Sun and Sea

  Porto Petro, Spain
Wednesday, June 21, 2006

We awoke in our new apartment after sleeping in amazingly comfortable bed. I didn't remember the last time I had slept so well. I usually have back pains when I sleep in mattresses that are too soft or too hard, but this one was perfect. The first thing we did was pull the shades to see how the weather was. The greyish clouds from the day before were gone and we could now see the bright sky looking back at us. A few bubbly white clouds roamed by, but overall, the day was perfect for our first day at the beach.

12 Cove

We would meet Barbie who today had the day off from the IberoStar Hotel she worked and find a nice beach to spend the day in. She drove us to Mandragò Beach where the sand was soft and white, and the sun exalted the turquoise sea. The first thing I noticed was that there were virtually no waves, turning this into a naturall demi-pool. This was perfect for me as I've always had a lot of respect of the ocean, especially when there are large powerful waves. Ed had brought along his snorkelling equipment so I was planning on venturing the bottom of the sea if the water wasn't too cold.

We sunbathed for some time, laying our towels amongst the many German families who were there with their young kids running about naked, making sand castles or playing ball. I have to get used to European nudity. Women here go topless amongst men and kids as if it were the most normal thing in the world. And although I don't find it shocking it will take some time to get used to. Eventually I'll probably go topless on the beach...on not a very crowded one.

04 the bottom of the Sea

Ed finally pulled me out from my sun-tanning mode and dragged me into the water, which at the beginning was very cold. It got some getting used to but it wasn't impossible to withstand. After a few minutes I managed to submerged myself completely and Ed gave me his mask and snorkel to go investigate a few meters away from the shore.

06 Coral

What I saw was amazing. This was my first time snorkelling and although I had imagined what it must be like, all my expectations were again wrong. It was much better. As I floated in the water closely observing how two silver fish played around with a baby jellyfish, after I swam through a school of tiny orange colored fish, and after I followed another pink jellyfish around as it lazily floated about, I excitedly called out to Ed who was keeping an eye on me from the shore, begging him to join me with the extra set of goggles he had and the camera.

14 My pink Medusa

I took some pictures until the battery ran out. Thank god for Ed who had taken a course on underwater photography. Let me tell you it was no easy task getting a good shot: there was the subjects' movement and your own movement to control. I tried to get shots of a long yellow fish getting bites out of seaweed from in between a rock but as soon as I got a little closer, it escaped under the coral. I ended up getting a bunch of shots of the hexagonal shapes the sunrays made on the sea floor and on my friend the tiny pink jellyfish. I was amazed at how most fish weren't at all frightened by my presence and paid no mind to me as I followed them and observed them. Living so close to the shore has probably made them realize humans will not eat them up on sight.

19 Sexy guy in the water

After about an hour of being on the water I went back to my towel in the sand to dry off by the sun. I hadn't noticed how cold it had been in the water. In any case, after I lay down in the sand I felt dizzy. Always having been prone to motion sickness, I realized I would have to get used to snorkelling.

24 Me

After being at the beach the entire day, we decided to call it quits and headed back into town to get ready for the Argentina-Holland World Cup match at 9pm later that night. We would meet up with fellow country men that worked with Bernie at a bar in Cala d'Or.

When we got to the bar, the match had already started; everyone there was wearing Argentina shirts and had flags ready for waving in the air. Everyone greeted Ed and I and made us feel comfortable and welcomed. The match was exciting, since Argentina had possession of the ball most of the time, but despite this no goals were made, ending in a tie, but first in our Group. This would mean we would play Mexico Saturday night.

27 With the Dutch Fans

Everyone had had tons of beer and the house invited another round for all 15 of us after the match ended. That was the beer that ended up killing me. I was doing fine till then, but that final beer made me realize I could have no more. Ed felt the same. Totally giddy, we walked out of the bar towards a Dutch bar where everyone was wearing orange shirts, flags and clogs. And we did the unthinkable. We walked in with our opposing colors. Surprisingly, we were greeted happily, and a few people even wanted Argentines and Dutchmen in a picture which Ed ended up taking.

Eventually it was time to head back. Ed and I were wasted and although we could still walk and talk normally, everything was spinning so we called it a night. We said our goodnights to our new friends and drove back with Bernie and Barbie. I regretted that last beer as I lay down to sleep and found that a roller-coaster would be easier to cope with. I am never drinking again......