Our excursion today was booked on board as we hadn't planned anything for this stop and was described as "Tropical Aviary and Botanical Gardens" which sounds a bit boring but it turned out to be anything but.
Our bus took us along the beachfront with our guide ezplaining how the resort had developed and just pointing out various things as we saw them - why there were so many VW Beetles as taxis (the main factory is only 60 miles away), why the first couple of feet of the palm trees are painted white (it contains something which kills the ants which in turn would kill the tree) and so on.
Soon we were climbing the hills high above the sweep of the bay and we had a couple of very brief stops for a "photo opportunity". Down the other side and we went through the area where they are building a lot of new condominiums, conference centres,shopping malls and golf courses - the recession doesn't seem to have affected this too much.
Then we were out in to the real Mexico - small breeze block built houses surrounded by junk filled yards and open fronted shops along dusty roads. Our bus eventually arrived at a lagoon where we boarded small shaded boats - this was to be the aviary part of our trip.
Pedro soon had the outboard started and off we set past fishermen in small boats, children playing at the water's edge and a few fish restaurants which looked like they had seen better days. As we motored along, Pedro pointed out all the different birds - heron, egret, woodpecker, kingfisher, cormorant and as we pulled right in under the mangrove trees, crabs waved their claws at us. We chugged along channels among the trees until we emerged in to another lagoon where we saw lots of baby birds in the trees and saw how the fishermen marked their pots for shrimp fishing - with empty plastic Coke bottles tied to twigs.
Whizzing back to the jetty with the birds flying along with us we were soon back at the first lagoon quite near to the sandbar which separated the ocean from the fresh water. Here the water was teaming with small fish - there would be no hungry birds in this part of Mexico.
Back on the bus, we re-traced our steps and then made an unexpected stop at a turtle protection site on Long Beach. Here, protected by armed guards 24/7, a charity protects turtle nest sites by going along the beach every evening and digging up the newly laid eggs and re-burying them nearer their HQ where they monitor them and eventually release the baby turtles in to the ocean when they are about 2 days old. We saw baskets of babies who were going to be released that night, but who seemed to be frantic to get going then and there. In about 20 years time, any who have survived will return to this same beach to lay their own eggs. Punishment for stealing turtle eggs is 12 years in jail - hence the armed police presence.
We all had a cold drink and then it was the last part of the excursion - the gardens. They were only started 8 years ago but obviously with the climate look like they've been established a lot longer. Not many flowers, but our guide exlpained all about the diferent palms and cacti and medicinal plants they were growing.
The journey back to the ship took ages - it was the rush hour. Not the one at the end of the day but the lunchtime one between 2pm and 4pm when everyone goes home for lunch. However we eventually were delivered back to ths dock in time for our own late lunch.
Our first "nearly missed the boat" couple of the entire trip was today and a cheer went up as they ran the last few yards along the quayside. Gangway up and off we sailed - next stop Huetalco
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