February 4th, 2006

Today was the end of the trip. Sadly, we did not get to se one last bit of scenery or beach, as the people on the Wednesday to Wednesday trip had done. But then, we were farther from the airport. So after packing up the last of our stuff and saying good-byes and thank-yous to the crew, we headed to shore in Puerto Ayora. Janine and Rob had lost their printed tickets, so they went straight to the TAME office to get them reprinted, only a bit nervous. Erica and I took the ½ hour to finally attempt to buy souveniers for ourselves and to take home. Since it was early and not much was open, we went into the first shop we saw, were indecisive for about 20 minutes, then settled on a couple of t-shirts and such. We felt justified when we noticed that all the shops had the same items. From Puerto Ayora we took a taxi to the bus stop, then a bus to the Baltra Airport. We met Rob and Janine at the boat transfer to Baltra, since their tickets had taken a while to print so they had to take a taxi – they beat us there. In the airport, Daphnie got her passport back, and all five of us waited for the plane together. We said good-byes there, since Erica and I were the only ones going to Quito.
Once in Quito there was only a bit of confusion as apparently Zenith Travel had decide to book us a hotel for the night, even though we had a reservation at the hostel we had stayed in before. IT was sorted out and we checked into Posada del Maple before dark, switched our flights to return to Miami tomorrow rather than Sunday, and went out for a bit to check email and get dinner.
Both of us decided today that it was now time to go home. I realized I had the same feeling all of the other trips for the “one extra day” I was going to spend somewhere. Erica pointed out that it was just because there was only a day. If we had planned to spend a chunk of time in Quito (or wherever) it would be like starting another trip, and maybe feel less like we were ready to be home. A note for future travel, I suppose.

February 3rd, 2006

RABIDA
I woke up feeling somewhat sick this morning, which unfortunately ahs made most of today not particularly pleasant. But there were still good parts of the day. We started with a wet landing on a beach that seemed part dark sand, part dirt, populated by several sea lions. We walked from the beach up to a little hill and then along a cliff shore. Today was the first that John talked about “Darwin Finches” and suddenly everyone wanted to take pictures of them. Sadly, they are camera shy and no one succeeded. From there we walked to a pond that used to have Flamingos in it, and now has several sea lions instead.
The next two hours were spent on the beach. Erica, Janine, and I walked up the beach, but didn’t find much interesting. We all snorkeled from the beach, though, which was great. After the grumpy male sea lion had moved his barking down the shore a bit, we got in and swam along the rocks. This was the clearest day for snorkeling so far, and the fish and small growths along the rocks were quite pretty. I saw a bullet of a small penguin dive into the water, bob to the surface, and then disappear. There were also several sea lions that swam past us.

SANTA CRUZ – Cerro Dragon
While we were getting ready to go to shore, the “kid” in the crew (probably my age) pushed our panga driver into the water. Erica commented that it was the most she’d seen the driver smile since we’ve been here.
Once on the shore, with a somewhat wet driver, we walked for 1 ½ - 2 hours on trails from Cerro Dragon, a beach on Santa Cruz. There were a few land iguanas and 2 flamingos, but other than that, very little wild life. I was feeling sick again by the time we were halfway through the walk, so I didn’t enjoy it very much. When we went back to the boat I opted out of snorkeling, took a shower, and went to bed. Erica, Janine, and Rob said they got to “play” with a sea lion while they were snorkeling, though.
I got up after dinner and had a small piece of the apple cake that the cook baked for us. He was also very cute and very happy when a couple people asked to take pictures with him. Rob, Janine, Erica, and I stayed up for a few hours chatting. I declined to join in on the rum and beer, but it was a good deal of fun.

