Everyday I wake up smiling thinking about the wonderful time I had the day before. Two years ago no one could have told me I’d be living my dream of freedom and joy in Mexico.
It was early morning and Rey had already been to the
beach to check out the water before leaving for his scheduled horseback riding
tour. As usual, I packed my camera bag and followed Rey and the dogs to the
ranch where I take pictures and record videos for his clients. Our youngest dog
Melania-Paloma runs the trail with the horses while I take Baron von Greismok
on a long jungle walk and a swim in the river before the walk home.
I’d like to tell you that this was a special day – but – everyday is special here. After returning from the photo session I did a little housekeeping and prepared food for the dogs (I usually make it fresh). I fixed myself a nice breakfast and settled down to finish editing the video from yesterdays excursion.
I was done in about 4 hours. That’s when Rey came home
and insisted “put your bathing suit on, we’re going to the beach”. Of course, I
love to hear those words so I was ready in a jiffy. We went to our favorite
restaurant on the beach to meet his new friends – the guests from the horseback
riding tour who’d had so much fun they wanted to spend the rest of the day
experiencing Mismaloya.
These rare ecosystems happen when microscopic,
single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates grow in quantities big enough to
produce a “glow-in-the-dark” effect when stimulated by movement. So, when
you paddle or splash the water, these organisms light up in a neon blue-green
color, and so does everything they come in contact with, giving a star-like
reflection to the water.
I have to admit the tour was a bit scary. The boat ride
was wonderful but I’m not accustomed to swimming in the dark. Before we even
reached Los Arcos our braver friends where diving from the mountainside on the
Mismaloya shore line, while those of us who remained in the boat cheered them
on.
Shortly after the first dive, we picked up two guys who were stranded on a Panga and couldn’t get back to the beach. We gave them a ride back to the shore and then headed to Los Arcos excited about the bioluminescence we were about to experience. It was darker now, the moon was just right and the water was only slightly cooler than in the day. What an exciting phenomena! The water glowed as did our paddles and hands as we splashed.
On the way to Los Arcos we met vacationers exploring the
caves by paddle board, as well as a jet skier who was stranded because his
vehicle stopped working. He tied his jet ski to our boat and we towed him along
to our destination. Our captain called the jet ski company for help but it
seems we were to far away for a rescue.
The skier stayed with us as our guest enjoyed diving and
exploring the caves with our guide. It was scary jumping into the dark water but
as soon as we saw the light of the bioluminescence the fear vanished in the swirl
of this magical experience. We swam through a cave and those who knew how to
dive enjoyed the magical depths. It was like swimming around the Avatar forest.
On the way back the bay rescue finally came to pick up
the jet skier and his vehicle, guided by the S.O.S. light that Rey had
coincidentally carried in his diving bag. What a lucky break for the skier. He
would otherwise have to travel back to Mismaloya with us and that was far from
where he needed to go.
Finally, we went home, pumped up with the days excitement
as we fell asleep to wonderful dreams looking forward to tomorrow.
