The lady at the rental store did not seem particularly impressed that I had a "cycle endorsement" status printed on my Michigan driver's license. We added theft insurance with $300 deductible. Helmets were not even an option. No one wears them here and we could not even rent them.
She showed us how it works. Pretty simple... Only gas and brakes. No clutch or gears. She demonstrated how the seat opened to reveal a compartment with a massive chain and lock that we could also use to stash valuables.
I did a loop by myself before picking up Mary and then we zipped off the grocery store. I dropped Mary off for staples and then I took a solo spin to get comfortable with the handling, cornering braking, etc. I then returned to the store and waited outside for about 10 minutes. Finally Mary appeared with a bag of groceries. I asked her if she got some rice, some vegetables, maybe some meat. Nope. She got coffee, coffee filters, booze, peanut butter, a can of boiled peanuts and bug spray. I guess we can live on that.
We returned to our apartment to put away groceries and prepare for our first snorkel experience.
Our first problem arose when we could not seem to open the seat compartment. We remembered she had turned the key all the way to the right but we could not find the latch. We asked a stranger, who cold not figure it out either. So I swallowed my male pride and we buzzed back to the rental place. Another guy on the same model scooter arrived just before us. Seems he was there for the same reason. The rental counter lady came out and showed both of us - numerous times.
"You see, you turn the key and it opens"
She demonstrated 4 or 5 times while I begged her to let me try with my own hands. Finally she let me try ...and it would not open.
"You turn the key too far!", she said, grabbing the keys again, requiring me to watch her demonstration 3 more times.
Pretty much got it after that. You don't turn the key ALL the way to the left...just most of the way. Simple.
We chose a nearby beach for our first dive. We locked up the scooter, got into our gear. Wardrobe malfunction. The new Lycra suit I had purchased just before we left Michigan had a broken zipper. The suit designed to protect us from sunburn gaped open from navel to throat. We yanked and yanked but no movement at all the fish would just have to get used to my bare chest. I slipped over the hardened coral rim into the turquoise.
After my breathing settled, I dipped below and found myself surrounded by colorful tropical fish. This was going to be good. I waited a bit for Mary who was having more anxiety about snorkeling and particularly the eye piece we had fashioned from an old pair of glasses. It worked fine for vision but a lens had popped out and there was some pressure on the bridge of her nose when the mask was secured tightly. We had everything put back together but she needed to enter at her own pace.
Eventually we both were gliding along the rim, thrilled with the color (all colors were represented) and variety of fish. I was thinking it would be easy to nap like this, floating like a cork; weightless.
It was a great experience and we lost track of time. Maybe we swam for an hour. Maybe it was two. The coolest thing I saw was an eel, slithering along the bottom, searching for food between rocks. It was purplish and speckled and if stretched out might be 24 inches long.
We dried out under a tree on the beach and discussed how we could improve Mary's experience with the glasses modification. We decided to return to pick up some silicone adhesive and glue the lenses to the glass in the mask. At the hardware store we could not find silicone but we did find some epoxy that looked as though it could work. We scooted back to the apartment, glued in the lenses and then went out to look for some lunch while the epoxy cured.
We chatted with Inge at the bar for a bit about what snorkel side trips would be best and we perused some fish picture books trying to identify what we had seen.
An aside.. People smoke in bars and restaurants here. It is interesting how quickly assimilated I have become to the Michigan standards and how strange it is to see people light up while they eat.
We packed up our gear and set out for a drive up the west coast to see if we could find the good snorkeling spots as indicated on the map.
The main road hazard seems to be goats. They must be escaped domesticated goats but you turn a corner and they are standing in the road. The scooter with two riders maxes out at 50kph but I decided to drive a bit slower.
Eventually we discovered that dive sites were indeed marked by gold-painted rocks with the site name painted on them. We cruised p the coast checking them out. All seemed beautiful. At one spot we saw a giant (clown fish?) bright blue fish just beyond the shelf. The color was brilliant and it was 2-3 feet long.
The sun was getting low and we only had time for a short dive. There were some amorous-looking couples at the most accessible spot so we moved on. The sun went behind a cloud and the waves picked up a little and we decided to pass on the dive altogether. Instead we took a slow ride back to town and got ready for dinner.
After some searching, we found the restaurant that Inge had recommended, Joe's Grill. Mary had the catch of the day (barracuda) and I had the asparagus soup and a salad with Brie cheese. All delicious! We lingered savoring the wine and watching people smoke cigarettes.
And that, a day makes. We did a FaceTime chat with Marlee and Abby back at the apartment. We discussed out itinerary for the next two days and quickly fell asleep.
No travel pictures today. Our scooter trips were sans iPad.
1 comment:
You used YOLO. Heh..heh
-Abby <3
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