2008 Peru – San Lorenzo Island
26th February
Our next adventure was a boat tour to San Lorenzo Island which was 22 kilometres from Lima and home to a large colony of sea lions The boat was packed with people and my concern started when I was told we had to wear life jackets. Until that moment, rough sea had not occurred to me which was pretty stupid as I knew only too well how big the waves could be in that part of the world. As we pulled out of the harbour a man came around with a tray containing cups of water and a bucket of seasick pills. I have never been seasick in my life but have felt sick many times and hated the feeling so I had no hesitation in popping a pill. We were told that the first half an hour would be ok but after that, it would get pretty rough. While all this was going on there was a heated argument between an elderly Spanish woman and an obnoxious Swedish woman who insisted on using one of the precious seats for her handbag. To add to the scene, it was cold because of the thick sea mist and together with the rough sea warning from one of the crew, it felt like we were sailing into the gates of hell. Although my anxiety disorder was under control it was far from cured so as a precaution I popped a diazepam which added to my anxiety as I had no idea if it could be taken with a seasick pill. The further out to sea we got, the colder it became as the mist got thicker but to my great relief, the rough sea never materialised.
During the voyage, we saw one or two lone sea lions and a couple of penguins. I found it difficult to tell them apart as all we could see was something black slithering on the surface of the water. As we got close to our destination there was a strong smell of Guano (bird shit) which was several metres deep on the island we were approaching. Guano is one of the best kinds of fertilisers available and it was ironic that Federika’s great-granduncle made his fortune from it so we were staring at the source of the money that enabled us to go on such a long trip.
All of a sudden the sea became alive with sea lions which the Spanish refer to as “wolves of the sea.” Some of them followed our boat whilst hundreds were lounging on the rocks making loud, mysterious noises. I had always loved the look of sea lions, even more than dolphins so it was a big thrill for me. 
We went around the island once and then stopped as it was time to jump in and swim with them. The crew handed out wet suits so I guessed the water must be a bit cold. We changed downstairs and Federika had a lot of trouble getting into hers so one of the crew helped her. She told me afterwards that she felt uncomfortable with his help as he seemed to be enjoying the experience. I also had a lot of trouble getting into my wetsuit and he didn’t offer to help me. I finally got the suit on and was making my way to the deck when I was told that I had it on the wrong way around. The zip was supposed to be at the back which seemed pretty stupid to me. It took me ages to take it off and when I tried to put it on again I couldn’t understand why it was so tight until I discovered I was trying to put my leg where the arm should go. By the time I had finally got the damn thing on everyone was already in the water playing with the sea lions.
I was never crazy about swimming in cold water but this was way beyond cold. Even with the wetsuit, I was still very uncomfortable and as it didn’t cover my feet I was afraid they would freeze solid and drop off. I swam with my head and hands out of the water which was no easy task and must have looked pathetic. I finally got close to the sea lions which were swimming no more than a metre away from me. They seemed to like us being there but wouldn’t let us touch them like dolphins do. Sometimes they leapt out of the water only inches away which was a bit of a shock but thrilling. A fantastic experience although it would have been much more enjoyable if it wasn’t so cold. The Norwegians swam without wetsuits like they were in the Caribbean. The long voyage home was easier as the mist cleared and it got warmer as we got closer to land.
2008 South America
