At home...........

Wednesday, 23rd February

Still feel very strange. Everything is still moving. I haven't dared drive my car yet because I still feel too spaced out!
I did wake up the day after I returned thinking I was still on board the ship. I'd left my electric toothbrush on charge and woke up at some strange hour - it was still dark - and I could see this little green light flashing.
'What's that light, Trish?' I said out loud. 'Maybe we should tell Captain Mike?'
I came too a bit more, switched on the light and saw Denis curled up next to me, still purring and Rupert at the end of the bed looking all quizzical as if to say.'What????'
I then kind of realised where I was. It was 3.30 in the morning. I got up and made myself a drink and sat in the living room staring into space. Zombie-like, I then returned to bed for a few more hours of restless sleep.
Having never experienced proper jet-lag before (didn't really affect me on the way out), I am having to get used to this strange timeless feeling. I'm hoping I'll get over it before I go back to work. Especially the movement thing. I still feel like I'm on a moving vessel and it is really strange!
We all got a wonderful email from Rachel. She told us that after our encounter with the poor Humpback Whale caught in the fishing net, Captain Mike had radioed round and told those he could that we had encountered this whale and if anyone could help that would be great. Luckily, some researchers found our whale and managed to release her from the net. Turns out, it was a juvenile female. They sent pictures of what happened after they released her - she fluked and then, quite literally, jumped for joy out of the water!
What a wonderful happy ending to what could have been such a tragic story. And what a wonderful end to our fantastic and, at times, surreal, adventure! It was such a great, heart-warming boost to us all after we were coming down from our trip of a lifetime!!
Naturally, I've been reflecting on it all. I really do believe that the experiences I have had in the last couple of weeks have changed my life for the better. I know I'm a changed person. I had always hoped this would happen. It is as if it has unlocked something within me that has been hidden for a very long time. It has brought joy and happiness back into my life again and I feel stronger and happier than I have felt for a very long while now. I think everyone I know will see a change and hopefully, they will like what they see......The Adventure continues.............

Going home.....

Our last day - Day 14 -Sunday, 20th February


I'm at home writing this - can't quite believe it. I'm feeling very strange. I'm still moving, though the world around me is still. My cats are here - Denis hasn't stopped purring since I walked in the door and Rupert keeps looking at me as if to say,' I know you, don't I?' Everything is surreal as if I'm in a dream.......


I hardly slept at all on our last night and finally, at 3.30am, I gave in and got up and had a shower. No one was around and I was quite glad. I needed that time to have a shower and get my head around what today was all about. As I readied myself, I still couldn't believe that in just a few hours I'd be leaving this wonderful boat and this wonderful place....

By the time I was dressed and got my coffee, Gary and Dan had appeared ( as if from nowhere) and we said a muted 'mornin' to one another. I found it difficult to talk as I was already choked up. I also suddenly felt incredibly queasy. Oh, that's great, I thought, all this time not throwing up and then I'll spend my last hours on the boat in the loo being sick! I was determined not to do this come what may...

Gradually, my fellow travellers began to appear and I took myself off outside to get some air and try and quell the queasiness. The morning light was, as ever, magnificent and I tried to take in as much of the vistas as I could so that I would never forget and it would all be firmly imprinted on my mind. Once Rachel was up, I finished my packing (stuffing everything into the case!) and went upstairs to have another coffee. I couldn't eat. My stomach was just churning over and over. I busied myself with writing a little poem to leave for the crew, surrounded by a few of my personal doodles which I love to do. Sonya came and sat with me and we tried to comfort each other, but it was getting harder and harder.

'Garyyyyyyyy...'I said at one point as he and Dan tried to work out who owed what for their bar-bills.

'Yeeeessss, Debbieeeeeeee.' he patiently replied.

'I've left a space in my suitcase for you....'

Gary smiled that smile and said simply,'I don't think it's gonna be big enough....!'

Oh well, I tried!

Sonya and I decided to go out on deck, just as Captain Mike suddenly turned the boat in a different direction and started heading back out to sea.

'We're going back!' I said to Sonya.'They love us so much, they don't want us to go home!'

We climbed up top and went and stood by the bridge to see where Captain Mike was taking us. Turned out he had spotted some whales on the radar and thought it would be nice for us to see them in the sunrise. What a bloody hero! The man deserves to be knighted or something for services to his adoring public!! I mean - how lovely was that! I know he probably does it for all his trips, but it felt like he was doing it just for us and that was enough! It was nice for Sonya and I to spend a last little bit of time up there in his company. Finally, he turned the boat round and started heading towards the port again, so Sonya and I decided it was probably time to start saying 'goodbyes' etc. Sonya said that she was feeling really sick too and I decided that it was probably some kind of mass hysteria at the thought of leaving the boat.

The mood was very sombre. Bags were being brought out on deck and people had started gathering for the inevitable. I can't remember who started me off - I think it was Sylvia - who enveloped me in a huge hug and I just started to cry! We had a few personal words - which were lovely and made me cry even more - and I decided that I'd wear my shades for the rest of the morning as my eyes were already a big red mess!! I started to go round hugging people and telling them how much I loved them and would miss them etc. Each one got harder and harder. Sonya decided we should 'do' the crew. Dan and Gary were closest, so we started with them. I gave Gary the biggest hug I could muster and tried not to weep too hysterically. I managed to thank him profusely and told him how much I'd miss him and wished him a safe journey home. He wished me the same and gave me one of his smiles. I think he was quite emotional. Not about me, but about us as a whole. Or that could just be my delusions. My eyes were so misted up, I thought everyone elses were too! We then grabbed Matt who was (hiding) at the side of the boat. I hugged him, told him I loved him at that he was a hero for trying to save the whale. He just looked all embarrassed and said 'You're welcome' or something. I think he was trying not to (laugh)cry! I then realised that JP/PJ and Brian were watching and laughing, so Sonya said,'Let's get them', but they pretended to be too busy trying to moor the boat!! So, I then had to go round my fellow travellers - as many as I could lay my hands on. I think I got most people. I gave Tony a huge hug and when we parted he was wiping his eye. Ah bless, I thought, the emotion has really got to him. Turns out, I poked him in the eye with the peak of my baseball cap when I hugged him. I hope it didn't cause any serious damage!

