Day 66 - Fly from Quito to Baltra, Galapagos
Quick night sleep for us last night. Our heads hit the pillow at 1:15 am and we were up at 5:45. A quick shower and a cup of coffee started the day. We had our cab driver from "last night" pick us up again as it was still his shift. He was in the lobby at 6:25.
The drive was a bit slower as it took about 50 minutes to get to the airport this morning. Contrary to what I pictured Quito, their airport and roads were very nice. The airport was recently built and was very clean. The prices are also fairly reasonable at the airport. We had a breakfast burrito, egg croissant sandwich, and three cups of coffee for $20.
Our flight left on time at 8:25. We landed quickly in Guayaquil to drop off some passengers and pick others up. We did not deplane and were up and going within 30 minutes.
The downside to flying Business Class yesterday is that it feels extremely cramped today. My knees literally touch the front seat when they recline and I have only one arm rest since the guy next to me claimed my other. I found myself getting really annoyed, but realized it was probably just me and the four hours of sleep after a day of flying in Business Class. It amazes me how quickly we can change our perspective on things when our recent experiences are more prominent in our mind.
We are getting ready to land in Baltra, Galapagos and on the descend, the flight crew sprayed all of the overhead compartments to kill any insects that might be in our bags. Kind of crazy. I would have thought more of it, but Kristen said they did the same thing in Zimbabwe.
Landing right on the edge of water is beautiful. Baltra is one of the smallest islands in the Galapagos, so it is right by the sea. The landing was one of the roughest we have experienced as it got really windy on the descent where the plane was rocking side to side. Thankfully, the landing gear absorbed what felt like a quick touch down.
We laughed it to off while taxing as Kristen had this look of approaching sea sickness. If we continue to have rough travel days, I think she might restrict our next vacation to no plane, boat, bus, or car. Thankfully, Portland has a train into Canada.
The airport in the Galapagos is very small, but it has big enough runways for big planes. I found it interesting that they require everyone to pay the entrance fee in US cash. There were three planes scheduled to land on the board (including ours). At $100 per person and 200 passengers per plane, there was $60,000 cash moving through this one desk in a few hours. This must be one way they keep enough US cash in the country to make it the official currency.
We took our bus to the boat where we got to meet all of our crew and crew mates:
Crew:
Naturalist Guide: Tamara
Captain: Antonio
First mate: Alfredo
Mechanic: Paulo
Bar man: Jovany
Dingy/Panga/zodiac boat driver: Federico
Chef: Lupo
Passengers:
German: Christian, Peter & Amelia
Australian: Mark, Carolyn, and Sara
Miami: Kevin and Eloise.
Connecticut: Amanda and Hunter
Japan: four hard to spell names
We were the last three to arrive on the boat (us and Christian), so we had to quickly eat lunch and get our wet suits and snorkel equipment. We had our first disembarkment at Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island. Here we got to see the many sea crabs and marine iguanas. There were hundreds of sea turtle nests, but we were only able to see sea turtles swimming in the water. When walking on the island, we had a very strict path and had to follow in line behind our naturalist guide. On the walk, we learned that only people born in the Galapagos can work in the Galapagos (scientists being an exception). The 30,000 citizens are not enough for the work force so our guide works three weeks on board and one week off. We caught her on her third week, which is why she is a bit crabby. Along the walk we also got to see one flamingo, but it was far away.
Land and Marine Iguanas hanging out together
After the hour walk, we got to snorkel for an hour in a very controlled area. Being on a sandy beach, the visibility was very poor, so it was hard to see more than 8 feet. We were reassured that the other snorkeling excursions would be better as they are not on a huge sandy beach.
Galapagos Hawk checking out some snorkeling gear
I was shocked that we had to have a wet suit despite being on the equator. I sure am glad that we have it though as the water temperature is only about 70 degrees.
After returning to the boat, we spent time socializing with the other passengers before our first dinner: chicken, rice, lentils, carrots and green beans. The two meals we had today were great, especially when you consider the space in the kitchen! We did get to see some sea lions and sharks swimming around the boat just prior to sunset. We were excited to also finally see the stars. Both New Zealand and Patagonia had nightly clouds preventing us from seeing the Southern Hemisphere skies.
