Day 87: How interesting that yesterday I mentioned cows (bovine shackles) and today is National Manatee Appreciation Day—you know, since they’re also called sea cows? It’s a loose correlation, but I’m going with it.
Last year, while on a cruise in the Caribbean, we docked at Puerta Plata in the Dominican Republic and joined a group going to the Manatee Sanctuary at Estero Hondo. It was a bumpy 90-minute ride on a mini-bus through tiny villages and dense foliage to the sanctuary, located where a river emptied into a lagoon. Upon arrival, we were instructed to jump on a kayak and paddle upstream to see the manatees. My husband and I had never kayaked before. I’m just going to summarize that part of the experience by saying it was a lesson in paddling together, patience, and muscle spasms. One should always think twice before paddling upstream. It’s used as a metaphor for attempting something difficult (some might say futile) for a reason.
We saw many different types of mangrove trees. We saw egrets in their nests. We saw vultures waiting for the egrets to leave their nests. We learned names of local flora and fauna. We saw beautiful sea shells and star fish along the beach. We gazed at the incredibly blue waves breaking against the sand bar. But we did not see a manatee. At one point, I thought I glimpsed a snout glide above the surface of the water, but I couldn’t be sure. I guess the manatees weren’t in the mood to paddle upstream either, but the local men and women who run the sanctuary were working incredibly hard to “make a go of it” in a place where hurricanes and political unrest have left them little to work with. I admired their determination and their entrepreneurship. They’ve been “paddling upstream” and for that, they deserve a holiday! If you feel like you’ve been paddling upstream, then you do, too! Happy Manatee Appreciation Day! #momscompanytowels #manateeday #paddlingupstream
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