Swimming with Dolphins

This past weekend, I went swimming with dolphins. That might be an exaggeration. I suppose that I should say that I went swimming near dolphins-only about 20 – 30 feet. They did stick around us, so I am going to assume that they weren’t too bothered by a bunch of gringos attempting to achieve transcendental harmony on their fishing time.

I don’t know the recommended distance to keep from a dolphin. Indeed, I could almost hear my own voice, exasperated: “Excuse me, sir, you need to say 25 yards away from those dolphins.” Granted, I was usually pestering people about bison, not dolphins – but you get the point.

This weekend was probably the first time in my life that I ever spent a few days bumming around at the beach. Mompiche, a sleeply little town on the Ecuadorian coast, was a wonderful place to start. It was great – Bob Marley, sand in the shoes, the smell of rum and coconuts. Granted, it wasn’t five star – but somehow the fact that there were five of us crammed into a little, stinky room added to the charm.

This is not a bad way to live. Despite drinking a bit more than was appropriate, I am probably healthier for the trip. The entire time I ate nothing but fruits and seafood (baring one freakishly good pizza) – almost all of which was fresh.

I’m thankful for all of it, it was a good time – with new friends, new places and new adventures. A bit more drama, and it could have been a lifetime move.

But when the trip comes into focus, it isn’t about Ron (it turned out that his real name was something like Inito), bartender extraordinaire. Although the “Coco Ron” was excellent.

Instead, the focus is hundreds of little red crabs scattering on the beach, blue footed boobies launching from seaside cliffs, or simply falling asleep to the sound of roaring waves. I believe that affinity for natureis innate in all of us. We need to see crabs on beaches and bison, listen to waves and birds – and sometimes we need to be close to them. Sometimes 25 yards is too much - too far.

In the sea, salt and waves – I was never under any illusions about the dolphins. I assume that they were feeding – but maybe they were resting or just being social. I doubt they paid me much attention. Whatever it was those – meeting nature on its own terms, in its own element, is always a transformative moment. It is in those moments that we get to be just that little bit more human.