End of Tooosday

Nady’s Hair and the Running Purse...among other things...

Everyone has this classic pose of their feet. Here's my version.

I look like I'm uncomfortable. I was. Baby palm tree stuck up my butt. Moved over a slice and all is well in my twisted little world.

Bathroom break or cold water? You decide as the story continues...

Here comes the Hair Braiding Lady, Bonita (yeah, I asked her name) I ask if she speaks English, she says yes. Smarty pants that I am pointed to my head of dreadlocks and said, “I want you to braid this and put some shells in it!” She looks at me in astonishment and shrugs her shoulders. We all have a good laugh and point to Nady saying she’s the one who wants her hair done. “Whew” said Bonita. Nady lights up like a Christmas tree. Kodi & I are to split the cost of Nady getting her hair braided – about $35US – this includes shells and flowers and tip.

Bonita pulls out a photo book with various hair styles for Nady to choose from.

Nady: What a happy dilemma to have.

Bonita: Anything you want, I can do even if it isn’t in the book.

Catz: How long will this take?

Bonita: Dirty minutes to wun hour (hey that’s her accent).

Choice made. Braids at an angle, front only, blue and clear beads with shells on one braid behind left ear (Nady sleeps on her right side – method to the madness!) Let the pain begin.

Here comes some young dudes passing out paper slips – we snag a few. It’s an invitation to The Dirty Bastard Club on Hidalgo. They are having a St. Patrick’s Day Party. Best dressed lady in Green wins free drinks. We think it might be worth a look. But if we have to dress like the lady on the cover , just wearing pasties, we’re gonna lose big time!! We’d already decided to hit Miguel’s Moon Lite first thing tomorrow night so now it seems we will have two stops to get our drink on!!

While we’re chatting and watching Nady get her hair done, Bonita starts laughing…while she’s looking at me…cuz there are two trolls sticking out of my swimsuit!! She’s not the only one laughing. Those passing by would point, shoot a pic and snicker as they see my trolls tanning like their owner. Hey, isn’t this the norm? In my twisted little world it is! Bonita said in her country (below Belize), Troll Dolls are symbols of good luck. Everyone tries to find these little dolls to put in their houses near the front doors to keep luck coming in. Guess I’m a lucky chick! I couldn’t part with my two trolls this trip, it’s their first time on Isla Mujeres and the fun has just started. Seems I need to bring a few more of my trolls that I don’t mind parting with to the island. (Got over thirty of these lucky things in my office).

Catz: Here’s a dime, hold the phone, give me a biscuit cuz my butter has melted - - -would...you... look… at…THAT!!

Nady: What, where? Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Jackie: Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice!

Kodi: I’m in love!

Here comes a good looking young man dressed in white with his long curly black hair under a straw hat. He’s passing out slips of paper just like the young guys earlier. This is to The She Bar Night Club, also on Hidalgo.

Kodi: I second that emotion!

Jackie: Smiling

Kodi to the Bronze god walking by: Well, Hola to you.

Bronze god walking by to Kodi: My, My, Hola (and a wink)

Catz to the Bronze god walking by: Hooooooooolaaaa (with a growl)

Bronze god walking by to Catz: Hola to you (with a smile)

Nady to the Bronze god walking by: See you tomorrow night

Bronze god walking by to Nady: Yes!

Jackie: smiling (she is so subtle - don’t let those quiet ones fool you)

Catz to the ladies: we are DEFINITELY going there!!!!!!

Nady: Hell to the yeah!

Our composure back in place...................

Here comes a preteen with a bucket of water…heading my way….hey….she’s watering the new coconut trees that my gear is next to. The gentleman behind us to the right is also watering the new trees. Find out that he and his family are from France for a MONTH LONG vacation while their eldest son is taking classes here on the island…some sort of exchange student training kind of thing. Kodi knows more about it than I do. His wife comes over to say hello and that she is sad that they leave tomorrow night. They have been watering these trees since they’ve been here. They so love this island and the people and hope to come back next year. Who wouldn’t for a month! Must be nice. I officially dubbed them Islaholics. The husband thought that was hilarious. He started asking us questions to find out where we were from. He figured “down south” but couldn’t place Texas.

French Man: I thought Texans had a longer drawl!

Kodi: in her best country drawl - - Depends on how deep in the heart of Texas you are from!

Catz/Nady/Jackie: teeeeee heeeeeeeeee teeeeeeeeeeee heeeeeeeeee

Jackie , Nady and I decide we should head back into the water to cool off a bit when we hear a loud THUNK!!! It’s a brown coconut that has just fallen off the tree.

Kodi: I’ve got my coconut!!!

Nady: Could have been on top of your head!

Catz: See? Death by Coconut Averted

Jackie: laughing

Time is passing, folks are getting their last swim in the water and Nady is getting the beads and shells added to her hair. LOVELY, just lovely. Well worth the time, cost and conversation with Bonita. Bonita said it was a good day, she’s done over fifteen heads today….doing the math at here $675 pesos. Hope she gets to keep all the money.

We’re up and taking photos of the New Nady and she is beaming. We hug and kiss Bonita and wish her the best. I hope to see her again to give her one of my trolls.

