Wandering with Tedder and Tamara

Today was the big payoff for Linda's visit- we went and swam with the dolphins. She's wanted to do this for a long time, and I've wanted to do it for quite a while.

I researched the various programs around Cancun and settled on Dolphin Discovery. It isn't cheap- $140 per person for 30 minutes with the dolphin, but they offered a neat program. There were 7 tourists plus the trainer, and we had two dolphins- Alexia and Foxie. They were about 15 years old, females, and one was a mom. The main activities were the Dorsal Pull, where you grab the dorsal fin of each dolphin and get pulled across the lagoon. It was pretty fun, but you tend to get some water in your face.

The second activity was our favorite- the foot push. It's pretty easy, because the dolphins know what to do. You lay flat in the water, on your stomach, with your feet locked behind you. The two dolphins nudge against the soles of your feet, then they put all of their power into it and push you up. Basically, you end up “waterskiing”. It's amazing how much power the dolphins have, and how intelligent they are- it would take a lot of brain power to work with another dolphin and stay in sync.

Some of the other activities allowed us to pet the dolphins, kiss them, play with them (by making them spit water at us), and such. It isn't a long time in the water, but it is certainly worthwhile.

The outing kept getting more expensive- once we were done, we went and watched the DVD of our dolphin adventure. It is interesting, because they have one or two photographers, plus a videographer with each group of tourists. The videographer then goes and edits the video, adding slow-motion and effects, plus titles and such. In about five minutes, the video is ready. This is where it gets expensive- the DVD is $50! I'm glad we didn't end up in separate groups, since that would have meant buying more than one DVD.

So we spent $50 on the DVD, plus $70 for about ten pictures. I ripped the movie to the laptop and edited out all the interesting clips. Once we get scans of the pictures, we'll integrate the pictures, video, and some music and post it for you all to see.

After we got home, Tamara and Linda went out to swim in the ocean. They saw pelicans diving for fish, saw cute local children playing in the water, and just enjoyed life.

For dinner, we finally had the long-anticipated Swiss fondue. I'd been looking forward to it since we arrived at the Hotel Caracol, but chose to wait until Mom came down. Dunja closes the restaurant Monday and Tuesday, so we had to wait until Wednesday to have it. It was great- pear, potato, and bread in a great fondue.