Turtle Time

Went to the turtle sanctuary, Xcacel, to watch Maricela’s thesis presentation (she's an anthropologist) and to see sea turtles do their thing. Work wouldn’t stop, so we arrived late to her presentation, but at least we caught part of it. While we waited for nightfall (turtle action time), we headed to Chemuyil for supper. The town is so cute we wanted to stay there, but there isn’t a single hostel, hotel, or other such public lodging. We had to settle for just a bit of grocery shopping to procure milk, juice, cinnamon rolls, and a flashlight.

A 5-minute cab ride later we were back at Xcacel. Standing around we ate in the company of a bunch of geckos doing the same on the ceiling. It’s a trip to watch, and a relief to know at least some of the bugs buzzing about weren’t going to get a piece of us. After a while, we stepped outside and sat in a semicircle to hear an introductory presentation. It was perfect: detailed enough to give us a good foundation, but not so detailed as to bore.

Once the first turtle had started her way up the sand, we were led to a spot to do some moon watching, giving her a chance to get her nest ready, letting our eyes adjust, and soaking up the amazing views. Even National Geographics can’t capture the breathtaking reality of a moonlit Caribbean shore. Our experience was enhanced with our guide’s contribution of facts relating to the turtle. Did you know that the sex of a turtle is not predefined, but rather determined my the incubation temperature? Fascinating, right? Maricela’s memories of her experience there as a volunteer in 2008, including the best parts as well as the less charming, added a very nice personal perspective to the conversation.

And then we were called over to see our first turtle start to… well, do nothing. It seems she was a bit confused. After digging her nest, she was supposed to start laying her eggs, cover them up, and head back to the ocean. Instead, she dug a nest and then laid nothing. We hung out staring at her rear, about as confused as she was. Then she started covering her nest again, and headed back to the water. From what we were told, it’s possible she no longer has eggs to lay, but still comes out during the egg-laying season and instinctively repeats the cycle. It occurs rarely, so I suppose you can say we experienced something unique.

Our second turtle had already started digging as the first left, but this first stage is not one we can hang around for, so we settled on the beach for more moon watching and stargazing. After a maybe 45 minutes (The whole process takes about 2.5 hours), we were called over to witness how she laid something on the order of 120 eggs. It was completely hypnotic to watch the perfect little spheres drop into the boot-shaped space she had created with her hind fins. As soon as she was done, she covered her eggs, patting the sand down. While she was busy covering, volunteers measured her and took notes, petting her and speaking to her in the kindest tones, just as if she could understand their every word. It was a sweet interaction to witness.

It was after 1 a.m. at that point, so we decided it was time to go. No cabs were available, not even the one that had committed to returning, but fortunately a sanctuary worker came to our aid. The cab came at 1:30 am, so we decided staying in nearby Tulum or anywhere else was pointless, and we headed back with our friends to Cancun. Just our luck, there were no direct buses available, so we wound our way back in a freezing ride that took twice as a long. I think it was 5 a.m. before we finally fell asleep in our own bed. Let me be clear on this: entirely worth it.