South America: Galapagos Islands 2009

"The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are."

Samuel Jackson      

This is the continuing account of my 2009 trip to the South American countries of Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with my travel companions Art Clarke (Peru portion), Don Peddle (Ecuador & Galapagos portion) and Paul Delaney (see other blogs in this series).

On November 19, 2009 Don Peddle, Paul Delaney and myself flew to the...........

Galapagos Islands

Sitting right atop the equator, approximately 600 miles directly west of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands had no original inhabitants. They were discovered in 1535 by Thomas de Berlanga, the Spanish Bishop of Panama, when his ship drifted by the islands.  Reportedly in the 17th and 18th centuries, ocean pirates used the islands as rendezvous points, as well as for fresh food and water.  The Galapagos was finally annexed by Ecuador in 1832, and a decade later, a few small settlements were established on some of the islands.

Visited by the English naturalist Charles Darwin in 1835, his subsequent studies of local wildlife noted that almost all the animals and plants here were endemic to the islands, which of course contributed to his famous theory of natural selection, and put these special islands on the map for the rest of the world to experience.  The islands became Ecuador's first national park, and these now aggressively protected islands and surrounding marine reserve were both declared World Heritage sites.

  

We were picked up at the airport and brought to our boat the M.V. Angelique.......

The M.V. Angelique will be home for the next 8 days.  Paul managed to score a berth unto himself, while Don and I share tight quarters!

The dining area.  What she lacked in luxury she gained in hospitality.

The bunks.

After getting settled in on the Angelique, we headed ashore to see the Galapagos giant tortoise......

The Galapagos tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise in the world, and a fully grown adult can weigh over 400 kilograms and measure 1.8 metres long.

The tortoise is among the longest lived of all vertebrates, with a life expectancy in the wild estimated to be 150 years.

Tortoise numbers have fallen dramatically from over 250,000 when first discovered to 20,000 in the modern day.  The decline was brought about by the unchecked hunting of tortoise for meat and oil, habitat clearance for agriculture, and the introduction of vermin and destructive grazers to the once-isolated islands.

"You talking to me?  Are YOU talking to me?"

"I tell ya the box would be this big with tins of turtle soap!"

The Obligatory Picture with an unco-operating tortoise with a major I-don't-give-a-shit attitude.

The tortoise is native to seven volcanic islands of the Galapagos archipelago, lying west of Ecuador.  Spanish explorers who discovered the islands in the 16th century were purportedly struck by the resemblance of the local tortoises' shells to the shape of a saddle known as a 'galapago', and this is popularly said to be the origin of the name of the archipelago. The variation in form played a role in Charles Darwin's development of the theory of evolution with respect to the transmutation of species on the second voyage of HMS Beagle......

.....Don was in a small female shell......emphasis on small, whereas my shell was MUCH bigger!!  It's a man thing!!

We sail all night and the next day we are at.........

Floreana Island

One of the oldest islands, Floreana illustrates the aging process of a volcanic island.  Unlike the younger western islands, Floreana's volcano has been long extinct and it is in the advanced stages of erosion.  The erosion process gave the island the nutrients and soils needed to sustain plant life.  The combination of this rich soil and a good water supply have given the highlands of Floreana a diversified landscaping of native and introduced flora.

Foreana is best known for its colourful history of buccaneers, whalers, convicts and colonists.  In 1793 British whalers established the Post Office barrel to send letters to and from England.  This tradition has continued over the years, and even today visitors may drop off and pick up letters, without stamps, to be carried to far destinations.  

Punta Cormorant offers two highly contrasting beaches, the 'landing' beach is of volcanic origin and is composed of olivine crystals, giving its greenish tinge.  At the end of the short trail is a carbonate beach of extremely fine white sand.  Formed by the erosion of coral skeletons, it is a nesting sit for green sea turtles.

The MV Angelique anchored at Post Office Bay while we were onshore exploring!

This is one of the few visitor sites that is visited for its human history.  Whaling Captain James Colnett established the wooden post barrel in the early 1793.  At the time whaling was a big industry, ships were typically gone for 2 years at a time.  The Galapagos Islands were a frequent stop for these ships.  Outbound ships would drop off letters after rounding the Cape and the ships returning home would mail them.

Over the years thousands of ships have stopped to send and receive mail at Post Office Bay from this barrel.  Letters are extracted from the barrel and brought home with the traveller and then mailed to the addressee.  

