Lynda L. Lock's Blog, page 24

An explosion of new eateries on Isla!

Yummy salad with chicken and citrus dressingThese last few months have seen an explosion of new restaurants, cafés, and eateries on the island plus a few favourites are undergoing massive remodels. 
The foodie scene is just getting better and better every year.
We recently enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the North Garden , which is attached to the new Paradise Suites on Avenida Carlos Lazo, and across from Sea Hawk Suites and Dive Shop. The restaurant is operated by Fernando from Argentina and Brenda from Monterrey Mexico who are very hospitable hosts. Fernando didn’t even mind us bringing Sparky and Max to sit under the umbrella at a street-side table. 
Lawrie at North Garden He even arranged a drink of water for the boys. I had a delicious salad with chicken and citrus dressing. Lawrie opted for the amazing tacos camarón, shrimp tacos. I stole a bite of his lunch. Mine was very tasty but his was - wow!  Delicious.  https://www.facebook.com/northgardenc...
Our friends Debbie Crinigan and Willy Chacón are opening their Rosa Sirena’s Restaurante and Rooftop Bar sometime in December. They describe their food as new island cuisine with a variety of creations by Chef Willy using local ingredients, plus fresh fish, arrachera, ribeye, New York strip, and filet mignon. When Chef Willy isn’t creating incredible dinners he will be entertaining the guests with his fabulous voice and guitar music.  
Rosa Sirena's Restaurante and Rooftop BarAnyone that has been the lucky recipient of Deb’s secret Santa parcels left on a doorstep will understand that my addiction will be the desserts. I’m thinking I might fall for the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie like my character Jessica Sanderson does in Book #3 of the Isla Mujeres Mystery series. Located on the corner of Calles Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez and Narisco Medina, it is easily found by driving south a block past Mango Café and turning right onto Calle Narisco Medina across from Caribbean Brisas. It’s the three-story building at the end of a short block.  https://www.facebook.com/rosasirenasr...
Mango Cafe closed for remodelingAnd speaking of Mango Café , it is undergoing a massive remodel incorporating the building beside the restaurant as well as adding another floor. Polo Avila says he doesn’t have a firm re-opening date as yet but the crews are hurrying to get it done as soon as possible. The busy season is just starting and every restaurant owner on the island wants to be operating at top capacity.  https://www.facebook.com/mangocafeisla/
Chilitos by Ruben 2nd floorOne of our recent favourites, Javi’s Cantina , has also remodeled, expanding into their back lot. The new garden area has a second level, a stage for musical performers and a huge new kitchen. We are looking forward to more delicious meals and live music. https://www.facebook.com/javiscantina/Then there is Ruben’s new second-floor eatery – Chilitos by Ruben – located in Colonia la Gloria at #18 Mojarra Street. They are open from Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. We have already heard good things about the food. Inside the Isla 33 condominiums on the eastern side of the island, south of Villa la Bella B&B, the new Topaz bar has opened to rave reviews for their food. And speaking of Villa la Bella, Slow Foods hopes to re-open at that location in mid-December. They make the best skirt-steak sliders we have ever had. Tarima Food ParkAnother new one restaurant is La Tarima Food Park , located on Rueda Medina out past the orange-coloured housing complex for navy officers and their families. The restaurant is near Oscar’s Pizza but across the street. It’s a funky outdoor space with lots of seating, interesting lighting and greenery. We stopped to check the menu. The baguettes and hamburgers look great, worth coming back to try it another day. https://www.facebook.com/LaTarimaFood...Then in chatting with Ben Coleman and Vicki Dupuy, we learned that a second location for Bobo’s, called Bobo’s in the Barrio will be opening up in the same neighbourhood as La Tarima. I can hardly wait!  https://www.facebook.com/BobosFishChips/ Topaz inside Isla 33
With all of these amazing restaurants happening on the island, we just might give up cooking entirely. But then we would have to go get jobs to support our restaurant habits. It’s a dilemma.Cheers from paradise

Lynda & Lawrie






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Available for sale at the Art Fair 
November 23rd 3:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Article by Carmen Amato author of the exciting Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series

