In Acapulco, they’re better at getting your money than in the other towns. Before joining up with my little excursion group to go poke dolphins, I wondered around the city, trailed by men looking to sell me a ride or a tour or their sister or “paradise”, “the moon” and senoritas. That was interesting. Acapulco is sort of like New York City with palm trees. It’s dirty and busy.
After getting into Acapulco, I did some wondering before my dolphin swim excursion. I Love the fact that they build shrines here – I think I’ve mentioned that they take their holy seriously here. Placing their souls and worries in stones left for the road-side dead, shrines out in the open on the docks to the Virgin Guadalupe. They are beautiful and festive things rather than dead momuments. It’s something to think about… I have trouble being religious, but Love it in others. That faith is important to being a real human being, maybe.
I’ll be pretty burned after today since we can’t wear sun block while swimming with the dolphins…
I guess i just HAVE to end up in shorts once a year or so. This is for a worthy cause though. Slipping into warm salt water with these strong grey entities – they move fast and shoot from one end of the pool to the other, giggling and chittering and grinning all the while. I was pretty freaked out at first, especially since the tour guidesort of sensed my fear or something and teased me about putting me in the tank with the great white shark. I fought to remain impassive, but I got teased all day about the fact that my eyes got huge and I turned kind of pale.
They are surprisingly hard under their rubber exteriors. Like steel – I was almost expecting them to feel like sharks or skates – cartilidge under the surface – I knew they were mammals, but feeling that bone under the surface was still a shock. They are immensely strong, and I got flippered in the leg at one point as we parted paths. Lots of cool tricks, they swam under us and jumped over us, sang with us and shoved us across the pool. I have a video for those of you who are really THAT interested. Unfortunately, they made some poor, poor musical choices as a sound track.
Dolphin swimming was pretty intense. Spectacular pushes of power, strong bone and muscle. And joy – though I don’t think they particularly like people – they do seem to Love the motions. The people are just part of the work.
For an hour after our time with the dolphins, we have our run of the water park where they’re house. Listening to Madonna now over the PA – “Open your heart to me”. There’s a spider with wriggly little head antennae watching me brush my hair out.
Forty minutes to sit. I don’t really like the waterslides and whatnot, not without someone else to play with. I guess I could go back out to the beach or something, but the water is filthy and I hate not knowing the language at all – It’s way more of a barrier than I thought it would be…
