Friday, February 13, 2009

We Got VD and Sharks on the Same Trip!





















Took an overnight on the island so we wouldn't have to hurry back home after dark. Sad to say the peak tourist season is on, with higher prices and mobs of mindless day-visitors who binge on cerveza then buy their sombreros. But when they're gone by 5pm, the sunset is a relaxing and eternal antidote. We wandered in the tropical breezes and got VD early (Valentine's Day!).

One of the advantages of going back on the old cargo ferry is that you're in open air on the top deck and can see all around you. We were puzzled at first at noticing a smallish fishing boat docked where they seldom do, away from the main fishing area. Then we noticed a very large dark mound with fins sticking up. This fishing crew had the biggest day of their lives --- they had hooked 22 sharks, one at a time, in 8 hours on the seas. The sharks are not officially endangered and there is no limit because you are lucky to get even one these days. The primitive dockside scales showed they weighed about 300-400 pounds each. After shuttling them onto waiting trucks, the crew loaded up with bait (15-pound albacore!) and headed back out. Senseless slaughter or big payday for the needy locals?

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