Meet Lynda L. Lock, by Carmen Amato

While you are waiting for my newest book 43 MISSING, please welcome Lynda L. Lock, a Canadian blogger and author whose Isla Mujeres mystery series takes us to the fabled island on Mexico’s Atlantic coast not far from Cancun. First known for her popular blog from Isla Mujeres, Lynda’s charming new mystery series features pirate gold and an ensemble cast that hangs out at a restaurant called the Loco Lobo.
1. Carmen Amato: Lynda, thanks so much for stopping by. We’re both members of the incomparable Mexico Writers group on Facebook and you were one of the contributors to The Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexico. I love your blog about life on Mexico’s Isla Mujeres, but you also write mysteries! Tell us how your writing career has evolved.
Lynda Lock: Hi Carmen, and thank you for the invite and for including me in The Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexico. My writing career started with a Christmas story I wrote in grade five. It ended in a complete disaster as I nervously shredded the paper while trying to read what I thought was a hilariously funny story to my stone-faced classmates.
Over the years I wrote hundreds of stories for my own entertainment.  Eventually I was offered a position as a contributing writer for an American magazine, while at the same time I managed our bed and breakfast and worked in our micro-brewery. When my husband and I retired to Mexico I rediscovered the desire to write books. I started with a bilingual book for children and then progressed to novels. The Adventures of Thomas the Cat / Las Aventuras de Tomás el Gato won a silver award at the International Latino Book Awards in LA for Best Picture Book Bilingual in 2016.

2. CA: Your mysteries, TREASURE ISLA and TROUBLE ISLA, capture life on Isla Mujeres down to the smallest detail. How does setting influence your mystery plots?

Mary Jo P - tomb of Fermin MundacaLL: I am fascinated by pirates; their history, their stories, and their personalities. A few years ago our well-respected local historian, Fidel Villanueva Madrid, wrote an interesting account about the pirates that had visited and at times inhabited the Isla Mujeres.
Another islander, Ronda Winn Roberts, enjoys translating articles from Spanish to English and posting the translations on her blog to give English speaking newcomers have a sense of the island’s history. That’s how I first discovered the story of the blonde-haired Dutch pirate, Captain Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf.
The possibility of the handsome, charming and apparently well-educated de Graaf, nicknamed the Scourge of the West, visiting Isla over 300 years ago was the spark for TREASURE ISLA. He reportedly sailed to Isla Mujeres in 1683 after the siege of Veracruz and buried his plunder here on the island. According to all accounts de Graaf never returned to the island but was killed in another battle. Alrighty then, let’s go find that treasure.


Inscription in garden at Hacienda MundacaAnother pirate better known to islanders, Captain Fermin Mundaca lived on Isla in the mid-1800s. His empty tomb really is located in the cemetery in Centro, and his hacienda covers a large part of the center of the island.
The second book, TROUBLE ISLA begins with a kidnapping of one of the main characters from Treasure Isla. It seems that the pirate’s horde is just bad luck for everyone. 
The third book coming in 2018 explores relationships between the characters while they deal with murder, mayhem and a hurricane.
3. CA: One thing I love about the Isla books is the wonderful cast of continuing characters and the touch of romance. The population of Isla Mujeres is quite a mix--Mexicans, expatriates, vacationers, etc. How did this inspire you?
Lisa G. wharf at Miramar Restaurante with novelsLL: Living on an island is entertaining, no matter where the island is located. The people who inhabit islands are typically self-sufficient, resilient individuals, with quirky personalities that make great characters for novels. 

We lived on a similarly sized island in British Columbia Canada for 17 years. One day I intend to write a series of novels based on that experience.
Today, interactions and reactions are a never ending source of material. Everyone has an opinion on how Isla Mujeres should be managed and many discussions start with “my little Isla ...” 
Javi's Cantina - featured in Trouble IslaThere is an amusing rivalry between the born-on-the-island locals and foreign residents, between the home owners who live here six months of the year and the visitors who have been vacationing every year for 30 years, but everyone picks on the dreaded day-trippers arriving in hoards from the Cancun hotels.
4. CA: I wouldn’t call your books cozy mysteries, but neither are they hard-boiled crime fiction. How do you categorize them?
LL: I think they are humorous-adventure-mysteries. Is there a category for that?
5. CA: What is next for you as a blogger and a mystery writer?

LL: Book #3 TORMENTA ISLA is scheduled to be released in February 2018. The cast of characters still have a few more stories to tell. Meanwhile, the blog is a weekly labor of love and both my husband and I contribute articles. It’s a good vehicle to congratulate volunteers, to introduce old-time islanders to the newbies, to express our quirky humor, and to just generally get to know other people who love Isla Mujeres.

Ruben's Restaurante - Trouble Isla
6. CA: You can invite any author, living or dead, to dinner at your home. What are you serving and what will the conversation be about?
LL:  Oh my, so many choices! I read a novel a day and have many favorite authors, but I will have to say Ken Follett would be my first choice. 

