Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

About eight miles offshore from Cancun is Isla Mujeres (The Island of Women). It is a narrow island less than a half mile wide and seven miles long. It's a popular spot for day-trippers or vacationers as frequent ferry service is available from multiple locations both on the Yucatan mainland and the Zona Hotelera.

A trio of  water activity: windsurfing, standing, and flailing.

A wonderful swimming beach on this northwest facing part of the shore, Playa Norte.

This spit of land is the most northwesterly point on the island.  Playa Norte is on the left.  The beach on the right leads to the harbor and downtown areas. (Panorama - click the image to view in full width).

 For those not directly involved in tourism, many uphold the longstanding fishing tradition.

This fisherman is mending his nets in the shade on this hot sunny day.

His young son plays nearby - what is it about kids and toy cars and trucks?

The tall ship Thor Heyerdahl was just casting off as I arrived at the dock area.

Soon this sail will be raised to the wind.

One of a dozen pelicans waiting for fish parts to be thrown into the water as the fishermen clean their day's catch.

A typical restaurant on the beach with palapas protecting the tables from the intense sun. Palapas are much more evocative for sense of place than are the aluminum and plastic umbrellas we commonly see in the US. 

Embroidery for sale in the market.

A young handicrafts salesman more interested in his cellphone - a blessing because otherwise he would be haranguing tourists who walk by as did all his fellow shopkeepers.

Getting ready to board the ferry.

Tourists come to Cancun from all over the world .  Their tourist bureau must have done an incredibly effective job of outreach to nations the world over.  In our months here, we especially encountered quite a few folks speaking Russian/Eastern European/Slavic languages in additional to many United States, Canadian and South American nationals.  People come from anywhere it's winter to escape their homeland cold for some brief period to enjoy this tropical warmth - both the warmth of the weather and the warmth of the local people.