7-7-06 continued
Okay, so we have set up on the beach, and we have about two hours before lunch is served, then an hour to eat lunch, and then we would depart the island for a couple of other stops. As we sit on the beach, relishing the tranquility, catamaran after catamaran, power boat after power boat began to usher more tourists to the island. But, it did appear that each group had their own part of the island, their own amenities, etc. That didn't stop Moms from yelling "Hey! This is supposed to be a private island! Get off!" She marched over to our tour operator, and went into a rampage.
The rum and coke helped to drown out the sounds...
We went snorkeling on a small rock jetty just in front of "our beach". It was terribly impressive, but it was a nice introduction for my wife's first snorkel. We did see quite a few colorful fish and a couple of crabs. After a bit of snorkeling, our boat returned with the divers.
We then had a good lunch of grilled chicken, rice, some kind of potatoes, sliced vegetables, and fruits. It was actually pretty satisfying. That's when Pop discovered the bar, and did he ever. I had never seen someone drink mamajuana on ice, by the cupfuls, but he did. "This makes the man virile, and the woman more desirous". We bust out laughing while his wife muttered that he could buy a case.
Well, it was time to leave the island, and after loading up all of the unused gear that was loaded on, we shoved off for piscina natural (sp).
It was a net spot, definitely well-known, as it was surrounded by yachts, tour boats, and the water was full of snorkelers. We received some general info about the area, and we were asked not to touch the starfish on the bottom. We all donned our masks and snorkels, and we swam around. The water was only chest deep, and crystal clear. Well wouldn't you know Pop just had to pick up a starfish and carry it over the boat! What do you do?! We loaded up once again and headed to our last destination.
We had a short ride to a small coral head within spitting distance of the port. Pops had a few more rums on the ride, and people were not quite sure he was going to make it. He passed in and out of consciousness. As soon as the boat stopped, it was like his batteries had been recharged. He rushed to the back of the boat, excusing himself past everyone, while the crew was trying to give some instructions, and info. Much like Augustus Gloop, or any of the characters in Willy Wonka, he did just the opposite of what was asked. I opted not to snorkel there, but my wife did. As we loaded up for our final push home, Pops had one more rum, to the chagrin of his wife, saying "it's needed to wash the salt water out of your mouth", to which she replied, "then why is no one else drinking them?" Yep, he was pretty much busted. Luckily we only had a 5-10 minute ride in. I tipped the staff 500 pesos, and tried to muster a smile. They had a long day. We high tailed it back to the Iguana, laughing the whole way.
That night, the wife was hungry around 6, so we wanted to try one of the local comedors, somewhere in the windy streets of Baya. We walked, and walked, and eventually wound up just behind the Iguana, in an comedor with no name. I had to ask someone if they were open. She said yes, but still no one showed up. Finally, a girl walked out to us looking like she had just woken up, never once smiling, and stood there. I asked what they served, and received no response. I then asked for 2 house specials, and still received no response. Finally, I asked for un pescador y un pollo. She turned and walked away.
I had a grande and my wife a water. This place lacked for ambiance, but it would turn out to be exciting. As we were waiting, and wondering what we did to **** off the waitress so bad, a small puppy wandered up to our table. We played with it for a while, and waited for our food. Eventually, it came out, and though not terribly remarkable, wasn't bad. As we ate, a small kitten appeared, and actually tried to suckle the puppy, who happened to be male. We laughed, and then tossed some scraps down to the animals. The puppy only wanted chicken, and the kitten only wanted fish? Mmm. Towards the end of our meal, I had to perform a type of heimlich(sp) maneuver on the kitten, but all turned out well.
As we were getting ready to pay up, something came flying into the back of my wife's head, and hit the wall. It then fell into the seat beside me. What the?! It was a green parrot! And, it was just sitting on the plastic seat beside me. Well, this was enough excitement to get the waitress and the cook out of the back of the kitchen. They were yelling, my wife was laughing, and I was trying to catch the bird to let it out. After some commotion, and a few bites, I managed to pin the bird down. It squawked like hell. Just then, an older lady came to the door, and we figured out it was her bird. She had only clipped one wing. I tried to hand the parrot to her, but she refused to take it as the bird was trying to bite everything in sight. I don't know how I held on that long...endorphins? Finally, I asked where her house was, and we walked down the street with the bird, and I put it in the cage.
Later, we walked back, only to find her with the bird sitting on the porch, outside of the cage again. Ayyyyyyy!!
to be continued....
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