I am a huge fan of his Kingsbridge Series; Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and the newest one just released A Column of Fire. His attention to historical detail, his characters, and his descriptions are breathtaking. 
I have read the first two books three times each and still discover things I missed in the previous readings. As for dinner, we are very basic cooks. We live on the edge of the ocean with sand drifting through our patio doors and the turquoise sea to enjoy. Our meals are basic and easy, giving us more time to soak up the beauty of our view. 

Assuming Mr. Follett isn’t a vegetarian, we would probably grill steaks and an assortment of vegetables like peppers, onions, baby carrots and broccoli, then make a crispy salad, and set everything on the table with a couple of bottles of good wine. 
If we were lucky the grocery store might have a freshly made baguette – not quite but almost as good as the baguettes in France. The fresh bread would go nicely with our stash of imported New Zealand butter. (Good butter is a rare find on the island! When a supply comes in we buy lots and stash it in the freezer.)
7. CA: Can you leave us with a quote, a place, or a concept from a book that inspired you?
LL: “No regrets. No bad memories.” It’s a favorite saying we picked up from two friends who are slightly older than us and also on second marriages. What it means to me is enjoy life, learn a new skill, be open to new adventures and don’t worry about the past. Life is short, savour your time.

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Notes from Paradise, Isla Mujeres
​​Carmen's newest book! ​​​​​​​Pre-order!
43 MISSING, Detective Emilia Cruz Book 6, will be available to pre-order onThursday 9 November at the discount price of $1.99 for Kindle. The pre-order price will be in effect ONLY for a week. The price goes to $4.99 on 16 November when the book is published. If you pre-order the Kindle version, it will download to your Kindle on 16 November.
You’ll get a short reminder email on 9 November when the book is available to pre-order and another on 16 November when it goes on sale for the full price.
The preceding book in the series, PACIFIC REAPER, is also available for $1.99 until16 November. The action in 43 MISSING takes up where PACIFIC REAPER left off with Emilia at a critical crossroads that impacts every corner of her life, even as she delves into the strange disappearance of 43 college students.

Check out all of the Detective Emilia Cruz books here.​

Ruben’s Kids

Ruben and Sister FabuolaHe’s not a large man, the top of his head barely reaches to my shoulders, but he has a huge heart. 
Standing beside him in Casa Hogar, the orphanage on the mainland portion of Isla Mujeres, I watched as the tears streamed down his face. 
“They don’t have family.” He quietly said.
After surviving a life-changing event Ruben Chavez Martinez, the proprietor of Ruben’s Restaurante on Isla Mujeres, has a new goal in life. 
His mission is to give back to the community, and to make little kids shriek with laughter. 
/Mickey, Ruben, Minnie January eventHe sponsors a Three Kings Day event held annually at his restaurant. January 6th is a very important date for Catholics in Mexico, celebrating when the three wise men purportedly arrived in Bethlehem with gifts for baby Jesus. 
It’s the day when children hope to receive gifts from the three kings, instead of on December 25th from Santa Claus. 
Same idea. Different culture. Sign for the orphanage 
Ruben, until very recently, was also the main supporter of Casa Hogar. Every Friday afternoon he left his restaurant to cook a hot meal for the dozen or so children living at the orphanage. The number of kids he was feeding soon became twenty five youngsters, and then forty. Nico, Terri, Ruben, Ricky and John arriving
He now has a small but dedicated group of volunteers working under the name of Ruben’s Kids who help by fund-raising and carrying out a myriad of other tasks all related to Ruben’s desire to make kids happy.

Every month the group purchases stacks of pizzas and grilled chickens to feed the Casa Hogar residents, plus all the kids waiting anxiously at the gate. Kids eager to help
Once a month the volunteers go on a shopping trip to Costco to purchase a truckload of the essentials like toilet paper, beans, rice, cooking oil, and cereals. 

Quite recently islander John Pasnau discovered that the freezer at Casa Hogar is functional and he stocked it with meat, hopefully enough to last until the next buying trip.
There is a limited amount of living space and currently only twelve girls and four nuns live full-time at Casa Hogar. The girls, ranging in age from babies to teenagers, sleep six to a room in clean well-maintained bunk beds that are covered with brightly coloured bedspreads. 
Inside one of the bedroomsThere are about another two dozen kids who due to various problems at home are not living in a safe environment. 
They are daytime boarders, seeking a bit of love and comfort from the nuns. 
Waiting at the gates hoping for a mealTwo weeks ago I met up with islanders, Jeanette Laurence and Mikell Thompson, on the Ultramar passenger boat. We were all on our way to Casa Hogar. Once we landed in Puerto Juarez we negotiated with different taxi drivers finally finding one that knew (approximately) where we wanted to go, and gave us a fair price to get there. 
As it turned out he needed to ask for directions, twice, from the municipal police but we eventually arrived at our destination. He got a nice tip because it was a much longer distance than we had anticipated.


