Following the Dream

Christian April 20th, 2008

Our time in the Galapagos was amazing. We spent 8 days on a 75 foot yacht exploring the islands. We had close encounters with all kinds of wildlife, and saw some of the most beautiful beaches. This is a longer post, but is filled with our adventures in the Galapagos. There will be three sets of Galapagos photos in our photo section, as well as hopefully a video at some point. Enjoy!

Day 1 We awoke at the hotel excited for our departure for the Galapagos. It ended up being a bit anti climatic. We took the shuttle to the airport and then waited for our flight, which ended up being delayed by a bit. After taking off, we had a quick stop in Guayaquil. From there we flew to Baltra. After arriving at the Baltra airport (tiny), we had to catch a bus to a ferry. We ended up missing the first bus and had to wait a bit for the second one. It was great to have a guide for all of this and not have to worry about logistics. After being on the bus for twelve minutes we arrived to the ferry station. We boarded the ferry heading toward Santa Cruz Island. When we got there, we could see these birds diving like missles into the water. It was insane. It was then we found out that the bus ride that we were supposed to take was out of operation. Our transfer guide Tony did make the best of the situation. He got on the horn and called for pickup. It was going to take quite a bit to arrive, so he commandeered one of the ferries to take us on a private ferry ride, explaining some of the fauna and wildlife in the immediate area. On the half hour ferry ride, we saw blue footed boobies (the birds diving into the water), Herons, Pelicans, Red Mangroves, Frigates. It was not a bad way to pass the time at all. When we got off the ferry, our ride was not here yet, so we stood by the water watching the marine life. We saw tons of little fish, a bunch of puffer fish, and even a couple of sharks. Our ride did show up then in the form of three pickup trucks. We got in and were told since we lost so much time, we would not have a chance to go to the boat first, instead we were meeting the rest of the people on the boat at a point to go look at some Giant Tortises. We met our naturalist Hansel or Hans before boarding the bus. He took somee photos of the transportation disaster. There was 15 in our group. The people that were already on the bus had been on their cruise for a few days longer than us and would be leaving before us. We arrived at a ranch before heading into the Giant Tortise Nature Reserve on Snta Cruz island. From the ranch we made our way into the reserve. Immediately we saw a Giant Tortise. It was amaing, so large. As we approached it, it seemed unphased by us. Hans explained that it was a female and pretty old. You can tell male from female by the shape of the shell, and you can tell its age by how smooth the shell is. When it is younger, the shell has grooves in it, when it is older, the panels on the shell get larger and flatten out. We continued walking, we then came to a pond. At first glance, we thought there was just two large rocks in the water, until we realized it was two giant tortises. There was also one outside of the pond. We went over to it. It was a male, and larger than the one that we had previosly seen. We spent some time observing it as it just kept munching away on the grass.

 

After the Giant Tortise Reserve, we headed to a lava tube. It is a huge tunnel that goes underground that was formed by lava. We walked down into it. It was immense. The ceilings at points was at least forty feet high. It was dark and very wet. After spending time in the lava tube, we boarded back on the bus for a ride to where the boat was docked. We got into the dingies in the dark and headed off for the boat. We were very surprised with it. It ended up being a 75 foot yacht with a brand new interior and three levels. After we threw our stuff into our cabin we headed upstairs for dinner. The dinner was amazing. It is so nice to be able to eat fruits and veggies and not have to think twice about if it is going to cause you to get sick or not. After dinner we had our briefing where Hans let us know what was going to happen the next day. The next day we had breakfast, a landing at North Seamore Island, snorkling, cuise to Chinese Hat Island, Lunch, explore Chinese Hat Island, More Snorkling, Our Briefing, and Dinner.

