Friday, March 2, 2018 - Day 11
Because I am compulsively early for everything, we woke up at 4:00 am to make a 9:00 flight to Cabo, our brains were still on east coast time anyway. We noticed how helpful the LA airport staff were. Being from NY we are not used to such niceities. The flight to Cabo was about two hours and when we landed it was chaos through Customs and limo drivers looking for their clients. The National Geographic people found us and we boarded the bus for the 2 1/2 hour drive to LaPaz. The view from the bus was of scrubby, rough desert landscape with the occasional shack or tents literally made out of old tarps. There are the “haves and the have nots”; these people are the “have nothings”. Highways are full of trash and broken glass.
Our resort for the night was gorgeous and had an adjoining marina full of high end yachts. Steven Spielberg and the late Steve Jobs ships were there. Ridiculously opulent and huge of course.
Dinner was under the stars as we were serenaded by Mexican guitars and the full moon over the mountain was brilliant white. After a walk in the balmy night we slept with the screen door open. A true delight for northerners.
Next day we were off on our 3 hour bus trip to our ship, the Sea Bird. The same ship we were on in Alaska. 62 guests. Nice and small. We have done the large cruise ships and do not care for them. About 2/3 of the way to the ship, getting pretty excited; we had to turn around! Apparently there was a nasty virus on the incoming trip and Nat Geo wanted a day to sanitize the ship before we arrived. Of course we were all disappointed but they took us back to the same resort and we went out on whale shark boats and encountered the strange friendly creatures.
Next day all was well and we arrived at the Sea Bird and got nestled into our cabins. The rest of the week was amazing as only a Nat Geo trip can be. This was trip number 5 for us and we have loved them all. Besides the epic animal encounters and the dedicated naturalists, you meet some really cool fellow travelers. There were people from all over the US there; a lady there from Brighton and 3 other people from my home town of Beckley, WV. That is unheard of ! We made some new friends from St. Louis, Sally and Joe, and hope they can come to NY for a little Blue Moon cruise.
We spent two days interacting with the gray whales and their babies. Once we rode the zodiacs to their breeding grounds, the gentle creatures came to us! The mama and baby were very friendly and let us pet them and some even kissed them! Unforgettable experience. The same creatures who were once slaughtered by the thousands are now safe and wish to have human encounters. There is hope for mankind... maybe.
Snorkeling among the sea lion puppies was probably Dave’s favorite part of the trip. The little guys just wanted to play and got a bit rambunctious with some of the snorkelers and drew blood! All was forgiven and a day to remember!
The food onboard is 5 star and the crew treats you like gold. Everyone seems to love their job and why wouldn't they? Can’t say enough about every aspect of the trip. We went into one little historic town for the afternoon and walked around. That was enough for us. These trips are about nature adventures, not t-shirt shops !
One afternoon was spent kayaking in a cove with a dramatic landscape of red rocks against the turquoise water. My favorite afternoon of the trip if it is possible to have a favorite. That evening the crew prepared a beach BBQ for us and there was a fellow traveler there who was an astrophysicist from NASA. Sheldon Cooper for real! He had us sit back, look up at the sky full of stars and pointed out constellations and star formations to us.
All too soon the week came to an end and we had our final dinner aboard and toasted the crew and the whales and the stunning landscape we were lucky to experience for a time.
Off to the airport next morning and my anxiety over getting to the Motor Home before closing of course. Any delay would throw us past closing time at the storage place until Monday morning. Ugh.
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