The beauty of Isla Mujeres is that its name is so relevant centuries later. Only maybe it should be changed to Isla Mujeres de Frauleins. Perhaps I arrived during a particularly European vacation period, because there were people from all over. The Germans (majority), French, Italians, Swiss, and Japanese were all there and it really made for an interesting trip. And the female portion of the population was much greater than the male. This says something about this island…it’s a safe feeling place, safe enough that women of all ages sunbathe topless in spite of a few slobbering, knuckle-dragging guys who cruised the beach from dawn till dusk. Let me amend that. Eighty percent of the women were topless, and the rest were American. (Please, no letters focusing on sexism here: I’m only offering an observation!)

Getting to Isla is easy enough, even though you must come close enough to Cancun to be exposed to the skyline of generic “resorts” which line the twelve-mile spit of land that was the brain-child of a computer some twenty-two years ago. I remember it back then with its one hotel and a few fisherman shacks along the beach. (I’ll actually cover Cancun in a later issue…and try to show that you can go there and find charming in-town hotels to use as a stopping off spot while visiting the ruins and natural wonders of the Yucatan peninsula. But it won’t be easy.)

The Island Shuttle

The ferries from the mainland leave Puerto Juarez, just north of Cancun, every half hour and cost only a couple of dollars. There is a fast boat that takes twenty minutes and a slow boat that takes forty. If you are in no hurry you should take the slower one. The main reason for this is that you can sit outside, breathe fresh air, hang over the rail and look into the sea. It puts you in a better frame of mind for the ambience of the island. The fast boat has a blaring TV in a closed off air-conditioned room and curtains on the windows. I’d hate to be on it if it decided to sink with its two small doors for one-hundred people to escape from, many of whom would have been drinking since their plane departed from Miami.

The Island ShuffleDon’t go to Isla for all-night discos or majestic Mayan ruins. There are just a few things to do there, and most of them somehow include the use of a hammock. This is an extremely kick-back isle. For most of the visitors it’s early to bed and late to rise, only then to shuffle to a spot on the beach or a shady hammock.

If you really want to do something, I suggest renting a moto (scooter) and motoring to the south end of the island. The town is on the north end and the island is only five miles long by one-half mile wide. On the way you can stop and spend some time at Garrafon National Park for some snorkeling on the only coral reef close enough to reach without having a boat. However, you can’t actually swim over the reef. They have it roped off with buoys so all you can do is swim around the perimeter of the reef. And at most times of the day you’ll see as many people as you will fish, so try to get there early before the boats start arriving from the cultural Mecca across the way…Cancun.

I applaud the effort to try to save the reef from further destruction, but in truth, I think they may be a little late. There were some beautiful fish in the area, but I think the reef might be mostly dead. It had that color, or, I should say, “lack of.” It’s not a large reef, maybe half the size of a football field. After one trip around it I left the horde and went down the coastline along the rocks for several hundred yards. This was much more pleasant and I saw more fish. Only one other person was doing the same.

The park itself is a pleasant little self-contained place. You can eat, drink, buy souvenirs, rent equipment and a locker, and grab a place to lie or sit between swims. The entrance fee, locker and the snorkeling gear will run you about $6.00US. There are showers and restrooms on site as well. All in all, I had a pleasant half-day at Garrafon. It was the off-season, so it didn’t get too crowded, but I think it could during the high season.

There is also the east (windward) side of the island, which can have good snorkeling if the water is calm enough. This side is mostly rocky but the water can be pretty treacherous. The surge can throw you into the rocks before you know it. So unless you are very experienced, stick to the calm (lee) side . The west and north sides are calm and placid, perfect for a swim and a snorkel, but for the most part there is just sand. And fish don’t usually congregate in places devoid of food and protection. That white sand and turquoise blue sea is a beautiful sight but unless you find a reef or rocks, the diving is a bore.

As you moped down the island you will pass a couple of more beaches where you might want to spend some time. Playa Pescador and Playa Lancheros are fine little spots with palapa restaurants for food and drink, but looking across to the west, the few miles to the mainland, you see the growing theme park of Cancun. And suddenly you lose that feeling of being remote, away from it all. Time to go find that hammock and a beverage! By the way, while swinging in that hammock, have a copy of the book Don’t Stop the Carnival (Herman Wouk) with you. Although it is set on a fictional Caribbean island with a primarily black population (I think St. Croix was the model), its a great read about third-world island life. It is poignant, funny and engrossing novel. I have heard that Wouk and Jimmy Buffett are working on a play based on the book.

If you get real energetic, scuba diving and deep-sea fishing trips can be arranged at several places in town and near the marina where the ferry arrives. This town is real small, five blocks by ten blocks, so you’ll have no problem finding the services you want.

You may have heard about the cave dwelling, sleeping sharks of Mujeres that were discovered by a local diver ten or fifteen years ago. If you have a fondness for being in a cave with large creatures that could potentially eat you (no, not your city council), then you might want to contract with one of the dive shops to take you. Not being real keen on sharks, I passed on this adventure.

The other two major tourist attractions on Isla are a pile of rocks and a house. The rocks are at the very south tip by the lighthouse and are actually a Maya temple…or at least it was until Hurricane Gilbert blew through in 1988, pretty much destroying what little there was to the site. The rocks have been somewhat reconstructed, but this is no Tikal. It does provide a nice view of the sea, which I believe is why it was built in the first place, as an observation point for the ancient Maya.

The house is called Mundaca, named after the slave-trader who built it in the early 1800’s when he wasn’t dealing in human flesh in Cuba and Belize (formerly British Honduras). If you are touring the island you should stop by for a look. It won’t take long and spending all day in a hammock probably isn’t a good idea. Although I’m not sure why.