Day 2 North Seamoyer island was great. During our walk around the island we were able to see many Blue Footed Boobies, Lizards, Frigates with their red pouch inflated, land iguanas, sea iguanas, and tons of crabs. The Blue Footed Boobies are very interesting in their movements. They almost seem as though they are dancing. They pick one blue foot up at a time, switching between the two, up and down. The Frigates are large birds, which are also known as the pirate of the sky. They have a different way of attracting the females. The males have a red pouch on their chest that they inflate with air. It is incredible. Another type of bird that we saw was Swallow Tail Gulls. These are the only species of gull to hunt for food at night. They guide their mates in from hunting for food with a line of phoporesent guano across their beeks and move their heads up and down directing them in the darkness. The marine Iguanas were hard to spot at first since they are black and blend it very well with the lava rock. They are about two feet long and eat algae from rocks in the sea holding their breath for an hour at a time. The land Iguanas were even bigger, probably three feet long. They are vegetarians and actually eat cactus. It was awesome to see all of the wild life. We then got back on board and got ready for some snorkeling. We snorkeled next to North Seamoyre Island. We saw a bunch of Surgonfish, and even a baby sea lion in the water.

The next stop was Chinese Hat Island. It is called this due to it’s shape. It looks very much like the Pizza Hut building. Here the water was amazing, so clear. We first stopped at the island next to it to have a closer look at a penguin. It was awesome. Then we got off on the beach of Chinese Hat Island.

 

We walked for a bit on the rouch lava rocks. We saw a few sets of mother Sea Lions with Babies. It was amazing. The babies had only one thing on their mind and that was food. The mothers actually breast feed their young. At one point we saw a baby that did not have a mother around it. Soon enough we could hear the mother sea lion calling to it’s baby. The baby then ran over to it’s mother.

 

It was so good there. We left our cameras on the beach and then snorkled from the beach. We saw huge schools of fish everywhere as well as many different types. We stayed there for a while, just enjoyng the marine life, taking it all in. We then had our briefing on the next day which would include: Bartholome Island, a Dingy Ride, Snorkeling, cruising to Black Sea Turtle Cove, and another dingy ride at the cove.

Day 3 We awoke to another wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, gronola, yogurt, and fresh squeezed juice. We then piled into the dingys to head to the island. We were told that both Total Recall with Arnold Swatzenegger and Master and Commander were formed here.

 

This island has a different landscape, almost of that of the moon. The volcano here last erupted at the end of the 19th centure. The landscape is a mix of reds and black. We climbed the 370 steps to the lookout point. The lookout was amazing. From there you can see the part of the island that was not affected by the lava. On either side is a golden beach with vegitation in the middle of the two. The contasting colors really made the landscape come to life. We then got into the dingy to see some of the willdlife around the island. We saw sealions, penguins, crabs, herons, and many fish below the surface. Once the ride was over, we were back on the boat with 30 minutes to get ready for some snorkling. We left from the beach and swam alongside the island. It was the best yet. There were so many different fish, wrasse, pufferfish, triggerfish, surgonfish, starfish,urchins, flounder, and many more. We were swimming along when we saw a five foot white tip shark. I must say Casey and I were nervious and fled in the opposite direction. After gethering our cool, we headed back. We ended up seeing a sea turtle. I dove down and swamm next to it for a while. Then a young sealion appeared. It was searching for food on the bottom. I dove down a few times, it would give me a playful look and continue on its way. On the way back we saw another 5 foot white tip shark. This time I swam behind it for a while. It was amazing. Right before getting to the beach their was a penguin in the water. It was not scared of us at all. We were able to swim a foot away from it. It was terrific, it then dove down into the water, I followed it for as long as I could before it swam out of sight. It was an amazing snorkling trip, well worth the cramped calf muscles and blistered toes.

We then jumped back on the boat and headed for Black Sea Turtle Cove, a protected marine reserve. We then boarded the dingies and headed into it. It is an area with many red mangroves. For a good bit of the time in the reserve the captain killed the engine and paddled us along. We saw tons of baby sharks. Apparently it is a good breeding place for them. It did start to drizzle a bit but that tappered off. Then we spotted a sea turtle. It was not afraid of the boats at all, swimming right next to us as we floated by. It was amazing. We ended up seeing three sea turtles, but not much else. On other days you can see many rays and hundreds of Boobies diving into the water going after Sardines. We got back on board to get our briefing and dinner. The next day we would be seeing South Plaza Island and also to Santa Fe Island.

