The Bay of La Paz attracts juvenile whale sharks in these winter months. They come to the bay simply to feed in the warm waters. Although just kids, these guys hanging out in our bay are already 14 to 17 feet long. One of the first people we met here was Pablo (Paul), a marine biologist who lives in El Centenario doing research on the health of the whale sharks in the bay as well as identifying them. He offered to take me and a small group out to swim with these beauties.
Last Saturday we had our chance. I went out with four others, Pablo and the boat captain. Matt didn't go; he's still uncomfortable in small boats. One couple on the boat opted to not get in the water but their 15 year old son planned to swim. The other swimmer was Bill, a retired psychotherapist from Tucson who now lives in La Paz. Well, the kid got in the water once! But Bill and I were tireless! Every time we came upon a whale shark we threw on our mask, snorkel and fins and jumped in. These guys were beautiful. The goal is to spot one swimming in the water, let the boat get you a bit ahead of the whale shark, jump in and then swim in a pattern to intersect the whale sharks path. If you time it just right, you can swim along with him for several minutes before you just can't keep up any longer or he gets tired of you, flips his tail and turns to swim in the other direction. Pablo was able to identify each of the whale sharks we found, and had a name for each of them. The only down side of this day was that the day was cloudy so visibility from above the surface wasn't so great; so no opportunity to take pictures. I found these pics on the internet, just to give an idea how cool these guys are.
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During our trip, I talked with Bill about Matt's unease with boats. He talked to me about EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique. It's a method to use to overcome fears, anxiety and deal with pain. He came out to our casita one evening the following week and showed Matt and I the technique. We're hoping it works for Matt's boat phobia, hope to test it soon. Matt also used it to deal with some pain in his hand. I'm planning to try it for food cravings and insomnia.....not that I can't go to sleep, I just get up too soon. We will see. It sounds crazy, but Matt was very enthused about how it helped him already.
We joined a group who bowl every Wednesday. Unbelievable, there is a very nice little bowling alley in La Paz. It was fun, but wish we'd had our own balls. I got started back in Spanish class. Seems like all the gringos I've met here have the same tutor, Alexsa. I was a little apprehensive about having to drive into La Paz for classes (guess I should have used EFT on that) but glad I did! She is a great tutor and I think she's just what I need. She recognizes I have a good basic knowledge of this language but just can't get it out of my head and to my mouth. Alexsa is minimally fluent in English so she insists that most of our time together be in Spanish, so she forces me to communicate and understand what she is saying. Looking forward to our next session!
I love to watch the sunrise every morning over the bay. I thought this one was particularly beautiful.
Love this pic of Matt. I had just posted something on Facebook about people missing so much of their life because they're staring at their devices. Well, that very afternoon we went out to lunch and this is what I caught Matt doing!
And finally, here's a picture of one of the beautiful beaches surrounding us. The day we were there it was totally deserted, except for the two of us. Amazing!
