Slept in today – I think I feel a cold coming on – Drat!! No breakfast – Mayan Sacrifice from last night did so with our appetites. Go over to Chris’ DigaMe to dump my camera on a CD (yes, again!) Hey! Where’s my lenscap? Dig through my bag, nada. Hmmmm, must have fallen off somewhere. Tim phones his dad to wish him a happy birthday, no answer… we’ll have to try him later.

Meet up with Roy, go to Ciro’s and get a golf cart for $40 9-5. While we’re waiting, I’m admiring a pretty parrot in a cage in the alley. One of the workers puts him on my arm & I’m loving it, but he’s not – he hops back onto the stick provided for his transport. The fellow motions to me to follow him to look at more birds. I’m amazed that he’s got 3 cardinals in cages! I told him that I thought they were native to North America, but he tells me they’re from Guatemala! Hmmm – learn something new every day!

Our cart is ready!! Brand spankin’ new out of the box, it seems, peppy & big knobby tires. Roy drives, and we’re off!! This cart must have a hemi – it’s quick!! We’re heading south and soon bouncing over the topos at full speed, each time I let out a scream and thank God that I’m short, otherwise I’m sure I’d have been provided with a golf cart roof lobotomy! Tim’s sitting in the back taking video – can’t wait to see this when we get home – I’m sure it’ll provide a good case of motion sickness when we watch it! The scenery along the way is fabulous… the marina, the colonias. Roy points out the chi-chi bar he visited the other night (what?? Here on Isla???)

We stop at Garrafon for some pictures. A cruise ship is anchored out aways, probably letting passengers enjoy a day on Isla. Today is the first day of our trip that the dreaded Norte is not blowing. Beautiful, sunny, warm and barely a cloud to be seen – figures, we’re going home tomorrow!

Hop back on, head to Punta Sur…. See so many things along the way that I’ve read about on the board… hey, there’s El Pueblito!! Hey, there’s Casa de los Suenos!! I just love the colors on Isla, they make me smile!

Arrive at Punta Sur in one piece, check out what the vendors have to offer, look at the iguanas then head for the lighthouse for some pictures. My thighs are screaming out for a new owner during the climb – after a week of 3 flights at the Francis Arlene a bajillion times a day, and now the torture of the lighthouse, they want out!! Wow, what a view! Looking south, the statues look like toys… looking north, I see the pretty blue paint of Big Jim’s house, off to the left, I’m pretty sure I see Karyn & Phil’s just above the shell house… I feel an amazing sense of familiarity with this place – could it be that I’m meant to be here?

Climb back down, wind down the paths among the statues (for lack of a better word) to what remains of the temple. Somewhere along the way, Tim lets out a yell – earlier in the week when he was moving the suitcases around in our room, he dragged mine across his big toe and almost ripped the nail clean off – split in I don’t know how many places, down past the quick and bleeding. It appears now that he’s tripped over a branch of sorts and re-injured the wound…. OUCH!!!

Breathtaking views with waves bashing the cliffs full throttle – magnificent!! We take the path down and around the cliffs and I am just awestruck. Words cannot describe the beauty that mother nature has carved here. Reminds me of the beauty of Cayman Brac, a day trip I had done a few years ago when I was vacationing in Grand Cayman Island. Snap, snap, snap, snap and then some. My batteries are dying and I have to switch. New batteries aren’t much help. Camera’s freezing on shutter realease. Dammit!!! I bought lots o batteries cheap cheap cheap in the dollar store before we left. Note to self: don’t buy batteries in the dollar store!! Unload the good batteries from the video camera and load to the digital. Good! But now there’s no more video. Flog thyself upon return to room!

We complete the path and make our way back to the golf cart. I could have stayed here all day, parked in one of the pathside palapa chairs! This is something we must do when we return.

On the way out, we buy an ice cream cone from the vendor in the driveway. More like sherbet, it’s absolutely devine! We chose a combo of coconut, lime and strawberry – can you say delicious? That whets our appetites, and famished from our walk, we drive over to Playa Tiburon for another Tic n Xic fix.

