A girl name Robyn gave us a quick tour and took us to our room. It is easy to see why they are considered the best hostel in Mexico. Everything was painted with bright colors and there was a good sized kitchen, a bike rental station, and even a "cinema", which was a small screening room with a large collection of DVD's. There were two WiFi areas (the lower courtyard with the hammock chairs where I had been dripped on, and the balcony right above it) and two public computers that could be used for a small fee. Up a spiral stairway was a third floor sunning area with a spectacular view of the ocean.
Our room was the Maori room, which was small but still nice. It had one bed, a private bathroom and a private balcony. There was even a ladder in the corner, though I have no idea what we were supposed to do with that.
After getting settled we went out and walked around the island for awhile. All the roads are dirt - maybe more sand than dirt - and as I said the only vehicles for the most part are golf carts which are quite plentiful, as well as a few motorcycles and bicycles. Needless to say there isn't a traffic light anywhere on the island, just rusty old signs that say ALTO (Stop). There are no sidewalks, pedestrians and golf carts share the same space. The streets are filled with little shops, markets, hostels, and small restaurants. There are dogs everywhere, just roaming the streets or laying in the shade. Mostly little ones (I even saw a Dachshund), but there were some larger ones as well. They looked like strays, but some had collars so maybe they are just allowed to come and go as they please. They all seemed very friendly. I am not sure if the island is in the poverty range, or if is just content with a much simpler life style, but there are definitely no indicator's of what I would call wealth. There isn't even any cell phone reception.
We went in search of a restaurant on the beach where we had to meet for the Whale Shark Swim in the morning. After we found that we went into a couple of the little markets looking for some snacks to take with us, as it didn't sound like there would be anything vegetarian on the boat. The markets were small and dimly lit with narrow aisles. The markets themselves seemed to be quite plentiful, sometimes just one or two doors apart from each other, so I don't know how there is enough demand to keep them open.
While we were walking around, I went to put on my sunglasses - the ones I had just bought the day before at the Cancun Walmart - and one of the arms snapped in half. My sunglasses curse lives on. Needless to say, I was quite disgusted. I looked in a few shops, but much to my surprise I couldn't find sunglasses anywhere. Some of the shops carried swim suits, sandals, sun tan lotion, but no sunglasses. Rather odd for a Mexican island in the Caribbean that caters mostly to tourists. Mine were stll wearable, but the right arm only reached about half way to my ear.
The Doctor was looking for dental floss, but wasn't having any better luck with that either. We went into one store, and though they carried tooth paste and brushes there was no floss. Finally he did find some dental picks - not with the other tooth products, but hanging up right next to the rat poison . . . This store didn't have sunglasses either, but did carry underwater cameras, which was something we wanted for the next day, so we picked one up.
Next we went in search of a restaurant. I looked in my guidebook and found one called Los Pelicano's which sounded promising, and we were able to find it without too much trouble. We looked at some menus on a table outside, and saw a Squash Blossom Fajita which caught both our attention. But when we went in the girl told us that they had just closed, but we could visit their other restaurant behind that one. We checked that one out, but it too was closed. We walked around some more and than found another restaurant that served Squash Blossom Crepes . . . but they too told us they were closed. The Doctor especially was disappointed, as he really wanted to try Squash Blossoms. Finally we settled on a pizza place called Edelyn Pizzeria & Restaurant, which was also recommended in my guidebook. They had a vegetarian pizza that in addition to the usual toppings - peppers, mushrooms, and onions - also had avacado. That was something neither of us had ever had on a pizza before so that was what we got.
The restaurant had an open front, and we first sat at a table right there, but after a few minutes the waiter suggested we move to the other side, as the sun would soon be hitting us directly. We moved and then he noticed immediately that that table rocked, and he quickly went and found something to stick under one leg to stabilize it. He was most attentive and concerned for our comfort.
After we ate we dropped everything off at Tribu and went down to the beach. There were a few people on the beach, but not many. We went in and spent well over an hour in the water. The Doctor gave me some pointers on swimming, and showed me how to do the breast stroke. I ended up accomplishing some bizarre cross between the doggie paddle and the breast stroke, (a "breast paddle" or "doggie stroke", I am not sure what you would call it) but it was better than what I hadn't been able to learn during the six week swimming course I had taken a couple months ago.
I have never in my life been skinning dipping, and I figured a near-deserted beach on remote Mexican island in the Caribbean would be as good a place as any for my first time. After we had been in the water awhile I pulled off my swim-shorts, and waved them at The Doctor. He kind of smirked and informed me he had already had his first skinny dip in Caribbean waters a just a few minutes ago. And this was far from his first time. He told me he's done it in the Mediterranean, the Salt Sea, and four of the five Great Lakes. Well excuse me . . . I have a lot of catching up to do . . .