There is a lava tube tunnel just a few feet past the post barrel.  If you have an adventurous spirit then this is the right site to explore.  You descend into the lava tube by steps and ropes.

The lava tubes were created in larger lava flows when the exposed outside solidified earlier and the molten lava inside kept flowing leaving behind empty tunnels and chambers.

Once you arrive to the lava tube you will walk for a few minutes until you reach water at the base of the tube.  Then you will have to wade through the water and by the time you reach the cave's mouth, you'll be swimming in the water....we opted out!!

The obligatory lava tunnel picture!

Meanwhile back at the beach.....

The beach was crisscrossed with what looked like dune-buggy tracks, but they were actually nesting sea turtles.

This sea turtle came ashore, took a look around and decided to go back into the ocean.......I followed!!

This is the first time I've ever seen a sea turtle and to get this close was totally awesome. I swam along side for a few minutes before he headed for deeper waters.

Awesome creature.

The extremely colourful Sally Lightfoot Crab was very abundant in Post Office Bay.

After a morning of exploring Floreana Island we went back to the boat for lunch......

Don picking a few chords with his new chirango that he bought at Otavalo Market on mainland Ecuador last week.

After lunch we headed back to Floreana Island and landed on Punta Cormorant......... 

We landed on Punta Cormorant's olivine crystal beach, which is of volcanic origin and gives it a greenish tinge.

We headed across the point and stopped at the soda lake to look at flamingos.

The Greater Flamingo lives around the brackish waters of some of the lagoons located on several of the Galapagos Islands.  Their bright pink colour stands out impressively in contrast to the dark background of volcanic lava from the Islands.

For feeding, these shore birds move their bills upside down underwater to gather and sift the bottom sediment.  Flamingos feed on crustaceans like shrimp and small water plants.  The colour of the feathers is determined by their diet.  Their food is full of substances called carotenoid pigments that cause flamingo feathers to become pink.

And then we went for a snorkel off Punta Cormorant at the "Devil's Crown"........

Located just off Punta Cormorant is the best snorkelling in the Galapagos!  To see the crown you need to go underwater, an almost completely submerged volcano, which erosion has transformed the cone into a series of jagged peaks creating the "Devil's Crown". 

This was our second snorkelling trip today and like the first one, the sites were amazing!!  Such as the thousands of fish swimming on the sides of the submerged volcano cone!

I was snorkelling along minding my own business, when Paul signal to me to look over my shoulder.....

.....this fella came up totally out of the blue.  Talk about an awesome feeling seeing such a creature in it's element.

I could not believe how close this pup got!  His curiosity was enough for him to come right up to my face and kiss (??) me on the cheek....what a totally awesome experience!!

As I come up for air I see Mom sea-lion barking on the rock for the curious pup!

Not all the creatures were as smooth in the water as the sea-lion pup....hey Paul!!

Sally Lightfoot crabs entertain us while we wait to be picked up.

We sail all night and the next day we are at.......

Espanola Island

Espanola (Hood) Island:  Its name was given in honour of Spain.  It is also known as Hood Island after Viscount Samuel Hood.  It has an area of 60 square kilometres and a maximum altitude of 206 metres.

Espanolo is the oldest island at around 3.5million years and the southernmost in the chain.  The island's remote location has a large number of endemic fauna.  Secluded from the other islands, wildlife on Espanola adapted to the island's environment and natural resources.  Marine iguana's on Espanola are the only ones that change colour during breeding season.

The Waved Albatross is found on the island.  The island's steep cliffs serve as the perfect runways for these large birds which take off for their feeding grounds near the mainland of Ecuador and Peru.

Espanola has two visitor sites.  Gardner Bay is a swimming and snorkelling site as well as offering a great beach.  Punta Suarez has migrant, resident and endemic wildlife including brightly coloured Marien Iguana, Espanola Lava Lizards, Hood Mockingbirds, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Blue-footed Booby, Red-footed Booby and Nazca Booby, Galapagos Hawks and a selection of Finch and the Waved Albatross.

Gardner Bay on Espanola Island and the awesome stretch of sea-lion invested beach!  Notice the larger cruise ships anchored off-shore?

Aaaaaaaaah nothing like a nice warm South Pacific ocean on November 21st!!

"look at meeeee as I sit here upon my pedestal!"

A yellow birdie looks at a sleeping sea-lion!

The Galapagos Lava Lizard is apparently the most abundant reptile on the Galapagos Islands.