Day 67 - South Plaza and Santa Fe Island
615: Dry landing on South Plaza
800: Breakfast
Cruise to Santa Fe Island
1100: snorkel around boat
1200: lunch
1400-1500: snorkel from panga
1600-1745: wet landing on Santa Fe Island
1830: briefing
1900: dinner
Cruise to espanola
Animals we saw: Galápagos sea lions, land iguanas, marine iguanas, swallow tailed gulls, Nazca boobies
We set our alarms for 530 to prepare for our early morning disembarkment only to realize that no one was up yet and that we did not account for the hour time change from Quito to the Galapagos. This is the perfect example of when we rely on technology to automatically adjust for us, but fail to manually do it when the technology is not working. We did not have a cell or wifi connection in the Galapagos, so the iPhone could not adjust. This is another example on our journey where good things come from unplanned adventures. We got to check out the beautiful stars again before watching a clear sunrise over the horizon. It was an awesome way for us to start out our day. Luckily, there was coffee made already for the helmsman sailing the yacht.
We left the boat in two groups of eight at precisely 615. We have to follow a specific timeline as the various boats are timed through the national park, so we have to be off at a certain time for others to come on the island. It appears that everything is highly regulated here, which is a good thing to help preserve the land.
This disembarkment was a sharp contrast to yesterday. Instead of taking pictures of still crabs, iguanas, and flamingos, we got to watch playful sea lions and birds. The sea lions were a blast to watch and they could have entertained us for hours.
Landing on South Plaza Island
We learned quite a bit about sea lions. The sea lion pups rely solely on the mother to eat for the first few months. The male sea lion is huge and watches the pups while the female swims in the ocean for fish. We are not allowed to snorkel in this area despite being the clearest of waters as the sea lions attract a lot of sharks, which we have gotten to see many of from the yacht. We also got to see the only nocturnal eating bird in the world, the swallow tailed gull. They have red rings around their eyes which is on the same gene which is often associated with night vision. Their bill has white on the start and tip of their beak so that their young can see where the food is. The baby gulls are all white to help the mothers see them in the dark after finding food.
Sea Lion mother rubs pup
Sea Lion pup nursing
Sea Lions playing with male supervising
Land Iguana
There wasn't a ton of marine life around the boat just prior to lunch. However, I did get a snapshot of a tiger snake eel. This is kind of funny as I swore it was a snake and so did Kevin who also saw it. Our naturalist (who didn't see it) said that it was probably an eel. Both of us have seen eels before and didn't think it looked like an eel. I loaded my go pro video on the ipad and extracted a picture from it to show the naturalist. We looked in the Galapagos marine book and the only thing it looked like was a Tiger Snake Eel. We have joked about the non-creative names on the islands. It appears that this one was no exception. It looks like both animals, so it is named so.
Snorkeling from the panga was much better. We saw many sting rays, various fish, a poisonous scorpion fish, and one sea lion.
We continue to have great food and company on board. We were only able to play cards for about an hour after dinner as the sail was pretty rough. It ended up being a long night as we would constantly toss and turn. Kristen did not feel well but was able to manage by listening to music and laying on her side. Finally about 200 am we made it to Espanola Island where we anchored and we both slept well until 615.
Day 68 - Espanola Island
700: breakfast
800: wet landing in Gardner Bay
900: snorkel from beach
1000: sail to Gardner Islet
1015: snorkel from panga
1145: lunch
Sail to Punta Suarez
1415: Dry landing
1730: back on board
1840: briefing
1900: dinner
Animals we saw: espanola mockingbird, sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards, waved albatross, nazca boobies, blue footed boobies, Galapagos hawk, werbler finch
This morning we got to walk along Gardner Bay beach without a guide. Christian, Sara, Kristen and I walked together and were the first ones down the beach after the tide went back down. This was pretty cool as the sand was absolutely perfectly flat without a single foot mark. We took many pictures of the sea lions and marine iguanas.
Juvenile Sea Lions playing in the water
After about an hour, we snorkeled from the beach where we saw much more marine life today. We were hoping to see white tipped reef sharks, but didn't. However, we saw more sting rays, a huge lobster, and a sea turtle. The sea turtle was the highlight of the day as he/she swam between Kristen and I comfortably. I was able to get video of all angles and even one with Kristen swimming next to it. It was magnificent. It just swam slowly and calmly while checking us out. We could have swam with him for awhile, but ultimately had to swim back as it was going away from the group.
We boarded the boat and did a quick sail to another islet where we saw sea lions under water, hundreds of beautifully colored starfish, many sting rays, and tons of various fish. The snorkeling never gets old, but twice in the morning was exhausting.
