Late last year, we stayed at Freedom Shores RV Park in Isla Aguada for just over a week around Christmas. Studying our route from the Yucatan to the Veracruz Coast, we knew we’d pass through here again and likely stay a night or two. When it was all said and done, we stayed over two weeks this time around.
It wasn’t exactly a perfect situation, as we were back to dumping grey and black water every 4-5 days on the other side of the property (which meant taking showers in their facilities and getting creative with washing dishes).
But the weather was just about perfect for two-thirds of our stay, and the place was very quiet and chill this time around (a far cry from Christmastime), so all-around it was a nice stay.
Our Mexico-USA RV Journey 2024-25
Lori and I thought it was nice to be back, but the boys really enjoyed being back. There are certainly much worse places a kid to spend a couple of weeks tooling around at.
There isn’t a lot going on in the town of Isla Aguada, but it does have a good number of playgrounds for its size. And, a handful of good local restaurants, if you get the timing right.
At one time or another, I imagine this old malecon was hopping on weekend and holidays. Not so much these days.
When the weather turns hot, Sundays get very busy on the lagoon, especially on the little beach in front of Freedom Shores.
Fed up with the competing music and increasingly rowdy crowds, we thought it might be more peaceful to take a walk on over to the Gulf side.
The shade of the Unity Bridge is a popular place where people hang out on the weekend.
We passed the bridge and made our way out to the long and exposed beach on the other side. It was pushing 100F with no breeze, so we didn’t make it far. Instead, we turned around and found a nice place under the bridge while the boys played along the shore.
We never got tired of the sunsets at Freedom Shores.
Just before sunset is also the best time to swim here, but it’s also when the stingrays canvass the shore looking for food…
Balancing school and playtime at Freedom Shores.
Buenos dias, Noe!
Another nice little sunrise office for Lori.
And so it went for some 16 nights. No historic sights to explore or epic 30,000-step days. Just chilling and watching the sunsets roll on by, one after another.
Nanny sent a recommendation to the boys to look at a Dorito under their microscopes. We thought we’d give it a try, along with a number of other snack foods.
The next Sunday, it was cooler and there was a breeze, so we made our way up the Gulf coast a bit and found a nice secluded spot to spend a few hours.
Our morning coffee ritual these days. There’s been a ton to unpack regarding Lori’s work, the state of things north of the border, and where to head next and when. Isla Aguada has been a good place for that.
After 10 straight days of gorgeous weather, one afternoon, the sky darkened, and a storm front moved in.
It rained off and on for the next several days after that. Apparently the Yucatan Peninsula really doesn’t have a pronounced dry season. In most of Mexico right now, it’s bone dry. Seems the rain’s been chasing us this entire past year.
Every night before bedtime, we have storytime.
About a month ago, we finished Swiss Family Robinson and told the boys we’d watch the movie (the original 1960 one).
After several weeks of sunny weather and beach time we finally got around to it on one particularly nasty weather day.
The boys loved every minute.
Tenderizing meat with a wrapped up hammer. #RVLife.
For most of our two weeks, the only others we regularly encountered at the RV park were a couple from Calgary who have been here for six months (we first met them around Christmas a couple months ago).
Since our last visit, Craig acquired a couple of fishing poles and a paddle board, which he’s been nice enough to let the boys use. No bites, but fun regardless.
Most afternoons and evenings we spotted dolphin pods only a couple hundred meters offshore. Sometimes, they came closer.
The groundskeepers were serious about their raking every morning. But they were always careful not to disturb the boys “Town”.
There’s pretty much just one brunch place in town (Casa Grande), which we went to as many times as La Kazota (which I talked about in the last post). If you were going to have just one brunch place in Isla Aguada, you could do a whole lot worse than Casa Grande.
The Chilaquiles (above) are some of the best we’ve had in Mexico, which is saying something.
Funny thing about the Yucatan is it seems nobody believes in toilet seats. I’m still baffled by this one. It’s not like toilet seats are terribly expensive in Mexico (or hard to find). But it is a rare day when we find a bathroom with one at a restaurant.
Rain or shine, it’s always a good time to play at the beach—at least, that’s what these kids think.
On one of our final evenings we finally got a sunset after nearly a week of cloudy skies and on-and-off rain.
Craig was nice enough to take Riley for a paddle around the lagoon, which made his week.
Tomorrow, we get to add a new state to our list!
