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lapsedmodernistThere are very few activities where I abandon myself completely--drawing sometimes, certain types of sex, and snorkeling. I breathe at a different speed and lose all concept of time and space underwater. Today I floated around in a refracted sunbeam for an indefinite amount of time, over a blue, gradually darkening oceanfloor drop, with a column of sunlight splitting itself into thin beams around me. Then a playful sealion poked me and I swam after it to get a good photograph. The lion dove, I dove after it, then I saw more sealions playing further towards the shoreline and swam towards them. I saw the large boulders but I thought they were further away than they actually were. Water completely screws up your sense how far things are. By the time I realized that the boulders were, in fact, much closer than I had judged them to be, it was because I scraped one with my knees and stomach. I quickly tried to turn around and swim back but the current there was strong and coming in at an angle, like a vector aimed both at the shore and over to the right where there were more boulders with plenty of sealions that apparently don't come to your aid like dolphins do but instead lazy about and sun their fat glistening bodies on the slippery volcanic boulders. The tide kept throwing me on the rocks and then dragging me across them. Suddenly out of nowhere a young man with a snorkeling mask appeared, swam up to me and pushed and dragged me until I was out of the current and was able to swim back to the boat. It was totally out of a book! Sadly, I didn't even get a good look at his face; he waved to me once I was back near the boat, and swam away with the sea lions. I think he was a photographer since he seemed to have a nice underwater camera. By the time I grabbed onto the side of the boat I felt physically drained like I had just swam twenty miles instead of one and once I climbed back onboard I realized that my right leg and hip were bleeding from, like, ten different cuts. I hope that at least I got some good photos of the damned Susanin* sealion.
*Ivan Susanin was a 17th century Russian peasant who tricked the invading Polish forces but pretending to sell out and offering to guide them through the woods to Moscow. He led them to unpassable swamps so that they could never find their way out. When they realized he had tricked them they killed him, but later when Susanin's village neighbours came looking for him they found bodies of the Polish invaders frozen in the swamps. His name is used proverbially in Russian speech now, invoked if you need to accuse someone of leading you the wrong way.
*Ivan Susanin was a 17th century Russian peasant who tricked the invading Polish forces but pretending to sell out and offering to guide them through the woods to Moscow. He led them to unpassable swamps so that they could never find their way out. When they realized he had tricked them they killed him, but later when Susanin's village neighbours came looking for him they found bodies of the Polish invaders frozen in the swamps. His name is used proverbially in Russian speech now, invoked if you need to accuse someone of leading you the wrong way.
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no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 02:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 11:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 11:58 pm (UTC)you are ruining my Galapagos experience!!
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Date: 2005-01-27 12:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-27 07:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-27 07:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-27 10:25 pm (UTC)i guess they do lots of Kegels?
Date: 2005-01-28 04:28 pm (UTC)oh my...
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Date: 2005-01-26 03:53 am (UTC)chica gets lured into the rocks by some bored sealions looking for a little entertainment. [we'll tenderize that one on the rocks and eat healthy tonight.]
maybe it's just the start of the storybook tale, though. maybe this was your prince charming that fate (and a sinister sealion) has brought to you, and you'll keep running into him in all kinds of crazy situations until you eventually fall in love and get married and he co-photographs all of your anthro books.
and you'll have a pet sealion named schrodinger.
you know you've been thinking about it...
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Date: 2005-01-26 11:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 11:22 pm (UTC):)
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Date: 2005-01-26 05:09 am (UTC)And don't get me started on puffins....
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Date: 2005-01-26 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 09:00 am (UTC)That whole 'trapped in a current thing' sounds a bit scary, although generally they are a good source of healthy food, I've found that dried fruit should always be approached with caution.
Sounds like a lot of fun swimming with sealions though, I'd love to do that, are they usually friendly?
-Nath
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Date: 2005-01-26 11:17 pm (UTC)and, like, a ripped bodice on the goldenlocked woman being manhandled by a swarthy pirate?
That whole 'trapped in a current thing' sounds a bit scary, although generally they are a good source of healthy food, I've found that dried fruit should always be approached with caution.
I stared at this for, like, thirty seconds and then started laughing. Thank you for liking horrible puns as much as I do.
These sea lions were pretty friendly, very playful. Before my unfortunate detour onto the sharp rocks it was like we were playing tag. But then again this is the Galapagos and they are not hunted here, and are curious about people, rather than afraid. I don't know how they would act if they felt threatened.
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Date: 2005-01-26 05:15 pm (UTC)I'm you are kind of crazy and often come close to dying. It makes me day more interesting and renews my faith in the regenerative powers of LJ.
I'm gonna go add scallions to my sandwich now.
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Date: 2005-01-26 11:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-26 07:05 pm (UTC)So did you get any photos?
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Date: 2005-01-26 11:19 pm (UTC)Did you get photos of the sharks?
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Date: 2005-01-27 12:10 am (UTC)hello
Date: 2005-01-27 07:16 pm (UTC)Re: hello
Date: 2005-02-08 09:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-28 12:06 am (UTC)