Tortugitas!

            Meg told us about a nearby school that was going to let their best students release baby turtles into the ocean as a reward for their hard work and that we could join them. We left at 4:30 to get there before the early sunset and so that the kids wouldn’t start without us. When we arrived however, we found out that there was no school group and that it would just be us. Kay, an OB/GYN from the states has a beautiful house on the ocean and pays the turtle egg poachers for the eggs they take from the beaches. She then reburies them in her protected backyard to later release back into the ocean. Unfortunately she’s back in the U.S. so we haven’t had the opportunity to meet her yet.

            In the small enclosure there were about forty baby turtles in a big bucket. Cat, Gaby, and I started freaking out over how cute and small they were, which made the locals, who are used to seeing turtles, laugh. The woman who takes care of Kay’s house, took the bucket over onto the sand and spilled them out on the beach.

            I couldn’t believe how tiny they were, yet so determined to make this journey that they had never done before. That inherent sense of purpose amazes me. Slowly, they raced closer and closer to the water, taking short breaks to catch their breath and then start up again. The waves would crash into the sand, until the turtles got close enough, and were swept away. In the background, there was a breathtaking sunset. What an incredible opportunity to watch this amazing process that so few people get to experience.