Day 4 We awoke to the sound of Hans ringing the bell. which meant breakfast. Shortly after we boarded the dingies to head to the island. South Plaza is a wedge shaped island, almost resembling a wide door stop. Where you land is at sea level, and the other side of the island is a cliff that is 10 meters high. We started the walk on the island on large slippery white rocks that are made of calcium. Along the way we saw many cacti. These are different for any other cactus that I have ever seen. The actual cactus does not start until a meter or so off the ground. The base is a trunk, it helps keep the cactus off of the ground since the land iguanas eat them. We did see many land iguanas walking about. Hans told us how they have very tough tounges and are able to break the cactus needles with them. Along the way we saw some blue footed boobies and swallow tailed gulls. The views from the cliff edge were amazing. We even had the chance to see a masked boobie. At the end of the island, there was a section of rock that was filled with sea lions. It apparently is like a bachelor pad, where all of the males go. We did spend some time there for some photos. We then continued back down to the lower side of the island to board the dingy.

We then got back on the boat and headed for Santa Fe Island. The boat ride was very bumpy and both Casey and I felt like crap. But then we had the chance to cool off and go snokeling in one of the bays. The water was perfect. It was warm and crystal blue. This time we dove right off the end of the boat. It was a great time snorkleing. There were tons of fish and Sea Lions. I played with them a lot under the water. One was very curious, it would pop its head out of the water when I would and then would put its head under the water when I did. We played this game for about 5 minutes. I then headed towards the beach where Casey close to. There was probably 30 – 50 Sealions on the beach suning themselves. We sat there and watched the Sealions for a while. It was there when we had found out that Casey’s waterproof camera was not that waterproof. You could see the water in the screen. We did not let it ruin the day though. We swam towards the rocks to find some more Sealions. We found a couple of juviniles swimming in the water. They would come very close. I would do flips under the water and they would mimic me doing flips themselves. I think they went and told their friends. They disappeared for a bit and then returned with three more young sealions. They had a stick and were playing with it. It was amazing. We then got back on board to get ready for a beach landing. We actually went to the beach with all of the sealions. They let us lay down right next to them. It was great. We took a short walk to see some very old cactus trees. It was good and then we went back to the boat.

Day 5 The next day was a relaxed day since we were dropping off half of the passengers and picking up some more on San Cristobal Island. We were able to wake up late today, having breakfast at 7:30 instead of 6:30. We then did not have a landing until 8:30. We went to the Interpretation Center. It was pretty neat, it had displays about the history of the islands, the water currents, and how to protect them in the future. After the center we had a bit of time in town to go shopping and hang out. We ate tons of ice cream (it was boiling outside) and bought some snacks for the boat. We then said farewell to the people that were leaving and headed back to the boat for some lunch.

The rest of the day wasn’t too exciting. In the afternoon we met the 9 new people that joined us, we once again had a full boat. We went snorkling late in the afternoon but it wasn’t the best. We didn’t see too much new besides some fish but the visibility wasnt too good. Most of the group just enjoyed the nice beach and went swimming. So we headed back to the boat for dinner. We were excited to find out that we were heading to the 2 most popular islands the next 2 days.

Day 6 After another early wake-up we headed out in the dingys to Espanola Island. We were greeted by sea lions at the tiny dock and a little bit of rain. We saw lots of Iguanas everywhere and walked for about 2km along cliffs with beautiful views. This island is the home to Albatros sea birds, the largest sea birds on earth. They are very beautiful birds and come to the island to mate. They are capable of flying 1000’s of miles without ever landing on land. A little further along the path we came to the blow hole. This is a crack in the rocks on the shoreline that allows air to build up and when the tide comes in the waves force the air out high into the air creating a spectacular spray. Its quite a site to see. After sitting there for a few minutes we walked along to see the outlook over the cliffs.