February 2nd, 2006

BARTOLOME
With no sailing last night, it was quiet all night. However, we got here after dark and could not see the landscape until this morning. We were anchored between Bartolome and Santiago, both much younger islands than any we’ve visited so far, and thus much more dramatic. First thing after breakfast we took a panga ride along the rocky shore of the island to look for penguins. We saw 3 of them, though only briefly. They are shy little creatures. Then, around an impressive jut of rocks, we landed to walk to the peak of Bartolome. The island is sculpted out of lava flows and slightly worn ash rocks with two beaches below. The main volcano that formed this and Santiago is on Santiago, with smaller ones all around. From the top of Bartolome was a spectacular view.
After coming down the stairs again, we went to the beaches. We landed on one, then walked to the other one to see the sharks that swim there. At any one time you could see at least six in the shallow water, though never close enough to make you nervous about your ankles in the surf. Then back to the other side to snorkel at the shark-free beach. There were more fish here than any of the other places, including starfish, and I saw a barracuda (I think).

SANTIAGO – Puerto Egas
The next four hours were spent sailing around Santiago to the landing point at the black-sand beach of Puerto Egas. Along the way, we passed many dramatic landscapes where you could see where lava had flown or where the island had been pushed in a buckle through the water. Landing on the beach we were greeted by sea lions, and some snorkelers. Just above the beach there was a game of soccer being played by the crews of the boats there. Apparently two brothers had tried to make an industry on the island years ago – and now what’s left is a couple of buildings, some paths, and a soccer field. We walked mostly along the rocky shore of the island, which was beautiful in itself. The combination of the lava flows and the sculpting of the ocean was striking. We also found the cutest sea lion pup yet – John said she looked to be about a week old, and she had tucked herself into a little rock crevice. We decided we were going to pretend that her mother was out eating some of the 11 kg/day that mother sea lions eat, rather than possibly having abandoned the pup because some tourist had touched it and changed her smell. There were also fur seals on the island – not actually seals, but another type of sea lion. They were smaller, with shorter snouts and larger eyes and ears. Some people saw Galapagos hawks, which apparently have a lek behavior – many males and one female occupy a territory.
This evening was a very rocky 3 hour sail so that we can have another quiet night.

February 1st, 2006

NORTH SEYMORE
This morning was a relatively late start – 7:00 breakfast – and then a walk on the island. There were, of course, sea lions at the landing, cute as ever! From there we walked around the island for about an hour and a half, mostly looking at the birds. Blue footed Boobies were dancing and whistling/honking and then ignoring each other. And lots and lots of Frigate Birds. It is in the midst of the 400 days of mating season, and then there will be two years off. As a result, there were many nests with fluffy chicks and quite a few white-headed juveniles. There were also showy males. When they were posing, their red ballooned chests could be seen from a great distance. When they weren’t showing off, they simply had red waddles of the uninflated skin. The iguanas on this island are decendants of ones that were saved from U.S. bomb testing on Baltra.

BALTRA
After a quick sail, we arrived in Baltra to send off the 5 people who were leaving and wait for the new passengers. In the mean time, Janine, Rob, Erica, and I asked to go to shore to buy bear because, as Rob put it yesterday “there’s an emergency on the boat – we’re out of beer!” We ended up having to stay on the island until 12:00, which meant sitting on the beach and getting a little sunburned. But the water was a great temperature.

BACAS
This afternoon, after we got five new passengers, we did a wet landing on Bacas to “look for flamingos.” Turned out there were 2 on the island – in separate ponds. But there were loads of turtles’ nests. Unfortunately, I knew a bit more about sea turtle’s nesting and navigation than John did, but he got most of it right and nothing blatantly wrong, just missed a few things. However, it was neat to see the nest immediately after seeing two pairs of mating turtle on the sail to Bacas. After that there was time on the beach. We all tried snorkeling, but mostly only briefly, as the water was quite cloudy. But Erica, Janine, and I just swam for a bit since the water was the warmest it’s been yet. Back on the boat we sailed for a rocky 3 hours before dinner, then chatted with the new passengers for a bit before most people headed to an early bed.

