Isla Santa Catalina
Out with the old and in with the new! We celebrated the beginning of the New Year last night at the stroke of “midnight”. Festivities on the aft 100 deck included a fantastic dinner, champagne, decorations, a countdown and flares over the ocean. Because we celebrated on a time zone borrowed from some point east of us – rather than local time – we were still able to dedicate a decent number of hours to sleeping before a spectacular green flash at sunrise officially began our first day of 2006. After breakfast we put ashore at Punta Gato, a geologically beautiful cove on the Baja Peninsula. Guests chose between hiking, kayaking and the perennially popular “stationary hike”, i.e., an intensive bonding with a very small part of the beach. With wonderful weather for all activities you couldn’t go wrong. A delicious barbecue lunch was offered on deck as we cruised north towards Isla Santa Catalina, arriving there just after nap time (local time zone). Zodiacs whisked us to more alternative activities, this time snorkeling or hiking up a beautiful desert arroyo. This island is famous for its giant cardün cactus and an endemic species of barrel cactus that grows to twelve feet tall. The skeleton of a recently deceased cardün cactus, pictured here, seems to ring with echoes of a time gone by while the green trunks of those living cactus on the hillside speak of a future bright with promise. Happy and Prosperous New Year to one and all!
Out with the old and in with the new! We celebrated the beginning of the New Year last night at the stroke of “midnight”. Festivities on the aft 100 deck included a fantastic dinner, champagne, decorations, a countdown and flares over the ocean. Because we celebrated on a time zone borrowed from some point east of us – rather than local time – we were still able to dedicate a decent number of hours to sleeping before a spectacular green flash at sunrise officially began our first day of 2006. After breakfast we put ashore at Punta Gato, a geologically beautiful cove on the Baja Peninsula. Guests chose between hiking, kayaking and the perennially popular “stationary hike”, i.e., an intensive bonding with a very small part of the beach. With wonderful weather for all activities you couldn’t go wrong. A delicious barbecue lunch was offered on deck as we cruised north towards Isla Santa Catalina, arriving there just after nap time (local time zone). Zodiacs whisked us to more alternative activities, this time snorkeling or hiking up a beautiful desert arroyo. This island is famous for its giant cardün cactus and an endemic species of barrel cactus that grows to twelve feet tall. The skeleton of a recently deceased cardün cactus, pictured here, seems to ring with echoes of a time gone by while the green trunks of those living cactus on the hillside speak of a future bright with promise. Happy and Prosperous New Year to one and all!