 

Then we headed back to the dingy’s taking our time to take some more pics and watching your steps since the path is littered with iguanas.

 

Once again it started to rain just as we reached the dock. This time the heavens opened up and we were soaked by the time we reached the boat. After a quick snack we were allowed to go swimming in the ocean, which meant everyone jumped off the top of the boat.

The afternoon was fantastic we cruised to Garner Bay. This white sand beach has crystal clear torquoise waters and is home to about 500 sea lions. We walked along the long stretch of beach and enjoyed watching the sea lions. There are lots of babies along the beach and some of them run up and down the beach crying for their mom’s who are out to see for days at a time hunting food. It was a little sad to see the little guys crying but they are very cute. We took turns getting some good pics with the sea lions. It started to drizzle and we almost headed back to the boat but instead we sat on the beach and just enjoyed being surrounded by 500 sea lions. They are amazing creatures to watch. They are very playful in the water and love to cuddle up with each other and sleep on the beach. We were sad to go this was one of our favorite places.

Day 7 The next morning brought us to Floreana Island. We landed on a beach and walked back a path to a lake full of flamingos. We looked for birds and other endemic plants as we walked. We made our way to Flour beach which is a beautiful white sand beach with torquoise blue waters. This beach is an important nesting spot of sea turtles. You could see their tracks and holes in the sand. We saw tons of crabs on the rocks and sat to enjoy the view for awhile. It was a beautiful morning. After about 2 hours on the island we headed back to the beach where once again we got poured on. We headed back on the dingys and were excited to go snorking at the devil’s crown. This is an underwater volcano crater that sticks out of the water in a crown shape. It was amazing snorkling. We saw tons of bright colored fish, rays, sea lions, star fish, and schools of small jellyfish, that didn’t sting. The currents were strong and pulled you along. It even rained a little while we were in the water but we didn’t mind. It was some of the best snorking yet with so much to see.

In the afternoon we moved about 40 minutes to Post Office Bay. This is the oldest post office in South America. It was started by whaling ships who left a barrel there for mail, passing ships would pick up mail to ports that there were going. It still operates today, mainly by tourists leaving and taking any mail that is where they are going. We left one postcard behind that we mailed to ourselves in hope that one day it will show up.

 

We then went snorking, looking for sea turtles. We were lucky enough to see 2 sea turtles eating away at alge on the rocks. They let you get very close and are not scared, they actually swim right at you so that you have to get out of the way. We took some video with our camera underwater. Unfortunately, this was the end of our time and we headed back to the boat. Before dinner the boat made the 3 hour trip to Santa Cruz island. After dinner we were allowed to enjoy the town, but of course it rained so we opted to stay onboard and begin the depressing task of packing up our stuff.

Day 8 Our last morning onboard we dropped our luggage in the main room and after breakfast headed to the island for one last stop at the Charles Darwin Research Center. This center studies and collects data from over 100 scientists working on the various islands. It is also home to some land tortoises and iguanas. While there we got to see some male tortoises practice his mounting skills on another male while the crowd watched. After the male was on top the one on the bottom voiced his displeasure and ran away.

 

There are baby tortoises too that they raise till about 4 years old when they are released into the wild to help repopulate the species. We enjoyed one last ice cream bar before heading to the bus stop for our sad journey back to Quito and one more night on the town with our fellow travelers.

Reflection - Our time in the Galapagos was amazing.  I recommend the islands highly, they are worth every cent.  It is amazing how the wildlife there has no fear of humans, and how pristine the islands are.  We went with GAP adventures on the Explorer II and they were terrific.  The food was great and the boat was amazing.  Get out there and GO TO THE GALAPAGOS, the sooner the better.

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