January 31st, 2006

SANTA FE
I once again woke up to seeing sea lions leaping through the water just outside our cabin, and the strange barking of the sea lions coming from all sides. After breakfast we headed to land, pulling the panga up to a stretch of beach full of sea lions. There were barking males, sleeping females, and playful pups. One pup came right up and sniffed at John’s feet and others’ knees. She also sat amongst a group, rolling her head to dry to look at everyone. Unfortunately, her eyes were somewhat glazed as if there were something wrong with them. From the beach we walked the rocky trail to the top of a hill where there were land iguanas. We looped around the trail a bit longer, then back down to the sea lion beach and onto the boat.
From the boat we quickly grabbed snorkel gear and got into the water. We saw fish, a couple of sea lions in the water, and a green turtle! He swam gracefully and slowly and let us follow along and get right next to him. At that point, I got cold, so after looking this 5 foot turtle in the eye, I got out.
During lunch while we were sailing, John called us all out to see the dolphins! They leapt and swam and played in front of the boat for at least 20 minutes!

NORTH PLAZA
About 2 hours of sailing later, we arrive at North Plaza, where several people did more snorkeling. It was cloudy and windy at that point, so Erica, Janine, and I declared it too cold to go swimming and stayed on the boat reading and napping.

SOUTH PLAZA
A short panga ride got us to this island, which again abounded in adorable sea lions. We all decided that we’d probably taken about half our pictures of sea lions. On this island, there were also land iguanas, marine iguanas, and (precisely) two hybrids, which apparently cannot reproduce themselves. There were also finches, gulls, “Tropic Birds” with beautiful tales, and more dead animals than we’ve seen anywhere else. Perhaps it was just that there was very little cover on the island to hide carcasses that we noticed them. One side of the island was cliffs, climbed by the “loser” male sea lions – the ones who didn’t win any female mates. The rest of the afternoon was spent sailing and reading, with a beautiful sunset and chit-chatting after dinner.

January 29th, 2006

FLOREANA
This morning started off grey and stayed that way all day. On our way to shore, we found a second meaning for “wet landing” when the skies opened up and started pouring. As we got to the lava cave we were heading for, however, the rain had let up. The lava cave was created when running lava solidified on the surface but continued to flow below, leaving this hollow cave/tunnel. The theory is that this means there are likely to be more scattered throughout the island. Inside the cave was quite high, and very dark. We descended almost straight down, the path straightened to a gradual slope inside. As we found our way with a few flashlights, there were several comments about who would be eaten by a monster if it were a movie. There was water at the end of the cave, but only a couple people ventured all the way to putting their feet in.
Next, on the way back to the beach, as it still was not raining, we stopped at the “post office” where sailor sued to leave letters home. Any sailors returning to the mainland were supposed to deliver them. Today the barrel is full of post cards from tourists and surrounded by signs announcing who has been there. Tourists are now the ones who are supposed to deliver the cards to near-by addresses when they go home. The beach itself was not exciting. We were going to snorkel, but there wasn’t much to see and the water was cold (at least, I found it cold). Erica and I wandered along the rocks for a bit, and when we got back were told we should have. Ooops. And then, back to the boat a bit early, as everyone was cold.
We motored around the island and had lunch before getting off again. This time we went to “Devil’s Crown” to snorkel. It was still grey, the water cold, and occasionally raining, so I almost didn’t go. I’m glad I changed my mind, though, as it was a really neat place! Several large rocks stuck out of the water to form nearly a circle, with one in the middle. We snorkeled around the outside of the longest rock, and thin into the shallower water inside. I saw two sharks, several sea lions, many rays (eagle rays according to our guide), blue footed boobies on the rocks, and approximately a million fish. The fish varied a great deal in size and color. I recognized Angel Fish and Parrot Fish, but most of the rest I couldn’t identify. I got out of the water before some people, as I was again quite cold. Also, my mask kept fogging, so I must remember to soap it and see if that helps.
After a short return to the boat – and a change into dry clothes – back to the beach, this time at Punta Cormorant. On landing we were greeted by a dead sea lion lying on the beach. Around the corner, a live one was guarding the trail. He sort of huffed at us as we took pictures and walked around him to the trail. First on the trail was a flamingo pond. There were several relatively close to us, including one juvenile that was just starting to turn pink. We hid from the rain underneath a tree while looking at them. Up over the ridge to the other side of the island we found another beach. From this beach, you could see golden rays, sharks, and green turtles swimming, as well as a few sea lions sunning and many many brightly colored crabs on the rocks. Beautiful spot – and the sky finally start to clear just before we left at 6:00. Now we’re on the boat for another night sail and an early morning start tomorrow.