Then it was Mark's turn. Naturally, I had to wait in queue whilst everyone hugged and kissed him and had their photo taken with him. He was very patient and good natured. Especially considering he'd hardly slept as he was up trying to put the finishing touches to the DVD. I would have told everyone to B......Off if it had been me! I did get my chance to give him a hug and have my photo taken etc. I didn't want to let go and had to really force myself to do so! I tried not to say too much to him as I didn't want to put my foot in it again and leave him with the memory of me talking rubbish. I'm sure he'll have that memory anyway, so I didn't want to make it worse!!!

Next came JP/PJ. He gave me a lovely hug. Despite my reservations at the beginning of the trip, I actually ended up getting on really well with him. He was fine with me too once he realised that I wasn't going to lust after him! He even playfully hid my bag and would only give it back to me after I'd given him another hug! Actually, he was probably lusting after me the whole trip and I just didn't realise it. Oh well! After threatening to stow away in the food store, I was finally persuaded to disembark. I then gave Scottie the biggest hug and told him to make sure he stayed in touch via the emails (Rachel said he was going to be included in the list)He said he would. Brian also got a huge hug - well he is a big man after all! Finally, I saved my last hug for Captain Mike. I told him I loved him and thanked him profusely for giving me the best experience of my life. He smiled, embarrassed, and said simply,'You're welcome.' Tears were in full flow now and I didn't want to talk to anyone for a bit. The further we walked from the boat, the worse it got.
It was a shock walking into Cabo. It was hot, full of noise, full of buildings and people trying to sell us whale-watching trips. It felt so strange and alien to be amongst people again and the modern world. We had an hour or so before our coach came, so we split up and a few of us went and got a coffee at a cafe on the quayside. Everything was still swaying and everything felt weird. Before we got the coach, there were loads more hugs and kisses for Mark and Rachel.

When we arrived at the airport, some of us were going from different terminals, so I had to say goodbye there and then to some of my fellow travellers - especially Tony and Sonya, which was really hard. I started crying again. When we entered the airport, it was a total shock to the system. There was noise and stressed people rushing around here and there. I just stood there shell-shocked. Mark saw my face and said 'It's a shock isn't it?' I think I just nodded as the power of speech had left me at that point.'Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just follow us.' He reassured. Luckily, Seb and Hannah also valiantly took me under their wing and helped me through the madness of customs and check-in. I suddenly felt like a lost little child and was very grateful for all the help I could get!!

Once we were through security, our little group found somewhere to sit and people grabbed coffees and food. We spent a really nice couple of hours having a good chat with Rachel and Mark. It was one of the few opportunities I'd had to spend quality time with Mark, so it was a pleasant way to spend our time waiting for the flight.

The flight to LA went without hitch and once we were through security etc, it was time to say more goodbyes. Mark was staying in LA for a while and Rachel, Hannah and Seb were getting different flights from the rest of us. Time for more hugs and tears - I was beginning to get used to it by now!!
Then, me, Trish, Lesley and Pat had a long wait at LAX for our United Airlines flight to Heathrow. It was nice to spend the time with new found friends and we had plenty of stories to reminisce about.
The flight home was smooth and uneventful. I spent most of it dozing - too tired to even watch any movies or anything. Any time we hit a small amount of turbulence, it felt a bit like the motion of the boat again and was strangely comforting. I never thought I'd say that about sitting on an aeroplane going through turbulence!!!
We finally arrived at Heathrow to a cold, drizzly Monday afternoon. Getting through customs etc was a chore, but didn't take too long. I lost Lesley and Trish, but managed to say another tearful goodbye to Pat.
Marilyn was there to pick me up as arranged and we went for a quick coffee before we headed off. I think I was manic by now, because I just couldn't stop talking - there was so much to tell!! By the time she dropped me off, I had exhausted myself and had become non-verbal!!
So, now, I'm sitting here trying to stay up so that I go to bed at a relatively normal time. I feel exhausted, but I don't want to sleep because I know that when I wake up I'll think I'm back in Baja! I'm sipping a coffee from my Spirit of Adventure Mug and find it hard to comprehend where it and I have just come from. I can't unpack yet because that makes it all too final.....
This has been the most amazing experience of my life so far. I've been through a lot of major stuff in my life, but this has had a deep and profound effect on me. I'm not sure what it all means yet, but I know that this is just the start of a new and exciting chapter in my life and that great things are going to happen. I have all this new energy inside me and it has to be channelled into something - I'm just not sure what yet....I feel that perhaps.....The Best is Yet to come.....!

Our Last Full Day

Day 13 - Sea Lions Frolicking - Saturday, 19th February


Today was our last full day on the boat! I got up good and early again and felt no ill-effects from the Margaritas. Apparently, someone had said to Brian wasn't he worried that they'd cause rotten hangovers and he replied that 'ain't no one gonna be hungover from these'. Which meant that - either they weren't very potent ( I think they were because I felt The Love), or because it was a mixture of clear liquor, unless you then mixed it with something else, the after effects wouldn't be too bad. Well, I felt fine. Tired, but a clear head.


It was another lovely morning, but the sea was quite choppy today, so the boat was swaying all over the place. It's a good job I wasn't hung over because I think it would have made me feel very ill otherwise.


I asked Dan for some toast and he told me there was a bit of a queue if I didn't mind waiting. I said that was fine. Gary then said, with a glint in his eye,'I'm putting some in the toaster for you right now!' When it was ready, he brought it out to me on deck.'Thank you, Gary,'I said.'I love you!' 'Thank God!' said Gary, 'I thought it was just the Tequila talking last night!'



I quite enjoyed the choppy sea this morning, although it did seem a bit ironic after we'd had so many idyllic sea conditions previously. We saw more Blue Whales this morning. I was up top, by Captain Mike when he said he'd spotted a Blue Whale about 10 zillion miles ahead.'How do you do that?' I asked, in awe. 'It's my job,' he said, simply, with a glint in his eye! I think I might have fallen in love with him slightly at that point. I mean, the man is so cool, is obviously passionate about what he does, and is so quietly unassuming! What's not to fall in love with! I made a mental note to tell him that I love him at some point as I don't think I got round to it last night! I also missed Matt out and he was a hero yesterday, so I made a note to tell him too!! This holiday is turning out to be quite stressful - having to tell so many lovely men how much I love them. I must come again some day!!