The four sisters do everythingCasa Hogar is located deep inside Rancho Viejo. It is an area of continental Isla Mujeres that I knew existed, but had never seen. The community appears to be depressed, with not much in the way of industry, commercial establishments, and seemingly no attractions for tourists. The area is poor. Very poor. 
As soon as the supply truck arrived at Casa Hogar dozens of youngsters eagerly tried to be helpful, carrying boxes of cereal, or tins of food inside the building. 
Everyone pitched in - Jeanette Laurence, Mikell Thompson, Terri Tywan, Nico Tywan, John Pasnau, Ruben Chavez, and Ricky Za’Ga - trying their best to ensure every child had something to eat. Terri and I dishing up food
The dozen or so accompanying parents were hopeful, but in the end, hungry. There just wasn’t enough food to include them. 
By counting the pizza slices, ten boxes with eight slices in each box, we calculated we had fed seventy-some-odd kids and the four nuns who care for them.
As you can imagine this project is a never-ending labour of love for Ruben and his partner Ricky Za’ga.  
If you can help in any small way please friend Ruben’s Kids on Facebook.   https://www.facebook.com/RubensKids/


Jeanette, Lynda, Sister, Mikell, JohnBelow is a recent posting from John Pasnau on Ruben’s Kids Facebook page for other ways you can be involved.








Three Kings Day, January 6th"If you want to help make Sandwiches and lunches on "Sandwich Night" Jan. 5thcontact Gail Marie Stewart.If you want to work at the lunch table on Three Kings Day and are (somewhat) bilingual, contact Gail Marie Stewart.If you want to help collect, sort and track toys from now to Three Kings Day or if you want to be a "Toy Soldier" on Three Kings Day handing out the toys contact Julie Andrews Goth.If you are (somewhat) bilingual and just want to be in the middle of everything on Three Kings Day contact Rob Goth.If you are not bilingual and would like to help on the ground during Three Kings Day we can still use you. Message me, John Pasnau, we are putting together a team of "Runners" who will zip down to aMar cocina peruana where all overflow toys and lunches will be staged. And thank you to Bryan Benson for offering your restaurant's support, and welcome to Ruben's Kids!”
Mickey chatting with kids waiting for their gift
It’s a fun event. Lawrie and I will be there as always, dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. 
The kids love it.
Cheers from paradise
Lynda & Lawrie



Now available in paperback on Amazon!
Trouble Isla and Treasure Isla Photo credit  Lisa Godfrey
Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious By CA reviews on September 26, 2017
Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.

Día de los Muertos on Isla Mujeres

Inside the two Isla Mujeres cemeteries freshly cleaned and painted tombs are adorned with bright flowers, plus flickering candles, favourite foods, personal possessions, and photographs.
It’s time to celebrate, to share a graveside meal, and to remember the departed.
The Day of the Dead (People) begins on October 31st. It includes November 1st, the Day of the Dead for children and November 2nd the Day of the Dead for adults. Hanal Pixán, as the Mayas call it, translates as ‘food of the souls’. It is a 3000 year-old Mayan tradition that was integrated into the Catholic Church rituals as the La Día de los Muertos in the mid 1500’s. 
San Miguel de Allende  La Día de los Muertos is normally a private family celebration, but more recently it has become a public event drawing a huge number of visitors to nearby Mérida and other cities such as San Miguel de Allende.
A Facebook friend recently asked if there were any activities planned on Isla for the Día de los Muertos. I had to reply “I don’t know.” City organized events tend to be advertised very last minute, so maybe or maybe not.
 Although last year for the first time the Jean Piaget private school sponsored a silent parade, the Festival de los Animas. It was fascinating to see the students and public figures beautifully dressed as dignified dead people.
They silently walked the length of the busy Hidalgo Avenue past bustling restaurants and bars, culminating at the Casa de Cultura with a public display of altars or ofrendas. Festival de las Animas

We put up an altar at our house in remembrance of our parents; Lawrie’s and his sister Linda’s, brother-in-law Richard Grierson’s, plus my parents.
A few years ago we had a neighbourhood gathering to celebrate our friends’ parents as well. The years have flown past so quickly and now many of us unfortunately find ourselves representing the oldest generation in our families.

One of our 'ofrendas' - the food was added later

There are no set in stone rules for building a La Día de los Muertos altar, but it should at least incorporate the basics. If you can, include an archway to represent the passage between life and death. The archway can be made of something light and flexible and covered with flowers.
Then add candles to light the way. Marigold flowers, to attract the souls of your loved-ones. A glass of water to quench the thirst of the spirits (although beer or tequila seems to be an acceptable option). A few personal trinkets, toys and chocolate for children plus photos of the people you are honoring. If you live in Mexico don’t forget to include the pan de Muertos a special bread available at most grocery stories and bakeries at this time of the year. Add other favourite foods to feed the hungry souls, and burn incense to chase away bad spirits.