Enjoying the last few moments before our chairs are whisked from us, we notice this dude teaching a young lady how to swing fire sticks and ropes. Kodi was fascinated. They looked like street performers to me – maybe we would see them later tonight or this week. Tickled me – they were both the same size and shape, same hair only she had a bikini top on. Weird huh!

The sun is descending, the beach is becoming deserted and it’s five o’clock somewhere – hey, right here. Last photos of our place in the sand we pack it up and head home to shower and come back down for dinner. It was a fabulous day on the beach, our first and only time on North Beach this vacation. Whut up wit dat? We were busy doing other things…you know how it is, so much to do so little time.

Making our way towards the golf cart, my Chicas are all smiles. Mission number three for the day accomplished. Oh, let you in on the plan? Delicious meal – shopping with Hortencia – beach time – dinner time – party time!

Just before we drive past the cemetery and Privilege Aluxes, we see Raquel in her van coming the other direction. We wave – but she’s flagging us down. I kid you not, this lovely woman jumps out of her van, leaves it RUNNING with the door wide open in the middle of the street, runs towards us and tells us we left a curtain open but the house is locked up, she will be in Cancun tomorrow and she is happy to see we are having a good time. We give her hugs and watch her run back to her car, GIANT purse swinging on her arm and she’s off. All this in forty seconds or less! We’re off too…next stop Hilarityville. Have you ever? Never! Now we have. More laughter and we take the long way home.

We make it home, have long bano breaks and even longer showers!! Truth be told, right?

The sun has already disappeared for the other side of the world to enjoy. Primping and preening and photo taking done, we get back into the groove and head towards town. Now when we do this round of in town, outta town, in town, outta town kinda thing, I wish we would have taken a house closer to town but that would have been an all too different vacation. The ladies are scared to drive tonight – the memory of last night is still too fresh (dead golf cart and a strange, but wonderful man escorting (shoving is more like it) us home! No worries, its Apache’s cart. We’ll be fine. Oh, it’s a bit chilly; we all go back for our jackets. Now we’ll be fine.

And we were.

Road to town uneventful.

Place to park – La Pena or the end of Hidalgo?

Where to eat? Let’s walk.

We headed up Hidalgo from the town square and walked up and read just about all the menus on the right. Spot The Dirty Bastard Club (got an invite to come barely dressed remember?), CoMono was busy as well as Miguel’s. Nady and Jackie were up front calling back the names of places and I gave commentary. Amigo’s great Mortelenos for breakfast, none of us wanted pizza!! Cool Ice Cream, rich and delicious – lets have dinner first. Sancochos, now they have killer margaritas, the food is good too! Bamboo – pricey but good, we walked on. We turned around and read all the menus on the left. Fredy’s wasn’t open, La Guadalupena didn’t have a soul, there’s The She Bar – oh that looks like a swinging place, Faynes is doing a good bit of business The Taco Bar was busy.

this photo courtesy of Kodi

And that is where I saw someone I knew as we strolled by The Tequila Bar. Guerrmo (William)…my favorite flirty waiter from La Guadalupena. I met him on my first girl’s trip in 2006 with Laurie and Stephanie. I make eye contact with him; he cocks his head to the side; I call his name; he smiles and gives me the biggest hug and kiss, right in front of everyone. Like I’m the blushing kind right? His co-workers asked who is the senorita?

Guerrmo: Kit Cat, my Amiga de hace años!! (my friend from years ago)

Catz: Te acordaste (you remember)! Yeah I speak a little Spanish – think that was the extent of my repertoire!

I ask about his baby who should be a toddler by now – a girl, almost four, can’t remember her name but said I was happy for him. He was surprised I remembered that much!! And I was glad we continued our conversation in English!

Another hug and kiss and we move on.

Nady: Damn Girl, you do know people!!

Kodi: Did you doubt?

Jackie: Thought you couldn’t speak Spanish?

Catz: tee hee

White guy in white shirt in front of Bucanneros caught our eye the first time we strolled past – muscular, bad boy grin, Chinese shaped eyes, but nice enough. He caught us on the second round and said “Free Margaritas to the Ladies if we dine here” and gave us cards that stated so. He was really into Jackie, I mean REALLY! I read the fine print on the back, snubbed my nose but majority rules in this group. So we head inside, take a seat and whew – it’s warm in here and no action going on. It took a while for anyone to recognize there were four hot chicks in their establishment (two meanings there). Kodi got someone’s attention; nice enough until we passed our free drinks card then she became The Snotty Lady.

Snotty Lady: You have to spend $12.00US each to get the free drink.

Jackie in Spanish to Snotty Lady: the guy outside said free margarita to the ladies

Snotty Lady: You should read the fine print!

Catz: Hold me back Kodi!

Kodi: Only if you hold me first!!

We read the menu and decide there was nothing worth twelve bucks on the menu. We gather our stuff to leave; Snotty Lady spots us and says, “I give you free drinks.”

Kodi: And we want to move outside.

Snotty Lady: FINE.

I have my camera as a witness to whatever happens next!!