(The Doctor on the beach)
We stayed in the water until the sun was almost completely down. It was a beautiful sunset, with a red sky out over the ocean, which reflected on the clouds to the east. Then we went back to Tribu, and spent some time down in the hanging hammock chairs, me with my laptop, and The Doctor reading and dozing off and on. Finally, around 11:00 we turned in.
(The Doctor dozing in a Hammock Chair at Tribu Hostel)
(The Doctor using two hammock chairs for an early morning impromptu work out. Really, I think he was just showing off for me . . .)
(Early morning street scene in Holbox)
We checked in with the guy I assume was Big Shark Daddy, and than sat and waited until the boats were ready to go. We were put in a group with a family of five, two parents and their three children who appeared to be in their late teens/early twenties (two boys and a girl). I had assumed we would be going out on a good sized boat, similar at least to the one I was on for the helmet dive in Bermuda, but as we walked down the pier I could see there was nothing like that to be seen. They all seemed quite small to me. I did see one called Mi Alcatraz, and I thought that at least would be a fun one to go on, and sure enough that was the one we were told to board. I was pleased about that, though like all the other boats it seemed alarmingly small, and from the outside not terribly sea worthy. Certainly smaller than The Orca, and Sheriff Brody thought THEY needed a bigger boat . . .
(The Alcatraz)
The man in charge of the expedition introduced himself as Gustavo, but told us we could call him "Goose". He and the captain were the only crew aboard. 
(Gustavo aka "Goose" standing behind our captain)
Goose told us it would be an hour and a half before we reached Whale Shark territory, so we just settled in for the ride. He gave us a brief lesson on Whale Sharks, using a small model of one to point out the different features. One thing I found most interesting is that they are easily identified and recognizable from one another. They all have patterns of lines and white dots which Goose said were as individual as a human finger print. He told us that under no circumstances were we to touch the Whale Sharks. If they swam toward us and touched us, that was OK, but reaching out and touching them was forbidden. He made it quite clear that anyone caught doing so would be stripped of their snorkel mask and not allowed in the water again.
Goose passed out equipment for those who had not brought their own - life jackets, snorkel gear and fins. One of my fins looked like a shark had taken a bite out of it, which was not particularly reassuring.
(Something tells me this was no boating accident . . . )
Along the way we passed a beach where a large number of pelicans where just hanging out along with a few pink flamingos. Further on some of the others saw a dolphin leap out of the water, but I missed it. Then later the captain spotted a Devil Ray (or "Diablo") and stopped the boat so we could watch it. It was a big one and pretty impressive.
("Diablo")
Finally we reached our destination, and the Alcatraz cruised around looking for Whale Sharks. There were other Whale Shark expeditions in the area, and they seemed to be in radio contact with each other. One boat would alert the others when a they spotted a Whale Shark. We spotted our first whale shark and it was quite exciting. They are pretty big. They can be as large as 46 feet long and weigh up to 30 tons. They were easy to spot from the boat, their white spots on their back clearly visible above the surface, with their dorsal fins and tails sticking up out of the water. Sometimes the distance between the dorsal and tail were so far apart I thought I was looking at two different Whale Sharks, but it would be just one.
(You can see the speckled skin of this Whale Shark just below the surface)
The first two passengers geared up and sat with Goose on the edge of the boat with their feet over the side waiting for the captain to give the order to jump.
(Goose)
When he spotted a whale shark he positioned the boat so the swimmers would be headed directly toward it when they jumped. The idea was to swim toward it and then turn around as it passed so they could swim along side it, an idea that was much easier in theory than actual practice. Finally he gave the command and they jumped in along with Goose. It was kind of chaotic and from my perspective it was hard to tell exactly what was going on. Both the captain and Goose were yelling at the swimmers giving them directions as to which way to swim. The captain seemed a little disgusted with the way the swimmers were performing, and in broken English told the rest of us "If you see something, swim AT it!"
They were only in the water a few minutes before reboarding. I guess they were able to get a good look at it. When Goose asked who wanted to go next, someone in the family volunteered me and The Doctor, saying we looked like we knew what we were doing and could show the rest of them how it was done. The Doctor perhaps, but certainly not me! As I swung my flipper clad feet over the edge of the boat, I told Goose I was not a strong swimmer and asked - just be certain - if the life jacket would keep me from sinking. He assured me it would. While we waited for the order to jump, I was quite nervous - not about the Whale Shark, but about how well I would perform in the water. After several minutes, Goose said their didn't appear to be any Whale Sharks in the immediate area, and told us to go back to our seats. I just wanted to get it over with!
