Almejas Bay greeted us with beautiful, clear skies. Allison, our wellness specialist, taught a morning stretch class at 7:30 a.m. After breathing in and breathing out, we were ready for breakfast. Then we met our local pangueros, and off we went for our first whale-watching adventure.
We made a quick stop on the southern tip of Margarita Island to observe brown pelicans, cormorants and western gulls. After that, we continued to the mouth of the bay. Even from a distance, we realized how many gray whales were visible. We were greeted by spyhopping whales. As we cruised for a while, a curious gray whale came close to the boat several times. It appeared that this whale was playing with us! We saw whales rolling, whales breaching and whales spyhopping. Once our time was up, we headed back to the ship for a delicious lunch.
In the afternoon, we went off again for another gray whale adventure. Oh boy, we had no idea what was going to happen! First, two curious and friendly whales approached the pangas. The amazing captains maneuvered the boats so that all guests had a taste of this life-changing experience. We screamed, cried and laughed. A little bit of everything was going through our minds while we enjoyed several close and personal moments with the gray whales.
There are no words to describe what it is like to feel the skin of a whale. What I have to say is that a gentle touch can change a soul. In my mind, I have imprinted each moment and every second that I spent close to a whale. Maybe for them it is the same. Maybe they remember us just like we remember them.
After having the best day of our lives, the crew prepared a delicious beach BBQ at Scorpion Bay that included mango margaritas, wine and beer! What a wonderful way to celebrate the end of our first day here in Baja.