We returned to the boat and had lunch before sailing to Punta Suarez. Everyone was exhausted, as was I, so we all took a siesta to rest up for a long excursion on Punta Suarez.
On Punta Suarez, we saw hundreds of marine iguanas. It was a bit sad on this island however as there were about ten dead iguanas. This happened a few months ago on another island and the scientists have not figured out a cause. I think we have now seen enough sea lions, iguanas, and lava lizards. It is amazing how quickly you can get used to seeing such precious animals in their habitat. The lizards and iguanas are boring to watch, but when the seal lions are not sleeping, they can entertain for hours. I am still hoping to get to swim beside them. The juveniles are the most curious and likely to do so.
Bigger Sea Lions kicks smaller one off the top of rock
On this excursion we got to see the biggest bird in the world, the waved albatross. We were fortunate to see a few dozen, because in January, they all fly to Peru for three months before coming back. Most had left already, but we did get to see some. Most were younger ones that were not ready to fly. One of the cool things we got to see up close was a young albatross trying to fly for the first time. It just sat and practiced flapping its wings and we didn't see it take off. We saw two of the three types of boobies: nazca footed and blue footed. The nazca are bigger than the blue which is bigger than the red footed. They are very similar boobies except for their size and the color in their feet.
Mating Bird Call
Pelican in flight. Beautiful!
We came back to the boat a bit hot, so the captain let us swim around the boat. We actually got to jump off the top deck, so I got to highlight my can opener to our ship. The water was too deep to really snorkel well, so we only swam for maybe 20 minutes. We didn't need our wetsuits for this duration, but it wasn't comfortable unless you were moving around.
Can Opener off the Darwin Yacht
We both showered and enjoyed conversing with the rest of the passengers. This ship is a bit different in that the crew doesn't really engage much with the passengers socially, which I respect since they do this all of the time. Everyone spoke English, including the Japanese family of four, but it is difficult to understand them. They seem to do their own thing. Otherwise, it has been great getting to know the other passengers. We talk about the common differences and similarities between countries, where we have traveled, and what life is like back at home.
We again got a briefing tomorrow where we should see sea turtles at the minimum and hopefully sharks and penguins.
We set sail after dinner again tonight, so everyone headed to bed. I have the entire top deck to myself and enjoyed the surprisingly warm breeze on me. Last night was a bit rough, so not too excited for sailing again tonight. It is supposed to be a six hour sail again. The rooms are extremely small, so we put our bags and stuff on the top bunk and share the bottom one for sleeping. This was ok the first night. With the different waves last night, we often rolled on each other. I'm going to try and fall asleep out here tonight and see how long that lasts. It's great to be outside enjoying the fresh air with no flies bugging you. Buenos noches.
Day 69 - Floreana Island
700: breakfast
745: wet landing at Post Office Bay
snorkel from beach
945: back on board
1015: deep water snorkel at Devils Crown
1115: back on board
1130: lunch
1245: wet landing Punta Cormorant
1400: back on board
Sail to Santa Cruz (4 hrs)
1840: briefing
1900: dinner
Check out Santa Cruz at night
Animals we saw: Galápagos penguins, sea turtles, white tipped reef sharks, eagle rays, sting rays, lava lizards
Last night was indeed a long night. I only lasted about thirty minutes sleeping on the top deck as it was too chilly. We tossed and turned with the boat until about 2 am.
We had an early disembarkment this morning. Our first stop was to Post Office Bay where the pirates and whalers used to leave notes for their loved ones back at home. If someone came by and was headed in that direction, they would pick it up and hand deliver it. They continue this tradition, so we sent two post cards and ended up finding one to be delivered to Portland and another to Bend, Oregon. We now have the responsibility to hand deliver to these two families.
The snorkeling was fabulous in the bay. We got to see two sea turtles eating off the coral. These two were the biggest two we have seen to date, maybe 2-3 foot in diameter. Additionally, we were able to swim with some penguins. And by swim, I mean see them swim by at up to 25 mph. They are soo fast! As we came ashore, a sea lion tried to play with me. The tide was changing so the water was very sandy and hard to see. It ultimately got taken to shore in a big wave. It then posed for us for minutes. The water was the murkiest thus far, but still the best as we got to see these three animals! I really enjoy the bigger animals to the various fish and coral.
