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