RATED #1 IN BACKPACKER.
Cassie, a happy go lucky app designer from London was working in Mexico until a cryptic note sparking adventure. Jay, was more complicated, way more complicated; a Private Military Contractor by day, beach bar owner by night...
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The restaurant was strangely quiet that morning, the season still not quite in full swing but there was usually a small gathering for breakfast by this time. The temperature, already pretty hot, forecast a scorcher of a day coming. Cassie made the most of the lul, lazing in a hammock watching the waves roll in, small, glassy, perfect. There was the odd paddle-boarder out for their morning workout and a couple of kiteboarders, probably Sam and Joey, making the most of their time before lessons began.
Further out she could see dolphin watchers doing their rounds from hotels at either end of the island, there were two boats circling out there which meant they had most likely hit on dolphin gold and guests were snapping away madly – too busy to actually look, just making sure they had it saved to their phads for posterity. If there was one thing good about retCams it was that they meant we could be in the moment again, but boy they were expensive.
Cassie swung her legs round and off the hammock to fetch the binoculars from behind the bar, coming back to her cradle she had a good line of sight across the breakers in front of the surf shack and wondered if she could see what the boats saw. Sure enough there were dolphins, beautiful sleek shiny creatures, obliged to put on a show for humans – circus style jumping up out of the water, she could imaging the Dolphin Whisperer on a ladder holding fish out above them, as in pairs they shot straight up before twisting round and down under again, wonderful screeches and smiles – from the dolphins and people. It was, as 'activities' went, one of the more fulfilling ones, other packaged up adventures tended to be lacking. Their laminated promise of adventure – a bulleted declaration to tick the boxes of each holiday maker – the wildlife they would see, the way they would be looked after, the transport, obligatory fruit snack, beaches that would be visited and what you could do on them. Really it was just an exercise in writing down all that a tourist wanted, placing it over a jungle picture background with circles of exotic animals and laminating it into one nice day with a pretty extortionate price per person. Even that seemed acceptable as it gave the willing prey all they wanted in one handy package uniquely tailored by the adventure company publicised by the eager young man in front of them.
Handing their money over there and then, often under the tried and tested scarcity marketing tactic – we're fully booked for the next two weeks, this is the only two places left – they would be up early the next morning, sun cream or MelaTanⓇ patch on waiting at the designated spot, only to realise that this was a job lot, all the tour guides were selling this very same tour, often not enough boats, no fruit, the weather conditions invariably not as perfect as promised and, well you feel rather short changed, herded around like the exhibit is actually you.
The best way to do it is to do it yourself, be intrepid, find a local fisherman, they all know the spots, and buy your own damn fruit.
Cassie focused back onto the ocean thinking about Remi's wave riding comments, was he alluding to her adventures, she did want surf lessons but was that what he meant.
She spotted Jay through the binoculars walking over from the surf shack where he spent his time getting it up to scratch. "Christmas is coming and he wants it ship shape," a rather exhausted looking Joey had said over a beer last night. The binoculars latched onto her focal target suddenly bringing his toned muscles beneath his faded old Tee into crisp focus, he'd had a substantial haircut and shave since their initial meeting. He walked with a kind of weightlessness as Basta danced at his heels, happy as anything that his master was back but he still made time for his interim mistress, if Jay minded this dual loyalty he didn't show it, and Cassie had grown very fond of him – Basta that was. Jay was ok in an individualistic sort of way – he was charismatic, good looking obviously, but aloof, like he knew everything about you while you knew nothing about him. There was way more going on beneath the surface, and that was a little disconcerting. It was like standing on a picturesque cliff top on a beautiful sunny day admiring the view, the sea calm and blue, but knowing right below you the waves were crashing treacherously on the rocks.
