Very righteous!

We slept in later today than any other day during our vacation. I guess we're finally starting to unwind.

After breakfast we headed to the post office for stamps. The traffic was awful, so Kim jumped out of the car and just started walking. I finally arrived and parked behind the building, overlooking the ocean. I decided not to stand in line for stamps but to sit and watch the waves. Upon her return, we drove up the coast to Dread or Dead Surf Shop to explore the possibility of surfing. It sounds like it will not work out today, given our late start and delayed arrival due to poor traffic. Instead, we agreed to go to Barbados Blue dive shop, just up the road. It was almost 1pm, so we signed up for the 2pm snorkel trip and ate our lunch on their picnic table.

***WARNING*** social commentary coming up...

The trip was just under two hours, and most of it was spent in the water. First we anchored just outside of the Marine Reserve, where a small population of hawksbill turtles congregate for the snorkeling visitors. Several came to visit us and weren't bothered by the heavy petting. We had several interesting people on the trip, who had no qualms drowning small children, if they were between them and the turtles. Everyone flailed and kicked to get their chance to touch the little critters. Not being a big crowd person, I hung way back and watched the madness from a few yards. They were like all the rotten little kids in Willy Wonka's factory, stuffing their faces with chocolate, never having a second thought. I observed the irony of them wanting so badly to touch what floated within their view that they missed several turtles just outside their view. It was then that I thought it might be fun to be a turtle and sneak up from behind and give them a little bite right on the...foot.

Following the turtle molestation, the guide gathered us all up and ferried us to the Marine Reserve. There are six (I think) sunken boats in the park, and at least two of them I could dive down to. The marine life was abundant in the area, as corals, sponges, and other various things have found a home on the surface of the vessels. We saw a variety of fish, but I also enjoyed diving down and poking around the ships. Luckily, the pesky tourists, with the annoying children, stayed at the surface, so there was some solace to having sturdy lungs and a strong kick. I sunk down to about 12 feet and stuck my head into the Bajan Queen's shallowest compartment and was surprised with a small hawksbill staring back at me. I was about out of air but had enough time to reach out and stroke its back. He swam leisurely away from the wreck, and I started turning blue. I followed him at the surface for a while, then rejoined the group. The guide was diving through the wreck, entering at the aft and moving through unseen compartments to pop out of the hole about 15-20 feet back. I asked if I could join him, and he took me through the same hole. It's exciting but always a little creepy to go through a sunken ship. Although no one lost their life on this one's sinking, it's just eerie in a cool kinda way. A bit later, just before we wrapped up, the guide asked if I'd like to dive deeper. "Sure," I said, knowing Kim wasn't looking. She had already given me the shake of shame for going through the first time. This second time was challenging. We penetrated into the vessel at about a dozen feet, then went down into the wheelhouse, through a small opening, then up the spiral staircase. The guide took the side door, but I went straight up through the hole in the ceiling, just a little concerned that my brain might pop. When we got to the surface, it was all worth it when he smiled his big Caribbean smile and said, "Very righteous!" High-five included. He later said it was rare that he finds snorkelers who can go that deep. Obviously, he hasn't met too many people who were made to swim before they started walking.

We finished off our day with a taste of new cuisine. Maybe they are from somewhere else, but I have never had a roti. Moira and Bill had told us to sample them before we left the island, so we got down to it. A roti is a curry mix wrapped in a huge flat bread (think tortilla, Chipotle size). I had a potato curry in my warp and Kim went for a pumpkin, chick pea mix. It was delicious, not to mention huge. We'll both be eating more of it tomorrow. I recommend it if you're in the neighborhood.Read more