Panama, The Canal and Beyond
Day Ten – 16 Nov 2014
Weather: I’m melting!
I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve experienced such heat. Even in Las Vegas where it was 45, it had no humidity like this. I don’t know how they do it!
And the humidity is only 60-70%. They get 90% in summer. It reminds me of my favorite forecast from a US station.
Saturday was yesterday. 🙂
My throat was sore so I skipped breakfast and feasted on Fanta Orange. We met up with David at 8:30 and myself and three others headed to the port for our Isla Del Encanta optional. The port is only a short distance away and the area was quite crowded. Tons of boats head out every day to the islands and the moment our speedboat went to full speed, I could understand why. Nothing like natural air conditioning.
The ride took a full hour and en route we could get great views of Cartagena. And we passed by the two forts that were built by the Spaniards to protect the entrance to the harbor. What I didn’t quite catch is that there is a wider entrance to the harbor on the other side of this island. That must have been watched by ships. The passage here is fairly narrow.
When we got out to sea, the other boats split off in different directions. There are a number of islands out here and each company seems to have dibs on one or the other. Our island only has four speedboats going to it and it’s much less crowded than the others – from what I’m told.
And yes, it was a hotel that has like 8 cottages, a beach, bar, pool and hammocks!
I love hammocks.
We landed and two of us signed up for the snorkeling optional. Yeah. I am developing laryngitis and I’m going snorkeling.
Hey, I can breathe out of my mouth. I just can’t pass air through my nose. And that’s not needed with a snorkel and mask.
We have a half hour, so I grab a Coke and a hammock under the shade. Talk about relaxing. In about two weeks, I’m going to be wondering how I could lie in the shade in my tankini and still be hot.
Oh wait.
Well, at my age, I’m still hot. It just comes in flashes.
At 11:30, the guide for the snorkeling hands out the flippers and we load up on the boat with a group of about 15 of us. We take a short boat ride out and stop near this gorgeous little island.
The way the sea level is going up, this spot won’t be there in a couple of decades.
The guide handed out the mask and snorkel and we jumped into the water where it was shallow enough to stand. At the last minute, two of us had bought an underwater camera like the one in her right hand.
The guide brought along two red rings in case someone tired and wanted to hang on. One guy hung on from the start and I’m assuming he wasn’t a strong swimmer.
I’m always in awe of how warm the water can be down here. Jumping into the water at home is like taking a polar bear dip every time we go swimming.
The coral was not as bright as I expected but the shapes were interesting. And we came across some interesting fish.
The swim took almost an hour and we swam about 200 m according to the guide. The boat dropped us off in one spot and picked us up at the other side. It was draining and fascinating at the same time. The girl that came with me had trouble with her mask and just swam along for most of it. I managed to get a mouthful or two of sea water and once I got back on the boat, I started to feel a little nauseous. It passed after a while.
We returned to the island and I sat in my hammock while the others went to lunch. I wasn’t hungry but they brought me back a 7Up. We sat and swung until 3 pm. Then we reboarded the boat for the hour long ride back to Cartagena.
Great view of the city with the setting sun behind it.
David met us at the port and drove us back to the hotel. I needed something for my throat so I went looking for a drug store only to learn that everything is closed on Sunday (or closed early). The supermarket was open and I was able to decipher the different types of cough syrup and that and picked one up with an ice cream.
Back at my room, I was spent. It must have taken me an hour to finally start packing for the next day. I packed up and sat down to watch the Patriots v Colts game but couldn’t keep my eyes open passed 9 pm.
Go to Day Eleven
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