Okay, so now I know what everyone was talking about with this being slightly out of my comfort zone. I thought I was going to die. Everyone commented after about how brave I was, but I just kept thinking I am not brave; I am just too stupid to know any better! As the sharks started to circle the cage, I can honestly say I was never more frightened. I felt like I was on the Discovery Channel, except I was not being paid to do this for a living. I was so scared, I didn’t want to open my eyes. But it was weird, after a good three to four minutes, I said to myself, "Christine you will be so mad, if you went through all this and missed it because you were a wimp". So I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and looked all around me.
It was so beautiful, I had no choice but to calm down and enjoy it. I was just blown away at the size of some of these sharks. I loved watching this underwater ballet, watching how they swim and move their bodies with grace. What made it even more special is that I was the only one to see it, so it felt like they were putting on a show just for me. I put the meat on the stick and a fish came my way and ripped it right off! All the sharks were just inches away from us in the cage and I can’t lie, it was scary. I don’t know if I would recommend this for everyone, but if you can do it, do it! The guide was very nice and helpful, and put me at ease whenever I was scared. It was kind of expensive, but I think worth every penny, as this was such a rare experience.
After feeding the shark we ate at a restaurant called El Arca. The food was delicious, the service delightful and the décor was magnificent. The bar looked like Noah’s Ark, filled with all different animals peeking out, looking over you. Everything tasted great, but I do think I was still on a high from my adventure with the sharks.
We went back to the hotel and I decided to go right to bed since the next day was an early morning. At 6am we started our 4-hour drive to Chiquila, a little village across from the island of Holbox. We all climbed onto a boat for an hour drive, to go look for Whale Shark. . I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I kept looking out at the sea hoping to see something! Finally, I saw a big fin peek out from under a wave and slowly I could see the shape from under the water as the shark rose to the top. It was amazing, the Whale Shark was as big as the boat! They float near the top of the water to eat the plankton. The boat ride was rocky and wet, but once we stopped to see this magnificent sight, it seemed as though our stomachs calmed down. There was only one shark out that day, and although I wished we saw more, I was glad to see the one, as the guide was telling us that sometimes people make that long trip and see nothing.
We then took the boat to the village of Holbox to have lunch. Holbox is Quintana Roo’s northern most island, and is home to a population of fishermen, who work the rich fishing grounds of Cabo Catoche. This island looks almost deserted, far from the commercial areas of Cancun, so I walked around and took in the sights. I would have enjoyed spending more time here and just relaxing. There is a restaurant and even a hotel and I would love to come back to this location to "escape" the more commercial areas of Mexico. We ate lunch at the restaurant and had tortilla soup and a Grupper fish entrée cooked in garlic and butter. The fish was caught that day and tasted so fresh, it was delicious! We all piled back on the boat and began the long trip home. Like most excursions on this trip, I enjoyed the actual activity very much, but the trip to and from was exhausting in itself.
The next day we started the multi sports adventure. We woke up early again and drove to Puerto Morelos, a quaint, colorful artisan village. They also have a hotel and restaurant worth visiting while planning your trip. We received a brief explanation on coral reefs, snorkeling and kayaking. I was a little nervous because I had never been snorkeling before, but again, the tour guides were wonderful, taking me into the hotel pool to practice, and then into the shallow part of the ocean, so I would feel comfortable when I was out by the reef. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip, since I discovered I loved snorkeling, and found it so relaxing. I originally thought it would be a claustrophobic feeling, or that I would be nervous because I am not a good swimmer, but with the life vest on, I felt safe and with all there was to see underwater I was so preoccupied that I didn’t even think about anything else.
