Countdown to W-Day: Monday, May 2

This is the story of the epic (if we may say so ourselves) Ixapa wedding of Edouard and Camelia, seen through the eyes of the latter, with (promised) ulterior posts from the groom.

Chapter 3: Attack of the Cute Dolphins 

We start the day as two women on a mission: to swim with the dolphins. But first I take an early walk on the beach and then meet with the wedding planner, Rubi, at 10:00, to talk through the details: seating arrangements, DJ, photographer, food, vegetarian options, etc. Then I pick mom up from the (where else…) poolside bar and take her to lunch. Eventually, around 3:00 PM, we make our way towards Delfiniti, reserve our spots and wait eagerly for the program to start. 

Mom is absolutely mesmerized by the two huge parrots they have sitting on a branch in the entrance. We take photos with them, then we proceed to the waiting room, where we are soon joined by families with multiple (i'm talking four and up!) kids. 

And by mesmerized, I mean really, really, mesmerized

Mom and I look at each other thinking that we're a bit older than the general audience, but then one of the trainers walks in with the two huge parrots and they start taking photos with the birds doing awesome tricks like lying belly up in your palms and perched on your shoulder with their huge wings spread out. They turn out to be surprisingly light for their size. 

Then, we move up to the pools, where we get some basic training on how to pet the dolphins - with your palm flat, the same way you feed horses. We get to put on life vests and move into the (cold) water, where we first stand on a submerged platform and then are invited by the trainers to step into the actual pool and let the vests keep us afloat. This is where it gets tricky: mom flat-out refuses to step off the platform and into the water, terrified that she would sink. Finally, after much pleading and begging on my part, she finally steps in, shrieks, flails her arms frantically and eventually settles into a stable, if uneasy, floating position. 

And the fun begins: we each get to pet the dolphins many many times, then hold them by their fins and dance with them and eventually be carried across the pool twice on their amazingly strong , cool bellies, at incredible speed. Then we move over to the other pool and watch them dance in tandem, jump and clap with their fins. But the absolute best part comes towards the end: lying flat on my belly, two dolphins come from behind and push my feet with their round noses until i'm floating above water with the speed of a small motor boat. Exhausted and a bit terrified I collapse ungracefully at the very end.

Dolphin: "Let me show you how we boogie"
Mom: "If you let go, I will sink to the bottom and that'll be the end of me"

After a nap and dinner, Mom and I head out to town and buy a little white linen dress she had her eye on - she suspects i'll be steaming hot in my corseted dress on Saturday and will want to change into something more comfortable as soon as possible. How right she is, as always… Then we come back to the hotel and talk until the wee hours of the night, as this is our last evening alone, before people start showing up.