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Well, it´s the end of another first class day, but tinged with a hint of sadness.
The weather was excellent for the first half of the day, clouds gathering during the late afternoon, and now, 7:30, it´s torrential rain. All the giant puddles that showed signs of shrinkage earlier today have been well and truly refilled. Tomorrow´s inevitable heat will create the perfect conditions for mosquitos to breed, including the ones that give you Dengue fever, the current scariest disease of the day. Some kid has just come down with the disease, a friend of Gabi and Adriannas, to much consternation here. I guess he contracted the disease in Recfife, buty started to show symtoms when he arrived here, and he´s being shipped to Recife for treatment, although there is no really effective treatment out there. The only thing to do is to avoid getting bitten during the day by the evil little bloodsuckers. Long trousers, long sleeved shirts are the order of the day as well as lashings of mosquitto repellant.
So that problem, and the expense of being here are the downsides to paradise.
Back on the upside, we had two utterly amazing snorkling events today.
The first snorkle
took place in an unlikely place: the harbor. The rules are very strict here on the boats, so the harbor has as many undersea attractions as anywhere, including a sunken ship that blew up with its cargo in 1929 all over the harbor. The wreckage is now home to crazy assortments of coral, fish, and wildly weird plants. One of the swaying plants looked like bright green candy floss.
In the harbor we saw the biggest fish we´ve yet seen. We swam into a medium sized school of foot long fish, then noticed a disturbance in the center. Sailing through the middle was a fish about eight to ten feet long, that Sandy was sure was a barracuda, though I didn´t think so, but then, what do I know? We followed this monster as it sailed through the school, opening up bubbles of space all around it, as it swept forward slowly like a living submarine. A chap on a passing boat yelled at us to swim further away from the boat lane, so we reluctantly complied. We swam over the wreckage of the ship where Sandy, with the eagle eyes I realized by the end of the day, I
probably don´t possess, spotted a colorful sea snake about five feet long. A curious passing fish seemed to say hello to it then swam on.
We left the harbor then headed back to one of the three beaches closest to the main village. Here I met an MIT professor who lives in Lexington, Taking pictures of the giant frigate birds with their six feet wing spans, we chatted for a while.
The next snorkle had us in the largest school of fish so far, for about ten minutes. It´s almost hallucinatory to be swimming in the middle of these gigantic swarms of fish flashing silver, moving like underwater living clouds. Oh for a camera! Why didn´t I buy the waterproof case for the camera?
We swam with a couple of turtles for a while, then we saw the most amazing sight of the day: a flourescent green, eight feet long, two foot thick moray eel that slithered away like some sort of psychedelic mermaid beneath us. The seascapes in this area were particularly spectacular, the underwater equivalents of Utah. Snorkelling feels like flying to me. So many incredible sights, me flying over them effortlessly.
After this second snorkle, we went
to a restaurant for fresh fish and salad, then went back to ´´Your Way´´, Sandy packed, and we took a buggy taxi to the airport - I needed to get yet more money from the only atm that works on the island. We said our goodbyes: Anna and Jose had left this morning, then I got the bus somewhat disconsolately back to Your Way.
Adrianna and Gabi are there, but while they are both exceedingly open and friendly, I am still a ´client´ to them. Sandy, Anna, and Jose were true travel buddies. Now I´ll inevitably have to wait a few days until I find the next ones! Whoever they turn out to be, they´ll be no nicer or friendlier than the crew that left today.
Anyway, since I got back the little kitten, Nameless has been sitting in my lap. As I type, Adrianne and Gabi have gone to their yoga classes, bad portuguese soap operas play in the background, and it´s been utterly chucking it down.
Probably won´t be many out tonight in this weather. Maybe I´ll stay in and read my dumb detective novel.
Tomorrow I visit the south shore for the first time to the main
sea turtle bay.
Here´s hoping for more sunshine and new friends!
See you on the flypaper,
mike
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suze
non-member comment
Darn....
Now why did I think you bought a waterproof camera bag when we were in the sports store? Was it a different type of waterproof bag? Dang. I'd love to see some underwater pictures! Sounds like an amazing day. Sad that your friends have gone though....are they off to far-flung places or still in the area? (area being relative - I realize it's a big place!) Just wondering if there was a chance you all could get back together at some point during your stay? In any event, the next batch of travel buddies are sure to be right around the corner....more fun to come! Thanks for the bright and sunny commentary - quite fun to read! Well, you've got rain and maybe a little down time.....haaha - I've sent you something to read - pathetic rambling that might serve as temporary amusement, anyway. Keep the entries coming and I'll be here to read 'em. Your plants are still safe, by the way. (they cower when I approach, but I'm trying my best to get them to trust me :). Stay safe and healthy and of course, have fun you party boy! xo, Suze