Kat Treks the World: 21 August: Manatees and Dolphins!!!

Wow today was amazing! I know I've said that a lot so far on this trip but today really was incredible. We left Tortugal around 9 o'clock, another lie in :) (ha a few weeks ago that would have been early for me!). We jumped aboard our boat for the day and set about crossing the lake. Our first stop was to float past the part of the land around the lake that was used to deter pirates (I have no idea what this part was called, soz). We were warned not to go to this part alone or by foot because there is a still a low risk for tourists, here's where I started praying Jack Sparrow would appear... He didn't :(

We didn't get off the boat just had a look from the lake, after a brief history (I'm sorry my brain is such a sieve I don't remember half of what was said :/) we carried on sailing. Here comes highlight number one! As we cruising along to our next destination we saw a group of dolphins! Our guide estimates that there were around twenty near us but I only saw four or five, either way I'm happy!

This awesome photo was taken by Damar, our guide

I got a few photos on my camera, none on the iPad because the quality is so shocking. Damar said that it had been at least two years since she'd last seen dolphins this close and that we were very lucky to have seen them for two minutes let alone the twenty minutes we had with them!

So completely buzzed and excited we turned the engines back on and headed to our next destination, Playa Blanca. This was a white sand beach (as the name suggests) that lined the Guatemalan border of the Caribbean Sea. The shoreline was dotted with hammocks and sun loungers so we immediately got down to the serious business... Sunbathing. A few of the group played volleyball on the beach but that was too much effort for me. I just lay in the sun and read my book, it was heaven. There was the opportunity to buy rum and coconut drinks served in coconuts, but not being a fan of either I steered clear, just as well seeing as the girls who had them said they were pretty strong. Think they were a bit tipsy (Tegannnn haha).

Around half one we left Playa Blanca, not before we all struggled into the boat (it was really high up and bobbing about in the water), I still can't stop laughing at Tegan flying into the boat (she blames the rum). Anyway we went crashing across the water to Livingston, this was a town around the coast and had a real Caribbean feel to it. We stopped here for a bit of shopping and for lunch.

Local school children dancing

Once we were done with lunch, I stuffed myself with shrimps and the best ice cream, we went back to the boat. It was just as we were floating down the river we saw the next wonder! MANATEES! I was ecstatic to see them because we hadn't been lucky enough to see them when we went snorkelling in Caye Caulker. We were literally just cruising along trying to decide who was going to jump out of the boat and float down the river using the current and then out of nowhere we spotted a manatee and then another one! It was so exciting!

That grey bump is the back of a manatee 😱

The amazing thing about seeing them was that they stuck around so long, we cut the engine and just watched them silently, then another boat came around the corner. Luckily they saw what we were looking at and they also cut their engines and didn't scare them.

It sounds really stupid but they're such docile creatures and very shy so to see them in the river where so many boats regularly pass through really was magical and the best thing! After what felt like ages a Guatemalan family came along in their rowing boat and scared the two manatees off, boo! A few of e group jumped in in the hope they'd spot the manatees underwater... They didn't but it was still an amazing experience to have glimpsed them from the boat.