If you’ve ever been to the Caribbean there is a good chance you’ve experienced picturesque sunsets and moonlit nights. I’ve seen my fair share of beautiful full moons and sunrises (if I felt committed enough to get up early), but none of them come even close… so I felt inspired to dedicate an entire post to them.

There was a full moon last night. A huge white pearl with a rainbow ring around it. Armed with a light blanket and a lounge chair borrowed from one the nearby resorts, my friend Julia and I sat on the sand under the perfectly cloudless sky, with the moon lookin down on us. The sound of lapping waves and the surrounding darkness, due to the lack of streetlights, rendered the evening almost magical. If it weren’t for the mosquitoes we would have stayed out all night.

The sunrise the next morning is no less breathtaking. Fish eggs on the beach like little colourful marbles that pop when you accidentally step on them. Seaweed is hugging the beach, some of it crushes with an audible crunch as I walk. It smells like wet dog. The sand under my feet is wet and cool, already forgotten about the touch of the sun. The water is almost cold, which is unusual this time of the year. Or so I’m told.

The sea is calm. Apart from a string of foam in the distance, there are almost no waves. As the golden crescent of the sun appears on the horizon, the stillness is almost palpable. Everything seems to stop to enhance the experience while taking the next breath to become playful again. The tranquility of the sea calms my inner chatter and I feel whole in that perfect moment. A perfect cathartic moment that almost makes me cry. I stay on the beach for the next half an hour marvelling in the wonder of awakening.

For the next couple of weeks I will try and repeat yesterday’s experience. Interestingly enough, no sunrises or sunsets would be the same as the one before. To illustrate how different they are, I ran into Juan Manuel, a local man who dedicates hours of his time every day for an entire year filming the moonrises in hope to create a time-lapse video to demonstrate their ever-changing nature. He said to capture the sunrises next year. So taking his cue, I’m in search for the next perfect one.

Curious about my further adventures? Click here to read more about my Mexico trip.
To see the gallery click here. Enjoy!