We've done some exploring around Santa Catalina. There is a well maintained trail around the island that takes you to a Fort (that was built by the pirates), Morgan's head (a naturally carved stone sculpture that resembles a man's head - one that supposedly looks like the pirate Henry Morgan) and to the spot labeled "Morgan's Treasure" (though we're thinking if it's labeled "treasure" it wouldn't still be there!). The trail is up and down hills with some incredible views over the turquoise waters and reefs. The island is filled with palm trees and exotic plants. The trail is really well maintained with bamboo handrails in some areas, hawser handrails in other areas, a bamboo bridge, trail markers with info on beautifully painted tiles - just a really lovely hike. We saw some very colorful lizards as well - one that was a bright royal blue.
We also have walked around the "big" town Santa Isabel on Providencia - it's about three streets. There is a small internet café - but it very slow; two bakeries, a hardware store, two small groceries, two banks and the administration buildings. We haven't yet tried any of the several small restaurants. The town has a small hospital and several churches. One bridge, called "Lover's Lane" connects Providencia with Santa Catalina. It is made of wood colorfully painted. In the center you climb up about 8 steps and then down 8 - that is the bridge opening for small launches and dinghies to get through. The area is well maintained, very clean and lots of outdoor art - metal sculptures and nice tile work.
We've also snorkeled in a few places. The reefs on the outside of the harbor (the leeward side) are remarkable. More barracudas than we've seen - some in schools and few very large ones stalking the reefs alone. It seemed every time you saw a nice big fish - there was a barracuda protecting it. This reef's quite healthy and it was a fun afternoon exploring.
The next day we went by dinghy through the lover's lane bridge and around the corner to "Crab Cay." This was recommended to us by the very helpful man in the tourist's office. He said it was great snorkeling. It was quite a dinghy ride - and unfortunately the reefs were not very healthy. There was a lot of fish - but the reefs were covered with algae and all brown.
So we stopped at a few more spots on the way back and one was terrific if you got on the outer edge (the deep side) of the reef. It had a remarkable collection of fish and some healthy coral structure. We saw all kinds of critters lettuce sea slugs, fingerprint cyphomas, flamingo tongues, flame helmet shell (alive), damselfish, angel fish, hamlets, basslets, parrotfish, beautiful true tulip shell, file fish, porcupine fish, cow fish, queen trigger fish, shark, all types of snapper, colorful coral fish - so many things. We also saw a soldierfish with an isopod attached. (this is a weird parasite that attaches to the fish's head - kinda weird looking). It really ended up being a great spot because of the fish and critter variety.
Last night, we were invited to a "barbie" on the beach with two other boats. They are British boats and one (an IP) had caught quite a bit of fish - so we enjoyed grilled jack. The funniest part - was the grill on the beach. There was a concrete grill - it had rocks inside and we put coconut husks in as the cooking fuel, As the fire heated up - the fire started to explode - first small pops sending out ash, then it progressively got to be bigger and bigger explosions. It started to send out the hot coconut husks and then the rocks from the bottom of the grill. It was dangerous anywhere on the beach as this fire belched out hot rocks and wood bits. One rock was sizzling hot and Mike from the boat Chapter Two got a hot bit on his head that started to burn his hair. We'll have to show a rock to one of our geologist friends to see what made these rocks explode. It was weird. The fish, potatoes and garlic bread finally got cooked and we enjoyed a feast and good company staying on the beach past dark to enjoy a very starry night. We negotiated our way back to the boats via dinghies well after "cruisers' midnight."
A few nights earlier we got invited about "Genesis" with a great German couple and enjoyed a few night cocktails and conversation with them. They had a rough trip here and are awaiting parts for a broken engine and headsail foil. It's nice to start to get to know some folks here.
And between all the hiking, snorkeling, and socializing - we are getting some stainless polished, fuel tanks filled, the bottom cleaned, cooking done, cleaning, practicing Spanish and small repairs completed.
We still want to hike to "El Pico" and rent scooters to get around the island. More boats are arriving daily and the anchorage is getting filled. Mr. Bush, the agent is counting his money!
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