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| ~ VIEW OF MEDIA LUNA , FROM PLAYA PILAR ~ |
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There were 2 ways available to get to Media Luna from
Playa Pilar: Either by zodiak motorized boat or by catamaran, both operated by an experienced captain and for the cost of
$8 per person.
The catamaran wasn't available when we arrived,
so we took the zodiak boat. The ride was most enjoyable, and the view absolutely gorgeous along the way!!!
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~ On Media Luna ~
| ~ WALKING ALONG THE PATH, ON MEDIA LUNA ~ |
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Once on Melia Luna, these next shots were taken as we
followed our diving guide who took us to the snorkeling area.
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| ~ GREAT VIEW DURING OUR WALK ALONG THE SHORE! ~ |
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THERE was a grill and bar available on the island, and
fresh food was available and cooked upon order. The menu offered us 3 items: Chicken (at the low cost of
$3) , pork, and big lobster tails at the cost of $15).
We quickly became acquainted with the Chef / bartender,
and the 2 boat captains.
Because we were the only tourists that day, our
visit with them was that much more special! They spoke very little English so this gave us a chance
to practice the little Spanish we knew.
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We were told by the Cuban staff that during busy season, there
can be up to 200 visitors here in one day! We felt very fortunate to have the island all to ourselves !
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| ~ OUR VERY OWN PRIVATE BEACH FOR A DAY ! ~ |
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| ~ NO WORDS NECESSARY... ~ |
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AT FIRST, we went snorkeling with our guide who
took us to a sunken ship where we enjoyed an amazing view of the underworld from 30 feet up, in crystal clear water! It felt
like being in a fish tank ! Afterwards, he then took us here on this very private deserted beach, where we settled for
the afternoon. The snorkeling was amazing here as well, right off the beach in less then knee deep water! We truly felt
like we had landed on our very own private deserted island, it was magical!
This beach was not far at all from the Grill so we left our personal things behind and went for lunch.
We truly enjoyed the large juicy grilled lobster
tails (the best we have ever tasted in Cuba at the time!) served with rice, vegetables, and dessert! Delicious!
We ate while chatting with our new Cuban friends and 2 little Cuban
boys, sons of the boat captain.
The boys found and showed us 2 large hermit crabs. In the next
photo, the crab is holding on to the straw in Brandon's hand!
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| ~ BACK TO THE BEACH FOR MORE SNORKELLING! ~ |
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| ~ WATCHING THE PELICANS DIVING FOR FISH ~ |
Way past this large rock is where our diving guide
took us snorkelling, in cristal clear waters 20-30 feet deep. The coral reef is truly amazing here!
We especially enjoyed looking at the ruins of an sunken ship, dating back to 1920s!
As clearly shown on this photo, the coral reef is very
near the shore here, starting in less than a foot deep of water!
At this very spot, we had a fantastic snorkeling
experience, in 2 feet of water! Suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by a very large school of fish: Thousands
of white/silvery fish, all identical in color and size (6" long approx.) came swimming by and stopped where we were!
We remained as still as we could as we watched in
fascination all the fish so closely crowded together, sparkling in the shallow waters and moving in unison, executing sharp
turns all at the same time!
What an amazing sight! Unfortunately our underwater
camera was already used up!..... Lesson learned for next time!
We absolutely loved our
snorkelling experience here and cannot wait to return!
This was my first time snorkeling, but definitely not my last!
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When time came to leave, we sailed with the catamaran
to return to Playa Pillar.
As the catamaran started moving away from the beach,
the captain very slowly sailed along the shore for a few minutes ..... and finally spotted what he wanted
to show us: a large orange colored starfish sitting at the bottom of the ocean. He picked it up so that we could
take a closer look! There is a colony of starfish in that area.
The sail back to shore was SO peaceful and relaxing! A true dream
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| ~ OUR LAST SIGHT OF PLAYA PILAR ~ |
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