Letters From The Loft
Stuff From The Desk Of Chuck Thornton
We managed to spot some blue whales, but I didn't take any pictures. It's really tough to get the camera lens to settle on much of anything when you're moving around like a Water Wiggle on the open sea. And let's face it: while it's really fun seeing the largest animal on earth swimming around out there, all you're seeing is glimpses of its topside and tail. The fun is being there, and you can miss a lot of it if you're trying to catch it in the camera.
Once we actually started spotting the whales, Charles got distracted, so Sue was able to enjoy it, too. The waters were a bit rough and there was definitely a rollercoaster ambiance to the trip that hit a couple of people pretty hard. Unless there were whales directly underneath the rail they were leaning over, I don't think they saw anything. Sue and I have been spared a susceptibility to motion-sickness, so this was a good opportunity to experience it vicariously.
There were no bathrooms (or "cabezas") on the good ship Dos Osos, but the guide advised that there was a port-a-potty (or "cabeza pequeno") if one was needed. But you've seen the picture of the catamaran: it's not like there was a stall or shower curtain set-up on board. Sue was aware of the sanitation limitations and had taken precautions before boarding to make darn sure she wouldn't be put in the position (so to speak) of using the port-a-potty during the trip. Personally, I knew it would never happen; if Sue ever reached that point, she'd tie the anchor around her feet and jump overboard rather than face the alternative. So I kept a close eye on her in between whale spottings.
All in all and Charles notwithstanding, it was a great trip. On the way back we went by a buoy loaded with seals:
It didn't seem like the most comfortable place to hang out. I think there's probably some form of seal public transit that stops by there.
As advertised, the whale-watching tour took about 3 hours
(Quick aside: in an age where 2 year olds can sing the theme to Gilligan's Island, why would any outfit offering to take tourists out on the water advertise a 3 hour tour? Call it a "180 minute tour" or a "back by lunch" tour... anything to keep from triggering a potential customer's subconscious into considering the possibility of being stranded for 3 seasons with a bunch of one-dimensional strangers. Advertising a 3 hour tour is kind of like having flight attendants hand out DVDs of LOST before taking off.)
We were back by noon, and decided to have a seafood lunch. I got to pick that day, so we went to the Lil Shack, which is basically a shack located in the parking lot of The Great American Fish Company that serves fish and chips from a walk-up window. After having "naked" fish and fine seafood the previous nights, it was great to get back to the classics: an unidentified species of fish, coated in batter, fried up and served in a bed of french fries nestled in a paper-lined plastic basket. For me, it was the best meal of the trip, and the best fish and chips I've ever had. Then again, every other place at which I've ever ordered fish and chips, the counter person has asked "Do you want fries with that?"