March 18, 2004
First thoughts from my trip with the whales.
by Justine Willis Toms
I'm still out of my body, trying to integrate this extraordinary experience. I keep asking myself, did I really go, did I really touch whales, did I really commune so deeply with nature that I will be forever changed? The trip was what I hoped for and more, much more.
First I flew down to San Diego with my dear friend Diana Hart. After arriving at the airport, picking up our bags, we discovered we didn't know which Best Western hotel we were booked into. Naturally there turned out to be at least a dozen in the area. A kind man with a northern European accent wearing a nicely pressed jacket with a logo "Airport Ambassadors/Travelers Aid" printed on it, came up to us and asked if he could be of help. He looked up all the Best Western numbers for us. Naturally the last one we called had our reservations. But we were relaxed, after all we had at least 21-hours to find the correct hotel before the trip officially began.
Within the hour we were off to the hotel. The small group of fellow adventurers ranged in age from Pat, an 83-year-old woman whose son had given her the trip as a present (he and his wife had been before) to a 13-year-old girl and every decade in-between. There was also a 5-month old baby in the camp. There were Dave and Connie from Georgia, he being the newly retired head of Fish & Game in that state. He was a raconteur of the first order with a deep southern accent. Jan (77 years old) and Max Peterson (81 years old) were Brenda's, my friend and pod-mate's, parents. He's the retired head of the U.S. Forest Service who has lived and continues to live an extraordinary life and is a great yarn spinner. He is now going to be serving on a government committee for Marine life habitats. There were at least eight "single" women, (myself included) who were the "wild darlings" of the trip. There was a phrase applied to us (with great humor I must add), "they came from the 60s, they're post menopausal; be afraid, be very afraid."
There was another couple from Las Vegas (newly retired physicians) who are looking for their next cycle in life. Doug Thompson, his wife and colleague Robin Kobaly and their nineteen-year-old daughter Misty, Dave Miller, and Randy Davis were our U.S. hosts from SummerTree Expeditions. They teamed up with the Mexican crew of Baja Expeditions. The Mexicans were charming. They were quick to laugh and sing with us and took good care of us on the water. We felt highly blessed to be invited into their dwelling place. Each but one or two of them live and work here year round. Many of them were highly trained scientists. Renalfo is fifth generation in this lagoon. They were a wealth of experience and first hand information about this protected area.
We stayed at what I'd call the Hilton of camping, but as Max said, "With better service." It was powered by solar and wind. The bathing facilities got their hot water from water tanks painted black. The food was an epicurean delight. We sampled many local dishes including tasty seafood, with absolutely no ill effects. . They had a cat and dog that kept us entertained by chasing one another as we watched the sunset while sipping our margaritas on the beach after a deeply satisfying day on the water.
The whales were extraordinary. It is hard to wrap the mind around the gentle approach of a 200-year-old 40-ton momma, with a 20-ton baby, sticking their noses in our 15-foot skiff. They would raise their heads and you find yourself looking into the eyes of an ancient consciousness. Whales have been on the planet for 60 million years. Humans are mere upstarts compared to them. We are mere squeaky toys to them reduced to yelps and squeals and one syllable words like "wow," "oh my," and maybe an "awesome" thrown in. We sang to them, kissed them, laughed and were silent in their presence.
San Ignacio Lagoon is the only place on the planet in which whales come in numbers to interact with humans. It is a wildlife preserve and only a few of the local Mexicans hold licenses to take people out to a very small part of the lagoon where petting is permitted. So, there are never more than 96 people in the lagoon at a time. The season is only three months long. It's a totally unique activity on the planet.
I'll write more after I've integrated this all a bit more. There were lots of pictures taken and I'll get access to them later and share them with you. For now they live in my mind's eye, luminously vivid, and sparkling.
For me I was in my boundless, exuberant, enthusiastic, ebullient, and delighted energy for days without end. I was a kid again but with wisdom. When someone asked me what the single most highlight of the trip was I had to say that not since I was a toddler have I been in uninterrupted, orgasmic, ecstasy for five days in a row.
If you want to see some pictures of a previous trip go to the website
<http://www.summertree.org/>www.summertree.org
click on programs
click on summertree expeditions
click on San Ignacio Photo Gallery
Justine Willis Toms is the Co-founder, Managing Producer of New Dimensions Broadcasting Network and co author of True Work: Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do