Sea Lion Falls me to shore
We hopped on board for thirty minutes where we got to snorkel Devils Crown, one of the most popular places in the Galapagos. I have never seen so many fish since diving or snorkeling. The schools were massive. We got to see one white tipped reef shark maybe six or seven feet long. It was probably 30 feet below us so it wasn't a threat. We saw many sting rays, a couple maybe four feet in diameter! I got to follow an eagle ray which was very pretty to watch. We ultimately did not get to see hammer head sharks which was disappointing, but that is how it goes. So much marine life that we didn't want to get out of the water.
After lunch, we got to land at Punta Cormorant. Here we hiked about a half mile where we got to see some flamingos off in the distance before ultimately getting to a beautiful beach with dozens of sea turtles playing in the water. It is illegal to snorkel here (and even put your feet in the water), because the sting rays nest in the shallow water and are poisonous. We got to see the sea turtles in the big waves crashing ashore which was kind of cool. We all wanted to snorkel here, but understood why we couldn't.
We are now on board for our four hour cruise to Santa Cruz. We will get a chance after dinner to walk around the settled part of the Galapagos. The seas were a bit rough so Kristen laid in our room to prevent any sea sickness. I got a quiet spot alone on the front of the boat in the much needed shade. I was able to read before taking a quick nap. I really enjoyed this two hours as it was very peaceful.
Port Ayora is the settled port town in Santa Cruz where we got to spend a few hours walking around. As much as we have been enjoying the boat and being in the middle of the ocean, it was nice to step onto land and walk around a city for a few hours. A group of 12 of us road the bug tram around the city which was interesting. We appeared to be the only tourists on board, but I am sure that not all were locals. We listened to Ecuadors remix of some pop American songs. The ride lasted longer than I expected, maybe 15 minutes. The living here is pretty simple as the houses are very basic looking with no yards or garages or outdoor decorations. We could see inside some of the windows and they appeared to have normal looking living rooms with a TV, chairs and a sofa.
We all had a cerveza at a bar that had wifi. We were disappointed to see the score of the OSU game, but were unable to load highlights or read about the game. The one fact we were able to google for the group was the definition of a continent. We verified that the islands around the world are not considered to be part of the seven continents, but all fall into oceanic islands. Therefore, New Zealand, the Galapagos, Hawaii, etc. are not actually part of Austrailia, South America, or North America by definition. However, they are all often associated with the nearest continent. We spent the next hour strolling the streets and stores drinking Club Ecuadorean beer. On the dock we saw many more sea lions, iguanas, fish, and reef sharks. Everywhere you go around here, there is an abundance of wildlife.
There definitely was a sadness in the mood as the Miami couple, German couple, and Australian family only signed up for the five day cruise so they were leaving in the early am. This was our last excursion with them all. We have enjoyed all of them and had quite a bit of fun experiencing the Galapagos with them.
Day 70 - Santa Cruz Island
700: breakfast
820: dry landing to Charles Darwin Research Center
1145: back on board
1200: lunch
1400: dry landing to a Highlands
1715: back on board
1800: briefing
1830: dinner
1930: into town
Animals we saw: marine iguanas, lava lizards, giant land tortoises, land iguanas, yellow werbler
This morning we took a group photo before wishing the seven leaving passengers good bye. After about an hour, the existing nine of us disembarked to explorer the Charles Darwin Research Center. We got to see much bigger land iguanas at the dock, but the true excitement came when we got to see the Giant Tortoises. We got to see small babies up to full grown adult male and female tortoises. They have a breeding center here to regrow the population on some of the surrounding islands as they almost became extinct in the 1970s. They now have a very successful program where they harvest eggs from the wild for four months under specific conditions. They keep the eggs below 30 degrees Celsius if they want to hatch a male tortoise and above 30 if they need a female. They only feed the tortoises three times weekly to try and teach them to eat on there own, so they have better success rates when releasing back in the wild. We were lucky as we walked through during one of the feeding sessions. This was pretty cool as usually the tortoises are very immobile and tourists only get to see them still. Pretty cool to see them chomp away!
Giant Land Tortoise eating
We then got to walk through town with Christian strolling the local shops for about an hour. We came back on board for lunch and got to meet seven new cruise members.
Canada: Sydney and Robin, Sebastian and Mary
Australia: Kat
France: Jacque and ?
