Tortuga chronicle

See these slimy little bastards? This is a clutch of turtle eggs freshly delivered via a long turtle tube attached to one tired mother turtle. We watched her claw her way onto the beach and slowly drag herself up above the tide line. She then dug a deep hole using only her rear flippers. Pretty neat to watch. Finally, the aforementioned turtle tube comes out and these eggs pop out two at a time.....upwards of 150 eggs. Lastly, one lucky Nicaraguan gathers up all the eggs and makes omelets and soup. Seriously. This particular turtle had the misfortune of choosing a non-protected beach to lay her eggs. She was quickly spotted and 'claimed' by a couple young Nicos, who were patiently waiting for her to finish. The beaches can get a little dicey at night with Nicos skulking around looking to rob turtles or gringos. You can't spell "endangered" without "danger", and I wasn't about to deprive these enterprising fellows their payday. Better the turtle get robbed than me, right? These dudes were pretty friendly, but there was never any doubt about the future of these particular eggs. Their empty shoulder bags and lotto-winner smiles transcended the language barrier; Winner winner turtle dinner!