Turtle

Today we took a collectivo ..that's a mode of transport here .. same price as a bus but much more fun. They are basically canvas or plastic covered vans with rudimentary seating, a few bars to hold on to (they are what holds the canvas on!) and open backed....right to the far end of the bay, about three miles. We then walked back from the quiet tiny bay where Ed and Ali hoped we would get some easy swimming in ..but there have been some big storms and a hurricane out in the Pacific and the coastal waters are very choppy even in secluded bays such as this was. Never mind though we had a long walk back to Casamar along the beach .. a good two miles .. but not too strenuous today because it's cloudy and around 80F ..coolest day so far we think. On the way back we saw some interesting wader birds in a fresh water lagoon which links to the sea across the beach.. but MOST rewarding was us happening upon a large turtle laying her eggs in the sand. Here in Puerto Escondido it is the responsibility (willing) of the lifeguards to ensure the safety and well-being of the turtle population so when they spot a turtle laying they come along with a large white bucket and scoop out handfuls of her eggs as she lays them and put them in the bucket. This event gathers a huge crowd by local standards, there must have been nearly fifteen people looking on! They can get up to about a hundred of these eggs at one "sitting". They take the eggs to a prearranged cordoned off area on the beach and rebury them. 45 days later they will hatch out and the little turtles waddle their way to the sea ... and here in Puerto they have a much better chance of surviving that first leg of their journey because the life guards know when to look out for their emergence and ensure they reach the sea unmolested ..as far as possible! If you're wondering about the ant ..well it asked for the time so I gave it my watch!!!! AAAAAAARRRRRGH !!!