YCGL - Sunday, November 27, 2022 - Un Buen Dia
What a Great Day!
Breakfast at El Presidente is always a treat. It is a long buffet line of Mexican food, omelets, waffles and fruit. (yes, I even ate some fruit!) Eating breakfast is a feast for the eyes and the pallette! Interestingly, the guy outside holding what looks to be a microphone is actually a hawk and you see his jesses. We speculated about why he was here, until we saw a bird trying to fly into the building. The bird saw the hawk and hightailed it right out. The hawk is pest control! And very effective.
Last night, after dinner, we were walking around downtown and stopped in a dive shop. (There seem to be dive shops on every other corner here. You'd almost think it was the backbone of their economy, which it is!) The reef system here is one of the most famous in the world, and is designated as a National Park. In order to protect it, they have banned suntan lotion because it has been shown to damage the reef over time. (Almost as much as having gringos grabbing onto the coral and chasing the fish.) So, the obvious recommendation for those of us with fair skin (or pasty white skin, depending on the definition) is to wear a covering at all times. So.... I was looking for what is known as a rash guard shirt, i.e., a polyester shirt worn to make it easier to slip on a wetsuit. I didn't find a shirt, but Steve pulled out a full-length suit to try on, and, other than having legs long enough for Abe Lincoln, it fit around my somewhat generous midsection cultivated over many years. (Sally said I looked like Mr. Potato Head on toothpicks!) I tried on several others that were more appropriate in the leg, but inappropriate for the rest of me, so I figured that it was easier to wrinkle the legs than expand the zipper, so I got it. I look really sleek in it, until you get to the knees, and then it looks like the saggy, baggy elephant. (ok, the rest of it does also, but not as bad as below the knees.)
And then, since my bathing suit has lived through at least three presidential terms, I decided it was time for a new one of those as well. And since it wasn't going to be seen anyway under the rash guard, it could be wild and flashy. (Well, at least it isn't a speedo, which would be wild and flashing!) It really isn't that bad, as I picked it up at MAGA (which I wasn't sure I should be shopping at politically), but it's the Mexican equivalent to Walmart. And I know none of this has happened until there are pictures, but you'll have to take my word for it for now, because neither Steve nor Arthur wanted to expose their cameras to potential destruction photographing it. Until then, picture Steve Reeves as Superman (on a black and white television) and minus the cape, and with baggy calves... (After that description, I don't think you need a picture, or even want one!)
We talked with Steve's divemaster this morning about taking me out, and he was hesitant about doing so without a direct approval from my doctor, so I've written to my contact there at Rocky Mountain Center of the Rockies and hopefully I'll hear back from them soon.
However, all is not lost. There is a dive operation here at the hotel that looked at the medical form which I filled out for them and said, "Oh yes, Mr. Edgar, you're just fine, hand me your credit card," which I did and I went out on a refresher course this afternoon. Only twenty feet of depth and 35 minutes, but it was like falling off a bicycle, riding a log? It really felt good to be back in the water. Especially here, where the water temperature is closer to a bathtub rather than a therapeutic ice bath like the Pacific Ocean. I felt I did really well (and the divemaster didn't laugh once, at least not when I saw him. But he did literally tell me when I got out of the water that he would give me the name of his chiropractor here on the island!). And I'm going out on a two dive cruise with him tomorrow. That, and some more Tylenol, are the start of a good day tomorrow as well!
I did get some nice sunset shots...
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