Bastimentos, September 23rd part 2

The little dock by the Marina that we pulled into lead to little wooden walk way through the trees where we later saw sloths hanging from the branches. Golf carts are the main mode of transportation at the Resort and we got hooked up with one for our stay. It was a really nice bonus because as I might have suggested before the humidity was really intense, it weighed you down like a thick quilt on a hot day. It seemed like we were constantly wet on this trip, we were either in the ocean, the pool, the shower or dripping in sweat. The only time we were cool when we were out of the water was in the Villa with the A.C. blasting or riding around on the cart.

The villa was really beautiful and bright, it fit in with the surrounding and quite literally the jungle came right up to the back patio. We were all exhausted so we crashed for a bit with the exception of Eric. He went tromping through the jungle around our house looking for a branch to make a spear with; he wanted to go spear fishing. It didn't quite pan out though because all of the branches he found had a very spongy center and could not be sharpened to a point.

We headed to Turtle beach with our snorkel gear and could not believe how clear the water was and how deserted the beach was. The whole time we were there we only ever saw a few other people, but most of the time it was deserted. There was one exception, the dude that sat in the shade at the far end of the beach and raked the sand periodically.

This was the first time I had snorkeled in about twelve years. My family used to snorkel at DL Bliss when we would go camping but there wasn't much to see in the water. (One time Burton did find a pair of Ray Bans in the Lake). The water was so clear and so warm it had to be at least 80 degrees. The first thing we saw was a jelly fish twice the size of my hand. It was just hanging out near the shore cruising around in the surf. We swam around and around it giving it some distance but watching it ungulate in the water, I don't think I have ever seen one that wasn't washed up on the shore.

There wasn't a whole lot to see at turtle beach under the water until we swam over by a cliff. Swimming parallel to the rock wall we could see all of the plant life and fish that the mini ecosystem sustained. Even before we found the cliff it was so enjoyable to just swim around with our fins and masks looking at the ocean floor and trying to find fish. I wish that we had brought an underwater camera, once we started going on tours around the island there was so much to see under water we couldn't take it all in.

The rock wall under the water was covered with small holes and every single one had a spiny deep purple sea urchin in it. They were almost black and all of them were slightly poking out of their little caves but each one was too big for the opening, they looked like they were trapped. We saw a few very small fish some that were blue and a few stripy ones swimming in and out of the crevasses of the wall. Even though we saw very little compared to the other places we went it was probably my favorite snorkeling experience of the trip. Mostly because the other times we went I felt much more exposed in the water to sharks and possibly barracuda, not that we saw any while in the water.

We ended the night at the restaurant lounge Kayukos that housed long tables for the restaurant and a pool table, ping pong, books games and a computer for our use. There was a hostel called Bocas Bound behind the restaurant that had a lot of late twenty, early thirty somethings that migrated through the area and spent time at the lounge. Even with the hostel and all of the villas the place was never crowded and it was usually a very relaxing experience to hang out there. Everything about the Island was very mellow, we never really felt rushed even though we were going all the time. It was also nice that it got dark around 7 pm so that we could rest from the full days.

We had one free meal per day at Kayukos throughout the trip and though the food was decent I wish I would have discovered the veggie burrito in the first few days there. It might have made my dining experience a little better. They did have some amazing nachos and very good chicken wraps but my favorite was the yucca and plantain chips, they were perfectly fried and not at all greasy. Mostly whatever we ordered was good and it was so nice to have someone serve us and not be responsible for the dishes.