Having seen turtles in a hatchery in Manzunte which was on the
lame side of cool, we thought it might be more interesting to see turtles in
the ocean, so yesterday we rented a boat and a captain for a morning ride. We
were assured we would see turtles and told we could only hope to see dolphins,
no promises. It was funny then when we got to the shore and immediately—before embarking—saw
dolphins playing in the surf. Unlike home, there is no pier and our captain—who
could be in my third period American Lit class—had to hitch a ride with a fishing
boat pushing off the sand to get to his boat, anchored out a ways in the water,
and bring it into the sand for us to board. There’s no doing this without
getting wet, but we’re pretty much constantly soaked now and used to it. In the
meantime, we watched groups of men push boats from the street to the shore
using a series of logs to facilitate the roll into the water. There’s definitely
a system and it definitely involves sweating and swearing.
I’m happy on boats.
We headed out from Playa Principal and as soon as we were
out in the open water, our driver began to point here and then there at turtles
coming up for air. It’s hard to get photos of them, because they move fast and
the water is deep but it’s fun in the moment to first see their heads pop up
and then the balance of their body shift so that their shells are on the
surface and then their tails as they dive back down below. These are not little
terrarium turtles, classroom pets that a six-year-old is asked to care for over
the summer. They’re big enough to see in
the distance from the boat.
Our captain also gave us a tour of the seven beaches of
Puerto Escondido: Playas Bacocho, Carrizalillo, Manzanillo, Angelito,
Principal, Marinero and Zicatela. We were able to see the Andador we had walked
from Principal to Manzanillo and realized from the water how long it was and—more
startlingly—how dangerous.
The tour was the breakout hit of the day, although a slight
misunderstanding with a waitress in the evening led to our receiving four
drinks at happy hour rather than the two to which we’ve grown accustomed and
that was its own kind of hit. Kay Smith would be happy here—the Brandy
Alexanders are made with fresh coconut milk and, as mentioned, come by the two.
Today, we decided to walk the Andador again in the opposite
direction, from Manzanillo to Principal, this time bringing the good camera.
The beauty of it wasn’t dulled by doing it again. In fact, knowing the terrain
helped us look up and away from our feet to see some things we had not the
first time and among them—hundreds of crabs, and snails, and fish. I was hit by
a wave that soaked me from neck to knees about halfway through the trail which
was refreshing but I also wondered if someone couldn’t be swept right off the
rocks… Something like the Andador here would never be possible in the US for
this reason. You would never be allowed to be so close to the rocky shore or on
a stone bridge with no handrails over which the surf crashes. It’s dynamic. 
It’s also hot and long and we had to collapse in the shade
for a bit after we were done enjoying limonadas, gathering the energy we needed
to get back home for lunch and some pool time before heading out again.
It was our intention to go horseback riding today before
sunset and we headed out with that in mind but alas could not find the man with
the horses. He’s either standing somewhere on Playa Zicatela with his horses or
he’s off on a ride. We’ve seen him several times in different places on the
beach and talked to him once to determine that the hopes of a horseback rider
are hit or miss—one either sees him or they don’t, there’s no office or
arranging a ride in advance. We ended up walking the length of Zicatela at the
start of sunset looking for him and that was a lovely way to spend our time,
too.
And that made us thirsty so…
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