Yani Medina - traditional Mayan meal for the celebration.
The altars are traditionally set up in three levels by using a series of empty boxes and crates covered over with a large table cloth or material. The number of levels depends on the personal beliefs of the altar designer. Two levels might symbolize heaven and earth, while three would represent heaven, purgatory and earth. Some altars include seven levels to represent the seven steps to Heaven.
Whatever your personal beliefs the basic idea is to create display that celebrates your loved ones.
Until next week,Cheers from paradise
Lynda & Lawrie






Now available in paperback on Amazon!



Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious By CA reviews on September 26, 2017
Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.

Yazmin, resiliency and determination

Sean Petty and Yazmin Aguirre - photo from her FB page.  It’s the smile that catches your attention then her upbeat personality pulls you in to her orbit - Yazmin Aguirre Rivera.
Originally from Tamaulipas and Nuevo León in the northern part of Mexico her family, mom, dad, and two sisters now live in Mexico City. She moved to the Caribbean side of Mexico about thirteen years ago working in both Cancun and on Isla Mujeres. Many of you will know her as the capable rental manager for Isla Mujeres Vacations, a company created in 2014 by Susan Marchon, of Mundaca Realty, and Yazmin. Yazmin  Dia De La Independencia! We first met Yazmin a few years ago at the monthly Art Fair in the square. She happened to be walking by a display of Catrinas, the fancy-dress Day of the Dead skeletons, that are popular at the end of October and beginning of November. The vendor was one of her friends and Yazmin playfully started to hype the Catrinas creating interest from the crowd and resulting in a few sales. It was all light-hearted fun, smiles and laughter. That’s the Yazmin we know.  So, about eighteen months ago when I was beginning to write my first novel in the Isla Mujeres Mystery series, I asked Yazmin Aguirre if she would mind me using a name similar to hers, Yasmin Medina, for one of the main characters. The character from my novel has golden streaks through her dark curly hair, and deep green eyes like La Trigueña the young Maya woman whom pirate Fermin Mundaca lusted after in the 1870’s. I wanted the character to have a great smile and curly hair, and the only name that seemed to fit was Yasmin. I tried a dozen other names, and just kept coming back to the same one. But as I said to Yazmin Aguirre, she’s not you. My character is shyer and wrestles with her role as a smart, determined woman in a very macho-society. Yazmin - from her FB page When Yazmin read the first draft of Treasure Isla, she laughed, and said, “Well that could have been me when I was younger and shy.”  Lawrie and I smiled at that thought. Yazmin shy? We just couldn’t see it. She’s confident, bold, caring and has an amazing energy for helping others. While she was in Mexico City recovering from major surgery for colon cancer, she was also fundraising for the victims of the two major earthquakes and the volcano eruption that was triggered by the earthquakes. On the island she is an active promoter of the Isla Mujeres Scholarship program, providing financial assistance to students. Yazmin is also deeply involved with the annual Island Time Musical Festival. The proceeds from the six-day event go to the Little Yellow School House, a local facility for children with developmental problems. Yazmin teaching the kids - Pamela Ballo photoAnd for fun she teaches yoga, a combination of Hatha and Vinyasa practices, plus specializing in instructing children. Yazmin recently told me that once she has ‘kicked the cancer’s butt’ she plans to offer free lessons for local kids in Las Glorias as she said, a karma payback.  Now it Yazmin’s turn to get a helping hand from her many friends and acquaintances. Her medical bills will exceed $60,000.00 USD for her cancer treatments plus the six rounds of chemo therapy. Generous donations are happening hourly but there is still a long way to go. Yazmin - Andrea Luff photoOne islander came up with an inventive way to raise more money for Yazmin. Laurence Levy otherwise known as the creative owner-chef of Lolo Lorena’s Restaurant on Isla Mujeres was planning to donate $250, but then she had the idea to turn that $250 into $2500 with a 7 course dinner, all proceeds going to Yazmin’s gofundme campaign. And she did, all while confined to a wheelchair the result of her accident several years ago. Islanders continue to amaze us with their resiliency and determination.So, if you are interested in helping Yazmin ‘kick cancer’s butt’ here’s how:There is a Go Fund Me account set up on the internet to facilitate donations. The link is added below. https://www.gofundme.com/yazmin-battle-against-cancerDonations can also be made anytime at Javi’s Cantina on Juarez Avenue on Isla (Javi’s will be closed November 1stto 15th for kitchen renovations.)