January 30th, 2006

ESPANOLA
Up bright and early to be on shore as the sun rose. It turned out to be a great idea, because we beat the heat and the other tourists, and caught all the animals in their morning routines. The sea lions were lounging about across the paths and on the beaches. Just the babies were awake, sometimes nudging moms to roll over so they could nurse (apparently sea lions nurse for 1 year and the mothers can become pregnant again a few weeks after giving birth), sometimes playing in the waves with each other. SO cute. There were also sluggish iguanas before the sun came up. And tons of birds. Nasca Boobies were nesting and feeding their young and some juveniles (who were rather ugly) were causing trouble. Blue-Footed Boobies who whistled and quacked and danced. There were also doves and gulls and frigate birds. And of course, beautiful (if rocky) views. Then back on the boat as loads of somewhat older groups from fancier boats got to the island for their tour.

SAN CRISTOBAL
After about 4 hours of boating we arrived at the port where the Poseidon “makes berth.” We were quickly ushered off the boat and onto the island. There was a museum of sorts – “the Interpretation Center” – that had lots of information on the human history and current conservation of the islands. There was also some information on evolution and the formation of the islands. From there, Erica and I walked into town to find a post office and ice cream (nice and cold!). The directions we got to the post office were a bit confusing, so we asked a second time when we realized we were probably on the wrong street. Found the post office and some ice cream, but everything else was closed. Then we tried to find a snorkel spot that John (our guide) had pointed out to us on the map. However, we wound up at a beach. We stuck our feet in the water and declared it far too cold to swim or snorkel. Instead, we watched the sea lions and turtles in the water for a bit, then made another attempt at finding the snorkel spot. After starting at the beginning again, we succeeded. It was a beautiful spot to sit in for a little while, even without the snorkeling. Then another walk back over the rocky trails to meet the panga at 6:00. After dinner, several of us hung out around the dining table, discussing travel, TV, politics, and pets.

January 28th, 2006

SANTA CRUZ
Today was full of a lot of traveling – most of it somewhat confusing. Left the hostel at about 7:30, figured out the three places we were supposed to go to get checked in at the airport, and left at 9:30. The flight made a 40 minute stop in Guayaquil, and then on to Isla Baltra in the Galapagos. On arrival, I fist left my jacket on the airplane – thankfully realized it in time to get it back – and then we finally found our guide, who didn’t have a sign like everyone else, but instead sported a “Yate Poseidon” hat that was supposed to be identification enough. Well, we did eventually find him. Then we waited for a while for the other passengers and for a bus that wasn’t full. From bus to small ferry boat that got us to Santa Cruz, from small ferry boat to another bus across the island, and from there to our boat. Everything got easier from there.
It turns out that Erica and I got the “luxury” room – the only one above deck. After plopping bags and taking a peak around, we headed to the Charles Darwin Station for more wildlife. While waiting for the dingy (“panga”) to get onto the boat, we had already seen bright red crabs, a small iguana, and a sea lion rolling around along the edge of the water near the dock. From the boat we saw a swimming marine iguana and a pelican that was hanging out on the bow of the boat.
Docking at the Charles Darwin Station, we found dozens of marine iguanas sunning themselves. At the station itself, we mostly saw giant tortoises. First our guide gave us a history of how they have been wiped out from several islands and what kinds of recovery efforts are being made. Hatching eggs at the station and raising them for 4 to 5 years was making progress on restoring the population to many islands. However, there is one male at the Charles Darwin Station who refuses to mate (this led to several entertaining stories of efforts to get him to procreate). “Lonesome George” is said to be less than 100 years old (tortoises can live about 200 years, they think) and was the last giant tortoise on Pinta. There are some tortoises that have mated in captivity, and there are many young tortoises who were born at the station after their eggs were collected from the wild (and carefully transported right-side up). They also control the sex of the hatchlings by varying the temperature of the incubators, generally trying for more females.
We caught a glimpse of George, and saw several other male giant tortoises up close. Then, in an effort to avoid annoying people who complained at the inconveniences imposed on them to benefit the animals (such as walking around the feeding pad rather than over it), we headed into town - Puerto Ayora. This is the same town we got off the second bus in. Erica and I were still hungry, having not really eaten a meal all a day, and grabbed some food in town, then made a failed attempt to mail post cards. Then back on the boat for the night, with an overnight sail planned to Floreana.

