Charlene's Sea of Cortez Journal

Charlene's Sea of Cortez Journal

MONDAY: Los Islotes My name is Charlene, and I am eight years old. This is my journal. I am going to write in it every day while I am on a cruise in Mexico's Sea of Cortez. Last night, we boarded the ship Sea Bird at La Paz. We met other passengers at dinner. After we went to bed, the ship left the harbor and sailed through the night. When we awoke this morning, we were near a small island called Los Islotes. We could hear a lot of noise coming from the island. There were many chattering birds and barking sea lions.

We had to have a safety drill before going to the island. The captain explained what we should do if there were an emergency. All of us had to practice putting on our life jackets. I met a nice boy named Petar, and he is ten years old. In order to get close to the island, we had to ride in inflatable rubber boats. We were able to get very close to the sea lions. There were hundreds of them. Some were sleeping on the rocks, while others played in the water. Then came the best part. We were allowed to snorkel and swim with the sea lions. They were very friendly and playful. I loved it when a young one swam up to me to say hello. It was a great day!

TUESDAY: Half Moon Bay When I woke up this morning, I looked out of my cabin window. I saw a beautiful white sandy beach. The sea was calm, clear, and blue. The sun was shining brightly. We had sailed to Half Moon Bay at Isla San Francisco. The ship's crew had been up early. They had taken a lot of kayaks to the beach for us to use after lunch. At lunch, I met two more kids near my age-James and Catherine, who are brother and sister. We were all excited about kayaking. After a quick boat trip, we were on the beach. We were given a brief kayak lesson, and then we picked out our kayaks. Some were for two people; others were single-seaters.

I went with my dad in a two-seater. I sat in the front. Dad is very strong, so we were soon whizzing along on the top of the water. It was great, but my arms soon got tired. I left it to Dad to get us back. After kayaking, I played with Petar, James, and Catherine on the beach. We made a huge sand castle and had swimming races. In the evening, we had dinner on the beach. The crew built a bonfire, and we all gathered around. We ate hamburgers and fish tacos. Afterward, we toasted marshmallows on the bonfire to make s'mores. After everyone was full, we had a sing-along. A few people had brought guitars. They played popular songs and everyone joined in singing. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

WEDNESDAY: Isla San Jose When I awoke this morning, we hadn't stopped anywhere. We were still sailing. This was because we were on the lookout for whales. I learned there are many different types of whales in the Sea of Cortez. I hoped that we might see some of them. Later in the morning, we saw an island in the distance. It was Isla San Jose. We were going ashore there. The rocks on the island were a pretty orange color. There were fossils of shells in the rocks. We even saw a fossil of a turtle that had died thousands of years ago. We went on a long hike. I saw a big bug on a flower. I took this photo. The bug is called a tarantula wasp.