Isla Aguada - An Enchanted Village

February 4, 2009

Two and a half days have slipped by and we've done very little. The temperature of the air, the shade of the palms and the caress of the breeze invite us to sit and savor the best of Mother Nature's kindness.

Gilligan's adventure

Our hosts, the folks at Freedom Shores Hotel and RV Park arranged with friends for an adventure on the bay. A “deck boat” or party barge as some call them is to be launched to take ten of us for a cruise around the harbor and a visit to an island that appeared after a storm a few years ago. Small and uninhabited, it has wonderful shells and thousands of birds each evening.

This Ontario-native boat was apparently to see its first voyage here, for this very event. The operators of the boat have fashioned a telescopic two-wheeled trailer with a hitch on one end and a trailer ball on the other. The plan was to move the boat to the sand, move the “stinger” to the boat, and launch the whole long-armed contraption. There are about three or four variables here. Considerations might include: Relative heights of the hitches on each end; Will the hitch stay on the ball without a pin through the latch: can you un-snap the bowline when the boat floats and the trailer sinks: will a Geo Tracker be able to handle the load and; How do you back a triple rig, anyway?

Each variable listed came into play one-at-a-time to complicate the adventure. Good natured helpers (about six as I remember) were able to save the day each time by snatching victory from the jaws of Murphy's Laws. With many hoots and good-natured one liners, the launch, tour, and retrieval were eventually a rousing (if harrowing) success.

The Beach

A stroll to the beautiful white beach offers a turquoise seascape with beached boats and beautiful shells in such profusion that, in places, they completely cover the sand. The water isn't tepid, but its inviting, mild chill is welcoming and comfortable. We walk for a quarter of a mile or so enjoying the water and the birds fishing in the shallow bay.

The Village

This morning Annie, Del and I toured the white sand streets of Isla Aguada. A stop at a stand of fruits and vegetables gave us a nice re-stock for the refrigerator. Tropical fruit, a vegetable or two and fresh eggs are welcome additions. As we return to the car a lady asks for a ride if we are going across the bridge. I apologized, explaining we were only going across the road to the RV park. She smiled and bid us “Buena suerte” .

Moto-taxis bustle about. With loads of freight and people. Moto-taxis, by the way are motorcycle and trailer combinations. The trailers have two light motorcycle wheels, a seat about three butts wide, and a sun top.

The north side of the Island offers white-capped waves and surf on a broad, endless beach that looks out to sea in the Gulf of Mexico. It's Wednesday so folks are at work. Very few people find their way to the beach today.

The souh side of the island six blocks away is much busier. Folks are shopping. There are many fishing boats on the beach or in the water. Some rest easily, tied between a piling and a palm tree with their bows pointing to sea. Some are moving and some are stopped on the water. Nets and hand lines produce catches of fish and shrimp. Local buyers ice their purchases and load them into pickups, presumably bound for market in a bigger town.

As school lets out the streets are filled with kids. Mothers or big siblings walk little ones home. Two, three or four at a time students load into moto-taxis. I stop to buy a soda and find myself waiting in line and surrounded by smiling, chattering youngsters buying treats in a little tienda.

Soon nothing much is moving. The warm afternoon finds men sitting and talking in the shade of a palapa near their boats. I ask if there are shrimp available and the smiling answer is “oh, much later”. I ask about what time and the gentleman says “around four”. Well of course. It dawns on me; This is “Siesta”.

So we meander our way home to the shade. Caught up in the stillness we seem to slow down to match the town's pace. We whole-heartedly share in Isla Aguada's siesta.