January 27th, 2006

ECUADOR
Arrived in Quito yesterday, after a very long day of travel. Not that there was anything wrong with the flights – actually, it was completely problem free – just that it was a long day. We even took some of out 6-hour layover in Miami to stop at Erica’s house, get lunch out of the airport, and drive around Miami for a bit. It passed the time. On arrival to Quito there was only one person there to greet us – a relief considering both the hostel and Zenith Travel wanted to send someone to greet us. Sadly, though, Zenith Travel could not tell us what time the flight was going to leave on Saturday. A bit frustrating at this point. The hostel, “Posada del Maple” is very nice. And Erica and I have the room to ourselves!
Today we got up in time to grab a banana from the breakfast table as it was being cleared, and then headed into the “old town” or “centro historico.” We went via bus, which cost $0.25 and got us right where we wanted to be… unfortunately, at some bad advice, we stayed on the bus for one more stop, which meant a longer up-hill walk to where we were going. The bus stops aren’t really labeled or announced. Walking around the historic city, we stopped at several somewhat random places. “Casa Sucre” was the first – a museum that had filled the neat colonial-style house with period furniture, paintings of official looking men, and various displays on a war that we knew nothing about. Next was Cathedral San Francisco – mostly to get inside a building after some sketchy American asked us for money. While waiting for our eyes to adjust to the dark so that we could see the gold-covered walls and ceilings, Mass started. We took a quick peak at the back of the Cathedral and headed out. Next coffee at some chain place (a slightly more up-scale fast food – they had real dishes). Then we actually found the entrance to the “Centro Cultura” that we had been looking for earlier. It turned out to be mostly a large library in an interesting building. There was a museum that we elected not to go into, and several small galleries. One was full of black and white made-up clowns doing silly things in the middle of the street. Another room had large black and white dotted canvases forming pictures of people. Across the room were the sketches that the painting came from. There were also 2 large photographs – one said it was digitally altered, the other just said “photograph.” That other one was of a guy standing on a balcony that overlooked NYC with a plane flying below him. The digital date at the bottom: 09-11-01.
After lunch, a siesta, and finally figuring out what time we were leaving tomorrow morning, we grabbed a bus to “El Mitad del Mundo” – The Middle of the World. The bus was actually two busses and took about twice as long as the guidebook claimed it would. But we got there and it wasn’t very crowded. The monument was neat, but I think we were both more impressed by the mountains and the clouds moving across them basically at eye level. Inside the monument there was an extensive museum on the various Ecuadorian peoples. It was interesting, though too much similar information to take in all at once. The small “village” of shops and cafes at the foot was closing when we left, so we grabbed a quick bite and got back on the bus. The return ride was uneventful, though we spent significant periods not knowing where we were and hoping we’d recognize our stops. Worked out fine. Now, after dinner, it’s off to an early and sleepy bed.