It's HOT down here!!!

Well, I made it. Had to get up at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning to catch the 6:15 flight from San Antonio. Now that I'm living in San Marcos, it's actually closer to fly out of Austin, but I got a better deal from San Antonio, so I made the 45-minute drive. I flew on...

...this time. Haven't flown American for a LONG time. It was uneventful and we only received a complimentary drink. No snacks. I much prefer Mexicana or AeroMexico or Continental.

Immigration went smoothly and got through it in about 20 minutes. This is the first time I noticed drug-sniffing dogs at the airport.

I arranged shuttle service with Best Day again since I had great service with them last year. (I can't believe it's been over a year since I' ve been to Isla.) Here's the group waiting to transport all the happy travelers to their destinations.

Last time, I just had a plain white van with no painting on the outside all to myself. Now they have fancy ones...along with the same state of the art administrative filing system they had last time I used them.

I was the only one going to Puerto Juarez, so I got a private ride in a big black SUV. Muy comfortable.

Here's what the puerto looks like now with all the big new ferries.

I got a Sol and stood in line for the next ferry. It was an awful ride. It was packed and I was sandwiched in the middle so I didn't get the wonderful views of the beautiful blue sea that I always look forward to. I didn't take a single picture during the ride. I honestly felt like I was part of a cattle car with no feelings that I was going "home" which I normally have. So I just closed my eyes and imagined.

A friend was already on the island who met me at the ferry and we went to Picus for a snack. Picus is always a first stop...

...where I can dig my toes in the sand...

After that, I walked around a bit to see what was different. When I was here in May of 2008, they were still building the monstrosity next to Jax. Here it is now...all done. I had always thought they were condos, but no...it's just a hotel.

Doesn't do much for the cemetery...and I don't think it's attractive from the front at all.

I'm staying at Hotel Plaza Almendros right now, but will be changing hotels on Saturday. I checked around at some places today because I really wanted something with an ocean view. So it turns out that this monstrosity has some GREAT deals because they're not getting much business, so I will be checking into the...

...on Saturday for less than $100 US per night...including breakfast and taxes. I will post more about that when I stay there.

Checking out Playa Sol, they have massage tables. (I think I would feel uncomfortable getting a massage out in the open like this.)

The beach in front of Sergio's is huge now.

This crazy statue is by the bar/restaurant area in front of the new Privilege Aluxes. Walking by it this morning, I realized they must take the ball in during the night, because it was not there. It seems SOOOO not Isla.

Now onto a little bit of the road construction around downtown. You see this on numerous streets...

And they are painting marine-like murals like this on the main intersections along Hidalgo.

But there are many areas where it looks like they've just stopped working and are leaving things unfinished. Maybe they'll come back to them, but you never know on Isla. (Don't those cement blocks look like big cement dog bones? Ha!)

Another Isla safety issue solved...

So then I had to relax at Sergio's for happy hour.

And watch the wretched boat people go back...

...to their wretched boat...

And then on to Romi's for a Margarita. He greeted me with a big hug... (I'm the one with the lame humidity-ravaged hair in the mirror reflection.)

And, of course, a Margarita...

Here's the new pool at the Posada...with the new units (not open yet) in the background. I'm not impressed. The old pool seemed bigger and it just doesn't seem like much of an improvement. Romi's not happy with the changes.

And here's what I had for breakfast this morning. This made all the waiting worth it. Huevos Motulenos at Alexia & Geovanny's...yum.

Okay, kind of a lame first post, but it takes a few days to get into the Isla groove, so I will try to do better next time. I'm blogging at Jax tonight because Almendros' internet is pretty spotty, so I'm having a Margarita and enjoying the view. The swine flu scare is definitely over...it's 5:10 p.m. and the beach across from Jax is crowded with tourists and Mexicans. Life is good.