Order cervesas, Tic n Xic for me & Roy, Tim orders the beef tacos. We just sit enjoying the view. A pelican swoops in close to shore to have some lunch – he slams his bill into the water then lifts it to the sky smacking away. A seagull joins him & tries to steal a bit from him… WHACK! With the bill…. Amazing, the entertainment that nature provides if you just take a minute to pay attention! I stroll down to the water to wade a bit and cool off – it is quite warm sitting in the sun! The water’s delightful, and I see why the pelican has chosen this spot for lunch…. Hundreds of little minnows schooling about in calf-deep water! I walk up the pier to see if I can spot the nurse shark in the pen. Ah, there he is! A young couple is standing next to me, and the Mr. of the two is trying to convince the Ms to go in & swim with it – she’s not buying it! I try to convince her that it’s fun and harmless – I did it on our last visit to Isla – she’s still not buying it. As I’m walking away, they’re arguing a bit about it and I’m just laughing to myself.

Back at the table, I tell Tim & Roy about the shark and that they should go take a look. They inform me that had they had a set of boobs, they probably could have. I didn’t notice, but as I was snapping pictures they started up the dock to take a gander and were promptly met by a gentleman that told them it would cost them $10 apiece to take a look! I laugh & thank my boobs for the free photo op!! It also appears they’d been admiring the Ms of the couple on the dock – she’s quite well endowed and the drool now needs mopping from their faces as she passes our table to take a look at what the vendor alongside us has to offer… men!

Another young couple appears & is scanning the beach for a spot to relax. I think they’re German from the snippets of conversation I hear. This Mr has quite the physique, but is sporting a Speedo… again, why, baby Jesus, why???? As I’m trying to pixel-ate the Speedo out of my view, I notice that he’s got a most artistic shave job on his chest – I’ve never seen anything like it!! We’re all pretty much staring at this point… he’s quite hairy & someone’s been quite creative, turning his chest into the face of an owl with a razor!! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a photo dammit, because there just wasn’t an opportunity to do so discreetly!! You’ll just have to use your imaginations on this one!

Food arrives & once again is OHMYGODDELICIOUS!!! Roy cannot get enough of the fish and Tim’s quite happy with his tacos, with the exception of the peppers, which he picks off before tearing through his dish! Roy’s hooked (no pun intended) on Tic n Xic. There’s nothing left but the fish’s mouth when we’re through. I hear a meow nearby & there’s an adorable tabby cat that reminds me of my Gumbo (6 year old 30 lb-er back home) asking for handouts at the table behind us. Grab my camera and a couple of scraps and go over for a kitty fix. He’s loving it and soon has one of the ladies at the table fork feeding him!! She’s a cat lover as well, also missing her babies back home. Too funny – this guy is a totally spoiled brat!!

La cuenta por favor & we’re off… time to find Karyn & Phil’s. We stop along the way so that I can get pictures of the fake “ruins” on the side of the road just beyond Punta Sur….

Who should be coming along, but Karyn & Phil!! They were heading out for some lunch (it was almost 4:00!), they were starving, as they’d been slaving away all day at the house trying to get things in order for their first party tomorrow. Phil offers to turn around and go back to show us the house – I feel awful about this because I know how hard they’ve been working and they’re famished, but he says “come on, let’s off-road it a bit!” Thank God our golf cart was peppy & we had the big off-road tires! The bumps along the way made the topos look like anthills! I can see the turret of the house on the horizon –scaffolding all around & men working on the final roof tiles.

We round the corner, and oh my God – it is magnificent!! It was so totally cool to be standing and seeing in person this project I’d been following on the internet for months now! A man was working inside, finishing up the staircase, so we had to tiptoe around him while we got the tour. I am just so thrilled for them – it is lovely beyond words. Karyn’s Tiffany fixture in the foyer is breathtaking! Amazing how it made it’s way from Germany to the UK, then to Isla without a scratch! The view from the window above the kitchen sink is like a dream – the top of the shell house and that beautiful sea. I’m thinking I’d love to be doing the dishes right here! Their dining terrace is also incredible with the same magnificent view. Karyn shows me some of the artwork she’s lugged over from home – I just love the butterfly painting for the hallway and the hibiscus trio for the bedroom. She’s got fabulous taste! We’re talking girl talk about curtains and curtain rods while the guys are beating their chests discussing electrical wiring and water tanks!