Back to the Blue Whale! Yes, so, Captain Mike had spotted this Blue Whale and it was HUGE. It seemed much bigger than any others we had seen. I don't know if it was or not, but it seemed so to me anyway. I took some more still and moving shots and kept thinking - they're just not going to believe this back home!!


By the time we arrived at Los Islotes island, the sea had calmed right down and it was another beautiful day. This is the island where the Californian Sea Lions are that Mark and Stephen saw and swam with in 'Last Chance to See'. When we arrived, there were a few other boats anchored there which somewhat outraged us. It was quite a tourist hot spot and we were used to having these things all to ourselves!


We went out on a Skiff ride with Scottie as our 'driver'. He was great and pointed out all the good photo opportunities. I took quite a few shots of Sea Lions, but it was very distracting because they kept popping up near the boat and prancing and splashing all over the place! And the noise was amazing too! All you could hear was this manic 'barking' of the Sea Lions all the time as they got more and more excited!! When we got back to the boat, we were told we could go out again for another ride if we wanted. So, me and Sonya decided to go back out with Scottie on our own. The only thing was, that we saw Gary on board dishing out his delicious muffins! Captain Mike was there encouraging us to go off again with Scottie, but we bemoaned the fact that we'd miss out on the muffins! So, Captain Mike, called Gary back and got him to give us his Muffins so we could eat them on the Skiff! What a pair of heroes. I think I told them both I loved them at that point!!


So, we went out again - alone with Scottie! As soon as we were out of earshot, I asked him to dish the dirt on the rest of the crew! I wanted all the juicy gossip. Poor Scottie looked a bit shell-shocked and started stammering. I quickly reassured him that I didn't really expect him to dish the dirt ( although I really wanted him to), but he was very discreet and all we managed to get out of him was who was married, had a girlfriend (that'll be JP/PJ then) and who was single. He did offer to get me Gary's phone number, but I quickly assured him that I didn't like Gary like that and that I wouldn't want him to do that anyway!! It turns out that Scottie has been having a nose at my iPod at we have very similar tastes in music - he also likes a bit of Genesis and Crowded House - the man's got good taste I say!!


Actually, someone on the boat pointed out to me recently that there are various items of mine dotted all around the boat - an iPod left here, a camera there, suncream here, a hat there etc and I explained to them that when I feel comfortable somewhere, I tend to 'nest'. I leave things around because it feels like home and I can have my things around me! Also, while I think about it, Sonya said to me that whenever she goes into one of the loos with a shower in it, she always checks behind the shower curtain in case someone's in there!! I admitted that I do this too! I'm not sure who I expect to be in there, but I always check anyway!!


So, back to our Skiff ride with Scottie. It was a lovely ride - munching on our delicious muffins and having a heart to heart with Scottie. I'm not sure he quite knows how to take us as I reckon we're pretty full-on and he must have wondered what on earth he'd let himself in for! But, I think he enjoyed it anyway! What man wouldn't - alone in a boat with two gorgeous women??(!)



Later on,we all went out again for the snorkeling with the Sea Lions. Captain Mike took us this time - all dressed up in his, frankly, outrageous diving gear! I mean, I've never seen anything quite like it before and I don't suppose I ever will again! I'm sure he's wearing knickers on the outside of it! What's that all about?? That's all I've got to say about that!! We watched as the Sea Lions played with everyone and Rachel got ever so excited because she said one had come up behind her and hugged her. They certainly were in playful mood and everyone was elated once again when we got back to the boat.


I kept thinking - I really should go down to the cabin and start packing, but I really didn't want to because it would start to make the ending of our trip a reality and I wasn't prepared for that. I knew I was starting to feel quite emotional about it all because I just don't want to go home!! I want to stay here forever!!


But, eventually, I did go down and at least make a start on my packing - but I didn't like it! I had a shower before dinner, then joined the others. Tony was on good form again and was going on about Matt looking like this Mexican man on one of the chilli sauce bottles, so we grabbed Matt and Tony told him his thoughts! So, Matt went and got his (Mexican) hat and posed for a couple of pictures with the sauce bottle. He found it all highly amusing!

And, the great surprise was, that Dan had been hiding a secret supply of red wine! So, we had wine for tonight! When I went to find out if I could buy a bottle, it looked like they'd all been had - but, thankfully, one turned up, so I scribbled my name on it and I think I also scrawled HANDS OFF!! I popped back to the cabin again and when I returned for dinner, my wine bottle had mysteriously disappeared! I knew it had been deliberately nicked and it didn't take me long to find out who the culprit was - JP/PJ! It took some strong threats, but he eventually agreed to return it to me in time for dinner!! Once again, dinner was a riotous affair and we all had many many laughs and I kept thinking how much I was going to miss all this. I have never laughed so much in my life!!


After dinner, we watched a rough copy of the DVD that Mark and Rachel had made for us. We were all supposed to have a copy to go home with, but they hadn't been able to finish it in time due to problems with their computers etc. But that didn't matter because we were all going to watch it together this evening and then Rachel is going to send us all our copy once we get home. As we were settling down to watch, most of the crew came in too including Captain Mike who lay down next to me. He couldn't see properly from where he was. so Sonya suggested to him that he move closer to me which he did. I tried to pull him so that his head was resting on my lap, but for some reason, he resisted this! I can't think why! We all watched the DVD and, I think, we all got very emotional especially towards the end. I used this as an excuse to rub Captain Mike's arm a couple of times, tears welling up in my eyes. He just gave me this Clint Eastwood-type look as if to say - 'Much more of that and I'm gonna throw you off this boat!' So, I thought it was probably best not to throw myself into his arms and start weeping uncontrollably!

After the DVD had finished, Rachel gave Mike a bag with all our tips in it and I just had to rub his arm again and say 'Thank You' This time, he just smiled softly and quietly made his way outside. I hope everyone was over-generous with their tips, because this crew bloody well deserve it! This ship has been kept so clean all the time, the food has been superb, the crew knew all our names by day 2 which hugely impressed me, they are always polite and knowledgeable and also showed great humour and mucked in with us when required. They have become our friends and that's why we love them!! God, I'm getting all emotional again!

