Day Eleven - On the Open Sea

// August 7th - Cancún //

When you try to keep a trip on a budget you're happy about every good deal you get. 
So when my Airbnb host offered me to take me and some others to a promising trip for way less than you'd usually pay for a tour like this, I gladly accepted. As mentioned yesterday, the plan was: Swimming with whale sharks, heading to Isla Mujeres, snorkeling, visiting the underwater museum and cruising through the mangroves.

We got up at 5 in the morning. My German host, a Polish and a Bulgarian girl and I took a cab, until our host stopped the driver which seemed to be at some random spot in the streets, but actually there was someone waiting for him in a parked pick up truck. So far, so good.
We walked through a rusty fence, met up with an American guy and his Danish girlfriend who joined us, played with two adorable puppies and waited for our boat to show up behind all those scruffy fisher boats. Didn't happen. We got into one of those nutshells, paint chipping off, and drove off into the sunrise. Feeling the breeze on my face, the feeling of joy made me smile. 

To find the whale sharks the plan was to wait for the other boats, official tours, who communicate with their radios, and just drive to the same spot they're going to. 
The problem was: There were no other boats. 
Also, when I asked how he navigates, I got the expected but also feared answer: by sun. Well,   at least I hiked up Machu Picchu before, so I can kind of die in peace I guess.

After about two hours, or maybe more, or less, I don't know, the sun was rising dangerously close to it's highest point. When our guide / host / master of disaster said that he already used up all the gas that he usually needs for the whole tour, I seriously began to worry. 
Luckily I was also so tired from the journey the day before that I laid down on the boat to sleep. I figured that the expected discussion who's going to be our first dinner would be loud enough to wake me up just in time to vote. 

Instead I woke up when we finally saw an island in the distance. Since the chance that we'd end up as each other's dinner or being surprised by a sharknado decreased immensely, so I finally took a big gulp of the water I saved in case we'd have to share it for the next weeks. Okay, I'm exaggerating (am I...?) but I was seriously relieved when we actually made it to that island. 

While approaching the beach of Isla Mujeres, where we wanted to stop so he could buy more gas, an official looking guy (he had a clip board! Everyone with a clip board looks official!) took pictures of the boat. Oh great, it's not over yet. He made a call and started a discussion on Spanish. Who's boat is this? - My friend's boat. - The boat is not registered. - Well, it's not mine. - Are they tourists? - No, they are my friends. - Living here? - No, visiting. - So tourists. So the five of us tried really hard to look like friends. Well, actually, the couple didn't, they were majorly pissed that we didn't see whale sharks. 

While our host was absolutely unimpressed by the guy with the clip board, we went to a little market to buy some snacks. When we returned, the boat had enough gas for the rest of the trip and our host didn't wear handcuffs, so we continued. 
For me, the experience took a turn now. While snorkeling at a little reef we saw many fish, some giant and colorful like blue and purple, others smaller but in big swarms. Floating in the water for a while, it was pretty peaceful. Until an apparently blind fish swam right into me while he was doing some kind of a barrel roll, I don't know who was more confused. 

We got back on the boat and drove to another part of the island, the underwater museum. The artist, Jason DeCaires Taylor, created some statues and places them deep enough in the sea that it was really hard to see when you're strangled by the life vest we had to wear. But safety begins with me as every good cast member will know. 
So, from above I saw the collection of statues that represent some Mexican people, and a VW beetle. I'm sure diving there is a lot of fun, snorkeling is rather a case of "Been there, done that", but it was still nice.

Afterwards we were just hanging out in the mangroves, which reminded me of the Weeki Wachee or Blue Springs back home in Orlando. No gators or manatees here though, but we saw many tiny neon-colored fish and two pipe fish. 
As an excuse that the whale shark-snorkeling didn't work out our host invited us for dinner. Seafood-Ceviche and fish, exactly what you need after a trip like that. This time I'm not sarcastic - We were the only tourists, so when a place is that crowded with locals you know it's good. 

Later we found out that unfortunately the port was still closed today due to the hurricane last week. Since they don't announce that until 8.30 though, when we were already on the water, there was no chance of knowing that there wouldn't be any other boats. 

Overall we still got a memorable day and a nice snorkeling trip out of it. 
A different kind of adventure to start my first visit to México.