Day one at Campo Cortez
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| View from my cabin. The lagoon is just beyond those other cabins. |
We awoke the next morning to rain.
It was destined to be a cold, rainy day.
As much as we collectively wished the clouds to go away,
it wasn't to be.
My cabin. Pretty sweet, actually.
After negotiating the outhouses, walking around puddles, and getting myself
ready to face the day, we all met at the palapa.
All meals were served here, along with margaritas and beers during
happy hour and coffee and teas available at all times. It's also
where we refilled water bottles for drinking water.
Breakfasts were delicious! Homemade tortillas,
beans, veggies. Also fruit and cereals if you were
so inclined. I temporarily suspended my
intermittent fasting for this week. You never know
when you'll get to eat again when you travel, so I
don't usually skip anything unless it's necessary.
The morning whale trip was cancelled, due to the unending
rain, and we watched a documentary about the San Ignacio
area instead. But after a short lunch, the rain let up
just enough so that we could get into the pangas (the boats),
clad in our raingear and life jackets, and went out for our first whale visit.
It wasn't too bad, if you didn't mind being a bit cold and wet.
By this time the rain had slowed to a drizzle, so it was at least tolerable.
We get out into the lagoon, stop the boat, and wait, heads on swivels.
And then we saw them!
They just rose out of the water, blowing, and then dipping
back out of sight.
One adult came up just under to our panga, and lingered just long enough
for me to reach in and give it a touch.
Contact!
It was exhilarating!
Finally, after all these years and travelling to different places,
completely obsessed with glimpsing a whale, I not only
saw one, but it came near enough and was willing
to be touched!
Suddenly, the whole trip was worth it.
The rain, the detour, the extra time in a van, the money,
the planning. I had finally made it work.
That afternoon, after a short rest in our cabins, because it was cold and
still a bit rainy, some of us donned some rubber boots and explored
the seabed while it was at low tide.
We learned how to look for clams, (see the chocolate clam above) and
found the hidey-hole of a fish called the sarcastic fringehead.
Our guide cracked open one of the clams we found and fed
the meat to this fish (and somehow I lost the picture of it).
Imagine a goggle-eyed fish with a huge mouth popping
up to eat its free meal.
Happy hour before dinner. Margaritas, beers, and fresh guac, salsa, and chips!
In Part Three we'll see the weather clear off, visit more whales, and explore more of the lagoon!
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