It´s nearly midnight and I´m walking along the beach.
It´s hot and the mosquitoes are busy. Out over the Caribbean sea, distant lightning warns of a coming storm.
I´ve been walking for over an hour, and I´m hot and tired and frankly fed up.
Then I see her. A break in the clouds and the moon lights her up. God, but she´s beautiful.
She´s lying still on the sand. I stand well back to admire her. I don´t want to get too close.
She´s about my age, about two meters long and about 300 kilograms in weight the guide reckons. Then she starts to move her rear flippers. She´s digging a hole to lay her eggs. We watch her work. She lays about 60, then she covers them up. She circles a few times, flipping up sand to cover the nest and hide her tracks.
Then she crawls awkwardly back towards the sea. A big wave comes and she is gone.
Leatherback turtles have been coming here for millions of years.
I feel like I have just watched a dinosaur.
This is quite simply one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
Glad to see you are alive and well. You had us worried for a while with your lengthy silence. You are living such a wonderful and life-enhancing experience. I look forward to reading your messages as they are always interesting: some are funny and make me laugh, others are serious and leave me in silence. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don´t eat chocolate.