After lunch, we disembarked again on Santa Cruz where we got to see two huge craters made from sinking lava. It was cool to see ginormous holes in the Earth, but I am glad that we didn't spend too much time here. The highlight of the excursion was to see the giant tortoises in the wild. Kind of wild I guess since it was a reserve. We have quickly become used to seeing these huge turtles. Seeing them eating grass and swimming in a pond was a better experience than in the research center. After finishing the 45 minute walk, we paid our three dollars per person and got a free glass of lemon grass water and Galapagos organic coffee. The lemon grass water was very refreshing. Kristen was able to speak Spanish to the couple who run the reserve on how to make it. We are supposed to gently boil water for five minutes before removing from heat and adding chunks of ginger, lemongrass, and mint to the warm water. Let sit over night before adding lemon juice and sugar to taste in the morning.
We again got to spend a few hours in the town tonight. Christian, Kristen, and I walked the streets while having beer and ice cream. Amanda and Hunter joined us before stopping for pizza. Kristen tried to transfer her DEA license at the local Galapagos (spelled like google) Internet cafe, but the website would not load. It now looks like her start date will be delayed.
We sat sail at 930 to Santiago Island which was a very rough night. The rocking of the boat made it impossible to sleep much more than an hour, if lucky. Because of this, I would recommend booking a catamaran as there is much better stability in not all too rough waters here.
Day 71 - Santiago Island
700: Breakfast
800: wet landing at Puerto Egas
1000: Snorkel from the beach
1100: back on board
1145: lunch
1300: wet landing on Espumilla Beach
1400: back on board
Sail to Bucaneer Cove
1500: snorkel from the panga
1600: back on board
Sail to Bartolome Island
1900: briefing
1930: dinner
Animals we saw: sea lions, fur seals, marine iguanas, Galapagos hawk, blue footed boobies, pelican, American Ostercatcher, yellow werbler, Darwin finches, Yellow crown night heron, great blue heron
Today was an awesome day. It started with a walk to see fur seals, but on the way we got a nice surprise. We got to see male iguanas fighting (they butt heads) and a male trying to copulate with a female. The crazy thing about iguana sex is that the male bites the female iguana in the neck and the female always tries to get away. The female this time fought off the male, but it made you feel as if it was iguana rape.
Marine Iguana trying to mate
We made our way to see the fur seals which were name appropriately. They have a very thick fur as they eat at night and at very deep depths in the ocean. They are smaller than the sea lions and are much less playful. Luckily the sea lions are more prevalent as they are much more entertaining.
We got to see two huge sea turtles on our first snorkel. The huge all black one was eating sea grass which we was fun to watch. We also got great video footage of sea lions playing in the water and eating. We saw probably the biggest possible sting ray sitting under a giant cliff. It had to be four feet in diameter. There were little jelly fish in the water that stung Kristen multiple times. Luckily, the stinging didn't last that long. She continues to get bitten by bugs and jelly fish and I don't. This snorkel had many varieties and quantities of fish also.
After lunch we got to walk along a perfectly smooth golden beach. I was a bit tired and didn't think it was going to be cool, but it turned out to be awesome. We got to see small little orange ghost crabs come in and out of their holes. But the best three experiences on this excursion were:
1) we got to see blue footed boobies and pelicans dive into the water for fish. These birds get soo aerodynamic and look like darts going into the water. It was awesome to see them dive probably 30 different times. Each time never got old.
Blue Footed Boobies and Pelicans diving for fish
2) when walking back down the beach, we got to see three juvenile Galapagos hawks eating an unknown freshly killed bird as the proud male and female hawk looked on. This was Mother Nature at its rawest. Kristen couldn't watch it, but I along with many others took as much video and photos as possible. Our naturalist said that she rarely gets to see them eating, let alone the young ones.
Galapagos Hawks feasting
3) in the panga back to the boat, we got to see two sea turtles mating. Male on top of female just floating in the water. How amazing again was Mother Nature to us.
The second snorkel again was awesome. More close encounters with a sea lion. The highlight was seeing a white tipped reef shark. The fish and coral were absolutely amazing again. We got to snorkel in a cave where the water was pitch black, but it was cool leaving the cave and seeing back into the lit up ocean.
As if the day couldn't get better, we saw manta rays jumping out of the water during our sail. Our guide told us to keep a watch during the three hour sail and were we lucky to see these huge rays (estimated to be 6 feet in diameter) spin and flip out of the water. I was able to get some cool photos, but by the time I got to trying video they were done for the day. Also on the sail, I got to see flying fish. We had seen many fish that skip on the water, but this was the full deal. Fish out of the water flapping wings for maybe three seconds before diving back in. Awesome experience to see something that seems so mystical!
