Dick showing off his talent, surrounded by admiration and love.
For me, life doesn’t get much better than when my kids come to visit me in Punta Allen. This was Valerie and Kate’s second vacation, and I’m pretty sure it is going to become an annual even. The girls love it here, Surrounded with the beauty, and enveloped in tranquility is a big change from their busy lives in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up in Bellevue, Washington is a lot of pressure for young adults to “fit in”, so when they come down to Punta Allen where all of the stress of daily life vanishes.
The girls arrived the day before Mother’s Day, and it was the best gift I could have received. Spending every day on the water watching dolphins rolling, jumping and playing, seeing many species of turtle, winding through the channels to Muyil, swimming in the fresh water on our way and going to Tulum for a day at Xel-Ha gorging ourselves with wonderful food at the buffet’s, snorkeling with huge schools of bonefish, horse eyed jacks and a numerous other natural species that live in this glorious natural park is spectacular, however nothing quite beats our favorite event and that is swimming with the dolphins. It is really something to fly through the air while these mammals push you at a high rate of speed through the water. They are gentle, so soft, very good dancers and yes even giving us gentle kisses.
Kate and Valerie at a ruin near MuyilValerie and Kate taking a dip in the fresh water channel
Xel-Ha Nature Park, the most amazing snorkeling, food and fun
My daughter Valerie is a bit nervous about getting into the water, except when she is at the natural pisina, which is a 5 minute boat ride from The Palometa Club. The natural swimming pool is huge, with a hard white sand bottom. It is warm and a beautiful place to spend a few hours, and that’s exactly what we did almost every day that we all went out, after our eco tours. However, Kate and I had our hearts set on fly fishing. In the 7 years that I have lived in Punta Allen, I have gone fly fishing only one time, feeling clumsy, as if I needed 8 hands to hold the rod, manage the line, cast and strip. This year it was my goal to learn this art, and Kate was a willing partner, she had never even held a fly rod before. The previous year we all did a couple of days in the blue water catching barracuda, snapper and dorado and Kate loved it, she loves to fish, unfortunately Valerie does not share in this need to fish, ONLY the need to suck up as much sun as possible, and that she did, and was very content.
Even when Valerie was a little girl, she could never get enough sun
The last morning of the girls vacation Alonso was excited to take Kate and me out to the flats at Tres Maria’s to look for bonefish, he found us a huge school. After a brief lesson, Kate was out of the boat stalking fish, she learns very quickly, was determined to land a fish, and she did just that. In fact, she got 5 bonefish, a jack and a perch. We took turns catching fish, and to my surprise I finally think “I got it”. Feeling the rod load, casting and casting farther to the school all of a sudden felt natural. The school stayed and we fished them for about 2 hours, my last shot of the day, presented itself well, and all of a sudden I felt the thrill of a “bigger” fish. I was praying “please God, let me land this guy”, he was strong and ran 5 times , Alonso and Kate cheering me on. Oh, that fish was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, 3.5 lbs. I was so thankful, so excited, giving him kisses and rubbing his belly. I am now officially addicted and can’t wait to go again. Man, if I love bonefish this much, I might go crazy if, oops I mean WHEN I get a permit.
Kate with one of her nice bonefish, and a great teacher Alonso
Now, it is 2 days since the girls left, I miss them horribly and can’t wait for them to come back to our sleepy little fishing village of Punta Allen. I’m absolutely sure that the memories that are being made will last us all of our life, and when the girls are elderly, sitting and comparing their tatoo’s, chatting about kids and grandkids of their own, the stories will be shared often, keeping Punta Allen alive forever. Who knows, maybe they will both keep coming back every year forever…I know I will.
It only took 7 years for me to fly fish...
"Love those lips"
A high five for an exhilerating few hours of fist time fly fishing
Written by Kaye Cameron
My Mother’s Day could only have been better if my son Jim were here, too.
Next year.
The Palometa Club - Ascension Bay, Mexico 