Final trip of the year- Cabo de Gata

My time here in Granada is winding down; today is the first day of the last week of classes. This weekend was the last IES trip of the semester, a hiking trip to Cabo de Gata National Park. The hike was pretty tough; it was 9 (or maybe 11?) miles, in sunny 85+ degree heat...up, down, and around mountains, across beaches, all the way to the small beach town of San Jose. I probably drank about 3 and a half liters of water, plus some hydrating solution, and I was still dehydrated as anything by the time dinner rolled around. Oh, and on the ride there, we drove past Western movie sets... yes, like actual western cowboy movies. Apparently The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was filmed in Spain! How knew?

Anyway, it was gorgeous. The water was a gorgeous blue, and you could see straight down through it. The land is very arid, but there are cool palm bushes, agave plants, and cacti everywhere.
The beaches were gorgeous too, with rock cliffs providing a little shade. We even ate lunch on a beach where part of the third Indiana Jones movie was filmed! Seeing as we were on the beach, I also got to swim in the Mediterranean. The water was really cold at first, but was fine once you were in for a few minutes. I even saw two jellyfish! Luckily the water was clear enough that I saw them before they got too close. They were only about 7 or 8 inches long, but someone got stung, so I was careful not to touch them. 

On Saturday, we woke up and went down to the beach to gather for activities. Mine was snorkeling, and I was super excited for it. I'd never been before, unless you count using a snorkel in my grandmother's pool (which I don't). What I hadn't known when I signed up was that I would have to wear a wetsuit, because of the water temperature. It took about 20 minutes for all of us to actually get them on, and then we set off for the marina. 

After a fast and exciting boat ride, we were at the spot, near a quiet cove and a cave. We sat on the boat for a while, while the instructor/leader was getting ready. A few of us got seasick, but I was fine... until I put on the jacket of the wetsuit and zipped up the hood. This hood was super tight, and covered up to your chin to keep you warm. Now, I'm the kind of person who can't even wear turtlenecks because I feel like I'm being choked. I immediately felt panicky and sick, and unzipped it until I was jumping into the water. And suddenly, all of my excitement disappeared. Between the light snorkel breaths and the pressure on my neck and chess, I just freaked. I figured it would go away after a few minutes, but it didn't. By the time we got into the cove, I was ready to take off the jacket and throw it as far as I could. Luckily for me, my buddy and IES leader Lorena was feeling the same way about her wetsuit, so she told the instructor and he told us we could sit on the rocky beach and wait for the company's other boat (there was a scuba dive happening that was almost done) to come get us. We did, and as soon as I had that jacket off I felt much, much better. 

So that was how snorkeling went, or rather, didn't go. In any case, what I saw (some sea tomatoes, rocks, snails, other fish and stuff) was pretty cool, and I don't regret it, and if I ever get the chance to do it again (although without a wetsuit) I will definitely try it. The rest of the day, we lazed out on the beach and swam. That was it, the last trip of the semester. I'll post the pictures later