Having gone to bed early on our final night on Isla, we awoke in time to watch the eastern sky show the first signs of morning light. With the cool Caribbean breeze blowing in our faces, we sat on our verandah, drinking the last of our coffee, watching the subtle pastels of red and blue develop into an elegant display of morning light.

We left the room early that morning in order to walk through the town and around the Naval Base before settling down to a table at M&J as Pedro opened the restaurant. Enjoying our final Isla meal that morning, we luxuriated in the cool sea breeze. I am really glad that M&J serves terrific breakfasts, because even if the food were mediocre, I would eat there solely because of the location. We said our good-byes to Pedro, promising to see him again in either the fall or next spring, and walked along the malecon and Playa Media Luna to Secreto.

We began the arduous task of packing, trying not to forget anything, and attempting to pack orderly enough to be able to include everything. I lugged our bags down to the front desk, settled our bill, and gave our coffee maker to Paola. She asked us when we would return, and I told her that we would probably return in the fall, but given the increase in prices, I was certain that we would not stay at Secreto again. It is a lovely hotel, and we enjoyed our stay there, but for us, the price just isn’t justified. We wished them all well, loaded our bags in a cab, and drove on to the ferry dock.

It was a perfectly beautiful day on Isla, just as everyday had been that first week of May. All of the bright colors seemed to flash by us as we focused on getting to the ferry. Our bags clicked and clanked on the warped boards of the dock as we pulled them up to the boat. The ferry crew helped us get everything on board and stowed, then we walked to the back and up the ladder to the upper deck.

We felt the ferry being pushed off the dock as the big diesel engines roared up to power. We leaned against the rail, watching off the stern as the bands of turquoise and blue flashed below us, and the sea sprayed on our backs as lovely La Isla became ever so smaller in the ferry’s wake.

I have never heard anyone returning from a vacation in Cancun refer to the pace of life there as being fast, but after having spent eight days on Isla, it was a culture shock to return to the relatively fast pace of the mainland. We felt stunned as the taxi sped on toward the airport, feeling as though this was the first step of our introduction back into the world. Walking into the airport was the next step in our acclimation. By the time that we were checked in and at the gate, we felt somewhat bewildered by the experience of having been “processed” after being so free on Isla.

Taking off from Cancun, peering out the window at the cloudy sky, we strained to see Isla one last time. As the plane continued to climb, we passed through a break in the clouds, and, for just a few seconds, there she was!!! glimmering like a jewel in a sea of turquoise. Ritsuko turned to me and smiled, then we sank down into our seats to sleep.

Nothing will bring a person back to reality like Chicago rush hour traffic. We made our way westward through the city in late rush hour, on our way toward home. My mind numbed by the shock of it all, still thinking of Isla as we drove on. Passing through Aurora on I-88, the sprawl of the city gives way to the farmland of the flat plains of northern Illinois. As we sped onward toward Iowa, the sun sank lower into the sky, which was set ablaze with vibrant hues of red and orange.

Driving into the sunset over the flat Illinois landscape that evening, I have to say that it was every bit as beautiful as any sunset that we saw on Isla. Perhaps the beauty of a sunset is really just a matter of perception, and that perception is just a manifestation of one’s own concept of reality. Maybe the true value of vacation such as the one which we just experienced is that it is a catalyst for us to get back in touch with our own inner peace, and our appreciation for the little things that are around us all the time which make life so beautiful.