Here is a continuation of the Galapagos;
Day 4: San Cristobal Island
This is another island that is inhabited, although it is smaller than Santa Cruz. It has a nice walk along the ocean where they blocked off an area and made a pool with a waterslide for kids (maybe adults too!) In the morning, we took a walk from town to the Interpretation Center. This part was self-guided reading on 3 topics: Geology, History, and present conservation efforts. The Geology was pretty simple. The islands were formed from volcanoes, and some were actually land masses under the sea that rose up too. I believe on Isabella Island, there are still active volcanoes. I wish I had seen Isabella but it was part of the cruise to the north islands versus the south that I did. I guess I will just have to come back (maybe in May with Nik and Julie!). The history was very interesting. The Spanish conquistadors came over during the time they were conquering South America. Of course, once they came, they exploited the hell out of it. So, the Galapagos is not completely untouched like you would think. In fact, they killed all the tortoises off of Floreana so they are now extinct. Also, many of the convicts were went from the mainland to the Galapagos, similar to Australia. At one point, the treatment and brutality of the convicts was so bad that they revolted and killed the guy in charge of them. They also established a Sugar Factory and treated everyone pretty poorly there and they killed him as well. It also was interesting to read about all the other countries that tried to buy the Galapagos Islands. It is the perfect strategic point near the Panama Canal. However, when any country tried to buy it, the deal was sabotaged by other countries that wanted it. So, The Galapagos Islands still belongs to Ecuador (as it should). (As an aside, I learned a little more from the Brits about the war by Margaret Thatcher against Argentina for the Falcon Islands. It wasn´t that she wanted them so much as it was a way to unite the country and make them want to fight for their land over there, which it worked). Presently, there is a lot of conservation and they are trying to be completely green, with projects to go 100% solar and wind. The Galapagos has grown so much as well over the last 20 years or so and they are going to start limiting the tourists that come come as well as start charging twice the $100 fee they currently have to visit. I was very impressed with the conservation going on here and it really reinforces my desire to get back into the environmental field. As far as ecology, they really preserve that as well. For instance, the airport is on one island and there is a narrow channel between it and Santa Cruz and they decided against building a bridge because it may affect the island animal life. The guides are very adamant about not touching for feeding the animals too and it really seems like people respect that which is great! That is what amazed me so much about how the animals come right up to you, sea lions even sniffing you, but they do it out of lack of fear, not because they are being fed. I have never seen anything like that in my life. It goes back to how I was feeling in Peru about enslaving animals and the Galapagos is a utopia of sorts where people live among them and allow them to live wild.
In the afternoon, we went to Lobos Island, or Sea Lion Island (many have several names). Here again, we saw tons of sea lions, mostly females nursing their young. It was so beautiful to see 3 day old sea lions and older ones too nursing from their mothers. They make these really cute sucking noises while they go from nipple to nipple. Many of the baby sea lions that were days old were also left alone while their mothers went out in search of food. They make the cutest cries (compared to the older babies which bark). Sadly, I also saw dead baby sea lions. I found this to be the case on almost every island. This usually is the result of either the mother being killed while searching for food, or the older siblings taking all the milk so they younger ones starve. And other sea lions do not adopt them. That of course made me very sad, as you all know how much I love animals and have so much sympathy for them. However, that is reality and that is evolution and that is what the Galapagos is all about. It forces me to confront that. (And I am reading this really great thought provoking book I will tell you ,more about because it has affected me greatly on this trip). In addition to sea lions, we also saw the magnificent frigget, a black bird in which the male has this read thing hanging from him, like a rooster has but this is under the chin. When the males are wanting to mate, it blows up like a big red balloon. It was pretty cool to see. As we were leaving the dock in the panga, there were a bunch of baby sea lions and a male that was protecting them. Everytime we would try to get into the panga, he would come at us and snarl. It was really funny. One by one, we made a break for it until we were all in the panga. Later, we went snorkeling again and I while I was underwater, I watched this baby sea lion playing with a stick. He kept letting it go and twisting and turning and chasing it. It reminded me of how Cabo plays with his toys in the yard by himself.
