Fri Oct 7, 2016
In Green Island we have been staying with a very nice guy called Monster and his family. They play badminton every night, and last night we joined them. The entrance to the sports hall was free. There was no one at the door. Probably there is never anyone at the door, or running the place. Some people played frisbee, five women practiced a choreography and others played basketball.
After playing badminton we drove our scooter to the Hotsprings. It was an adventure because it was completely dark and the rain grew stronger and stronger. During the ride we received a continuous shower from the sky, one from a car driving in the opposite direction and another from above when exiting a small tunnel. Pretty much like driving the scooter under water.
When we arrived I entered the shower room with the helmet in my head, rain pouring down. The ceiling looked quite dark because there was no ceiling: it had been blown away during the last strong typhoon (see the missing ceiling on a photo I took a few days ago)
So there I was in the shower getting cold water from a dark night sky. It felt quite surreal. Things felt much nicer and relaxing when we jumped into the hot salty water bath.
Fortunately Monster came to pick us up with the car so we did not need to drive the scooter again with such a terrible weather.
Today was our last day on the island and the first day that the sea was more calm. Finally we were able to do snorkeling.
I didn’t take my camera, so I can only show you what’s above the surface, and leave you with a description: it was spectacular. I do free diving in Mallorca every summer, but I have never seen such a rich and colorful sea life. There were tens of different fish of different sizes and colors. It felt like the work of a happy graphic designer. A very curious one had big turquoise lips. Others were yellow, or had yellow strokes here and there. An elegant fish had only shades of brown. To give you an idea, I found this link.
But maybe even more amazing than the fish were the corals, sponges and other non-fishy creatures. It was like generative-design paradise. So many variations of shapes, algorithms and colors in an endless landscape. It looked very alien to me, as we never encounter shapes and colors combined like that on the dry side of the surface.
There are endless documentaries about the sea world, but I found it much more interesting to experience it myself, instead of watching what someone else decided to frame with her or his camera.
By the way, the rain did not stop just because we wanted to do snorkeling. At one point it was so heavy that if we took our head out of the water, we could barely see a few meters away. So we focused on what was below us instead.
Did you know that corals are a mix between animal and plant?
I hope I get more chances to enjoy rich underwater worlds. I should take a scuba diving course and get a camera so I can share some of those beautiful shapes here.