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......
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......
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