Later that afternoon, I pulled out my ipod and sat on the deck listening to music. I have been so wrapped up in exploring and my own thoughts, I really hadn´t had time to listen to music. It really made me happy to listen and watch waves crash into the island. Later that nite, after having some beers with the British couple in town again, I brought out my poi and spun for awhile. I finally learned how to spin backwards, after so long of trying!!! So there I was, listening to my favorite music, spinning poi, on a boat, under the starts and full moon....
Day 5: Isla Sante Fe and Islas Plazas
We went for a hike in the morning on the island and saw a different type of land iguana (only in this island), more sea lions, and the island was covered in prickly pear cactus. The cactus is a little different than Arizona as the trunks are like trees with the prickly pear at the top. They even have goatheads!!! We also saw the Galapagos hawk which is pretty magnificent - it is the top dog on the food chain. After the hike, we went snorkeling and I saw a lobster, a huge sea turtle, sea lions, a huge stingray, and trumpetfish. Then...I got stung by a jellyfish! It really, really hurt (it was almost electric) and I was going to get out onto the boat and look for sympathy but I ended up giving it a few minutes and kept snorkeling. This was the last snorkeling we had while on the cruise...figures I would end it that way. :)
In the afternoon, we went to Islas Plazas. Here we saw a different type of land iguana, sea lions, and a bunch of different types f birds nesting...blue footed boobies, friggets, lava gulls, pelicans. It was also really cool because we saw two crabs pinched together and we watched for bit while the guide described that they were mating. Pretty soon one flipped on top of the other and they stayed like that and then they broke apart and the female laid the eggs in the water.
That night, we had farewell drinks with the crew which was really nice.
Day 6: Santa Cruz Island
In the morning, Maggie woke me up to tell me there were sharks out around the boat. I booked upstairs and sure enough, there were a bunch of them circling in the water. You could see their fins and then when they came near the boat, you could see the entire shark which were 6-8 feet long. It was a great start to the morning. After breakfast, we took the panga out to the mangroves in Black Turtle Bay. Here we got to see lots of black sea turtles and some of them were mating at the top of the water. It´s crazy because the male almost drowns the female while it´s happening. We also saw a bunch of fish jumping all around the mangrove area, as well as a bunch of birds: egrets, herrings, boobies, gulls, and pelicans. This was the last trip for us and they dropped us off near the airport, while I had to go all the way back to town.
When I arrived in town, I was looking for a cheap place to stay and was calling some places when this girl offered to bring me to the place she had for rent for $15. When I got there, I was greeted by two enormous, well taken care of dogs and then her sister or daughter (not sure which), introduced me to the kitten as well (my kind of place!). The room was huge and really nice and had a bathroom too. They had basically added a whole building with a couple rooms to rent out. It was a super nice place and I was very happy! So, I left my stuff and took a walk through town. I went back to the kioskas (where we had drinks with the firefighter from Winipeg) and had the plate of the day...soup, rice, plantains, shrimp, and coconut drink for $3. There, I met a couple who were going to live in Cusco, and their mother (one of theirs). Then she mentions that she is from Alaska. I ask where and low and behold...she is from Ketchikan (where I worked 4 summers). She then tells me about the owner´s grandson Shane that I knew and he died of a drug reaction-overdose a few years ago, which was sad. She also knew the superintendent of the school that my ex´s parents are great friends with. Small world! She also had just left Bonaire and told me how incredible it is, - you can scuba dive at the dock and its great!
After lunch, I hiked a few miles out to Tortuga Bay beach. It was all paved in stones and winds its way through this little park to two beaches. The first beach I got to was a surfing beach and I jumped right in. The waves were really great and I was so wishing I had a boogie board with me but I found out you had to rent them in town. So, I played and body surfed and watched all the surfers have fun. I stayed for awhile and then headed back so I could go visit Darwin Station, where they have breeding grounds for the Giant Galapagos Tortoises. On the way, I booked my scuba dive for the next morning and then I ran into a guy I met on the bus from the airport, Phil from Calgary, and told him and he booked the same dive shop.
