After nine years together, Eva and I decided to celebrate with a trip for two to an island not too far away. As the crow flies, Isla Holbox (pronounced "whole bosch") would be about a half hour by plane, but we were driving and Quintana Roo (our neighboring state in the Yucatan peninsula) does not make that easy. We took the cuota (toll road) for a little over an hour to Valladolid and then had to get on the libre (free) road filled with topes (speed bumps) and small towns, then onto smaller routes, and finally onto unpaved road. Apparently, the contracts for three main routes in Quintana Roo were bid out before Wilma came to the area and all contracts were awarded, no surprise here, to a friend of a politician in charge of the roads. His crews had begun to dismantle the roads down to the rock, but before they could repave them, the hurricane hit and all bets were off. Now, a year and a half after Wilma left the area, there are few signs of road work, so you literally drive on pitted rock roads at a snail’s pace for much of the trip north of Valladolid-- not so hairy as our drive to San Cristobal in Chiapis (see earlier posts and pictures), but eerily familiar in terms of road hazards.
However, after about 4½ hours on the road, we made it to the ferry at Chiquila. Almost hourly, a ferry leaves for the island and costs 40 pesos or about 40 cents per person. Not being overly thrifty ourselves and feeling we deserved a break after our harrowing drive, we chose not to wait and hired a private launch to take us across the Yalahua lagoon for 200 pesos or about $18US. Much faster and easier, we thought.
We were met by a taxi which took us to the hotel we had booked online named Xaloc (shay-lock with the accent on the second syllable). This is a collection of thatched-roof huts with king beds and baths inside situated around a small swimming pool and right on the beach. Very quiet and comfy, we thought.
The water is shallow for meters heading away from land and then there’s a sandbar and then the Gulf begins. The water is stunning – like the Caribbean but greener, clear, and pristine over that lovely sandy bottom. There is a perfect, white, soft-sanded beach there for walking or swimming, but the thrill seemed to be kite-surfing, which we loved watching but could not imagine trying. Just what you might think -- putting your feet into stirrups hooked onto a boogie-board sized thin sheet of wood and hanging on for dear life to a kite suspended high above that you control with your arms should you choose to change directions. This shallow coast line with windy afternoons is perfect for this sport!
There is a picture in the web album that shows an aerial view of the island, and kite surfing, too, but really only a small portion at the right side of the picture is inhabited. The point at the bottom is called Mosquito Point which is a great spot for gathering shells, but only accessible by boat. At the top side is the lagoon that we traveled across to reach the island.
Activities? Beyond swimming, laying on a chaise and reading, walking the beach, taking side trips, eating, there is nothing. A lovely getaway for relaxing and enjoying is Holbox. We did take one sightseeing trip in hopes of spotting some of the whale sharks who migrate here this time of year, but we were days too early. We also missed seeing any schools of dolphins, who are also regular visitors around this island. We did see pelicans, herons, and flamingoes, beautiful sunsets, and lots of butterflies (lemon yellow, mango orange, and black ones with electric blue on the wing were the most prevalent). Our trip took us to a spit of land above sea level called Isla Pasion (yes, it’s what you think), then to Isla Pajaros where birds nest and live—no humans allowed on the island--, and finally across Laguna Yalahau to a spot on the mainland known also as Ojo de Agua because this is where there is a spring of fresh, cool, sweet water bubbles up from somewhere down below and forms a small pond. The boat trip was mainly in the lagoon portion of the island.
On Holbox, the streets are made of sand, packed down by the golf carts that are the only vehicles allowed on the island. One day, we rented a golf cart and drove all over the navigable part of the island within our allotted hour. We could easily walk into town (about 1500 inhabitants they say, but we think this is an exaggeration of about 1000) for dinners, which we did. One night, a German chef served us weinerschnitzel and the other night, we had fresh lobster. We also found a wonderful bar under a palapa (thatched roof with open sides) that had swings instead of bar stools and was the ideal spot to watch the sun sets while sipping something and talking with the darling French owner, Charles (aka Carlos on the island). We would happily have done some shopping, but there really as nothing (besides a straw hat to cover Sandy's head and face) which we could not live without.
On the way back to civilization or the mainland at any rate (and we took a different route, from Kantunilkin by way of Tizimin and then south, and still found LOTS of road "construction"), we stopped at an archeological site called Ek Balam. Everyone said we’d have the place to ourselves, but that is no longer the case now that the tour buses have discovered it. So, we came and saw and climbed quickly and skipped the cenote there since two busloads of tourists preceded us. There is a picture of the carved Mayan at the top of the large pyramid, the view from the top, and the view looking back down the stairs toward Eva waiting below.
There are pictures of the island, the taxis, the resort, the water, the sunsets, the boat trip, the water, the bar, the water, the ruins and us enjoying it all at http://picasaweb.google.com/necshs1/Holbox
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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