Raggamuffin Children

Original airdate: May 31, 2009

Two Crazy Chicks Productions, in association with WorldWildPhotoGraphics and What Am I Going to Tell Your Mother? Productions, is proud to present Episode 5 of The Adventures of Yumiko and Eden: Return to Belize...

“Ya, mon!” the dreadlocked captain calls out cheerily as the sail catches the Caribbean breeze, propelling the Ragga King easily through the shallow emerald sea off Caye Caulker. In an otherwise blue sky, a smattering of clouds hints at the coming rainy season and frigatebirds soar overhead.

Passengers in various states of undress lie on the deck, basking like iguanas in the hot tropical sun. The smell of suntan lotion and salt is strong in the air. Heads bob to the beat of the reggae music blasting from below deck.

    

“Here we are, my friends,” the captain announces as the sailboat anchors at Belize’s barrier reef. “Our first stop: Coral Gardens.”

   

Our intrepid heroines and their companions swiftly don mask and flippers, then slide into the warm water.

   

“Manatees!”

   

Two of the gentle giants are clearly visible in the blue depths.

It is exhilarating and humbling to swim alongside something so large – the average adult West Indian manatee is about 9.8 feet long and weighs between 800-1,200 pounds – and thus it is a very happy group of snorkelers that reboards the sailboat.

“Look! Sharks!”

The second stop, Shark-Ray Alley, lives up to its moniker. Eden is the first to dive into waters teeming with nurse sharks, southern stingrays, blue tangs, yellow-tailed snappers, and sergeant majors. More than a dozen other equally entranced gawkers soon join her, watching in fascination as the area’s remarkably docile denizens glide gracefully within touching distance.

“Everybody back on board!”

It is with great reluctance that Miko and Eden return to the Ragga King, but the third stop, The Cut at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, with its bright corals and abundant sea life, is just as spectacular as Shark-Ray Alley – and offers our fearless females an opportunity to get up close and personal with a sea turtle. It is the perfect way to end the day’s snorkeling.

Still dripping, they let the lengthening rays of the sun dry them as the sails unfurl and the 40-foot wooden ship begins the hour and a half return trip. Conversation with their fellow adventurers – an interesting mix of people from around the world – is easy and light, facilitated as much by shared experience as by the rum punch that is flowing freely. The captain, first mate, and several bikini-clad women dance on the deck.

The Ragga King docks more than a bit late, disgorging its sunburned, less than sober passengers onto the laid back little island. With a deep sense of satisfaction, Eden and Miko gather their gear and make their way slowly home along the sandy street. 

Be sure to tune in for episode 6, when Eden faces her greatest challenge yet.

© Eden Feuer

Related link: Raggamuffin Tours

HIgh Speed and High Excitement on the High Seas

June 19, 2002

Welcome to Episode 3 of The Adventures of Yumiko and Eden in Galápagos…

Isla Santiago’s fur seal grottos are bustling. Dozens of the marine mammals, smaller and darker than sea lions and with big eyes adapted to nocturnal feeding, play and rest. A lava heron preens. Oystercatchers, bright bills tucked under their wings, sleep standing. Two yellow-crowned night-herons hunt.

“We’ve got to move on.”

“Already?” Eden pulls her eye away from the camera’s viewfinder to look at her watch. She notes with surprise that more than an hour has passed.

“C’mon. Let me show you Darwin’s Toilet.”

Curiosity piqued, Eden scrambles to her feet and joins the others.

“That,” Bolivar points to an old lava tube, “is Darwin’s Toilet.”

Our intrepid heroines watch in fascination as the action of the sea moves water in and out of the vertical cave. It looks – and sounds – just like a flushing toilet. (To see and hear Darwin’s Toilet flush, click here.)

Making crappy jokes the whole time, the audacious adventurers hike back to the beach and don their snorkel gear.

Puerto Egas’ waters are bustling. A sea lion glides by nonchalantly. Colorful fish dart to and fro. A shark prowls the shallows. A sea turtle swims alongside Eden, who is thrilled and awed.

“Everybody in!”

“Already?”

As our fearless females rest and refuel, the Mistral cruises past lava islets sprouting giant opuntia cactus to anchor at Isla Bartolomé, where a hot, sweaty schlep up 370 specially built wooden steps rewards the dynamic duo with a fabulous view of iconic Pinnacle Rock.

They return eagerly to the landing site to board the “photographer’s panga,” which lingers long amongst the penguins and white-tipped reef sharks that dwell along the coast.

“We’d better get back,” Bolivar says, revving the engine.

“Already?”

The race is on to return to the Mistral before the last of the light fades from the sky.

“Whoowheeeee!” the panga’s five passengers holler gleefully each time the little craft hits a wave and goes airborne.

The Mistral’s decks are bustling. Fernando, the cook, serves another mouth-watering meal he miraculously manages to make in the ship’s tiny, rocking kitchen. Eden and Miko chat comfortably with their fellow travelers. Bolivar briefs the group on what to expect tomorrow.   

Another glorious day in Galápagos comes to a close.

Yes, already.

© Eden Feuer