OK, let’s let them go get some food! We stand out front and chat a bit more around the golf carts, hearing about the tons of gravel they have arriving the next morning that will need to be spread before the guests begin arriving at 4:00! Their stamina is just mind boggling! We leave them off with our “Bill with the sh*t-eating grin” story that couldn’t be told over breakfast the other morning & we’re just howling!! I’m sure it’s a story they’ll probably never forget… lots of laughs! Hugs & kisses all around, and if we don’t see you, have a wonderful party & safe trip home!

Heading back to town, more sights of things memorized from the board – Villa las Brisas is magnificent, as well as the Punta Piedra properties… so many things I can’t wait to come back to. The sadness of leaving is starting to overtake me…. Suddenly a thought hits me! Wanna stay another day??? (devilish grin and winka winka gets full attention here!) Grins all around.

We return the golf cart & I run up to the room to find our itinerary so I can try and change our flight out to Saturday. Panic hits me when all I’ve got is the last page!! It dawns on me that the girl at the checkin counter at Laguardia didn’t give the previous page back to me and it had our first departure leg on it!!! Oh, sh*t!! How do I change a flight when I don’t have the flight number, nor do I remember what time our flight is!! Run back downstairs & Roy says he thinks he has his. He goes back to the Hostel to find it, Tim & I go over to DigaMe to try and call dad again and I can try to log onto Spirit Airways to find our flight. Great – they need my reservation number to log in. That’s on my itinerary that I don’t have anymore. Roy’s doesn’t help me. It won’t search by just my name. Now what?

Try to call Cancun airport, it just rings & rings. Tim hangs up from dad & he’s grinning… dad had a cancer scare last summer, and little things in life now touch him like they never did before. He was so thrilled that Tim called from Mexico to wish him a happy birthday that he was getting choked up! Best spent 25 pesos of the trip!

I ask Chris’ helper where the nearest travel agency is – it’s now 4:30 and I’ve got to do something before everyone closes! He points me in the direction of Mundaca Travel on Hidalgo. Tim waits at DigaMe for Roy while I run over there. Young lady hears my story and gets on the phone – a little more difficult with no flight number but still do-able. After about a half hour, Roy & Tim finally appear with the itinerary. PHEW!! OK, things start moving along. Girl puts aside phone & tells us we can switch our flight for just $25 each. YES YES YES DO IT!!!!

But first…. She needs to fax a copy of my driver’s license and credit card to the airline. Great, they’re both locked up in the room. Run back, my thighs tell me they’re divorcing me the minute we get home…. I ask the front desk if we can stay one more day, YES WE CAN!!! I’m so excited by now I can hardly breathe! Back to Mundaca’s, copies made & faxed, just need to wait a couple of minutes. Karyn & Phil come by & we tell them the good news! Cheers all around!! Sunset’s approaching and it looks like we’re gonna miss it, but that’s ok, we’ll see it tomorrow.

NOT!!! After another half hour or so, travel agent, who’s been on hold all this time says into the phone “Si?” ahhhh…. She puts the phone to her chest and says “I’m sorry, the price is different – there’s an additional tariff of $186 for Tim & I and $108 for Roy”….. ummmm…… NO. Dammit!! All that for nothing… not really, more on that later. Oh well, we missed our last sunset and I feel tears coming on.

Roy goes off to do his thing and we head back to our room with long faces and slow paces. Tell the front desk guy we won’t be staying after all and he says I’m so sorry – very sincerely – he looked as sad as we must have. Back up the stairs, do what we gotta do… start packing, shower and get ready for dinner. All of this in sad silence.

