Caleb wakes me up with his sleeping arm into my sunburn. I put lotion on where I can reach, minimizing causing myself more pain in the process and come back to bed so that Caleb can put sunscreen on the rest of my burns. We go to breakfast and both order ranchero de casa and I order maple fry jacks (triangular sopaipillas) and eat most of them. We stop by the tour office and get aloe, and when we go back to check-in with our pink slips from the resort, verifying that we paid, the morning dive has been canceled.

Caleb was looking for his hat this morning and we asked about it at breakfast with no luck, but someone had found it and we saw it sitting on a shelf behind the front desk when we went inside to rent a golf cart for two hours, just in case the afternoon dive was still available. Caleb carried our dive bags back to the room (not sure why we didn’t use the cart), but this guy gives us a jokingly hard time about it, but Caleb let them know I’m burnt. I’ll crack a joke at the top of the stairs when we’re out of earshot, so I won’t be sharing it here either.

This gives us time to go into town and park near Patz Delicatessen and walk to Island City Supermarket; a store that looks better online. We get more sunscreen, even though ours will last the trip, and some leave-in conditioner to help with my tangled curls. I think it works better as a pre-wash cream. I’ll take over the driving so Caleb can navigate us to Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop. It’s here that we find out their boat went out this morning and plans to leave again at 11am for the afternoon trip. We badly want to go but we don’t have our gear with us and won’t make it back in time, so we can only hope that the boat we’re booked on will still go out.

I’m stopped at an intersection, trying to figure out if I turn right now or turn right on the next street. A taxi driver to my left honks, even though he has room to turn next to me, so not sure what that’s about. Luckily, a kind guy on two wheels points out the sign for the Eco Iguana Corner Foundation where they are breeding them. We park and while Caleb locks up the cart; as the start key is the same for the island apparently, but the lock key different; I find comfort in the shade. We are slowly approached by an older man who points out so many hidden iguanas as they lounge on branches and across twigs.

There’s a few small boats resting among the blue-green algae, one with more water in it than under it. As we turn left we’re greeted by a jealous kitty who hangs around while I get to feed a banana to an iguana and then pet his body and spines (tuberculate scales) that are softer than they appear, more flexible fingernail vs hard (both are healthy) and less porcupine or splinter. Our tour guide lifts the iguana onto his hind legs, just to show their relationship, like a cat that lets you rub its belly. We bypass the tourist picture opportunity (a photo stand-in) and walk across the bridge made of the 2-inch thick trees nearby (or their cousins from a different location).

I’m surprised there’s not flies here or perhaps they’re too preoccupied with the rotting piles of fruit and lettuce that the iguana smear their genitals on while they pick a piece to munch on. We wave to some of the guys sitting near the kitchen and pass their house on the way out – a version of my childhood home had the cabin been more than just a few walls with a crooked shelf (because I was fighting with my sister) before it was torn down and 2×4 frames put up in a day, but only a single story instead of two.

We stop at a shop because of their sign, which seems to interest us both more than what was inside. We walk next door to the Belikin Store where they sell shirts, beer mugs and dark chocolate, so we grab two bars with just three ingredients (cacao, cane sugar, and roasted malted barley) and at least two of them local, so we can try a piece now and have some for later. We’ll drive the 0.25 mile (according to the sign posted, but more accurately 0.68 mile) past our resort to see what the Black Orchid has to offer, but found out they’re closed on Sunday and Mondays and don’t open until 3pm for happy hour and dinner at 530.

The owners, a couple, started their dream in 2007, graduated from culinary school in 2011, opened up on Halloween of 2012, survived the Covid regulations, and have since been retired in 2023 due to amazing staff who continue to serve their pork and seafood menu. I’m glad we made the drive instead of walking as I want to be adventurous but also want a nap. The speed bumps are horrendous, especially on Caleb’s spine, and even the mooring rope over the road causes us to slow down while we get passed by others, but that’s the status quo for vacation mode regardless of where we are.

We return the cart and go back to the room to eat my accumulated leftovers for lunch. We are booked for a private tour, just us and our guide George, for the afternoon. We get dropped off and even get help with our gear. The boat takes us just outside the reef and we can see sharks just below. It seems one nurse shark in particular recognizes her lionfish buddy as divers have a 50% chance of getting fresh ceviche for their underwater friends or getting it onboard to share with others. Spearfishing has regulations like other hunting sports, but also free-for-alls of invasive species to protect local parks.

We see other nurse and some Caribbean reef sharks too. It’s amazing to have a shark in almost every picture. Riding out to sea on high waves is one thing, because you’re thinking about being underwater, but it’s another to contemplate dealing with twice when trying to board with a trainee. The ladder won’t stay put, so while he tries to get me onboard, with my sunburn and one hand slowing me down, the trainee tosses a line and buoy, also not staying put, for the guys to hold onto so they don’t get carried further from the boat.

Once we’re all safely onboard, I let the guys know I’m turning down the opportunity for round two. The dive took me to a max depth of 82ft and we were only down for 39 minutes, but that will be enough. I look forward to a dry bandage, and more aloe and sunscreen. We walk to Rum & Bean for more milkshakes to go with our dinner and the inquiring minds at the table next to ours want to know where our big name drink came from… the local shack that’s walking distance from here with no logos present, but they could be sneaking in their syrups.

Those same minds happened to take “our” table, so that’s why we sat next to them. We’re glad to be early, meaning before 530pm, so we can get the lunch menu which has more us-friendly options. The service is usually great, but I grab menus, then grab water glasses and one set of silverware as the table next to us offers theirs. I’m wondering how long it will take when the guy next to us gets his drink. I suppose it didn’t help our cause showing up with outside beverages, but there are no signs posted otherwise and we were offered to be made drinks.

I get the tofu nachos, Caleb the steak fajitas, and an order of chicken quesadillas to-go. It’s nice having a partner that I can share so much with; sometimes because we like the same things or because we compliment each other’s tastes whether it be food, clothes, or activities. Caleb, the other day, compared our reading as Calvin and Hobbes to Nietzsche, but he really should give himself more credit for the books and memes that have given him so much nautical and naughty knowledge. Maybe one day we’ll record some of our post-dive conversations and turn them into a podcast, but for now, we sleep.