Isla Carmen / Isla Montserrat
The anchor was silently raised at six o'clock this morning after a calm night under the shelter of Puerto Balandra. North winds picked up during the night, but fortunately we were sailing southbound, which diminished considerably the rocking of the waves. Bow riding bottlenose dolphins escorted us for a moment just before breakfast. Gently pushed by the bow wave, they took a free ride giving us the chance to admire them from a short distance, and even listen to their high pitched sounds.
We disembarked at Punta Baja, the southernmost tip of Isla Carmen, where some of us hiked while others enjoyed a moment of solitude. Here, an osprey flew just above us, proudly showing off its beauty. Walking through this part of the island we could see that the vegetation resembles that of the peninsula. An example of this is the creosote bush, which is not usually found on other islands. This similarity is due to the one and a half miles of ocean that separate Punta Baja from the peninsula.
Later on we moved to Isla Montserrat, where we had dinner ashore. The bonfire was enlighted by the stories of Aztec gods and godesses and the founding of Mexico City that our naturalist Adrian shared with all of us. Now we all know why we see a rabbit on the moon! After the wonderful stories we sang La Bamba, La Cucaracha, and other Mexican songs. What a fantastic Christmas Eve under the nearly full moon!
The anchor was silently raised at six o'clock this morning after a calm night under the shelter of Puerto Balandra. North winds picked up during the night, but fortunately we were sailing southbound, which diminished considerably the rocking of the waves. Bow riding bottlenose dolphins escorted us for a moment just before breakfast. Gently pushed by the bow wave, they took a free ride giving us the chance to admire them from a short distance, and even listen to their high pitched sounds.
We disembarked at Punta Baja, the southernmost tip of Isla Carmen, where some of us hiked while others enjoyed a moment of solitude. Here, an osprey flew just above us, proudly showing off its beauty. Walking through this part of the island we could see that the vegetation resembles that of the peninsula. An example of this is the creosote bush, which is not usually found on other islands. This similarity is due to the one and a half miles of ocean that separate Punta Baja from the peninsula.
Later on we moved to Isla Montserrat, where we had dinner ashore. The bonfire was enlighted by the stories of Aztec gods and godesses and the founding of Mexico City that our naturalist Adrian shared with all of us. Now we all know why we see a rabbit on the moon! After the wonderful stories we sang La Bamba, La Cucaracha, and other Mexican songs. What a fantastic Christmas Eve under the nearly full moon!