Lava Lizards have attitude and like most of the Galapagos animals they have a relative lack of fear of humans and can be observed quite closely.  Lava Lizards can grow to be up to  foot in length, but are usually about 5 or 6 inches long.

"Talk to me baby!"

Aaaaaaaaaaah such a cutie!!  Mom didn't bat an eye when I was taking these pictures, and I wasn't using a zoom!

A fearless bird scurrying around the beach......don't know the official name so I'll call it a Redbill Piper!

Afterwards we went for another snorkel up against a sea-wall......

Crystal clear waters and balmy 21C water!

A sea-lion feeding!

Trying to get that perfect photo of the sea-lion feeding!

The seawall was covered in plant and animal life.  

Colourful coral!

Paul trying to get that perfect picture!

The seawall was swarming with colourful fish.......

.....and with swarming fish comes fish feeders!!

During lunch the MV Angelique sails towards Punta Suarez.....

Having a brew on the MV Angelique!!

A pelican hitching a ride on the MV Angelique.

The MV Angelique anchored offshore as we arrive at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island.

We land back on Espanola Island.............

The Punta Suarez lighthouse.

The wonderful colours of Espanola Island, vibrant here but for most of the island it is barren and lifeless.

The Galapagos Hawk was the first bird we saw after coming ashore, and no this guy isn't tied on.  

Where else on earth can a person walk right up to a wild hawk, point a camera in its face and it not even flinch.

Definitely the most predominant animal on this part of the island is the Galapagos Marine Iguana.....they were everywhere.

The Marine Iguana is an iguana found only on the Galapagos Islands an has the unique ability to live and forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile.  However, the iguana can spend only a limited time in the cold sea.  By swimming only in shallow waters around the island they are able to survive dives of up to 1/2 hour.  After these dives, they return to their territory to bask in the sun and warm up again on the hot lava rocks.

The iguana can dive over 10 metres into the water.  It has spread to all of the islands in the archipelago, and mainly lives on the rocky Galapagos shore.

In adult males, coloration varies with the season.  Breeding-season adult males on the southern islands are the most colourful and will acquire red and teal-green colours.  

The marine iguana feeds almost exclusively on marine algae, expelling the excess salt from nasal glands while basking in the sun, and the coating of salt can make their faces appear white, this is why they are constantly spitting.

"Jeeze I think this one is actually smiling at me!!"

Although it looks like the "Spout" in Newfoundland, it's not.  This geyser is caused by the sea water being squeezed into a very narrow gap and thus shooting the water into the air.

An albatross egg.....only need one of these to make a good omelet!

Espanola Island is home to the Waved Albatross, also known as the Galapagos Albatross, it is the only member of the Albatross family located in the tropics.  When they forage, the Waved Albatross follow straight paths to a single site off the cost of Peru, about 1,000km distant to the east.

Waved Albatross have difficulty taking off and landing due to their huge wings and slender bodies.  To make it easier they take off on cliffs next to the coast....such as this fella is about to do.

Waved Albatross are spectacular flyers perhaps even the most famous flyers!  They can fly for hours  without stalling and they do this by dynamic soaring.  These medium-sized albatrosses are assisted in their flying by a wingspan of 2.25 metres.

The nests are built on areas of lava with boulders and sparse vegetation, or thick brush.  When the eggs hatch, the chicks stay together in small nurseries while the parents go out to sea for hunting.  When the parents return, they may feed the chicks up to 2kg of oil.  The young reach adult size by December and leave the colony by January.  The partners remain mates until one of the partners die.

The Galapagos's most famous bird.....the Blue-Footed Booby!  Even if the name doesn't make you laugh, the Blue-Footed Booby's elaborate courtship rituals might.  Breeding may occur at any time of the year.  First the male flaunts his brilliant blue feet with an exaggerated high-stepping strut.  Then he presents nest materials to the female.  A brief courtship flight follows, after which the male proudly flashes his blue feet to the female once more.  Mating follows!

The Blue-Footed Booby's hypnotic stare!

The word "Booby" comes from the Spanish "bobo" meaning 'stupid fellow' or 'clown'.....what do you think??

A Blue-Footed Booby chick....ugly thing isn't it?

The Nazca Booby is the largest of the boobies.....and what is wrong with large boobies?

Commonly thought to be the Masked Booby, the Nazca Booby is related to the Northern Gannet.  Who is that masked bird??