Darwin Station: There wasn´t a whole lot there, but I did get to see the incubators for the bay tortoises and I also saw he adult enclosure. In there, I saw two male tortoises and I am not quite sure but I think they were going to fight, or were at least staring each other down and hissing. I also saw the infamous ¨Lonesome George¨ He is one of the last tortoises of his kind and when he dies, they will be extinct. Unfortunately, they have tried and he has not bred with any female tortoises (I didn´t pay for a guide so i didn´t get the full scoop) He is 90 now and they don´t think he ever will. Poor George! Pobrecito!
Later that nite, I went out for dinner at the kioskas again and had tuna in coconut sauce with rice and a big beer (our 40ozer). It was delicious. Then I was walking down by the port and they had this concert going on and there were tons of people dancing out in the park.
Day 7: Scuba Diving @ Gordon´s Rocks
Got up super early (such is the scuba life) to go scuba diving. As I was leaving, I did the one thing I was not supposed to do, I accidentally let the dogs out. The first one was so damn quick he pushed through me and bolted. Stunned, I went after him and the second one bolted. Luckily, the girl´s mother was there and said not to worry (they were back by the time I got home from diving). I was a little apprehensive fro diving only because I had heard that diving in the Galapagos is very difficult due to currents. In fact, the British guy on the cruise told me he didn´t think he had it in him to do 3 dives since he was exhausted from his 2, and we had 3 dives scheduled. Went out with the boat captain, 2 divemasters, who were both really cool, myself, Phil from Calgary, 4 Japanese people, and two swedish girls. We all had 7 mil wetsuits on and of course, I kept saying I didn´t want one but they made me wear it anyway (I was used to Caribbean diving, not the Pacific). The top of the water was nice, but soon we hit a thermocline and it was so,so very, very cold! However, we drifted in and out of the thermoclines so it got better. During the three dives we saw many sharks, even a few hammerheads, sea lions, turtles, big tangs, parrotfish, pufferfish, and manta rays. It was amazing! I had never seen sharks before like that and they just kept circling with the fish in this one large area. the diving was definitely difficult though. Several times we had to grab hold of rocks so we wouldn´t drift away from the group, as the visibility was not so good and we might have lost each other. Not fun to be diving into the abyss. There were times where we struggled against the currents to keep up with the divemaster and it was funny because I noticed none of us were moving any further forward against the current. At one point, the divemaster had us climb on the rocks, literally climbing from rock to rock to get where we needed to go. All in all, it was a fantastic day and a great diving experience. There were two diovemasters, Richard, and Maccaron, the owner. I asked them how long they ha been diving for and Macaroon proceeded to tell me he had been diving for 23 years, 8 of which were for spearfishing (which is illegal but he did it anyway). He then told me about the day, 15 years ago when he went to spear a jack and something flashed in its eyes and he couldn´t do it and never fished again. That´s when he became a scuba instructor. I though that was really cool!
Day 8: Leaving Galapgos
I was so sad to be leaving the Galapagos. That day there was supposed to be this huge party on the beach that everyone in the islands goes to. But I had to leave. At the bus station, I ran into the other divemaster, Richard. He was going to the airport to meet his friends co,ming from Switzerland. We spent a lot of time together until I left and He was such an interesting guy. He had been diving for 11 years (he´s young too!) and just got back to the Galapagos after spending a few years in Switzerland as well as studying to be a chef in Italy. He has been diving in Bonaire and the Yucatan too and did a lot of studies on hyperbaric chambers (where you go when you get the ¨bends¨which is nitrogen toxicity from diving - mostly fisherman get it because they don´t follow the rules. Anyway, I was really glad I ran into him again before I left.
So, that was my Galapagos trip. I will post pictures when I can. In the meantime, I posted some pictures of Lake Titicaca and the Inca Trail so scroll down below.
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