(The Doctor in his Speedo eagerly awaiting his Whale Shark Swim)
We sat back down while the Alcatraz cruised around until finally another Whale Shark appeared. We got back into position on the edge of the boat, and then at last the moment came and the captain yelled for us to jump. I went right under the water and when I came up The Doctor was swimming right toward the Whale Shark. I did my best to keep up, but it was my first experience snorkeling, and this was not the best set of circumstances to perfect any sort of technique. Goose was yelling at me to look under the water, and I would try, but even with the snorkel gear I didn't feel like I was able to breathe. Finally I did take a good look under the water and was able to see the speckled side of the Whale Shark as it passed by.
I wouldn't call the first attempt a success, but I at least saw it, and I didn't drown. I am not sure I would say I swam with a Whale Shark. It would be more accurate to say I was in the water, the Whale Shark was in the water, and the Whale Shark was the one doing all the swimming. You might say the Whale Shark swam with me . . .
The Doctor - of course - got some very good looks at it. After we had climbed back on board, Goose mentioned that this Whale Shark had a gash along its dorsal and down its side, and The Doctor said he had seen it too, and told me later he thought he had gotten a picture of it with the underwater
camera. While I was thrashing around in the water, he was calm and relaxed enough to stop for pictures. Goose said the gash was probably the result of coming into contact with boat propeller.
Once I was safely back on the boat, I decided that was enough for me. Although I had enjoyed the experience to a certain degree, my level of swimming was certainly not where it needed to be to get the most out of it. When they started the next cycle of swims again, I told The Doctor I was going to sit this one out.
(Having a good time. Really.)
When the next Whale Shark was spotted, the mother and another family member jumped in, but the Whale Shark disappeared almost immediately. When they got back on board, Goose told the mother she could have another go at if she wanted to, but after several minutes with no other Whale Sharks in sight, Goose said unless someone really wanted their third swim, it looked like we would be calling it a day. The others said they were all set, and of course I was definitely more than all set, but The Doctor said he did want one more turn in the water. So we cruised around in the water a little more and finally another Whale Shark was spotted.
The mother decided she would go in with the Doctor, and together with Goose they jumped in. They all seemed to have a brief encounter, and then the Whale shark took off. I could hear the mother say to Goose "Well I guess he's gone", but he was still in sight of the boat. And to the amazement of everyone on the boat, The Doctor was doing a damn impressive job of keeping up, swimming right along side him. Both of them sped through the water, further and further way, until we could barely see them. The Doctor was well out range of our boat, and at one point was actually in another group's territory. I actually began to wonder if he was going to swim all the way back to Holbox! Everyone on the boat was in awe, very impressed with the Doctor's speed and prowess in the water. I was quite proud of him!
The Whale Shark finally vanished, and The Doctor made his way back to the Alcatraz, and climbed aboard.
(The Doctor in the water and reboarding the Alcatraz after a successful swim)
After that The Alcatraz cruised into some shallow water, and we were given some time to snorkel around on our own. Goose said the water here was only 6 feet deep, so life jackets were no longer mandatory (what, you can't drown in water that's over your head???) Everyone else took their's off, but of course I kept mine on. I really wish we had done this FIRST, as I was able to get a better feel for snorkeling, and might have been a little more comfortable doing the Whale Shark swim after having had a little practice. Not everyone got off to snorkel, but the Doctor and I spent a long time in the water. We saw some small fish and underwater plant life, but that was pretty much it. Some of the others saw a sea turtle, but we missed that. Finally we realized everyone else was back on board and the captain was waving for us to come back so we headed in.
Next the Alcatraz anchored in VERY shallow water, near what Goose called Mangroves.
Here The Doctor and I were the only ones who got out, and we just waded around in the water which was never even waist deep, and usually even not about our knees.
(More Comfortable in shallow water . . . )
The others stayed aboard and ate Cerviche, which Goose had made right there on the boat. The family seemed to be ready to have the day be over, and were probably getting a little impatient with The Doctor and I for taking our time in the water. I was taking a lot of pictures of The Doctor. He had been wearing a very skimpy Speedo all day, which made him even more . . . shall we say photogenic? . . . than usual. The family was probably thinking "If those two faggots don't stop taking pictures of each other and get on this boat right now, we're going to mutiny and head back without
them!!!"
(The Doctor & his Speedo - a good fit!)
When we got back on board Goose offered us our Cerviche, but we declined, telling him we didn't eat fish. We had brought our own snacks along and made do with that. The Alcatraz headed back to Holbox, slowing briefly along the beach where all the pelicans and flamingos were still hanging out.
At Holbox, we said our farewells to the captain and Goose, and then set out in search of another Whale Shark company. The Doctor had told me weeks ago, that if our first swim went well, he might try to do a second one as well. Obviously, he had had a great experience, and was more than ready to do it again. I opted out, but told him to go ahead, and I would find something else to occupy my time.
(This cloud spotted from the Alcatraz looked like a dolphin's head to me)
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