Best Birthday Ever !!!

It was so beautiful on these deserted beaches in the Bahia de Conception that we couldnt tear ourselves away, and rather than head into town for the traditional nice meal out and pubbing/clubbing as is the norm (we are often away as it's thanksgiving, which obviously isn't a big deal for us) we stayed on Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach).

It was a beautiful calm morning and I spotted a fin far out from shore so we rushed to Andre's and we all went out in his small inflatable. There was a HUGE whale shark feeding out there but every time I got in the water a couple of gentle swishes of his tail and he was 20+ metres away, until one time I slid in quietly and he turned straight towards me a cruised past practicality in touching distance - it was just INCREDIBLE to be so close to to such a magnificent creature and I even got some decent footage on the GoPro. We cruised around for a while longer and saw 4 in total, with one almost rubbing his dorsal fin against the boat.

I got a hammock for a pressie, so that consumed most of the rest of the day, as well as a decale map of the states (we've managed 40, so far!), and an elecy toothbrush as my old one only manages about 2 brushes pet charge. My family got me an incredible rucksack, which should help the back when we get to the volunteering job in Guatemala. But I have to say the best present wasn't wrapped, as we've been unsuccessful chasing those whale sharks for years, and we didn't have to part with hundreds of dollars or share them with a boat load of tourists - just amazing.

We spent most of the day lazing around on the beach and watching rays jump clean out of the water. The Canadians next door also let us borrow their kayak and SUP board so we chased a few dolphins around - it pays to make friends with the guys with all the toys!

Unbelievably, out of the dozen people on the beach it was also someone else's birthday so everyone gathered around and shared 2 cakes (another lovely Canadian couple brought me one) with a few glasses of wine/beer, then sat around a roaring camp fire on the beach.Read more