Now, I know what you are thinking. Mexico, as a travel destination who gives a crap. I'm not super interested in girls going wild, nor am I interested in drinking myself into a come on tequila. More sympathetic, I could not be. As anyone who knows me can attest I usually prefer my travels to be a little more cultural...or at least I like to be able to tell myself I am pursuing culture while I get wasted in far flung lands. So, when the wife suggested Mexico I stifled a chuckle.
Well, she explained to me how a beautiful migration takes place into the gulf just off Cancun. Not only do scantily clad ladies show up and shake their bits for attention but other foes of life also show up and make a much subtler exposition. The whalesharks show up in the waters off Cancun in the summer and drive a whole industry of nature lovers to brave the waves off of party central.
I guess I should explain that normally when I travel I like nature. I am a real fan of going and checking out landscape. I love to go to places that look nothing like anywhere I have been and just soak it in. I have never been the hugest wildlife watcher. I have seen whales in the pacific and grizzlies in Yellowstone, but it has never really been something I sought out. But I have, for a few years, wanted to swim with whalesharks...something about the "gentle giants" - 30 - 40 ft fish that would swim by without a care in the world always attracted me.
So, we set off to Mexico, with a few good friends in tow, and had a look.
I can safely say that swimming with the whalesharks was the #1 travel highlight of my life. There is something about a creature the size of a bus swimming by you and feeling completely safe that, for lack of a better word, blows your mind. These fish are easily big enough to tip the boat over that you showed up in, but are so uninterested in you that it leaves you with a sense of awe....sort of like how a person wouldn't be interested if there were 5 or 6 squirrels hanging around them while they had lunch.
Living in the city you are constantly surrounded by things that are dead - the sidewalk, the street, every building you see - and there is something really refreshing about being surrounded by life. If you are lucky enough to be surrounded by 10 tonnes of fish, who want nothing more than to enjoy a snack with or without an audience, you may get a sense of why nature, and life is so special. And hopefully, it will give you just the tiniest sense of wonder.
Well, she explained to me how a beautiful migration takes place into the gulf just off Cancun. Not only do scantily clad ladies show up and shake their bits for attention but other foes of life also show up and make a much subtler exposition. The whalesharks show up in the waters off Cancun in the summer and drive a whole industry of nature lovers to brave the waves off of party central.
I guess I should explain that normally when I travel I like nature. I am a real fan of going and checking out landscape. I love to go to places that look nothing like anywhere I have been and just soak it in. I have never been the hugest wildlife watcher. I have seen whales in the pacific and grizzlies in Yellowstone, but it has never really been something I sought out. But I have, for a few years, wanted to swim with whalesharks...something about the "gentle giants" - 30 - 40 ft fish that would swim by without a care in the world always attracted me.
So, we set off to Mexico, with a few good friends in tow, and had a look.
I can safely say that swimming with the whalesharks was the #1 travel highlight of my life. There is something about a creature the size of a bus swimming by you and feeling completely safe that, for lack of a better word, blows your mind. These fish are easily big enough to tip the boat over that you showed up in, but are so uninterested in you that it leaves you with a sense of awe....sort of like how a person wouldn't be interested if there were 5 or 6 squirrels hanging around them while they had lunch.
Living in the city you are constantly surrounded by things that are dead - the sidewalk, the street, every building you see - and there is something really refreshing about being surrounded by life. If you are lucky enough to be surrounded by 10 tonnes of fish, who want nothing more than to enjoy a snack with or without an audience, you may get a sense of why nature, and life is so special. And hopefully, it will give you just the tiniest sense of wonder.
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