And please share this blog post on your social network accounts; Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goggle Plus.That's another good thing about living here, everyone (locals, ex-pats, tourists, and friends) are willing to pitch in and do what they can to help.Cheers from paradiseLynda & Lawrie






5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious

CA review on September 26, 2017

Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.

Check our weekly blog Notes from Paradise, Isla Mujeres

Here's the link for our weekly blog:
Notes from Paradise, Isla Mujeres

http://lynda-notesfromparadise.blogsp...

Just in case you missed it!

There's Trouble on Isla, Big Trouble!
  
Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious By CA reviewson September 26, 2017
Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.
Available on Amazon e-books $2.99 USD

Trouble Isla on Amazon

 Treasure Isla 
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and authentic By CA reviews on September 26, 2017

This was a truly fun in the sun kind of mystery, with an authenticity that was simply captivating. Set on the island called Isla Mujeres, not far from the better-known Mexican resort of Cancun, it follows the misadventures of two girlfriends, who on a drunken binge manage to wander onto the grounds of a cemetery and find a treasure map stuck in a crevice of an old pirate tomb. Jessica, from Canada, and local pal Yasmin both work at a tourist bar/restaurant called the Loco Lobo. Soon their boss Carlos and a handsome attorney named Luis are involved in the girls’ illegal hunt for pirate gold. Toss in a bad dude running from a string of crimes in Key West, and it’s the start of an addictive new mystery series.
Book #1 Isla Mujeres Mystery Series
            $2.99 USD on most e-book distribution systems.

Here are the links:

Treasure Isla on Amazon

Treasure Isla on Smashwords

Treasure Isla on Kobo Books

Treasure Isla on iTunes

Treasure Isla on Barnes and Noble Nook

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nate – gave us a pass

Boarding up for TS Nate.  Normally a bit of rough weather doesn’t bother us. We’re Canadian and have experienced snowy blizzards and drenching rain storms. But I confess I’m not a fan of tropical storms that are teetering on the edge of being classified as a hurricane. I don’t mind wind, but I really don’t like the high velocity winds of a tormenta. Sadly though, when this recent storm, TS Nate, blasted over the mountainous countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua it was the excessive rainfall that caused the deaths of twenty-two people. Since we live at the edge of the ocean and TS Nate was forecast to pass directly over this flat, little sandbar of an island we obsessively clicked on the NOAA site and several internet weather channels checking predicted rainfall, storm surge, and wind speeds.On Wednesday it became pretty clear we were going to get hit. By Thursday morning we had dragged everything inside our little casa; two sun loungers, a small sofa and two chairs, glass topped tables, stacks of big cushions for the two larger sofas, and anything small enough to become an airborne hazard. We tied down garden hoses to prevent them whipping around in the wind, and pushed plant pots into tight huddles. I made up a couple of dozen sandbags to block the rain from entering under our doors, especially our bedroom door which has an outside entrance onto an open deck. New house a bit north of ours boarded up.We had extra bottles of water, gas in the golf cart, easy to prepare food for us and the pets, and cash in case the power was off for a few days making ATM’s useless. (By now we are feeling like the characters in the novel that I am writing, Tormenta Isla, who had to do all the same prep work!)Then, exactly as our friends Tony Garcia and Isauro Martinez described many boat owners prepared for the storm/hurricane by moving their vessels deep into Laguna Makax. The Caribe line of passenger boats from Cozumel brought their three good-sized vessels to Isla and docked them at the municipal wharf next to the car ferry. Presumably that dock is more sheltered than the ones at Cozumel. Even the car ferry and the Ultramar passenger ferries shut down early. Caribe Ferry - normally located in CozumelIt was an eerie feeling driving along the island’s shoreline which normally bustles with boats, islanders and tourists. Every public or private wharf from Velasquez Restaurante, near the north end of the island, to the car ferry were empty and all of the oceanfront restaurants were closed. Every tour, pleasure, or work boat had been moved to Laguna Makax, or dragged high up on the beach and securely tied to nearby palm trees.
Hotel shuttered on main floorMany businesses were closed so that their staff would be safely at home before the predicted late-Friday afternoon arrival of the storm. Doors and windows were covered by pieces of wood or cortinas, the accordion-style hurricane shutters.A light rain damped the streets and we decided it was time to hunker down with our pets and a good bottle of wine. We read, we sipped wine, we waited, and we checked the internet. The predicted rainfall was for around 95mm or 4 inches although TS Nate had dumped 510 mm or about 20 inches of rain on Central America. The wind-speed was going to touch on a Category 1 Hurricane of 120 kilometers per hour, about 74 miles an hour. Wharf at Bally Hoo - empty, restaurant closed.The afternoon turned into evening, and still no rain or wind. Then, remarkably we fell asleep for two hours. I usually lay awake during storms listening the sounds of the house; the rattle of the screen on our windows, the creak of the patio doors as the wind pushes against it, and the banging of something not tightly secured.At ten in the evening both Lawrie and I woke up, to silence. No wind. No rain. Nothing. We checked the internet again. It looked as if the storm now called Hurricane Nate had moved about ten miles east, closer to Cuba. It had passed by us. That was a big relief to everyone. Facebook pages were soon littered with jokes about the over-reaction and the huge amount of prep work for a non-event. M&J's buttoned up for TS NateBut as one of our friends said:“They just don’t understand what it feels like to lose everything and to not have insurance. To have your only vehicle damaged, whether it was a moto or an old car it was still your only transportation. To worry about the lives of your family, your friends, and yourself. To step out of your home and see the damage done to your community and know that it could be days or weeks before everything is back to some type of normal. In the meantime people scramble to make a living and to feed their children. It’s difficult, very difficult. So what if we over-prepared, better that then homeless.” We’d happily do the same preparations again especially if it works as a lucky charm and keeps the tormenta away. Although it seems that when our nearby neighbours Rob and Julie Goth board over their small windows, the ones without the cortinas, we are guaranteed to get a pass from the hurricane.We’re back to sunny and hot weather and waiting on the return of our various Canadian, American and European neighbours for the busy October to April social season. There goes the diet!Cheers from paradiseLynda & Lawrie

