We headed about an hours drive to this rickety wooden jetty and boarded a boat that had seen better days, but then you can say that for most things in Cuba! Twenty minutes later we landed on Cayo Levisa, part of the Los Coloradas archipelago, which was all mangrove swamp and pristine white sand. Technically we were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, so another body of water ticked off my list!
After a quick dip most of the others found their sun lounger and soaked up some rays. Myself and one of the other girls jumped on another boat and headed out to the reef. We spent an hour snorkelling and the coral was a lot better, more varied and vibrant than when we swam in the Caribbean last week, but then the water was cooler. The sea was quite choppy but it was better being in the sea than on the boat! And there were loads of beautiful fish, bold, bright and iridescent. I should have remembered their names from my diving course, but to my shame I haven't. Another epic fail!
Back on dry land and it was lunchtime. Fresh grilled fish, yum, and it was just the place for a piña colada....! I am on my holiday!!! It was the most amazing piña colada of the trip, and we have been sampling a fair few! They almost feel good for you, pineapple juice, coconut milk and obviously Vitamin R!!! It was decided that perhaps we should have more than one in order to ensure quality and consistency.... And to entertain ourselves 5 of us had a card re-match.... I had taught them Estimation Whist whilst we were at the hacienda, a game I had been taught in New Zealand by a Yorkshire lady named Janet, and we were finding it somewhat addictive!
Three piña coladas later, and I was on a winning streak, so we decided to jump back into the sea before we were completely sozzled! It was quite windy in the afternoon, which I know from being in Guernsey, is the most dangerous kind of sun, so playing cards in the shade had been an excellent strategy, especially given the lobster like people getting back on the boat. I even ended having to help one of the group who almost collapsed due to sun stroke.
We head to Havana tomorrow so I wanted to see what I had in my suitcase that I could leave behind. Most of the people have very little, and toiletries are very scarce or expensive. You do get ladies approaching you in the street asking for soap, shampoo, toothpaste etc so it was fairly easy to empty as much of my toiletries as I could as well as pens, notebooks, books, even some clothes in the hope that they will be useful.
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