As I said, we were all wiped out by the DVD. I went outside with many others and we just stood quietly watching the stars and the moonlight. We were moored near one of the islands again and it just looked so stunning in the light of the moon. I think everyone was thinking the same thing - 'We don't want to leave such a beautiful place!' The thought of heading back to reality tomorrow is filling us all with dread. Some people, like Sonya and Tony are extending their holiday by staying in the US or Mexico for a little longer, but they know it won't be the same as being on out lovely boat, with our lovely crew and all our lovely new friends! I want to stay up all night and not miss any of it, but I know I must get some sleep. I had a late night chat and a lovely hug with Sylvia before she went to bed. We have been doing this most nights as she often goes to bed later than everyone else. We got very emotional knowing that this would be our last opportunity to do this! Sylvia has such a wonderful spirit - I shall miss her very much. But most of all I will miss this place. It really is magical and I feel that I have been touched by its magic. Hopefully, this will stay with me and be the start of greater things to come. My heart is filled to bursting point and I shall carry all this with me wherever I go and whatever I do. I am not entirely deluded and I realise that this is a holiday and all this is so special because it's a moment in time and must come to an end and can never be repeated. But, it feels like it's coming to an end far too soon and I'm not sure I'm ready for the future yet...It does feel a bit scary when everything here feels so safe. I suppose I must now wait and see what tomorrow brings.........

Whales good and bad....

Day 12 - Amazing Day - Friday, 18th February 2011







Up really early again. I woke Rachel up accidentally and she said something like,'Do you realise what the time is?' I said I did and she said,'Well, I'm not getting up yet!' I told her to go back to sleep!!

I was woken earlier when the boat started up, but I found it strangely comforting and soon went back to sleep.

Another beautiful morning and more toast and a smile from Gary. God, how will I cope without his smiling face in the mornings? I wish I could take him home with me!! I've got into such a routine now of standing out on deck as soon as dawn breaks and enjoying the early morning air and sun I really will be devastated to leave it!

We saw a pod of Bottlenose dolphins this morning and I, naturally, took a load more photos of them.

The most amazing thing happened today, though. Captain Mike told us that a Fin Whale had been spotted, so we all, like sheep, assumed the positions and hoped there might be a decent photo opportunity. We were following a couple of Fin Whales and (some of us) nicknamed one of them Lumpy as it had this strange growth on its side. We were with them for a while, then Lumpy went off to do his/her own thing. We were left with this amazing sight. This Fin whale was swimming along side our boat. He/she was very close and because the water was so calm and so clear, you could see the entire whale really clearly. He/she just kept pace with the boat. Apparently, Captain Mike said that the whale kept veering towards the boat and he kept having to steer the boat away for fear of a collision. They said they'd never seen anything like it before. The entire crew were out taking pictures and getting excited! It was so amazing. I took some video footage again, because I felt still pictures wouldn't do it justice. It was as if the whale fell in love with our boat and wanted to stay with us ( I know that's just me projecting my human emotions onto the situation, but it did feel like that!) The whale kept turning as if to watch us and seemed to have a big smile on his/her face! It certainly created a feeling of high elation amongst us throughout the rest of the morning!

Then, later on, this feeling soon evaporated as we witnessed the more depressing side of life at sea. A Humpback Whale had been spotted so we all rushed out to have a look, but a tragedy began to unfold before us. This poor whale had metres and metres of fishing net wrapped around it's tail and it quickly became obvious that this was causing the whale huge problems. We followed him/her for a while and Mark told us that we would have to leave him/her and hope all would be ok. We were all very upset and many of us were crying - especially after we'd had such a positive experience earlier in the day. I went out to the back of the boat and then saw that they were lowering one of the skiffs and suddenly it was all hands on deck. Before I knew it, Mark, Matt and Brian had launched themselves in a skiff and were going after the whale. Someone said they were going to attempt to cut the net off and free the whale. We all watched and held our breath as they risked their lives to try and save him/ her. Captain Mike was tracking the whale on his radar and would let them know via the PA system roughly where the whale would break water. So, Mark, Matt and Brian would then try and position themselves so that they could hook some of the net and, hopefully cut it off. This went on for quite a while and there were a few hairy moments when it looked like the whale would drag them under - or at least drag one of them off the boat! Eventually, they did manage to cut some of the net off. But it was only a relatively small amount. By now, the whale was getting more and more stressed and the situation was becoming more and more dangerous for our intrepid heroes. In the end, they had to give up because it was becoming impossible. Mark said that he hoped they had given the whale a fighting chance and that he/she at least had more of a chance than before we'd come across him/her. But the whole experience left the boat subdued - especially after the previous 'high'.

Later on we saw some more Brydes Whales. Sonya and I have taken to calling them 'Boring Brydes Whales' because they don't do very much! I know that sounds awful - but because we've now had so many other very exciting encounters, they do seem a bit dull!!



Rachel had told us that on the last night of the trip, Brian does a 'Margarita Night'. For some reason - maybe because we were all a little depressed - it happened this evening instead. I was very excited by the thought of Margaritas as I was getting bored with beer which is not something I normally drink a lot of!! So, I watched Brian making his first batch and virtually pounced on him to fill my glass up first. I could tell straight away, that Brian was highly amused by my behaviour and he was up for a bit of fun. So, I proceeded to follow him round the boat like a puppy dog, getting him to fill up my glass at every opportunity which he did with a wicked glint in his eye! They were very nice and made me feel all warm and cosy inside!! Rachel decided that there was a great photo opportunity in the offing. Brian had gone inside to make another batch, so Rachel suggested that when he came back, that I lie on the deck with my mouth open and see if he would just pour the cocktail into my mouth! Naturally, when I lay on the deck, Brian was up for a laugh and proceeded to pour as requested! This had to happen a couple of times, so people could get their photos - otherwise I would never have dreamt of doing it!! All those Margaritas made me feel so full of love that I had to go around to all the members of the crew that I could find and tell them that I loved them very much. I may have done this more than once! I don't think they've ever experienced anything quite like it! Apparently, Rachel told me that Captain Mike had been watching my shenanigans with Brian on the deck and had been laughing his head off - not scowling in disapproval as I thought he would!!
During dinner, I had to tell Gary again how much I loved him and he indulged me with a lovely smile with his laughing eyes! I even told JP/PJ that I loved him, much to his amusement, and he didn't reiterate that he had a girlfriend or run away!!
By the end of the evening and a few coffees I had sobered up and watched the stars again. No shooting stars tonight - but a beautiful sky nevertheless!

