Some people say that they are “living the dream”, but today we have concluded that you are not living the dream until you visit Grotto Beach. We are living the dream down here in San Salvador. Today is May 31, 2014, and we started off the day with a great breakfast of eggs, grits, and muffins. Although many students were disappointed with the lack of bacon this morning, we are all still standing.
We loaded up the truck with all the supplies for our full day excursion. This consisted of two coolers of water and a cooler full of bread, lunch meats, peanut butter & jelly, and a selection of ripe fruits. Our first stop on our long journey was Watling’s Castle. John Watling was a British Loyalist that given the island of San Salvador after the Revolutionary War. The island was named after Watling, and called Watling Island until 1973. His so called “castle” was the remains of a few large buildings at the top of the southwestern tip of the island. This location left students awestruck by the view. Some students climbed the ruins of the castle to gain a better vantage point. Pictures do not even come close to doing this site justice. The masses of trees seem to collide with the vibrantly blue ocean creating a scene that appears as if it was constructed in a Hollywood film.
We then loaded back on to the truck for a rough ride through the back roads of San Sal (hip language use alert) to our next destination: Pigeon creek. This site is an estuary where the beautiful Atlantic Ocean seamlessly flows into Pigeon creek. Our objective going into this snorkel was to observe the mangrove community. In the mangrove, there are a lot of juvenile fish because of the numerous protective areas for them to hide and grow. Some of the cool finds of the day included a large southern stingray (about 4 feet in width), great barracuda, a banded coral shrimp, Nassau grouper, and giant anemones. We then trekked back to our starting location, which was an old abandoned house. After gathering our gear, we hopped back onto the truck and ventured to our next location. Since this was around the halfway point of the trip, the professors felt the students deserved some much needed rest and relaxation at Grotto Beach. This beach is located in the southwestern quadrant of the island.
Upon arrival at Grotto Beach, our jaws dropped to the bed of the truck. The beach seemed too good to be true, it was truly immaculate. The water was a shade of blue that no photographer can capture. We could not wait to get down to the water, but first we needed to eat. As the group approached the pavilion covered picnic table, with a very inviting hammock, we were met by an adorable dog that we soon named Peaches. Students were more than exhilarated to fill their stomachs. Immediately after we ate, students began to get into the water and lay out on the beach. Some students adventured out onto the cliffs that bordered the ocean, to do some exploring. Throughout the day Peaches joined us in all of our activities. While some students were playing soccer on the beach, she engaged in friendly play, and she sometimes even stole the ball. After expending some energy, most everyone decided relax on the beach. Unfortunately after a fantastic day on the beach, we had to come back to reality as one student noted. One professor responded “You could say that, but is this island really reality? It’s paradise.” This trip has reminded us that every day is a new adventure.
Brent Whitehead ’17 & Max Jump ‘17