November 10, 2004

Perfect Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres

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Clouds over Cancun

Although there are quite a few nice beaches around the island, Playa Norte is the best. If Isla Mujeres is shaped like a fish with nose pointed downwards, then Playa Norte is along the fan of the tail. The entire area around the "tail" is a shallow playground for water sports like boating and jet-skiing, and the SCUBA and snorkeling are great. Lots of fun stuff can be organized in town. The beach itself has the fine whiter sand found on most caribbean beaches. The water? Well we got pictures here so I don't need to tell you the water was clear and various shades of aquablue. Needless to say, it ranked high on her list of favorite beaches.

Liz at Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres

Island Critters

We apprehrended these starfish stationed just offshore. They were dressed in army camouflage and behaving like land mines. Luckily we didn't step on any. In the same area a gang of fish adopted us for about fifteen minutes, following us around and darting around our feet. They were incredibly playful.

Turtle Farm

On another adventure on the island we ducked into a turtle farm. Turtles in various stages of development dominated a series of large tanks. In one tank were tiny hatchlings, and in other ones were senior citizens. Mexico has a problem with poachers nabbing the eggs. An extract is perceived as an aphrodisiac. Demand has destroyed the population and nurseries like this are countering the trend, in tandem with a particularly controversial public awareness campaign featuring sexy models.

Crane

Along the way around the island one day we saw the magnificent clouds featured above, and then shortly afterward drove by a rather unique house shaped like a shell. In the photo, behind the house you can see some of the clouds from other photos.