The Most Wonderful Place I have seen

Day 11 - Giant Cacti Island - Thursday, 17th February


Another early rise and another stunning sunrise! Don't think I could ever quite get used to this! Although, I wouldn't mind trying!!


At sunrise, we came across a pod of short-finned Pilot Whales. Hannah ( one half of a delightful couple called Seb and...) got very excited about these as these are her favourite things and she's studied them. They're very small whales and they like to do this thing called 'logging' where they just kind of float on the surface and look cute! They certainly made for some great pictures in the early dawn light and we stayed with them for ages. These are the whales which are slaughtered 'for fun' in the Faroe Islands which my Niece in Germany gets so outraged about. She goes to a Danish school and she cannot come to terms with the fact that a country like Denmark (who own the Faroes) which seems to be so PC and into all the eco-stuff, condones the slaughter of these lovely animals. She's very vocal about it to anyone who'll listen ( and good on her I say).


But, for us - today - it was simply another wonderful encounter and lovely to see them doing their thing! What a fantastic start to the day!


We were still around San Jose Island and soon encountered some playful Bottlenose Dolphins! Captain Mike - who has obviously done this before - knew how to get them really excited and took the boat in big, wide circles, thrusting the engines to churn up the water! The Dolphins loved this and treated us to a magnificent display of leaping and frolicking behind the boat and plenty of bow-riding. Again, I think I got some really good pictures - although it's difficult to tell until I see them on the computer. Mark said to us outside 'If anyone ever tries to tell you they're not doing this for fun, don't listen to them!' He's so right. They were simply having fun and, hopefully, it shows on the pictures.


During the day, we also saw a Ray and a huge pod of Long-beaked Common Dolphins which I took some film footage of. They were squeaking and squealing and the noise reminded me of the meows Rupert does! Very cute! Mark said they were recording it and it will be on the DVD they're doing for us at the end.


Later in the afternoon, we stopped at an island called Isla Santa Catalina. This is where, we had been told, there were giant Cacti and great photo opportunities. We were stopping there shortly before sunset as, apparently, the light looked wonderful against all the dramatic cacti.


We landed about 4pm and were told to be back to the skiff by 6pm at the latest as it would be almost dark by then. Straight away, I was really excited. I can't explain why - maybe I'll be able to figure it out at a later stage - but it was almost as if the island had this magical effect on me! It sounds really strange writing it down, but I was just awe-struck right from the word go. I think I walked around the entire time with my mouth open! I felt I just needed to get out there and explore - so I marched off on my own. As soon as you got away from the beach, it became totally silent - apart from the odd squawk of a bird or the sound of my feet walking on the gravelly ground. The silence really was golden. I did actually tip-toe for some of it as I didn't want to make too much noise! Graham and Jenny kept up with me for a while - which was useful, actually, as I was able to ask them what certain birds were etc. There were loads of crows (or ravens- I can't tell the difference) and I heard a Woodpecker pecking, although I failed to spot it - or them. At some point ( I had no idea of the time - I think I was in a trance-like state) Jenny said that she and Graham were going back. I told them I was going to carry on, but I'd be back soon. It almost felt as if I wasn't talking and someone else was! That sounds really mad and the kind of thing some of my clients might say! Then Matt appeared and I wondered what on earth he was doing there! He asked me the time and informed me that he didn't have long as he had to be back at the skiff. He then marched on ahead. I was tempted to follow him, but it looked as though he might be having a wee, so I thought it best not to! I pretended to take a few very interesting pictures so that he didn't think I was watching him or anything. He smiled on his way back and told me not to be late. Well, mate, I thought. I might accidentally get stranded here and have to stay forever - so there! But I knew it would probably cause problems as all the boxes have to be ticked. So, I reluctantly started to make my way back too. Mark and Rachel had been right, though - the light was amazing making everything look so warm and golden. (Since I've been back, a friend has pointed out that it's not surprising I felt all funny being in a place with so many giant phallic symbols!)As I got nearer to the beach, I saw a small group of my fellow travellers all trying to photograph something behind me and I was in the way!! I looked round and saw the most amazing sight! The full moon was rising behind the hill-tops on the other side of the island and it looked simply stunning! I got out of their way and joined them in a frenzied photo-off. As I hadn't been there when Mark was dishing out advice, I wasn't sure whether or not I'd got my F-Stops right or anything - but I tried my best and I think I got a few good ones.

I went back to the boat very happy! But, I should point out at his point that we have run out of red wine!! Shock! Horror! Apparently this has never happened before and we are the first group to drink the boat dry of most alcohol (white wine is either out or almost out and much of the popular beer!) So, I'm having to make do with some beer I've never heard of. Well, it's alcohol I suppose. God, I sound like my Mother! Anyway, we had another hilarity filled evening and Hannah gave us a great talk about Pilot Whales. After, many of us went outside for another beer and the hilarity continued - mostly led by Tony who was on particularly good form! I was regaling them about meeting Matt and joked that he'd asked me for a quickie behind a Cactus and that I'd had to refuse him because I am a Lady. I did add that this was a joke but it led onto Tony saying that he thought Matt was a Mexican for some reason and it just got sillier and sillier. I went in to get another beer and saw that Matt was sitting just outside the door, reading. Oh my God, I thought, please don't let him have heard all that! But, he had his head down, reading a whale book. As I came out again, Rachel was just coming in and saw Matt too. The look on her face was a picture as she did a u-turn, mouthing something unmentionable and re-joined the others! I got back to them and Rachel was panicking saying,'Oh my God! Matt's just there! Do you think he heard??' I said I didn't think so, but Rachel wanted to make sure. So, she went and stood near him and pretended to look at life jackets or something and we had to carry on talking. She came back and said that the noise of the boat's generators drowned out our conversation, so she was happy we hadn't been overheard. I think he would just have been amused by it all anyway! But it was funny!

