47) Whales - 8th December

Leigh-Ann says some very funny things. They are even more funny because of her situation. Here's the quote of the day: "I could have been a synchronised swimmer coz I have very pointy feet!"

Today Leigh-Ann ticked off another item from her "List for Life": Go Sailing. We took a catamaran charter from the Westin Hotel into the Pacific to go whale watching.

We were really lucky because we saw several pods of Hump Back Whales. One group included a mother with her two or three day old baby and a male escort. The Hump Backs come down from Alaska, 3,000 miles north, to have their babies.

Leigh-Ann had a fantastic time and so did I. We watched the whales for about one hour. They slowly swam around the boat coming within 30 feet. It was quite incredible. They were not scared just curious.

In the morning I had pushed her in the wheelchair along the beach walk for an hour to a small shopping mall where she bought a hat and a new pair of shorts. She is still losing weight and so she always needs smaller clothes! She is now a "XS". If she loses any more we will be shopping in the kid's section!

People are so polite when they are confronted with a wheelchair. Leigh-Ann says that almost everyone smiles at her because they feel sorry for her. I think it's because she smiles at them first. Anyway, I take no prisoners when I am pushing.

Chairs are moved, cars stop, children are dragged out of the way. It's a different perspective on life. What we do find is that the disabled access route is always at least twice as long as the able bodied route. Is that logical?

People are actually kind at heart. They are probably just glad that it is not themselves in a wheelchair.

New hat