Ensenada/Mexico

February 10, 2024 Ensenada

What a great day! That was incredible!

Someone had organized a group outing, which I joined in good time. We met at 11 a.m. and left the ship shortly afterwards.

After a 15-minute walk we reached our first destination: an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) rental company. There, some formalities first had to be completed such as proof of identity and disclaimer, then everyone was given a helmet and finally an ATV with instructions. At 12 p.m. sharp we chugged off, first through the city, then into hilly terrain. Driving without a rearview mirror and speedometer was unusual at first, but it was quite easy and fun. We took a photo break at the highest vantage point above the city, then went back to the starting point. We had been on the road for 1 1/2 hours.

After returning the ATVs and helmets, we got into the buses that were now waiting. They first drove us to a rustic-looking restaurant, where we were provided with drinks and three tacos each. Simple but good.

Then we went to the highlight of the day: The PaiPai EcoTourism Park. This sees itself as an animal and plant protection station. There we first sneaked past a large crocodile; Then we had to identify ourselves and sign a liability waiver. While I was waiting, I spotted two large pythons.

Then our tour started. We went into a large enclosure where two raccoons greeted us happily. They let me pet them, tried to empty our bags and nibbled on my wool poncho. Cute little animals.

Next we went to a well-heated building that houses monkeys and big cats. We were given bowls of grapes, which we were then allowed to feed to the little monkeys in the cage. The monkeys had no problem jumping on our shoulders.

Then the brave ones were allowed to put on overalls for an encounter with a jaguar! The eight-month-old jaguar was very playful and willingly let us pet her. Of course she also liked the fact that they had brought her some chicken meat. We then looked at the other big cats from a safe distance: tigers and lions, a panther... I only came into almost nose-to-nose contact with another jaguar through a small barred window. Only a few centimeters separated us.

I also came into direct contact with other animals in the park: llamas, deer, ferrets and hedgehogs.

After a little tequila tasting, we came to the last attraction: the zip line. The wires of the zip lines sometimes led directly over the predator enclosures. In total you can swing from tower to tower four times. However, at the third tower we received a call from our bus driver that we had to leave now. So we quickly left the tower using the emergency ladder and left this beautiful park.

We barely reached our ship in time. There were just ten minutes left before the gangway was hauled in.

In the evening I watched the performance of comedian Stephen Thomas, whose jokes were of a low level and didn't make me laugh. But no matter, after these experiences I was on cloud nine anyway.