We are moored by the island tonight and will be leaving in the early hours to our next destination. I'm glad because it does look absolutely stunning in the moonlight and terribly romantic. Ok, I can dream I'm here with George Clooney or whoever! But it means that the boat is going to start up at something like 3am and as we're next to the engine, that ain't going to be funny!! As I sat out tonight, I saw another shooting star and gasped again in wonder and made another wish.............

A Very Special Day

Day 10 - BLUE WHALE DAY - Wednesday, 16th February



I knew today was going to be a special day not long after I'd risen and done my early morning ablutions!
I went outside with my coffee to see what I could see. We were passing land and the moon was still above the mountains casting the most gorgeous reflections on the water. And against the mountains, were these surreal white things! I had to ask Tony if he thought they were clouds and he said he thought they were. Then Dan came out and I asked him to confirm they were clouds because they looked so strange in the pre-dawn moonlight. 'Sure are,' he said,' And don't they look amazing?' They did look amazing and I thought it was sad that not everyone would see this because they were still in bed and it would be gone by the time they got up.
Had my breakfast - lovely toast from lovely Gary - and soon enough we arrived at this island called San Jose Island. It had featured in 'Last Chance to See' when Mark and Stephen stopped to look at fossilised whale bones.
The island was stunning to look at. I don't know much about geology, but it looked pretty impressive to me - just the different rock layers and the colours. And, of course, it was a hot and sunny day, so the conditions were just perfect for us.
We were taken over in the skiffs and basically left to explore the island for a while. I went off on my own to explore and took some very interesting pictures - I hope. It was very hot, though, and I was quite glad to get back in the skiff and put my hands in the cooling water. We then were taken for skiff rides along the cliffs to take more photos etc. Brian took us today and was funny and informative at the same time. We kept seeing these bright red crabs which Brian informed us were called Sally Lightfoot Crabs. We thought he was taking the piss at first, but it turned out he wasn't and they are called that. Can't quite work out his sense of humour yet as he's probably the crew member I've had least to do with. I seem to be getting on ok with JP/PJ now as I think he's realised I'm not after his body and about to pounce on him any minute!! Although as he wears those bloomin' shades all the time, I really can't tell whether or not he's giving me funny looks!! Haven't had that much to do with Matt either - he seems fairly quiet - although he probably isn't- that's just the Matt I see. Scottie is lovely. We all love Scottie because he's so friendly and so amiable and very approachable about anything. We're told he's single and I'm sure there are some who'd snap him up - he certainly would make some lucky woman a very good partner I think. Captain Mike continues to be friendly but incredibly cool ( not cool as in off, but cool as in movie-star cool). I'm sure half the women on this boat are in love with him and fantasize about riding off into the sunset with him as he has that air of cool action hero - maybe a touch of the Robert Redfords too? Not me though, I'll keep my fantasies to myself thank you very much!!
Anyway, back to today's story! I should point out at this point that my face has really caught the sun, particularly my nose which is just bright red! So, even if I had thoughts of trying to attract the most gorgeous man, I look completely ridiculous and he would simply laugh at my (by now) ruddy complexion and bright red honker! The thing is, although I have all this suncream, I keep forgetting to apply it because Captain Mike or someone will say 'Whale ahead - 11 o'clock' and I'll run outside and watch in the sunlight all thoughts of suncream forgotten! I do try and remember to do my dodgy arm because if that gets sun burnt I'm in trouble!!
We were given the opportunity to go either snorkeling or spend a couple of hours on this beautiful beach. I chose the beach as it provided the opportunity for a bit of paddling/swimming and beach-combing. I put my cossie on under my shorts and t-shirt and Matt and JP/PJ dropped us off on the island and then anchored off shore. I did dare to go into the water, but felt that the world was not quite ready for the full swimming-costumed body, so I kept my t-shirt on. I'm still extremely self-conscious about my body and even though there were only a few friendly faces there, I still couldn't do it. Besides, I'm also paranoid about getting sun burnt on that arm, so I felt it was better to keep the t-shirt on. It was a very enjoyable couple of hours, though. There were pelicans diving for fish just off the beach and it was breath-taking to watch them. I would have been quite happy to have been left behind there to be honest because it was so idyllic.
Just as lunch was about to be served, Captain Mike came over the loudspeakers to say that a Blue Whale had been spotted ahead. Dan and Gary were not happy as everyone, naturally, rushed outside to try and spot it. 'Don't worry about lunch,' Gary said sarcastically,'You go get your Blue Whale fix' He joked about it, but they weren't happy!
And so, outside, I got my very first sight of my very first Blue Whale! I was so ecstatic! This was why I'd booked the trip and it was right in front of me!! I took a few snaps, but decided then that moving film might be better at capturing this momentous occasion and took some video footage. It really was a sight to see and we were able to watch it for quite a while. My dream had come true! I can go home happy! Well, I would already have gone home happy - but even happier than that!! Now I can show everyone Blue Whales that I have actually seen!! We saw a few more during the afternoon - my God! That makes it sound so normal now! Yeah - I saw a few Blue Whales today! But it is so unbelievably extraordinary! I feel like I'm in a permanent dream-like state! This place is actually doing strange things to my psyche. I'm more openly emotional than I've ever been in my life. I keep hugging people all the time! Those who know me well, know that hugging has been a real problem for me in the past ( all to do with childhood stuff which I won't go into) and it's only recently that I've felt able to hug people and I'm doing it all the time now!! And I'm doing it properly and everything! This place is definitely changing me - maybe I'm having one of those occasions where it really does change your life forever! I believe it's called an Epiphany? I hope so, because I think it can only be a good thing!
Later some Peruvian beaked whales were seen in the distance - which Mark got very excited about - although I didn't see them. A Mako shark was also seen, as was a dwarf sperm whale. I'm afraid I saw none of these - I think my head was still so full of Blue Whales to be honest!! The sunset this evening was particularly spectacular and whilst I was out later in the evening, listening to my music and watching the stars, I saw a shooting star!! It was late, but I looked around hoping that somebody else might have been around and seen it - but there was no one else around. I did make a wish, as you're supposed to - but I'm keeping that one to myself!!

On Board The Spirit of Adventure

Day 9 - All at Sea whale watching! Tuesday, 15th February 2011



Got up once at some really un-godly hour as I needed a wee. I went outside briefly and when I looked I noticed that we were passing land that had human life on it! It was all bright lights and looked like a holiday resort! I realised later that we had been passing Cabo San Lucas - so that explained all the bright lights, but it did look very surreal when it had been a week since we'd seen anything like that.

