On the last day of the year we were buffeted early morning by a “Norte” or “Northener.” As promptly as we could, we hid behind the large island of San Jose, which has quite high mountains. Here we had a quick breakfast, and immediately landed at Bahia Encantada, where we kayaked to our heart’s content, enjoying the solitude of the large bay, while the young people screamed at trying out the driving of the expedition landing craft.
Lunch was at midday, and we again ventured to the beach, where we hiked up a lovely arroyo with a great number of interesting plants with flowers! A few months ago there was a very strong hurricane here, and it dumped incredible amounts of water (at least for a desert), and the plants, as well as the animals are happy.
A few hardy youngsters and kids enjoyed the water with no waves, swam deliciously, and others jumped into the water with great yells! During this time our expedition leader Lee Fleisher finished entertaining the youngsters by showing them how to use the GPS (which they loved), to locate a hidden treasure on the island.
Dinner was on the beach, an incredible feast with many happy drinks for young and old, and a good fire of mesquite wood was lit. Ah!, the smell of this good wood! A story by William was told, about the origin of the Aztec gods (including the birth of Quetzalcoatl), and then two good Mexican songs sung by the Mexicans and most everybody else! The day was not over yet, as already back on board, a piñata was organized for the kids, where everybody screamed their heads off! Yes, the END OF THE YEAR!
