“Tequilas on Rice”

August 6th, 2002 ~ Day 5

We decided that this was going to be THE day…the day that we would remember above all other days. With slight exception, it was. We started our day with snorkeling, which is free, but you have to get to the snorkel-shop early enough in the day to get your snorkel and flippers before they run out. We did just that, and hit the beach. We donned our marine gear and struck out, awkwardly at first, then more easily, eventually following schools of fish without thinking about it.

We saw amazing things that we’d never seen before – colorful fish of all shapes in sizes ranging from that of a nickel to some that were probably around two feet long, starfish as big as trash can lids creeping along the ocean floor, sea anemones, and translucent bag-like animals about the size of baseballs that we assumed were some sort of jellyfish. As we swam we encountered warm currents of water followed by frigid gusts that were really quite invigorating. The water was perfectly clear all the way to the bottom, even when we got far away from the shore where we guessed the water must have been at least 40 feet deep. There were huge trees down at the bottom swaying back and forth, with similarly huge fish swimming among their branches, barely discernible at that depth. I got a little freaked out thinking about some huge fish swimming around us in the now greater expanse of water, so we headed back closer to shore for the remainder of our “dive”. It was an experience we’ll never forget.

[singlepic id="960" w="58" h="240" mode="" float="left" ]After snorkeling, we went back to our room for showers and to get ready for a “lobster dinner cruise” that we had signed up for. We actually opted for steak instead, as we were longing for the tastes of home. The cruise was to be on an old Spanish galley that had been restored and modernized, so we thought it would be interesting just to be on such a boat, even without the dinner. We took a short walk along the beach, then along winding paths through a clump of trees to a concrete pier where the boat was to meet us. There were three or four other couples and two small families there also. After a short wait, the boat showed up and we boarded. We were quickly branded with fluorescent yellow stickers with the word carne written on them, as we were evidently the only people on board who had not signed up for the lobster dinner. We sat down and were greeted by a man with a tray of drinks.

“Tequilas on rice?” he asked.

I was confused.

“Tequilas on rice?” he repeated.

Hmmm.

Oh! Yes! Tequila Sunrise! Sure, I’ll have a tequila sunrise! Thank you very much!

[singlepic id="959" w="58" h="240" mode="" float="left" ] There was a small band on board that kept us all entertained with covers of the likes of Santana, Led Zeppelin, and Ritchie Valens, and the hosts were all funny and in good spirits. They got everyone involved in games largely centered around alcohol, and the Tequilas on Rice flowed like wine. Soon we were all having fun and egging each other on as the games got more outrageous. At one point there was a dancing thing where one couple danced for a few moments, then the man had to pick another woman to dance with, and the woman had to pick another man. This was repeated until everyone was dancing. Unfortunately for me, I ended up picking the last “available” woman on the boat. This woman was one of the staff, whose sole job was apparently to dance to the music in an effort to get everyone else to dance. She was the dancing girl, and she could have honestly been described as quite pretty if it weren’t for the thick patches of black hair nestled deep in each armpit, which she displayed flagrantly as she danced. So she was really the armpit girl, and I danced with her for one song – La Bamba.

It was getting dark, and next up was the limbo contest. Seriously. Consider this: A limbo contest on a smallish boat out in the Gulf of Mexico, rocking back and forth, with all the contestants exquisitely smashed on Tequilas on Rice and various other drinks and alcoholic prizes from previous games…in the dark.

I got third place.

All in all, the lobster dinner cruise was fantastic, and the steak dinner we had was actually quite good. After all the festivities, we docked at a pier in San Miguel, and Kristina and I took a taxi back to the hotel.