Nazca Boobies are known for practising obligate siblicide.  They lay two eggs, several days apart.  If both eggs hatch, the elder chick will push its sibling out of the nest are, leaving it to die of thirst or cold.  The parent booby will not intervene and the younger chick will inevitably die.  It is believed that the two eggs are laid so that one remains an insurance in case the other gets destroyed or eaten, to the chick dies soon after hatching.

Next island is......

Santa Fe Island

Santa Fe Island, also called Barrington Island after Admiral Samuel Barrington, is a small island which lies in the centre of the Galapagos archipelago. It is one of the oldest islands with the vegetation characterized by brush, palo santo trees and prickly pear cactus.  The visitor site is a wet landing located in Barrignton Bay on the northeastern side of the island.

A lone pelican looks out at the MV Angelique anchored in the bay.

The crowd from the MV Angelique heading out for our hike on the Santa Fe Island.

Twins!!  Well maybe not, but hey, I can never tell the difference between them anyway.

The prickly pear cactus tree is the main diet of the Barrington Land Iguana and the island is heavily populated with both.

The crowd heading for the hot interior of the island.

The Barrington Land Iguana grows to a length of about three feet with a body weight of about 25 pounds.....who knew?

Being cold-blooded, the Barrington Land Iguana absorb heat from the sun by basking on volcanic rock and at night they sleep in burrows to conserve their body heat.

Being primarily herbivorous, their diet consist of mainly prickly pear cactus and this is basically where they also get the majority of their moisture.

Heading back to the MV Angelique......our landing place is the beach in the top left hand corner.  Later we will go snorkelling just off the little island next to the MV Angelique.

A Palo Santo tree on an otherwise barren and colourless Sante Fe Island overlooking the MV Angelique moored in Barrington Bay!

A Galapagos Hawk sunbathes on the rocks next to the beach.

"Here kitty kitty.....wait you're not a kitty.  Imposter!! We have an imposter!"

Later that day we go for a snorkel just off of the Angelique.....

A marine iguana feeding in the ocean!

By now the ever present sea-lion!

I'm not big on fish names, so I have no idea what they are?  Yellow-Tailed-Something-or-Another fish.

After a snorkel and lunch, we sail for.........

South Plaza Island

The island South Plaza was formed by lava streaming up from the bottom of the ocean.  Despite its small size, it is home to a large number of species and it is famous for its extraordinary flora.  That is why this island is very popular with the visitors.  On the steep banks it is possible to see a great number of birds, such as nesting Red-billed Tropic birds and Swallow-tailed Gulls, but most of all, enjoying the beautiful view from the atop the steep banks or strolling along the cliff is an extremely pleasurable experience.  Very attractive are the beautiful prickly-pear cactus trees and of course, the large colony of Galapagos Land Iguanas.  Depending on the season, the Sesuvium ground vegetation changes colour from intense green in the rainy season to orange and purple in the dry season.

MV Angelique moored off of South Plaza.

The South Plaza island has it's fair share of Opuntia cactus - a form of prickly pear cactus.

The Sesuvium is a succulent plant that stores its water in its leaves.  It forms a reddish carpet that spreads across atop of the rocks.

The Galapagos Land Iguana takes up residence at the base of the Opuntia Cactus.  The branches of the tree grow so tall that the iguanas cannot feed on their paddles and flowers, so they wait at the base for pieces to fall.

The Galapagos Land Iguana was described by Charles Darwin as "ugly animals, of a yellowish orange colour; from their low facial angle they have singularly stupid appearance."

The Swallow-tail Gull is endemic to the Galapagos.  They seem to like hanging out with the iguanas?!

"I only have eyes for you baby!"

I thought I saw a tweedy-bird......I did I did!!

As the male sea-lions grow older they lose out to the younger males in securing a harem, and South Plaza Island is where they go to sleep out their old age.  They have no stake in any territory and are forced to practically climb the steep cliffs to get a spot to sunbath.

....and this is the cliff that the old and defeated male sea-lion's climb to get a resting spot....not bad for a beast with no arms or legs!!

This old guy (not the lava lizard on his back) is scarred (the white lines) from past battles.

....and this guy is not a defeated old male.....in fact I am 49 in this picture....well for a couple more hours anyway.

Later that night back on board the MV Angelique.......

Robert (Swede) and I have a pre-birthday stogie and sip on one of the 12 bottles of wine that Paul, Don and myself brought on board.

As the clock ticked closer to November 23rd, the crew and passengers gather on top of the Angelique to help me celebrate my birthday!

One of the crew breaks out into dance when the Gypsy Kings comes out of my iPod's mini-speakers!  Let the Official 50th Birthday celebrations begin!!

