Sound and Motion

What I'm going to miss the most about Akumal Bay is how each night, at bedtime, DW and I turned off the air conditioning, opened the door to our balcony, leaving just the screen door in place, and fell asleep to the rhythmic crashing of the waves, no more than 100 metres away.

Each morning, about 45 minutes or so before sunrise I would awake and look out our balcony. Often, there'd be only enough of a trace of the coming dawn to discern whether there was clear enough sky to watch the sun come up, either rising on the watery horizon or would be peeking through distant clouds.

At this hour, I could see Venus, shining big and brightly. A short distance to the right and slightly below, Mars gave a warm twinkle. And, further below them both but barely visible, Mercury would make an appearance if the clouds would allow it.

On our first morning, as I took in this view, the International Space Station silently crossed the sky directly above. Watching it pass, I wondered if any of the three astronauts aboard the station were looking down toward the Mayan Riviera at the same time.

I miss being lulled to sleep and awoken to such wonder.

I'll also miss the sensation that I felt, after spending an hour or so below the surface of the bay, exploring the coral reefs and the grassy beds, taking in all of the sea life. For hours after, I could still feel my body sway as though it was still being rocked by the pull and push of the tide.

One day, DW and I spent most of our day snorkeling, stopping only to eat or have a drink. When we decided to call it quits, we showered, dressed in comfortable clothes, and attended a fire meditation class, where the instructor burned oils and chanted, while we first sat and then lay on the ground, with our heads toward the fire. Throughout the session, I felt my body sway as though I was still in the water.

I almost fell asleep. At one point, I heard DW softly snore.

There was a time, as our vacation drew close, when I was ready to cancel the trip. Now that it's over, now that we're back home, I already miss these things. The sound of the waves, the wonder of the coming dawn, the motion in the water and the sensation it produced.

These will be the things that will draw me back.