Cayo Iguana
On Thursday we took a half-day trimaran trip to nearby Cayo Iguana. The marina was bright and beautiful in the morning sun.
You get on and off the thing by walking along these nets - quite a challenge with my balance issues! Plus, of course, I was deaf for the whole trip.Husband told the two-man crew and they could not have been kinder or more solicitous. They personally walked me over the net every time we got on or off the boat.
This is a shot of another trimaran identical to the one we were sailing on - ours was the "Doris".
Our fellow-sailors were, as far as I could tell, almost all Argentinians. The mix of fellow-travelers on this trip were Canadians (mostly from Quebec), Argentinians, Italians, and Britons.
The approach to Iguana Island. As you can see, it was pretty busy on the day we went.
The iguanas are literally everywhere, and they are entirely aloof, completely ignoring the tourists excitedly snapping photos of them.
"They have complete aplomb," I said to Husband.
It's one of the most inhospitable places I've ever seen; many metres of volcanic rock which is quite hard to even walk over, before you get to scrubby greenery. The Air Canada agent had warned us when we booked the excursion to wear solid footwear, and we were wearing swim shoes - snug shoes with thick rubber soles. Others weren't so well forewarned - or else didn't listen...
...such as the very large man I saw who was wearing nothing but a black Speedo and a pair of cheap red flip-flops.No, I didn't photograph him. I would have been... just... wrong.
"Why would even iguanas want to live here?" I wondered out loud.
I did a very poor job of photographing the many, many seabirds we saw, although take my word for it - this is a remarkable place. (I'm still looking for that book on Cuban birds in English... I'd even settle for Spanish at this point...)On this trip we also visited a "natural pool" (a large area in a bay with a white-sand bottom that is only waist-deep, where the water is oh, so warm) and snorkeled at a coral reef. Those pictures were taken with disposible underwater cameras, which we're waiting to have developed.
It was one of the most fun things we've ever done. Happy campers!
ronnie
posted by ronnie at
8:22 p.m.
6 Comments:
Just thinking about walking on that volcanic debris makes my feet hurt, but it would be fascinating.
Your 3rd photo, of the trimaran out on the water, has a rainbow-like spectrum of color from top to bottom that's just wonderful!
http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Birds-Comstock-books/dp/0801486319
there ya go.....enjoy!
OH MY GOD, M.E., I had NO IDEA this existed! I did search Amazon but somehow missed this. (Maybe I thoughtlessly only checked Amazon.ca) I am totally ordering this right away!
NFTP, it is some nasty terrain, I kid you not. And you're right about that photo - I hadn't noticed that before!
i am not smart enough to search amazon...i start with google. it can find it even if i don't get everything right. got it on the first "guide in English to birds in Cuba"
and p.s. i think it's a perfect place for iguanas. they look like living rocks, kind of.
Another fabulous Cuba travelogue, ronnie -- you guys are getting to be quite the experts! Also, it appears from Mojo's blog that he and Veronica fall into a big, sweet pot of jam now whenever you go, so it's good times all around!
As you may have heard, though, our current President is making noises that sound suspiciously like we might finally be heading toward more normal relations with Cuba our USA-selves. This gives me hope that someday Diane and I might be able to take advantage of your meticulous scouting work and go there ourselves! CBS radio commentator Dave Ross also appears to have gotten a little excited by the prospect.
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