So as I sit in Walter's new office - yes, Walter is actually sitting at a desk - in the wintry forested area of the NCEM headquarters, I am trying to transport my imagination back to the catamaran off the coast of Cayo Santa Maria...
Ah, yes, the salt water taste on my lips, the breeze off the ocean, the bartender dancing around to salsa music...yes, back in Cuba! From the snorkeling spot near the old shipwreck site, we rode the catamaran towards our next destination, the Delfinario or Dolphin Centre. It was a leisurely boat ride, about 20 minutes to the boat launch there. We unloaded in an orderly fashion and found seats on the concrete bleachers around the enclosed dolphin pool. Two or three touring catamarans unloaded there and soon the bleachers were full!
The pair of dolphins swam around as music blared from the loudspeakers. Soon, the host of the show introduced the dolphins "Nicky & Angel", if I remember correctly. And of course, he introduced the two female trainers who wore wetsuits. Everything was repeated in French and Spanish for the guests. Then the show began!
The dolphins were cute and entertaining as they went through their routines-touching the ball with their noses, jumping through hoops, dancing to various types of music. Always, they returned to the trainers for their fishy treats! The show itself was only half an hour; but the best was yet to come.
We lined up along another enclosed area (nets dividing areas for the dolphins to remain in the ocean water). In groups of 20 or so, we could have the opportunity to "swim with the dolphins"! Why not?
We removed our shorts and t-shirts to just enter the cool water in our swimming attire. The trainer had us line up along a cement ledge so I was waist-deep. Then the dolphin swam by us, belly up and we could touch it along its underside! Next, the trainer instructed the 18-year old dolphin to kiss us on the cheek. And we then clapped and so did the dolphin, except he slapped his flippers on the water and splashed us! A few more tricks and then we had another opportunity for excitement...For only 10 Cuban Pesos for a picture and 10 for the chance to ride on the back of a dolphin!
Well, this wasn't on our bucket lists or anything, so we opted to get out of the water and help ourselves to the chicken lunch that was included.
After lunch, we were back on the catamaran for our ride to another snorkeling site. By this time, we were tired and lazy and would have been happy to simply head back to the resort. But there was still a couple hours worth of the excursion, so we relaxed and just enjoyed the ride! The clouds had built up and it began to sprinkle. That didn't last long, but its funny how quickly we felt cool, especially in damp swimwear! I wrapped up in the dry towel we had.
A few of us chose to stay on the boat while many in our group went back into the sea to explore the underwater world. We heard the varieties of fish were amazing and the coral formations even more exquisite. But we were content to stay dry! As the afternoon wore on, we rode back to the launch place and eventually lined up to draw into the harbour. The three gentleman who had hosted our experience then had a "shpiel" to have us tip them. They had a good-sized plastic jar and by the time our group exited the boat, we had filled it with paper money! Pretty impressive!
By the time we reached the shore and boarded our double-decker bus to return to the resort, it was only 4:30 or 5 pm but we had been outdoors and active all day! We chose seats in the bus, not on top in the wind.
We dragged our weary bones to our room, showered and rinsed out our clothing and hung them on our balcony to dry. The buffet was open for supper at 6:30 and we ate our evening meal. We had no energy for the entertainment offered in the open square nor could we stay up for the 9:30 pm show on stage. By the time we strolled back to our room, we had full tummies and were ready to relax.
Another beautiful day in Cuba and only two full days left.
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