Girl Trip 2011- Isla Mujeres-Part 2: Beaches and Mango Poo Poo

Is there anything better, really, than waking up in Isla on your first day of vacation? The sunlight streams through the windows and you roll over and smile a wicked little smile. Then you lazily rise, stretch and go look out the window for proof that you aren't dreaming. We all slept relatively late, our bodies recovering from a stressful albiet victorious day of travel and we meandered downstairs to breakfast. Chucho came by and picked up his keyboard and although I don't think I've ever seen him when he's not smiling, his smile was extra big that morning. He brought me one of his new cds, "Jesus Campuzano - Live" which was recorded last summer during his tour of Europe, which I jealously followed on facebook. He is a fantastic musician and plays all over the island as well. Check out his music here http://jesus-music.bandcamp.com/ and you can also download songs or complete albums. I have all of his albums because I'm cool like that. :) His music is original, funky and fun and if you have ever seen him play live, you can just see the joy in his face. Breakfast was delicious, as always at Casa Sirena. Sitting outdoors in the beautiful garden is a treat in itself, but add to that fresh juice, a beautiful plate of fruit, hot coffee and an amazing Mexican breakfast. A beautiful painting of Casa Sirena by Jess Zimmerman Our plan for the day was sheer genius: Get in some beach time, meet up with friends for happy hour, eat as much good food as possible and take our travel clothes to be laundered. (Steve's dryer was on the blink, normally his staff will do laundry for a minimal charge). The perfect panacea. "Really?!?" My room Beach time topped the list, so we high tailed it to Playa Norte and plopped our happy little selves down near Buho's. They have built a humongous palapa over the seating area of the restaurant and taken out one of the big bars and it looks really different! The palapa makes a nice addition for the sunburned beachgoer or if it rains, it would be a good respite. A big palm tree grows in the palapa area. I wonder what they are going to do when it gets tall enough to hit the roof? Angela bought a round of Pina Coladas and we were all deliriously happy. We lounged around until late afternoon when we got hungry again and then we headed over to Qubano to see Vivian. I couldn't sworn I took pics of our lunch, but I guess I was just too excited. :) We all shared a serving of Vivian's famous Hungarian Potatoes and some of her delicious Vegetarian Pate and then we shared a couple of sandwiches. Laura and I split the Vegetarian sandwich and Angela and Pam shared a Cuban. It was great to see Vivian and the girls just loved her. Pam picking up on a much younger man Later that evening, we met up with Tim and JoAnne, with whom I've been internet friends for years and years, but had never actually met in person. We've missed each other by a day or two on the island before and JoAnne was going to come into NYC to meet up with us last year, but had a broken foot. Well, the stars finally aligned and we got to meet. Needless to say....a good time was had by all. I had picked up a bottle of Mango Rum at the airport and we had given Steve a bottle of Havana Club for his birthday. Tim and JoAnne had brought a canister of alcohol infused Chocolate whipped cream. What to do, what to do?? Invent a new cocktail for the occasion!!! We sampled a few concoctions, but ultimately this was our fave: 3 parts Mango Rum (we used Cruzan brand) 1 part Havana Club Rum Combine and shake with ice in a cocktail shaker Pour into shot glasses Top off with a dollop of Chocolate Alcohol infused Whipped Cream Delicioso! Due to the appearance of the drink, we were calling it a 'Mango Poo Poo', however Pam came up with 'Midnight Mango', which sounds a tad more appetizing. Anyway, they were delightful and it was a really fun happy hour. Paul was awesome! Dinner was at Ballyhoo, as I was craving some of their tacos. I love to sit out on the dock and the food is fabulous. Steve joined us and we had a blast. Then it was off to dreamland. A fantastic first day that set a relaxed and happy tone for the entire trip. Supermodels tearing up the Ballyhoo runway. Girl Trip is often the height of ridiculousness