And this boys and girls is what will happen to you if you consume three bottles of wine.....ain't that correct Don?!?!?

 The next day at breakfast...........

Breakfast; November 23, 2009......50 years old to the day.
Robert (the Swede) stands up and wishes me Happy Birthday on behalf of all the other passengers!!  Then everyone individually sang Happy Birthday in their respective language: there were the Poles, an American couple, Robert and his missus from Sweden, a German couple and the Spanish speaking crew!  It was very special!!

Lost for words....what an awesome way to start my 50th birthday!!

After breakfast we visit.........

North Seymour Island

The island is named after an English nobleman, Lord Hugh Seymour. It has an area of 1.9 square kilometres (0.73 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 28 metres (92 ft). This island is home to a large population of blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls. It hosts one of the largest populations of frigate birds.

North Seymour has a visitor trail approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in length crossing the inland of the island and exploring the rocky coast.

The oddly clownish Blue-footed Booby.

....and the equally odd looking Blue-footed Booby chick.

Frigate birds are pelagic piscivores which obtain most of their food on the wing.  A portion of their diet is obtained by robbing other seabirds as well as snatching seabird chicks.

The Frigate birds, sometimes called Man-of-War birds or Pirate birds, the males have a red gulag pouch that is inflated during the breeding season to attract a mate.

After a morning of exploring Don, Paul and myself are dropped off on a beach on Santa Cruz island while the MV Angelique refuels and picks up a full contingent of new passengers........

We go exploring while waiting to be picked up.  Notice the remnants (next to the pelican) of a Norwegian fishing village that was established in 1926 and abandoned a couple of years later.

The group of Norwegians arrived with the idea to start a fishing and canning operations, but the isolation and hard life in the Galapagos, together with misfortunes had them abandon their dreams....this is all that remains!

The ever-present sole sentinel pelican.

The telltale tracks of a nesting sea-turtle.

A long-neckie!

He has a weird sort of grin, almost like he needs pipe sticking out of his mouth.

While waiting we went for a snorkel........

I've seen many rays over the years in my diving in foreign and exotic places but this was the first time I was able to get so close and get such a fine picture.

These things fly in the water and this one was HUGE1

Smile for the camera!

Yet another nameless fish!

Back on the Angelique with a full contingent of new passengers, the crew bakes me a cake.........

FIFTY!!!  Happy birthday to me!!

....and now to start the official "It's my 50th birthday celebrations".  I'll have a cold beer topside and one of the birthday stogies that my friend Andree had given me for my birthday!!

The next day we land on.......

Genovesa Island

Genovesa Island occupies about 14 square kilometres and has a maximum elevation of 64m.

The horse-shoe shaped island has a volcanic caldera whose walls has collapsed, forming the Great Darwin Bay, surrounded by cliffs. Lake Arcturus, filled with salt water, lies in the centre, and sediment within the crater lake is less than 6,000 years old.

Although no historic eruptions are known from Genovesa, there are very young lava flows on the flanks of the volcano.  This island is known as Bird Island, because of the large and varied bird colonies which nest here.  There are an abundance of Frigate birds and it is the best place to see Red-footed boobies, Masked boobies, Swallow-tailed gulls, Storm petrels, Tropic birds, Finches and Mockingbirds.

We land on Genovesa Island two times this day

Waiting to land on the rocky cliffs of Genovesa Island.  "Hey Don isn't this exciting.....especially with a birthday party hang-over!?!?"

Getting ready to land when we see some fur seals sleeping on the cliffs.

Sleeping fur seal not to be confused with the ever-present sea-lion.

Prince Philip's Steps is an extraordinary steep path that leads up cliffs that are 25 metres high.  At the top, the trail continues inland, passing seabird colonies in a thin Palo Santo forest.

The Red-footed Booby is the smallest of all the boobies at about 70 centimetres in length and with a wingspan of up to one metre.  Not a tiny bird.  It has red legs, and its bill and throat pouch are coloured pink and blue.  

When not breeding the Red-footed Booby spends most of the time at sea, and it therefore is rarely seen away from the breeding colonies.  It nests in large colonies, laying one chalky blue egg in a stick nest (like the one in this picture), which is incubated by both adults for 44-46 days.  

After 44 days the result.....ewwwww it should have stayed in the egg!

One of the things I noticed most about the birdlife on Genovesa was the number of bird chicks without a single parent in sight.......

"Feed me feed me feed me feed me feed me...."