 ~

Trouble Isla 5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious
CA review on September 26, 2017Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.
Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series
Available on Amazon e-books $2.99 USD

 Treasure Isla Book #1 Isla Mujeres Mystery Series            $2.99 USD on most e-book distribution systems.

Here are the links:

Treasure Isla on Amazon
Treasure Isla on Smashwords
Treasure Isla on Kobo Books
Treasure Isla on iTunes


Treasure Isla on Barnes and Noble Nook

Local knowledge - an author’s best resource

We love living in a small community. The people are friendly and willing to share their insider knowledge. 

A few days ago while I was working on Tormenta Isla book #3 of the Isla Mujeres Mystery series, I was stuck for an answer.

I popped a message to two of my island friends, Tony Garcia and Isauro Martinez. Within minutes both guys had responded with oodles of intriguing bits information. How great is that? 


Captain Tony GarciaCaptain Tony is a well-known wedding, special-occasion and island-ambiance photographer. He is also a tour boat captain, and judging by the photos on his Facebook page, he’s a terrific chef. Isauro Martinez is the affable and always smiling owner of Indio’s golf cart rentals. 

Indio was his dad’s nickname, and his is Apache. He always has fun stories to tell about growing up on the island.


Isauro Martinez - Indio Golf Cart RentalsAnd then there is Freddy Medina who has been a good friend since we moved to the island. 

In the first novel of the series, Treasure Isla Book, I had one of my main characters, Yasmin Medina, jokingly name the crocodile that lives at the Hacienda Mundaca Park after her fictional cousin Freddy. 

The real Freddy owns the El Arrecife Bar in Centro. He and his five sisters have been fabulous a source of island information and personal stories, especially for our weekly blogs.


Freddy and Yadira - after Christmas paradeMany other islanders and ex-pats have big-heartedly answered questions, contributed bits of information, and recounted funny anecdotes. 

It’s all part of the island colour that I try to bring alive in the novels.
My recent questions went something like this:What happens to the car ferry during a hurricane?  “It normally is used as a breakwater across Laguna Makax to prevent big waves from destroying all the smaller boats stored in the lagoon.”


Chatting while cleaning the day's catch.Is the lagoon jammed with boats by the time everyone gets their vessel inside the area?   “They are tight around the edges but not in the center. The center is muddy and if you drop anchor there, the boat would move. Berthed at a marina or tied to the trees is much better.”
What’s the name of the bit of water between Puerto Juarez and Isla Mujeres? “Bahia de Mujeres.”

Morning gossip group - I gave them all a copy of this pic.





You just can’t get that type of information from the internet. (Okay, maybe I could have eventually found the name of the bay on Google.)  

You may be wondering why most of my information comes from men and not women. Maybe because the guys like to gossip, to chat, to chew-the-fat? 

I don't know.  What do you think?

Cheers Lynda & Lawrie





Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series
Available on Amazon e-books $2.99 USD

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and furious

CA review on September 26, 2017
Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.