We head out for our last night on Isla. So many things we still wanted to do, where to eat – we’ve go to do our gift & memory shopping… we stroll all the shops that caught our eyes earlier in the week to buy the treasures we spotted… everyone wants us to come in and look around! Darkness has fallen, making it seem sadder. Stop at a little shop with one of the sweetest little girls sitting on her mom’s lap in the doorway. Give her a coloring book & crayons and a kiss. Gracias amiga. I’m going to miss that. Stop in a shop two doors down and Tim tells me to turn around and look – precious little one was already happily coloring away.

Buy a couple of things, keep walking, and here comes Karyn & Phil again – they’re tooling up the street on their golf cart toting two lovely end tables. We tell them the sad news and they pull over for a smoke and some last minute chatting. Hugs and kisses and goodbyes. This time I feel the tears wanting to gush. As we watch them drive away, silent tears roll down my cheeks. Stop it. We’ll be back in June. Deep breath, get walking.

An amazing dog laying on a shop stoop catches my eye. He’s all white with a few black spots on his body and his face is perfectly divided in half, one side black, the other white! I’ve never seen anything like it – just like a masquerade mask!! Shopkeeper tells me his name is Eclipse! But of course!! I raise my camera to snap a picture and shopkeeper says $1 for the photo – I ask if I buy from him, will it be free? Si. We go in and pick up some great treasures. One of my favorites is a painting of Don Quixote like I’ve never seen. A portrait made up of lots of hidden items – I can’t begin to describe it, so I’ve taken a picture.... There were many others like this – images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, Mona Lisa and others. It was so hard to decide on which one!! We’ll definitely return to buy another. After 5 or 6 selections, we bargain, I’m happy with the bottom line, and we continue on.

Stop at a few more shops and we’re done. Head back to the room to unload, then back out for dinner after a cold one on our terrace. Menu shop on Hidalgo and decide on Angelo’s for our last meal. I choose “The Russian” – linguine in a crème sauce with diced smoked salmon and a dollop of caviar in the center (sorry, I mixed in the caviar before I took the picture! Brain fart!!) I was starving!! Tim picks the Italian sausage pizza. We snacked on fresh mozzarella with basil & tomato – YUMMY!! We were not disappointed with our choices – they were magnificent!! We’ll definitely return here! As we’re finishing up, an adorable “cow cat” (black & white spots) comes cozying up to my legs. I share some of my leftover bits of salmon & sauce & pasta with her – she agrees that it was a good choice!

Get our check and start to stroll down Hidalgo. As we pass Fayne’s and Bamboo, we see my salsa partner from the other night (Hector) We say our goodbyes and exchange a big hug and continue on.

Next we see Jorge from Sergio’s stopped on his scooter and talking with friends. He tells me I left my lens cap and a pack of cigarettes on the bar last night! Ah, good ‘ole Mayan Sacrifice mind eraser!! He says he put them away under the bar. We laugh about it, hugs and kisses again – see you in June! Make our way down to Sergio’s to retrieve my stuff and have a last Cervesa. We’re the only ones there. After some small talk with the bartender, swinging & listening to the waves, it’s time to take one last stroll through Hidalgo before we head back to the room.

We spot Tiffany at Bamboos with some friends, have a beer, chat a bit, more hugs & kisses and see you in Junes – sad to learn she won’t be there when we return ….. Roy walks by, says hi & he’s off for his final adventure – we plan to meet at our room in the morning. Buy some beers at the mini super and climb up to the room to finish packing.

Out to the terrace with our favorite Mexican classic rock station, the moon, the stars and our cervesas. What a beautiful night…. We talk about the week and how much fun we’ve had. Although the weather wasn’t perfect, we had a wonderful time – all the new friends we’ve made, special bonds that will last a lifetime…. Getting sleepy, I set the alarm for the first time this week and we sadly call it a night.

Ni-nite my honey baby…. Ni-nite, my love…..

Stay tuned for the next installment… Will that dad-blasted painted feather store be open tomorrow and the evil ferry rips us from Isla.