Just keep swimming...

Hey everyone, I finally have the time to catch up on my posts, now that we're back from Trinidad. Enjoy!

Saturday January 26th

Today we finally had a day off. Although we still had a full day, at least it was filled with fun activities. We woke up early and got out bathing suits on, since today we were going on a catamaran boat cruise. The cruise was so relaxing...although the sun was so strong, you couldn't even put sunscreen on fast enough before getting burnt. I guess that's the payback since we get to have warm tropical weather in February, right?

From the minute we got on the boat, I was in full relaxation mode with rum punches and the sun basking down on us. Throughout the cruise we had three stop where we could snorkel and see what was around us. I had never been snorkeling before and was a little nervous but my love for the water trumped my anxiety. On the first stop, we jumped off the boat and were able to swim with the turtles. For the most part, they were huge, probably about 2-3 feet in length...and that was just counting their shells! It was such a cool experience to pet their shells and swim with them.

On the second stop, we snorkeled around and saw a shipwreck, where coral and algae had grown. It definitely made me want to learn how to scuba dive so I could really see more. While we were swimming around, one of the guides gave me some fish food so that I could have the fish come right up to me. The fish quickly swam up to me and nibbled at my fingers--which was the coolest experience.

The last stop was lunch, and also where we could swim around and to the beach if we wanted. Lunch was a typical Barbados fare, with macaroni pie (similar to mac & cheese casserole), rice and peas, chicken, and fish. Bajan meals tend to be heavy and this was no exception. Still somehow I found a way to quickly digest my food and jump in the water. A few of us swam to the beach, which looked so far away at first, but after being cooped up on buses and in meetings for the week, I was ready for the swimming challenge.

I forgot how much I missed the water and was truly a fish at heart. Thank goodness I'm surrounded by the beach and waves all the time here!