Day 8

It was the last day and we had hardly touched the cool waters. Without a dip in the ganges the trip to Haridwar is incomplete, similarly we had to dip in the ocean. The red sail sporting company was a small company proving snorkel trips on a catamaran. Not that I can differentiate much between a sail boat, schooner, catamaran, jib or mast, the boat was half filled to capacity with 30 people unlike the whale watching sailboat trip which had only 8 people. The captain and his cronies were pleasant and the boat was quite surprisingly accommodating.

As we sailed off to the snorkeling location the reality hit with a bang. I had not swam since the last snorkeling trip since last years Florida trip. The knot in the stomach curled further as people just jumped in and snorkeled away to see mysterious ocean creatures. Gathering the momentum I grabbed a life vest for “just in case” and like a sponge absorbed all the information doled out about the mask and breathing. Somethings rang a bell but it was panic city inside as I jumped into the water complete with fins.

The clear blue ocean with free visibility to the coral calmed out my nerves enough to remind me to keep breathing through the mouth and fin away to the promised site of never before seen so close sea creatures. At some point I lifted my head up enough to see that was way off course and she was sitting by the steps getting the equipment on. I swam back and tried to calm her down and get back to basics. I recalled how in Florida she had shattered the fear barrier and jumped into the ocean albeit never left the rope. There were still some initial activation issues and once she figured out the vest did its job well and the additional red float in hand we traveled far, well as far as the float tied to the boat let us.

There were no mythical being in the ocean. But that was hardly any disappointment because the water temp was just right above being cool and the suns rays were playing tricks with reflection due to waves the ocean floor looked sparkly and divine. After frolicking in the waters for about 40 minutes we decided to call it a day and hopped back to the boat.

With the wind in the sails and on board sandwich lunch in out tummies we basked in the afternoon sun. We also saw quite a few whales much closer than the whale watch trip. The big mammals were awe inspiring and very graceful in their movements. Once back on land we found a place to taste and buy some pure hawaiian coffee and tea.

The drive back to Peoria from Chicago was on automation. After the long flight a good sleep on a proper mattress was much needed. As I woke up and saw the window I could almost see the clouds and mountains past the window. As I shook my head the reality of the cold weather sunk in and the hot piping upma and sambar sure helped cure the blues away.