Everyone went to bed early tonight as last night was rough. We are anchored for the night, so hopping to get a full uninterrupted night of sleep. Buenos noches!
Day 72 - Bartolome Island
700: breakfast
745: dry landing
945: back on board
Snorkel from panga
1130: back on board
1200: lunch
1400: snorkel
1500: back on board
1600: dry landing on Sullivan Bay
1730: back on board
1840: briefing
1900: dinner
This morning we went to the top of Bartolome Island which is completely made of black lava. There are minimal plants or animals on the actual island, but it is popular for its amazing view from the 110 meter peak. We walked the stairs to the top enjoying gorgeous panoramic views. The sun was out with minimal clouds, so the water was amazing and you could see the different lava rocks in the water. On the way down from the top, I saw a manta ray jump out of the sea twice. It wasn't very close, so I couldn't tell its size. While waiting for our panga to pick us up, we got a perfect picture of a blue footed boobie. These are hard to catch landing as they are usually flying and fishing. We saw multiple ones fishing also. Additionally while waiting, we got to see a penguin and sea lion swim in the beautiful turquoise water. This excursion surprised me as I was only expecting to see landscape, but we got to see animals also!
The snorkel this morning was in the bay between Bartolome and Santiago Island. Within 60 seconds of being in the water we saw five white tipped reef sharks! The sun was still strong, so the visibility was its best today. We hung around for a few minutes watching some of them rest at the bottom while others swam around. The snorkel was 90 minutes, so we got to cover much ground. We saw an eagle ray, sting ray, puffer fish, and many many other varieties of fish. The landscape of lava into the much clearer water today was fabulous. Despite being a longer snorkel, it went by very fast. A few others saw a snake eel, octopus, and sea turtles. A funny moment: I called Kristen over to see a huge sting ray and when she approached she yelled "Manta" at which time six people swam over. She got a little excited and apologized at the false alarm. The bottom of the ocean here was cool as it was formed from the volcano. You could see where the lava was cooled and settled. One of the best areas was where you could tell the lava had flowed in tunnels, forming what looked like huge tree roots under the sea.
After lunch we had our last snorkel on the cruise. It was a bit different as we only really saw small fish. However they were in huge schools and very colorful. The light shinned off of them brightly reflecting reds, yellows, blues, and greens. The highlight was seeing the octopus at the very end. I would have never recognized it sitting on the bottom as it looked like a rock. However, we did get to see it swim away which was something that I have not seen before. It formed a cone like head and narrowed its tentacles.
Our last excursion today took us back across the bay to Santiago Island where we got to walk on lava. This was really cool as I had never seen lava. The island had a volcano erupt about 125 years ago and there still was only two different small plants growing on this side of the island (lava cactus and small weed looking Mollugo Crokeri). There were two different types of lava, one that was really smooth and rope like (Aa' lava) and one that was very rough and jagged (Pahoe hoe lava). It was very interesting to see this terrain in the beautiful Galápagos Islands which are soo full of life, yet this part of the island looks like a foreign planet. I imagine this is what Mars looks like. Despite being all lava, there were slight hills and caves during our hour walk.
After coming on board, we spent happy hour discussing travel with the Canadian couple, Amanda, and Christian. We toasted to our last briefing before indulging on our last dinner on the cruise. Lupo the chef has been much better than expected on every meal. The meal was topped of with a delicious chocolate birthday cake as Hunter turned 11 today.
We packed our bags for an early 615 departure tomorrow. We will have breakfast before getting to the airport in the am. Sad to say goodbye to everyone. Cruising the Galapagos has been on our wish list for some time and it truly did not disappoint. We have seen amazing animals and marine life and met great people along the way! We have two hours of rough sailing ahead of us, but should still have enough calm time for a good nights sleep! I am enjoying the front of the yacht as we sail into pitch blackness with a cool breeze in my face.
