite quickly! However, if you can't figure out the peso to dollar conversion, be prepared to be ripped off. I am trying to study it and get it down quickly, but I'm sitting there with my phone out and doing the conversions or stuck doing some math in my head! I needed a buy beach bag- I didn't really care, but I knew I needed something. So here we are with this local women and her young daughter and she will pulling out some bags that look like they could work on the beach. She pulled out something turquoise and yellow with a bit of peach and blessed her money as I gave it to her and her little one. I'm not sure I would have spent 500 peso's (25 bucks) on it in the US, but something also felt really good seeing her thank me and help me pick out the bag. She even gave me a charm for it! Can't wait to take it everywhere we go as it's perfect for every beach.

Upon our arrival back, Omar came to join us outside and asked if we wanted some fresh coconut water... HELL yes we do! Gia stood in the doorway and watched with amazement mid way through the whole thing! Then she quickly came running over, shrieking (as she usually does) she asked how he got up to the top of the tree and this quickly sparked a great conversation between them. I could see Gia already starting to learn. It also brought us back to a great memory from two years ago.

Gia and I stayed in Florida with a ton of coconut trees. We attempted to open on for hours while there and I told her we would never get it open without a machete. Two years later, we got to watch this happen! She asked him why he was doing this for us and to be honest this was the coolest thing every!

In his words, we were social people with good hearts and he could feel the energy I was putting out. By then, I had already told him why I was traveling to Mexico and what I was hoping to get out of it. He explained that when you meet nice people with good intentions, you want to go above and beyond as a host. I could relate to this as an Air BNB hostess myself and the cultural exchange was what I was longing for on this trip!

So we cracked open some coconuts and shared in conversation. We drank right from the coconut and then cut them in half to eat the coconut meat. He cut them open in front of us and showed me how to eat it with a spoon made from coconut bark.

After that, he pointed us in the direction of the bus to get to the beach, however we took a cab instead. We enjoyed seeing the city on our trip to Playa Norte, a fabulous beach, lined with boats in the water, white sands and turquoise waters. A tranquil place to be for a week!

After going to the beach for a few hours we went a bit crazy and ate a ton of lunch, more like a dinner. We got tacos, enchiladas, nachos, tons of guacamole and a few other snacks. When we walked back to the beach we ran into Omar at work. He shared with us that the owner of the place had passed away from COVID and was a monumental person in the community. He would raise money for the local children and take on donations for the holiday season. I was overcome by sadness for a few minutes and reflected on my feelings. I quickly decided we would have to eat here a few more times. The staff at Rubens were special people. They provided us with great service and friendly conversation.

When we went on a quest for lunch, I just followed my instincts and that was where we were pulled in. Nothing in particular except the loud music and the specials they had looked great. I learned they painted a mural in his memory and Omar will be taking us tomorrow on our walking tour!

After lunch it was back to the ocean for a few more hours before popping into a cab for a ride home.

Once we got back, we showered and headed out for groceries. To my suprise, Gia remembered the route. On our way over we found some Eminem playing as a cross fit group working out- oh hey... do you take walk in's? maybe tomorrow night!

By the time we got back and got dinner going it was close to nine. I called my momma and chatted with her. After the chat, Gia and I had a wonderful dinner (super cheap if you buy what you need in the local food mart. One hundred and fifty peso's will feed you for several days (that's like 7 dollars.

I think I'm gunna like it here!

PS- In the US we have ice cream trucks that go through neighborhoods. In Mexico you have people who walk, bike, or motorcycle with all types of locally sold items. The queso man goes around balancing a basket on his head with a speaker that says Queso over and over again! We will figure out what the rest is in coming days! But how cool to just walk outside your front door and get you some CHEESE! Yes Please!