Images of Yucatán 1: Islas Mujeres Revisited Post Hurricane Gilberto

Images of Yucatán 2: The Shanty Hole Boxes of Holbox

Images of Yucatán 3: Beachcombing for the Origin

Images of Yucatán 4: Swimming with Whale Sharks

Images of Yucatán 5: Onward to Mérida (a.k.a. Ti'ho)

Images of Yucatán 6: Moldy Architextures of the Off-White City

It would have been nice to Isla hop from Isla Mujeres to Isla Holbox, but after asking around nothing doing even though they ran whale shark tours from mujeres to a place near by to holbox, which was only two hours by boat. Instead, we woke up early and caught the first ferry back to the peninsula. Even the usual rule of asking 3 people and getting a consensus didn't apply here and we couldn't get a straight answer as to when the busses left for Chiquila (where you catch the ferry to holbox), fortunately it ended up there was one leaving right when we got to the terminal. Supposedly it was first class, and judging by the ridiculously frigid aire condicionado I'm sure it was, but the driver was stopping for everyone and their mother along the way, presumably to make some extra pesos. Not only that, but they seem to have imposed some ridiculous speed restrictions on the busses, having them wired (via GPS?) to know what the speed limit is, and then electrocuting the driver if they even got within 10 kilometers per hour of that limit. Kidding about the electrocution, but the rest is true. At times the slow speeds we were crawling at were as comical and surreal as the sub-arctic air temperatures inside the bus that required everyone to bundle themselves in blankets even though it was sweltering outside. Consequently, a 4 hour trip took something like 7 horas and I had to take an agonizing piss from the getgo. Fortunately, the ferry was waiting at the pier to take us from Chiquila to Isla Holbox. It already felt like Holbox (pronounced hole-bosch)  was what Isla Mujeres used to be twenty years ago. 

Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo

Holbox power grid

Even though a local was saying that Holbox escaped 6 out of 7 passing thunder clouds, we were lucky enough to get hammered every day we were there. The lightning strokes were so sustained that we actually captured a few.

dielectric breakdown

And when it rained it poured, and not your usual passing thunderstorms, but it would pour for hours on end leaving the streets flooded.

stray dalmatian 

Note the use of golf carts in lieu of cars, a charming touch in theory, until you get run over and mobbed by drunk gringos and vacationing rich Mexicans who acted like renting the golf carts (at $60 a day) was the highlight of their trips. The town is small enough that you can wade across it in 10 minutos.

Holboxy stop sign 

tin shanty

huddsucker proxy

boxy hole

restaurante colibri

keeping the mud off the heels

The island was obviously showing signs of carnage and dilapidation from past hurricanes along with the recent storms (Wilma nailed it in 2005).

lingering carnage

in the wake of Wilma

palm frond texture

Hole-Boschian sunset

and much more...

ONWARD TO BEACHCOMBING FOR THE ORIGINS

 

 

(c) 2006 Derek White and Jessica Fanzo. Photos cannot be reproduced or published elsewhere without permission. Just ask.