Our job during the expedition was to photograph the left sides (right sides too, but left sides preferably) of the sharks near the gills and above the pectoral fin. Since the spots on each whale shark is like a fingerprint, the pattern in this region is used to identify the individual sharks. The photographs taken by us and the other citizen scientists in the group are run through a computer program that was originally designed for astronomers to identify constellations in the night sky.
Since I'm a science nerd, I took this job very seriously and did my best to get some usable photos. Bob, on the other hand, spent more time filming the sharks and the manta rays, which were feeding on fish eggs along side the sharks, as well as me taking pictures of the sharks. It still amazes me at how close we were able to get to the sharks without scaring them away. But then, we are much smaller than they are and so to them we must seem no worse than pesky remoras, although unlike the remoras we were not allowed to touch the sharks.
Besides getting the opportunity to swim with whale sharks, we also got a chance to see Mexico. Prior to this trip, the only place in Mexico that I had ever visited was Nogales, on the border just south of Tucson. I have to admit, Cancun would not have been my first choice, mainly because I pictured towering hotels scarring the Caribbean beaches. But that's the Zona Hotelera, which we involuntarily toured on the way to our hotel Adhara Hacienda Cancun in the center of the city.
We may not have been on the beach, but the pool was wonderful, especially after snorkeling in the sea. And being in a large Mexican city like Cancun is a very different experience than staying at a resort with other Americans, Germans, etc. We shopped in local grocery stores and dodged traffic while crossing the busy streets.
Hacienda Chichen was originally built in the 16th Century by the Spanish and later, in the 20th Century, was used as the headquarters for the archaeologists excavating Chichen Itza. For this reason, it has its own private entrance to the ruins.
El Castillo of Chichen Itza is just as impressive as every photo I have ever seen of it. It is too bad that climbing the pyramids is no longer allowed, but then I had a hard time climbing down when we were in Tikal many, many years ago. I also found it amazing at how well preserved the carvings on the sides of the structures are, for example, the skulls on the Plataforma de los Craneos.
In addition to Chichen Itza, we visited a few cenotes in the area: Cenotes Yokdzonot, Samula and X'Keken. However, we swam only in Cenote Yokdzonot (top photo).
While at Hacienda Chichen, we had planned on spending an afternoon in the Spanish colonial town of Valladolid, but Hacienda Chichen was too nice to leave. Nevertheless, we got to see Valladolid when we accidentally drove through the center, past San Gervasio, on the way to Tulum.
We spent only one night in Tulum, in another nice hotel Zamas, and it was probably a good thing because they kept giving us margaritas. We got complimentary margaritas when we arrived, free margaritas because it took a long time for our tacos to be served and 2-for-1 margaritas during happy hour.
The next morning before driving back towards Cancun, we stopped to see the ruins in Tulum. I don't think they are as impressive as Chichen Itza and the carvings are not as well preserved, but the setting along the Caribbean is beautiful.
Our last couple of days in Mexico were spent snorkeling and just hanging out on Isla Mujeres, where we got around by golf cart and enjoyed good Mexican food, which is not easy to come by in Germany.