I got up properly at 4.30amish and did my usual early morning routine. Now, I'll have my coffee and go outside and wake up properly before asking Dan for some toast, which is always brought by Gary with a lovely smile. I have to laugh to myself when I hear him going down to the cabins and yelling his 'Last Call for Breakfast' to those still asleep at 5.30. I mean - how could they still be asleep so late???

Today we sailed south of Cabo to search for Humpback Whales and we saw plenty of them! Luckily for us, they were very active and provided us with great photo opportunities, although I still failed to get really good photos except when they fluked (dived) and I got plenty of Humpback Tails sticking up out of the water! I'll have to delete quite a few I suspect because there are so many of the same thing.

We also got to listen to Humpbacks singing as they dive down. This took a couple of attempts. The first time Mark tried, there were a lot of other small fishing motor boats around, so the whale sounds were over-ridden by the sounds of boat motors and it spoilt it somewhat. Mark said something like.....'we'll have to come out again later and take everything off' - well, I was taking a mouthful of coke at the time and almost spat it out all over the deck to which Mark said,'Calm down, Debbie, not like that!' I was very embarrassed. I'd made a fool of myself yet again in front of Mark Carwardine!! Oh well, I suspect he's getting used to it by now!
In-between Humpbacks we saw turtles, more Dolphins and this weird thing called a Sun Fish or Mola Mola which is a huge flat fish which was just floating on the surface of the water and was one of the strangest things I've ever seen!!
We did eventually get to hear the Humpbacks singing which was weird because it sounded like a heard of elephants, with a few monkeys thrown in! Not like whales at all!!
In the evening we had another wonderful meal. Gary was making us all laugh a lot tonight - especially when he offered us the pudding of Tirameeeesue. He just pronounced Tiramisu so funnily, we kept asking him to say it again and he kept obliging! Mark and Rachel sat with us at dinner and Rachel insisted I tell Mark the story of when I'd had to video some performance art of this guy naked and wrapped in clingfilm! He must think I'm a total freak!
After dinner, we had the 'Talent Night' as promised after Mark's lecture. Everyone was tired, but completely up for it and it proved to be a wonderful evening! I was first up with my Pam Ayres inspired poem about Bertha and Bertie! Luckily everyone enjoyed it - but I was so nervous! I managed to get through it, though! And I think everyone enjoyed it!! This was followed by Sylvia singing her song. Sylvia is wonderful - she's in her 70's and has come on this trip on her own and is the life and soul of the party! She takes a full and active part in everything and makes even the youngest voyagers feel old sometimes!! Sylvia performed like a dream! This was followed by Doug demonstrating his Morris Dancing and then getting a few people up to help in his demonstrations - including Mark and Rachel. It was hilarious! I took a bit of film of it, so I hope it comes out ok! Then, Mark decided to try some levitation on Tony which didn't work, but which did succeed in causing yet more hilarity! We were all utterly exhausted by the end of it!
Mark did come out afterwards when we were all cooling down outside and congratulate me on the poem - I'm sure he was just being kind, but it was nice of him to do so!!
I ended the evening by listening to my music under the stars as per usual......

All at Sea Again

Day 8: On board 'The Spirit of Adventure' - Monday, 14th Febraury

In our lecture last night, Mark explained that today would be spent travelling and the sort of things we hoped to encounter. He showed us our proposed route, but said that we would be doing a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and weaving in and outing whilst slowing to look at whales etc.

I got up at 4.30am ish and enjoyed the pre-dawn quiet again. It's so nice at this time. The only sound is that of the boat's engine as it cuts through the water. There is no other sound outside. It's lovely. And it's so great watching the moon and stars fade away to be replaced by the early morning sun! I'm going to hold on to all these vivid images because they are irreplaceable and I doubt whether I'll ever experience anything quite like them again!

In the early morning, many of assembled on deck in anticipation of whales etc. We've become quite conditioned now to know that when we hear the noise of the engines slow, we know that Captain Mike or Brian has seen something somewhere and we should have our cameras at the ready! We've also become quite good at spotting fins in the water, or whales blowing in the distance. We should all be mini-experts by the time we leave this boat!
We were out hotly anticipating something when this Humpback whale suddenly leapt out of the water right in front of our boat and took us all by surprise! It was amazing, but of course I (along with many others) did not have my camera ready and missed a great photo. Hopefully, I'll get the hang of this photography thing before long!! It didn't matter too much as there were other photo opportunities during the day. We saw more Humpbacks, Brydes (pronounced Broodus) whales and a Fin Whale which is the second largest whale in the world. Hopefully, it's a good omen for the Blue Whale which I so long to see. My brothers will be so jealous if I can tell them I've seen a Blue Whale as they too remember childhood trips to see the model in the Natural History Museum with Dad. I remember you used to be able to throw coins on its tail ( they've put a stop to that now!!) and I could never work out how anything so big could really be alive on this earth. Hopefully, I'll see it for real and it will assuage all my doubts.
Had another wonderful dinner and lecture. Had so many laughs with Sonya, Tony and the others! It's great because we all seem to share similar tastes in humour and Tony, in particular, has us all in stitches for most of the time!
I informed Rachel that I'm writing a Pam Ayres style poem about our Gray Whale encounter and she's decided we should have a talent night as a few of the others have secret talents which need to be exposed! For instance, Doug, it seems is a Morris Dancer and is keen to show us his moves!! I, for one, can't wait! It does mean that I'll have to get a move on with this poem, though, so I'm going to have a bit more of a go now.................

Gray Whales - again!

Day 7 - The San Ignacio Lagoon - Sunday, 13th February
Got up really early again this morning - about 4.30am. Too excited to sleep any more!
Wow! This is so amazing! It's got to a stage now where I really can't imagine not being on this boat and not waking up to stunning sun-rises and going to bed after stunning sun-sets! I honestly believe that life will never be the same again. I mean, how can it? We're all agreed that what will make it harder is that, because this is a shared experience amongst us, it will be almost impossible to explain it to all at home. Anyone who hasn't has this experience this past week simply will not get it!

