Three Experiences

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Alan: They are one of the most eerie and strange experiences you can possibly have. The first time I saw them, they appeared as a kind of shimmering curtain over the top of a ridge of mountains, and they went from a greeny colour to a kind of purpley-red colour. And they just stayed there. The second time I saw them, it was the most amazing sight, because they were right above our heads and they covered the whole of the sky. The other interesting thing is that not everybody hears it, but they sometimes make a sound, a kind of buzzing noise. It was a real sense of wonder and awe. I just kind of sat there with my mouth hanging open, just feeling kind of small.

Bernie: It was around midday. About thirty of us set off. The weather was fantastic, not a cloud in the sky. We were all very excited. I don’t think we really knew what to expect. There was a nervous kind of feeling amongst us, but then nothing happened at all for the first twenty minutes or so. We just sailed around waiting for something to happen. Then all of a sudden the captain came across the loudspeaker and said, “I’ve spotted something.” So everyone got real excited and we ran to one side of the boat. And after a while we spotted something in the water quite far away, so we couldn’t really see. And then suddenly this huge, beautiful creature leapt out of the water, flipped around and landed back in again with a splash. It was massive. I mean, really massive. I don’t think anyone was expecting it to be so big. It was really close, and it did it again, and again. And it was like once one had started, all the rest joined in. So eventually there were about six circling the boat. I think they were just curious about us, and they kept coming closer and closer. It was as if they were showing off, as if they were putting on a show for us. We felt really emotional, because they were such beautiful creatures. It was quite a privilege to see them. So after about maybe half an hour we had to go back to land, and everyone was left feeling really exhilarated. It was a joyful experience.

Carol: I went there with a Taiwanese friend of mine, and we were really excited about going. The day before it had been absolutely boiling hot, so on the day we went I was wearing only a summer dress and sandals. Actually, when we got there after a three-hour journey in a minibus, it was raining and really windy, so we were freezing. There were these people selling these kind of ponchos for rain, which we bought. Then we climbed up and started walking along. It was amazing, but the section we were on was quite ruined and quite difficult to walk up. Of course I didn’t have sensible shoes on, and because of the rain it was quite slippery. We were on the ridge of a hill and the wind was really gusting. It was catching my poncho, and I could feel it blowing me along. I really, really hate heights. We had this big drop right next to us. I was terrified. Of course the view was spectacular, stunning – you could see it kind of snaking up the hills – but I was just so frightened. I walked on a little bit, but then I got so scared again I just had to start heading back. Coming down, with the rain and the wind and the slippery stones and the bad shoes, it was terrifying. I came down some of the steps sitting on my bottom, bumping down one by one. I was paralysed with fear. At one point I just stopped, and then this old woman who was selling postcards and stuff came up, grabbed my arm and kind of walked me down. I was so grateful. So the main thing I felt at the end was huge relief. I think I’d like to go there again, but in better weather and with trainers or something a bit more sensible on.