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Monday, July 13, 2009

Week 1 in Pez maya – Let the fun begin!!

Air-Con, Air-Con, this is Pez Maya, Pez Maya do you copy…

The bumpy ride down to Pez Maya signalled the start of phase 093! (which is obviously going to be the best phase EVER!) We soon made ourselves at home! The 3 bucket showers limit seemed like the biggest challenge, but we soon realised that not washing for days is quite acceptable! With the gorgeous weather came the first dives of the phase and all the open water groups have all completed their confined dives – soon to be let loose in the open water – watch out fishies!

Along with the dives came the daunting task of learning the fish/coral names. We’re pleased to say that almost everyone has now passed the tests! As our reward the hammocks were brought out YAY! Quickly becoming one of the best spots on base! Everyone’s competitive streak has come out whilst competing in extreme volleyball. Claude made the dive of the tournament so far, almost destroying the entire net with one trip over the rope, landing face first in the sand. Much more of that still to come with everyone’s eyes set on the trophy. Let the games begin!!!

Who knew that starting the day with 5.45am duties would actually become our new routine! With next to no complaints! Creative flare in the kitchen ….or as creative as you can get with pasta, rice, beans and veg started the race for the first hut to gain a Michelin Star. Rumours of bread and cake making quickly circulates round base, and seconds are always appreciated!

During our first week of dives and snorkels we have managed to see and most importantly recognise lots of fish and coral! We’ve even been lucky enough to see a couple of turtles, barracudas and a crocodile in the lagoon. Kevin also had an interesting encounter with a baby octopus, who was trying to set up home in his snorkel!

In the true spirit of GVI we joined together with our partners for a massive beach clean. We were even joined by some local celebrities (apparently) who were filming our efforts! Our new stars in the making Georgitte and Guillermo made their television debuts. Best to get their autographs now! Interesting things found, included lots of flip-flops, toothbrushes and make your own assumptions at the 2 empty bottles of brandy and a pair of pants!!!! We were all shocked at just how much rubbish is left and gets washed up on the beach! Hopefully our efforts will raise awareness and make a difference, even if it involved picking up dirty nappies! Yuck!

To round off an amazing first week the staff treated us to some great food which led on to our first PARTY night! Everyone made an effort to come as their home country – this weeks theme! Jens outstanding imitation of the statue of liberty using only an old mosquito net and palm tree leaves definitely deserves a mention. A few tequila shots later and some quality dance moves from Will signalled the end of our first week at Pez Maya. It’s gone so quickly but we’re all excited about the adventures still to come.

Standby 67

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1 comments:

breilly said...

Sounds like a great time with a lot of hard work. Didn't know Will could dance! Hope everyone has a safe, educational experience!