The Island of Women

Isla Mujeres means Island of Women and I had heard great things about it from some of the people staying in Tulum. It got its name from the conquistadors who, when they arrived on the island, saw many depictions of the Mayan moon goddess. This led them to believe the island was a shrine for women.

The tourism network in Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula especially, is very well setup. A bus was on hand within 20 minutes of me purchasing a ticket at the Tulum terminal and within 2 hours I was in Cancun and in a taxi to a ferry where I only waited 10 minutes before boarding a massive catamaran that took just 20 minutes to reach the island. We crossed over perfect turquoise ocean and I could feel I would like this place.

The Cancun Port

Incredible blue ocean

Once we had all disembarked I got in a cab to Pocna hostel and checked in. The place is setup as an expansive sort of Mediterranean villa. The dorms were spartan but spacious, clean and well ventilated by fans... all you need really. After getting my affairs in order I joined in a beach volleyball game with some of the other guests. It was pretty awesome playing as the sun went down. Everybody was very friendly and I met some fun and interesting people. Later that evening the hostel bar opened and everybody wandered down for some cheap cocktails and good music.

Benedict Meissner (Ger) going up to spike the ball

In the morning I meandered through the town and ended up at Playa Norte (North Beach). I chillaxed in the intense heat for a while trying to keep out of the harsh sun as much as possible. People had been remarking how tanned my feet were (???) so I thought I needed to tone down the tan a bit. The swimming on the beach area was brilliant. The water was clear, calm and with white white sand. I cooked in the sun for a while before getting a small bit of reading done followed by a power nap. Upon awakening it was time to start beach volleyball again! The players were always a mixed bunch. Some people were really good so we needed to keep the teams balanced most of the time. I began to realise that not much happens on the island and most socialising is done right in the hostel. So just I hung out with a bunch of cool people from all over the globe.

For the sake of my departed Norwegian friends

Playa Norte

In the morning, the routine kicked in again. Beach was followed by lunch back at the hostel and then I watched South Africa play Brazil in the Confed cup. Julia (Brazil) was watching with me and there was much sniping going on throughout the game until Daniel Alvez scored a lucky goal right at the death! Oh well, I guess nobody fancied Bafana Bafana`s chances against the Brazilians.

Sporting the colours. Julia (Brazil) is on the right

That evening after a brief session of volleyball, John (Eng), Nin (Eng) and myself went to the beach to watch the sunset and enjoy a few Coronas. It was yet again another party night at the hostel but I kept it pretty relaxed. Hedonism can catch up with you! John and I also found a dead lizard in our dorm that looked like it had been mauled by a cat and unceremoniously dumped in the middle of our floor.

The island hasn`t escaped the "resortification" that is typical of Cancun. However it is not nearly as severe

Dead lizard

My last day on the island was spent watching movies, relaxing and reading. John and I played a few games of chess and I am proud to have won 3-2. The bar, as always, was where we ended up chatting to people. Scott (Aus) supplied his Hubbly-bubbly which made him an instant attraction for just about everybody.

John trying to out-psyche me with a piercing glare

Enjoying Hubbly-bubbly on the beach

We had now decided to head into Cancun for a Saturday night party at the famous CoCoBONGO nightclub. We packed up our bags and took the ferry back Cancun.