We get seated outside. My taste buds detect an absence of liquor. Just mix. Which to my system means a raging headache if I drink it so I gave mine to Nady. Ha ha ha ha – bad girl, bad girl!! I look for the Dude in the White Shirt, make eye contact and call him over, small talk and situation explained, he apologized , said he was only doing his job.

Catz: What’s your name?

Allan: Allan. Two ells, two aeys, one en.

Catz: My job Allan is to have a good time and because you have a nice smile, I won’t hurt you.

Allan: laughed so hard he choked.

From that moment on, we had a friend, bouncer, amigo for life. Introduced everyone, watching his eyes linger on Jackie. (Jackie likes her men dark. Allan is a thousand shades too light.) So, we let Allan get on with his job, we watch the action on the street and order.

I order Lime Soup and Chicken Mole, Nady: Chorizo Tacos, Jackie: Beef Tacos, Kodi: Mixto Ceveiche and of course a round of Guacamole.

While we dine, Allan tells us he fell in love with Isla Mujeres and decided to move here permanently. He works at Buc’s for free room and board, draws a small paycheck, doesn’t work on Tuesday, which is his beach day and loves his life. He has a business in the states that friends are running for him so it’s not like he’s hurting for cash. He has a 17 yr. old daughter in the states (lives with Mom) who thinks he has lost his mind and is a single man (as he shifts his gaze to Jackie, who ignores him every so daintily).

Paid our tab to which the soup was bland but the Mole ROCKED MY WORLD!! The Ceveche was nice, Kodi barely touched it so we finished it for her, Nady & Jackie both liked their tacos and they said the drinks were so-so. (Guess which three had a slight headache later that evening?) We shook hands with Allan and we’re off to shop! My ladies love to shop and since we’re on a mission to buy something silver, I’m leading the pack!

We fend off waiters asking us to dine with them; various shop owners call us in but we head down a street where OM is. I spy with my brown eyes a silver shop and a guy with FABULOUS eyebrows having dinner behind the counter. We apologize for interrupting his dinner – he says “its okay – come shop, there is something here for jew.” He had a thick accent, not making fun of him, not my style, at least on this report.

Everything we touch he says, “Jess, that look good on jew!” Never missing a beat eating his chicken enchiladas, red rice and guacamole salad, he keeps his eyes on us, looking for a sale. Kodi falls in love with a silver bracelet (although she told us doesn’t wear them) she had to have it. A deal cut and for thirty five bucks it was hers. I found a green bone ring (covers half my finger) that called my name after being told “jess that look good on jew!” Fifteen and it was on display on my right hand. Jackie found a bracelet as well. For thirty and it was on her arm. Nady didn’t find anything she had to have so we continued our search. I told Nady of a place where they had a wider selection of silver rings two blocks over, the first place Kodi and I visited on Sunday. Oh a happy time was spent in that shop, haggling all the while. Kodi went back to the shoes she spotted days ago, they wouldn’t come down on the price so they remained there. Nady had a time deciding between two rings. I suggested pick the one she thinks that if she didn’t get it, it would cross her mind quite a bit. She won’t take that ring off now. It was made for her. Twenty two bucks later, it has become her favorite piece of jewelry. We hit a few more places just to be doing something get the giggles as we walk around town.
We took pictures of each other’s jewelry in town square, signs and logos on buildings

The best part was the giant hot tub parked on the corner. Nady said that should be parked and in use at The Shell House. We couldn’t help but agree. Seems the entire Naval Base could fit in there. Now I was minding my own business when Kodi suggested everyone get inside for a picture. I took their photos and the best one was when they tried to get out of it. Such a racket – the thing almost fell over with Kodi and Nady inside!! Jackie had already done a Houdini and I was bent over double!! My side still aches thinking about it. Praise the Lord we didn’t get busted and a bigger praise that the hot tub didn’t break!! Period!!

With that last bit of fun we decide it’s time to party at the house! Chilly ride back to the house with a slight drizzle. Hmmm, gonna rain tomorrow. That’s ok; we could do with sleeping a bit late tomorrow.

We have tons of munchies we need to start devouring so Nady grabs the purple wrapper called Sponch. Marshmallows on a cookie. She loves them. Jackie and I were snacking on chips and hot sauce.

Kodi is determined to get into that coconut. All we have on hand is a blunt knife and away she goes. I have a small first aid kit standing at the ready. She works on that thing for a while and only breaks one side of the outer covering. Gotta get a better knife or machete tomorrow or there will be hell to pay.

By this time Kodi is getting frustrated with the coconut which gets tossed aside. Kodi goes “Hmmmmmm” hunts for the rum and cuts into the pineapple we bought earlier. Sounds like a cocktail in the making to me. Chop, chop, slice, slice, whirr, whirr, a giant batch of blow your mind Pineapple Rum.

Push doubt from your mind. We four idiots finished all but one eighth of that blender of Pineapple Rum, I added tequila to mine. We laughed, lied, spewed drinks from our mouths when the talk got rowdy, drank and laughed some more. Don’t even ask me what time we stumbled to bed. Let’s just say we slept like babies til morning came around.