Sea lizard

Dad and I sat on the beach at La Loberia whilst Nick surfed. Some locals were harassing the sea lions on the rocks. Dad and I both jumped to our feet and shouted for them to stop. Dad then approached them and gave them some pointers on respectful behaviour: who else was going to teach them when their parents were illegally fishing from the rocks at this ‘visitor site’. The signage was pretty explicit on both these points.

It seems that there are rules for the tourists then those for the locals. Development here is happening full bore, there are inadequate facilities for waste management, recycling, sewerage, policing of harm to wildlife, dog and cat registration and pest inspection. For example I saw some tourists photos of a licensed fishing charter, run by a big fat local guy, where they were catching and killing sharks in a protected ‘visitor site’ for fun. Dad and I had paid $US30 a piece to dive with the sharks in this very place just a week before. Whilst we had been there we saw people trawling at the site. I didn’t see any hammerheads though! On another occasion I was speaking with the same big fat guy saying that I understood that he, being local was allowed to catch slipper lobster whenever he wanted and the spiny lobsters were out of season. He misunderstood me and replied ‘ yes but just don’t let the Parks Rangers catch you’! Lately we have learned of two tourists paying a local for the fuel to go out daily, catch 100’s of kilos of fish then selling them. Bloody typical exploitative, short sighted, greed driven bastards. We are the same everywhere.

The following day we prepared for a few days in the islands by buying up at the municipal market. This typical market is roofed and screened in by iron bars. The concrete benches and coves were set about with fresh produce behind which the proud growers stationed themselves. We bought a watermelon and other fruits and vegetables. When options are lacking I console my self with the idea that if the bugs won’t bite it then neither should I. Dad and I explored the town and visited the interpretation centre as Nick tackled the jobs list on board before scribing his mark on a few waves at Cannons. For dinner Dad shouted us at the Flamingo bar. This restaurant is situated on the site of the original soda bar in the township. By process of elimination we eventually discovered that the restaurant only had enough food for a single serving of three different dishes which took forever to arrive. A noisy protest march went by, apparently the new President, Corrello, has disbanded the congress to save money.