Shades of blue water

The days have all kind of blurred together.   We're mostly based at Cayo Largo with one day trip to Cayo Rico, where there is purportedly pirate's treasure buried.  The days involve food, snorkeling, a beach, kayaking, and laying around.

Breakfast is at 8 and is fruit (paw paw, pineapple, orange), eggs in a new way each day, and toast.  Lunch is at 12 and dinner at 8.  We've had yummy barracuda, delicious pork barbecue on the beach, an absolutely fabulous lobster (the first that hasn't been overcooked), fish,  salads of avocado,  tomatoes and cucumber, and dessert at lunch and dinner (of varying quality).  As well as mojitos, daiquiris, Pina Coladas, and some things I can't spell.  Cat is a fabulous bar tender.

The ocean is blue.  Dark blue, that bright pale "you're on holiday" blue, and all the shades in between.  The coral is quite dull, but there's some interesting and colourful fish.  I'm quite keen on the Queen Parrotfish and the Queen Triggerfish.  The water looks like it should be freezing, but it's a glorious temperature. The beaches are white fine, fluffy sand marred only by the many plastic bottles that have washed ashore.  There's usually a hotel beach with loungers, umbrellas and a bar within walking distance.

The great blue heron have just started migrating so we've seen a few, as well as great egrets, sand pipers, frigate birds, and pelicans.  We visited a turtle sanctuary and dug the newly hatched turtles out of the ground.  Huge iguanas wandered the floors of the restaurant on Cayo Rico where we had lunch.  Including walking right over mum's feet while we were eating.

There are downsides (I know, you'll feel lots of sympathy).  Our cabin is quite small, and I've been feeling a little claustrophobic down there.  Last night, I woke mum up because I was in a panic and couldn't figure out how to get out.  The toilets are, well, boat toilets.  There's limited water so showers are fleeting.  So all in all, it's been a great week, but I'll be glad to be ashore again tomorrow.

Sailing in the Caribbean

Let me introduce you to the crew.  We'll the crew and the other passengers.   Cat, our Canadian tour leader, Jose the fabulous cook, and crazy Captain Pedro.   They sail us around  (mostly motor), make us cocktails, catch our dinner (dish and lobster),  make our meals, and do our dishes.  I am never coming home.

We have an Irish couple, a Swiss - German couple ,  two German - Swiss doctors, three German lads, a Brit, and us.  We're all currently singing along to Free Fallin after a hard day swimming, kayaking, snorkeling,  walking along white sandy beaches, and a visit to the mangroves.  Apart from the mangroves,  this pretty much sums up the past few days.

It was a six hour stint to get from Cienfuegos to Cayo Guano del Este via a tiny island with some quite good snorkeling.   Guano has a manned lighthouse which needs something wound up every four hours.  All except Jose piled into the zodiac and tried to get ashore.   Willie the dog and Fran, a young lad who works there, were waiting to help us ashore.  The waves were too rough so Fran jumped in and we towed him along behind with the painter.  Willie barked for a while, then jumped in too. 

We nearly drowned Fran, but soon were on the small beach and walking over the mostly rocky island to the lighthouse.  They have a few solar panels, three weedy palm trees, cable TV,  and 234 steps to the top of the lighthouse to see the sunset.

It was a stinking hot day and a stinking hot night.  Our cabin is the "luxury" suite.  It's a bit claustrophobic but I'm told it's much better than some of the others.  With the heat, it was not an easy sleep.