Well every trip always has that special moment ... there is always a story.... and it just had not arrived yet.
As we stayed at the Tree Tops beach cabanas, we heard about Ernesto, a Mexican man that lives down the beach caretaking a casa for the owner who lives in Rome. He and his wife live in a very small living quarters in the bottom of the house. Jeffrey, the owner of Tree Tops, had been hatching sea turtle eggs from the beach and returning the small turtles to the sea.
Ernesto had arrived on the beach one day with a bucket of turtle eggs to try and sell to Jeffrey and he said he would buy them everyday, and in this way the two became friends. In a small portable plastic pool sea turtles were raised to return them to the sea. Each morning Ernesto would walk at 5AM to get the eggs before the poachers got to them. As friends do, Jeffrey taught Ernesto how to care for the turtles.
Jeffrey, after many years, could no longer give time to the turtles, for it meant changing the pool water with many 5-gallon buckets suspended from his shoulders from a stick. He passed on and entrusted the task to Ernesto and his wife. This man, who once gathered the eggs to sell to feed his family, now brings them to his small turtle care area and nurtures and protects them until it is time for their return to the sea. For this act from the heart they receive no monetary compensation. His family lives on $80 per week.
Well, as the story goes, we received a phone call that turtles were going to be released the day before we were to return to the States. Hurriedly we went down to the beach to the funky blue plastic swimming pool and there were small little sea turtles everywhere swimming around.We slowly counted them out, as is required by the license Ernesto has, and placed the tiny turtles into buckets. We then walked out to the beach and, standing in the pounding waves, we carefully placed the tiny turtles into the sea and watched them as they eagerly swam out to the open sea saying, I am sure, "Now this is a BIG pool!" The sunset was fire red as the little turtles disappeared into the surf.
It was a magical, experience of a lifetime to enable these small -- someday to be large -- creatures a helping hand into the sea. My heart soared as their little flippers moved so swiftly. What a gift to experience nature at such a level.
The next morning I returned to their humble home and thanked them for their work with the turtles. I told them how important their mission was and I appreciated the fact that they wholeheartedly embraced their choice, their task. I gave them a small amount of money to help with this cause and I was grateful to this man and his wife for contribution to the regeneration of the sea turtle.
Last year they released 20, 000 turtle back to the sea.
My wish is to find these people a Quad that Ernesto could use to search for turtle eggs. My hope is that this would be gifted to them in some way. This is the story of one man's effort to make a difference and it is the story of coming full circle. And so I will search the Internet for turtle foundations and I will share this story hoping it will hit a heart string and by some miracle this man will receive help to continue his cause.
Our lives are really one long story .... and I always love reading the next chapter....
Para Vida
Marcie
No comments:
Post a Comment