Almost to an End

I cannot believe that my trip is almost over.  It has really flown by.  Tomorrow my brother comes and in just over two weeks I'll be back in Holland.  I hear it's cold there-I've stopped complaining about the heat in anticipation of the cold which I'm sure is much worse! 

This weekend we went back to Kipipeo to spend some time on the beach but mostly to go kayaking which was another excellent excursion.  We spent just under 3 hours kayaking along the ocean and past mangroves that felt slightly eery but beautiful at the same time.  There were many obstacles such as the tide dragging us in the opposite direction, low hanging branches and sand banks but we managed to avoid most of them successfully.  Tandem-kayaking is definitely a team building exercise and it takes finding a good rhythm to really get going.  I had never been but am amazed at how quickly I caught on (yep- I'm tooting my own horn :)  Once we got into a groove it was pretty smooth sailing, that is except for when a jumping fish jumped right into Olaf's pants.  From my point of view in the front (away from the slimy fish, it was quite funny, but for him, not knowing initially what it was (it could have been a snake) it was a pretty daunting experience.  Definitely laughed about that one after the fact though.  Basically, I would say kayaking is recommendable to anyone interested in doing a little physical activity while still enjoying the beach/mangroves.

The evening before kayaking we had gone to another hotel to make sure that my Christmas reservation was received and when we got there we were invited to watch a turtle hatching.  This is extraordinarily lucky so of course we stayed to watch this.  And wow, what a sight.  All these super cute little turtles hatching and wandering about somewhat sleepily at first as they make their way to the water.  A really special sight to see.  I wish I had pictures but we forgot the camera.  I guess you'll just have to come visit and see it for yourself (if you're lucky)!  The turtle hatching is somewhat unpredictable.  Although there are conservationists who protect and observe the turtles, just like humans, they are on their own schedule and predicting when they might hatch is a matter of watching and waiting near the end of the cycle.  I couldn't believe our luck.  Many people come just to see it and never do and here we were just dropping by and got to watch this awesome event!

If the rest of my stay here is even remotely as special as my time here has been so far then I know I will end my 3 months here on a definite high note.  I hope to update in the next two weeks but may not have a chance.  I will definitely update when I get back.  For now, just in case I do not get another chance- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everybody!!  Thank you all for your support.

A traditional ceremony to scare off evil spirits