This morning, we went for another Panga ride out into the lagoon in pursuit of Gray Whales. It sounds awful to say, but it was a bit disappointing in as much as we saw whales, but they weren't really up for playing with us, so we didn't really get any close encounters of any length. We concluded that maybe there were too many males around and the mothers were more concerned with trying to keep out of their way than play with us. Bloody men! They always get in the way!!
After a brief stop back at the boat, we went out again. This time it was into the mangrove swamps just off the lagoon. This proved to be very interesting and informative as we were looking mainly at the bird-life which lives there. Now, my knowledge of birds is not exactly extensive. I mean, I know what I know - especially when I go out to Rye Meads Nature Reserve armed with my RSPB book of birds, but it's pretty limited. I did feel a bit thick, actually. Especially as Mark was on my boat and everyone was asking him very intelligent questions and regaling him with wonderful wildfowl facts and I knew virtually nothing! I just pointed my camera and clicked when things were pointed out. I vowed not to go out in a boat with Mark again because it does make me feel very inadequate!! Everyone seems to have travelled so much more and know so many more useful things than I do! I mean, I can tell him all about the emotional life of my two cats and the little Robin redbreast that manages to evade them in the hedge outside my living room window...but I just don't think he'd be very interested!! Besides which, if I do open my mouth anywhere near him, rubbish just seems to flow out....!
So, we returned to the boat for yet another wonderful lunch before heading out to the Gray Whales again for the final time...
I told my concerns re: Mark to Sonya and she insisted that I got in a boat with her as it was bound to be a lucky boat! And so it proved! We had the fisherman who I'd been with before and he was really sweet and seemed to have more luck with the whales. Very soon, we encountered a mother and calf whom we named Bertha and Bertie. They loved us and we loved them! They stayed and played with us for well over an hour and it was the most wonderful experience of my life! Bertha kept pushing Bertie towards our boat and I did eventually manage to touch him! He had a hairy nose! I felt so elated! Any thoughts of photography went out of the window! I just had to experience the experience! Everyone on our boat was on a real high by the time we got back to the boat and it was all we could talk about for ages! I can finally say that I've touched a whale! Life will never be the same again......
Just because I've forgotten to mention - our boat is called 'The Spirit of Adventure'. Never has a boat been so aptly named. I feel like an adventurer on this holiday. I know many have done this before, but it's all a new adventure for me!
We had a fantastic evening! I sat with Sonya, Tony, Trish and Leslie and we all laughed so much! I don't think I've ever laughed so much in my life as I have this past few days! Dinner itself was fantastic as usual. Dan and Gary came up with the goods yet again! We were talking about Captain Mike and someone likened him to Clint Eastwood. I suppose there is something of the Clint Eastwoods about him. He's very very cool and you can imagine him, whilst he's up on the bridge at the helm of his boat, saying things like...'Go ahead Whale, make my day!' Clint should certainly play him if they ever made a film of his life!
We had another lecture from Mark after dinner and then shared more laughs before people made their way to bed. I, as is my routine, went out the back and watched the stars whilst reflecting on my day. If this is as good as it gets, then I'm a happy bunny!

GRAY WHALES!

Day 6 - Saturday, 12th February 2011

Today has been the best day of my life so far!! I'm so excited! It's been so wonderful! I'm bursting with 'stuff' and I can't go to bed because my mind is in over-drive!! I'm feeling really emotional and it's quite difficult to write at all!

I got up even earlier this morning, had a shower and was ready to face the day! It's still dark at that time (about 4.45am), but quite beautiful. I can't believe I'm getting up this early - usually only a dire emergency will drag me from my bed at that time. But, I don't want to miss a thing and it's all so wonderful! I can always catch up on sleep when I get home!
I had a coffee ( we've all got our own mugs with Gray Whales on them by the way) and went outside to catch some pre-dawn air. All the stars were still out and one of my fellow passengers, David, informed me that my star sign's (Scorpio) constellation is prominent in the sky at the moment. I'm sure that's significant somehow!! I got chatting to David and his partner Karin last night. They're a lovely couple. She's German, so I was pre-disposed to like her and he's from Northern Ireland originally. However, they both lived in Canada for a while, so both have these weird accents which are sometimes German (her), sometimes Northern Irish(him) with this strange Canadian twang! Co-incidentally, Karin is a Social Worker in Mental Health so does a very similar job to me!
It was nice spending quiet time outside in the early hours when there are only a few people up and about.
I had some toast and a banana for my breakfast today. Absolutely no sign of sea-sickness, just excitedness!!
We entered the San Ignacio Lagoon fairly early and moored up at a suitable spot. We saw whales around and about straight away and I, for one, couldn't wait to get in amongst them. I suspect that most of my fellow voyagers felt that way too!
We were taken out to see the whales by some of the local fishermen in their small fishing boats called Pangas. This ensures that contact with the whales is controlled and the fishermen are able to earn some money during the whale breeding season.
The gray whale mothers and their calves come to investigate the boats and often the mothers nudge their calves towards the boats so that you can touch them. We went out twice today and had some really close encounters, although I didn't quite get to touch one. I took some pictures, but I was so excited for most of the time, that I forgot my camera was there as I just wanted to absorb the experience. It was pretty overwhelming and I became very emotional. When we finally returned to the boat in the afternoon, JP (I'm sure that's it, although I still keep wanting to call him PJ) asked me how it had been and I told him I couldn't talk about it! I really couldn't, though. I had to go and have a quiet moment to myself outside on the front of the ship listening to my music because it all seemed too surreal to be true. I still feel like I'm in a dream and I'll wake up in a minute and I'll be back in real-life!
In the evening there was even an adult Gray Whale outside nudging our ship!! We had another lovely dinner tonight and another fascinating lecture.
I told Rachel that today had been the best day of my life and she thought that was great and bought me and some others a beer to celebrate! We had a great evening and I got chatting to a few of the other passengers properly including Trish and Leslie and Sonya and Tony.
Tomorrow we have another whole day here in the lagoon - I can't wait! It's so beautiful here and it was wonderful sitting out again listening to my music after dark! Rachel sat with me for a while and we star-gazed and put the world to rights!!
I hope I get to touch a whale tomorrow ( how many times will I get to say that in my life??!)