Day 73 - North Seymour and flight to Quito
615: dry landing
800: breakfast
830: go to airport
1230: flight to Quito
Animals we saw: Magnificent Frigate Birds, land iguanas, blue footed boobies, swallow tailed gull, sea lions
Magnificent Frigate Bird trying to mate
This morning we got up at 530 for an early excursion. We have enjoyed our very early excursions as the wildlife is much more active than later in the day. Today was no exception. The highlight of today was getting to see the Magnificent Frigate birds. Three days earlier we were looking at post cards and we had seen all of the animals except for this one and it was on many post cards. And now today we got to finally see them all. The magnificent frigate bird was the best bird to see in the wild. Well at least the male birds looking to mate as they had a huge balloon like sack inflated under their beak. We saw many of them, but the best was one of the males who was showing off his sack to the female birds (I am not exaggerating on this) and he was beating his beak on the sack making his matting call. We didn't get to see any female birds approach him, but he entertained us for about ten minutes. The second highlight of this island was that I got a picture with a Blue Footed Boobie while wearing my new tshirt "I love boobies....Galapagos". Pretty sure it is why Kristen married me for moments like this.
Female Land Iguana covering up her eggs
After breakfast on board, we said our goodbyes and were transported to the airport. Five us of were on the 1230 flight, so we had three hours to kill. We reminisced about the cruise and the amazing wildlife we saw. We snacked on plantain chips and tried banana chip Ecuadorean chocolate. We learned a little about life in Germany from Christian:
1) they really only eat sausage in the summer when they grill it for a barbecue. Very similar to us
2) they can bear arms in Germany, but it is unlikely that someone will hold up a store with a gun as there is too much security and there is be a high likelihood they will be caught. Crime with guns is very unlikely.
3) it is common for them to get 4-5 weeks of vacation a year
It was light out when we flew into Quito. Wow. What a beautiful city. They have huge mountains/hills and gorges. It is soo green here. We heard that it rains everyday from 3-6, but has good weather otherwise. Today was no exception as it was raining. We shared a cab into Quito with Christian which took just over an hour as traffic was heavy. After saying our goodbyes, we quickly checked in and left our bags to go to dinner. It was already 730 and we wanted to get to bed early since we have to get up at 230 am for our 530 flight! We walked a few blocks to the center of the restaurants and the city became alive. The energy of the city was vibrant. We ate outside at a BBQ restaurant. All senses were on overdrive in the square. It was a bit chilly, so the heaters were on above us. The smells of the dozen restaurants consumed the air. The flashing bright lights lite up the square. And upbeat music (Pitbull is truly world wide) played over head. We enjoyed our hour exploring the city. We definitely wish we had more time here, but Caye Caulker, Belize awaits us tomorrow!
Reflection on the cruise and the Galapagos.
I would highly recommend a live a board as we got to see so much of Mother Nature. You can't have sharks swimming around your boat in the evening if staying in a hotel. You can't get onto an island at 630 in the morning if you have to first travel two hours from a hotel. This place is truly magical as there is soo much wild life both on land and in the water. I am not sure how we will enjoy zoos now that we have this experience up close. Seeing penguins and sea lions in captivity will no longer be the same since we saw them swimming with us in the water. I loved the Darwin Yacht as it was very casual. We left our shoes and sandals at the back of the boat and walked around barefoot the entire time. We flew our clothes and towels on the top deck to let them air dry. We never felt we had to wear certain clothes as anything was acceptable. The crew was amazing. The only caution with this yacht is that it is an odd shaped yacht that is not very long or wide, but fairly tall. It was not very stable in the waves when sailing making fairly calm water rough. This meant that we could not sail when eating and many people had to be laying down when sailing. The upside is that this was one of the cheapest cruises we saw and it was absolutely amazing. I have no doubt that you will leave the Galapagos happy even if you pick a higher end cruise. If you love animals, this is an absolute must vacation. I do not know of any better place on Earth to view more diverse and interesting wildlife.
The one thing we wish was a bit different on the cruise was to have more education on the different ways of adaptation. We often heard that this animal was endemic to this island. Sometimes we got an explanation, but many times not. It would have been interesting to know why and how each animal adapted to its surrounding before viewing it to fully appreciate what it had evolved to. For example, we did learn about the cactus finch who adapted on the islands with cacti by growing a longer beak. This is what is incredible about the islands. The adaptation of the various animals so survive. They have done this for centuries against Mother Nature. We wish we had bought a Galapagos book with us so we could have read about the different islands the day prior.
I was shocked at how arid the landscape was and how far apart the islands were. It was also amazing at how different the wildlife was on the different islands. You truly have to visit the different islands to see the different animals. Even after eight days, we did not get to see many islands, particularly Isabella. I do wish we could see more islands, but eight days was the right amount of time to visit. We didn't leave to early, but didn't stay too long either.
Underwater Video from snorkeling
