Ever since our first season in Mexico in 2007, Koiya has been obsessed with the idea of swimming with dolphins. Whenever we see them at anchor, she runs to get her swimsuit, and begs us to dinghy her closer to them.
When anchored out in La Paz, pods of bottlenose dolphins come by the boat a couple times a day. If we’re below, we’ll know they are close by the explosive sound of their exhalations as they surface.
A couple of mornings ago, we heard the tell-tale sounds and Koiya decided this was her chance. She threw on her suit and waited at the swim ladder. As the dolphins neared, she slipped gently into the water in front of them. Though they were busy feeding, they weren’t startled by her, and simply dove just underneath her, to resurface nearby. It was only a few seconds, but she was thrilled. “I swam with dolphins!” she cried.
She and Josh of Theophilus had another close encounter with dolphins the next afternoon. So in addition to the arrachera tacos at Rancho Viejo, and the ice cream at La Fuente, Koiya now has three great reasons to love La Paz. Four if you count Ralf, the immature pelican she befriended.
We have had a great week here: eating out, stocking up, running errands, playing volleyball, and swimming every afternoon to beat the heat (it was 97 degrees yesterday!). We’ve also shared some great meals with Theophilus, who introduced us to the Caeser (a Canadian version of a bloody Mary). We’re not quite sure how that took a whole week, but we were constantly busy, so we’re looking forward to getting back out to the islands for a little relaxation.
Koiya wins the award for the highest wage-earner this month. Not only did she earn 400 pesos for taking a 3-hour test (some sort of psychological or learning disability thing, we think), but she also used her metal detector to find 8.5 pesos under the beach palapas.
Last night, I turned over in the berth, and Capn Groggy commenced patting down my legs. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Looking around,” came his drowsy reply.
“For what?” I pressed.
“You know, more rode… rope or chain… here on the nav table,” he mumbled, finally turning over and snoring soundly.
So, he was feeling my legs, looking for anchor rode. Well, I guess I should be happy to be compared to ground tackle. At least he didn’t say, “I’m seeing if this elephant has pulled up lame.” Or, given that I haven’t shaved in about a week, “I’m checking these hedge hogs for mange.”
lucky you woke up before he tossed you overboard! quick thinking on his part to pretend he was dreaming.
any swine flu cases where you are?
bob