 Treasure Isla Book #1 Isla Mujeres Mystery Series            $2.99 USD on most e-book distribution systems.

Here are the links:

Treasure Isla on Amazon
Treasure Isla on Smashwords
Treasure Isla on Kobo Books
Treasure Isla on iTunes
Treasure Isla on Barnes and Noble Nook

If you are thinking of retiring to Mexico …

Don’t!  Unless you love adventure, living fearlessly, and enjoy diversity.
When we decided to retire to this little island in the Caribbean we’d already had some experience with Mexico. 

I started holidaying in mid-1960s on the western side of the country, Lynda a bit later. (Damn, we should have learned more Spanish than baños and cerveza!)

Love that turquoise-coloured water
We chose Isla Mujeres for a number of reasons. The first hook was the amazing turquoise water, ten years later we are both still mesmerized by the ocean. Another reason was the kind and friendly people. They are an intriguing mix of Mayan, Spanish and several other cultures.
Lynda and I had previously lived on a small island off the coast of British Columbia Canada, and we knew it takes certain mentality to flourish in a remote community. 
Colour and fun during Carnaval You have to be handy and inventive as you can’t always call for help any time that you need it. Isla has lots of handymen, who are usually busy doing jobs for other folks and they will get around to you sooner or later, but not always immediately. It isn’t laziness, it is because they are just too busy but it is not polite in this culture to say ‘no’ to anyone. So they agree to help out, mañana. But as the song says: “Mañana doesn’t mean tomorrow, it just means not today.” Cowboys waiting for another parade to start
We started with a new-build so everything worked for a while, then the salt and humidity started to create problems. 
Stupid little things started to go wrong and I once again became Joe Handyman. Light fixtures rusted. Light sockets corroded. Door locks seized. Door hinges stiffened. Taps seized up with mineral deposits. It’s a never-ending job.
Dia de Independencia
And some other challenges with living in a foreign country:The first question our American friends ask is, “What do you do for Medical?” We’re Canadian and we had universal health care back in Canada that we took for granted. But after six months of being outside the country we are no longer eligible for coverage. We thought about health insurance but decided against it. Nobody gets out of life alive. Just think of your grandparents, they didn’t have insurance or health plans.
Revolution Day parade 
About a month after moving one of us developed a high fever and bronchitis. We called the local doctor who immediately came to our house, administered a shot, wrote out a prescription for antibiotics and advised bed-rest for a few days. The bill was five hundred pesos, that’s not a lot of money for fast and caring service. We haven’t met any zillionaire doctors in Mexico.
The one thing we didn’t realize, until we left our country, was the officials and politicians would lose interest in helping us solve problems.  Worker making a Flowery Cross for top of casa 
Yes, we get our pensions direct deposited to our Canadian banks, but it is an ongoing war with the bureaucrats. First it was a withholding tax on my pensions, even though we declare any and all income on our Canadian tax returns. Then it was an eighteen-month wait for Lynda’s pensions to be processed because she had to prove exactly what day we left Canada in 2008. We drove 8500 kilometers from BC to Isla Mujeres, and neither the American nor the Mexican border guards are required to stamp our passports. We had to get personal friends (not family!) and past employers to verify the date that we left the country. We finally got that resolved, and now, we are fighting over the withholding tax on Lynda’s pensions. Flowery Cross Day May 3rd
Over the years we have discovered that a lot of ex-pats don’t tell their respective governments that they are living outside the country. They keep a mailing address in their original country and it simplifies everything. I guess I’m stupid. I have this honestly streak and went by the book. It has cost us dearly in time, money, and frustration.
Another beautiful sunset

Once Canadians leave the country for more than five years, we lose our right to vote in any elections, so now the politicians don’t care at all about our challenges. 

But, we still have the privilege of paying our Canadian income tax every year. 

According to our American friends, they can still vote but the ex-pats votes are only counted in certain circumstances. Either way it is a bit odd.
Would we make the same decision and retire to Mexico? Hell yes! It is an amazing country and culture.  Just remember that you need that sense of adventure.
Your family will always be family, and although you won’t be right next door they will still love you, and trust me – they will visit you.
CheersLawrie
(Lynda’s busy writing Tormenta Isla Book #3 of the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series)
There's Trouble on Isla, Big Trouble!
Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series
Available on Amazon e-books $2.99 USD

 Treasure Isla Book #1 Isla Mujeres Mystery Series            $2.99 USD on most e-book distribution systems.

Here are the links:

Treasure Isla on Amazon
Treasure Isla on Smashwords
Treasure Isla on Kobo Books
Treasure Isla on iTunes


Treasure Isla on Barnes and Noble Nook