One of the colony's "special" chicks.

After about 30 minutes we break out of the birdshit-encrusted Palo Santo forest .......

......the return trip to the landing.  We hike along a lava field that stops abruptly at the water's edge.

A very large crevice almost circles the entire remaining caldera, either created the same time the caldera collapsed into the sea or is another portion of the caldera getting ready to collapse....the mystery continues.!

Don standing next to the very lengthly crevice.

After our first hike on Genovesa we go for a snorkel.......

Another mystery fish.....how does the Camouflage Fish name sound?

....and there goes that fresh tuna fish sandwich I've been craving!

Found a wee bit of tongue have we?

The brightly coloured fish that I have aptly named the Brightly-Coloured Fish.

After lunch and vessel repositioning, we go back to Genovesa Island......

Our second trip to Genovesa Island.  We land on the only beach on the island and we explore for about a hour or so and then we go for a snorkel.

A large stork greets us!

Golden Eye, the inspiration behind the James Bond movie!

A twin cactus and one very good looking young 50 year-old!!

My photographic artistic expression.  I call it "The Cactus Skeleton"......I like it!!

Paul shares a log seat with a Swallowed-Tailed gull (the bird behind the gull is a juvenile gull)......

These gulls spend most of its life flying and hunting over the open ocean.  It is the only full nocturnal gull and seabird in the world, preying on squid and small fish which rise to the surface at night to feed on plankton.  

We go for another snorkel off of Genovesa Island.......

We see several White-Tipped Reef Sharks which are fairly innocuous and usually won't bother you unless you bother them.

After a while of snorkelling in the Galapagos and seeing a variety of sharks, you learn that (at least in the Galapagos), they are not the killers that they have been made out to be, although every time I see one it is an exhilarating experience!  These guys are about 4 feet long.

The next day we land on.........

Bartolome Island

Just off Isla Santiago's Sullivan Bay coast is the tiny islet of Isla Bartolome, which is among the younger of the Galapagos Islands.  With a total land area of just 1.2 sq. km., this island offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in the archipelago.  One of the most famous landmarks in the Galapagos can also be found here, Pinnacle Rock, which is among the most frequently photographed vistas of this volcanic island chain.

Shown recently in the Hollywood movie, 'Master & Commander', this towering rock face is actually an eroded lava formation.  Pinnacle Rock is considered to be the emblem of the Galapagos to many, and is one of the most recognizable sites here.

Landing on Bartolome Island and we set out in a group (wandering from your guided group is strictly forbidden).  That's Pinnacle Rock in the background.

The climb to the top of barren Bartolome takes about thirty minutes, but it is all boardwalk and steps, so it's pretty easy!

As we climbed higher we noticed the crater just below the surface of the water.  So cool!

Perhaps the most photographed site in the Galapagos!  Notice the volcanic cones on the next island (Santiago Island) over?

The obligatory MV Angelique passengers picture!

And of course, we go for a snorkel off of Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome Island........

Saw more White-tipped Reef Sharks.

I was told they are called Surgeon Fish.....who knew?

....and this fella is a Tom Cod.....yeah that's the name....Tom Cod!

Don waits in the dingy for the rest of us to come aboard.

Perched next to Pinnacle Rock is a Galapagos Penguin.  Yes, there are penguins on the Equator.  This penguin is endemic to the Galapagos and is the most northernly penguin in the world. In the Galapagos it is found primarily in areas of cold water upwellings where the birds may also find good shelter from the intense equatorial sun.  The total population consists of only a few thousand birds.

After lunch we head for..........

Santiago Island

Santiago Island, also known as San Salvador or James Island.  The island, which consists of two overlapping volcanoes, has an area of 585sq.km. and a maximum altitude of 907 metres.  Santiago Island is especially fascinating for those who are interested in geology and volcanology.  You can walk over the un-eroded, black lava flow covered with lava bubbles and rope lava on the surface.

Landing on Santiago Island.

The boys on Santiago Island.

For about a hour or so we wandered over this very surreal volcanic landscape.

In the early 1900's the volcano on Santiago Island erupted, lava flowed eastwards towards Bartolome Island (seen in the background).  Edges of the lava field advanced in tongues, hot magma raced ahead, flowing around and eventually engulfing any obstacles in its way.  The extreme heat created by the flow would cause obstacles like trees to evaporate, leaving behind only an imprint of the life which once existed.

The Santiago lava is known as panoehoe (Hawaiian for rope).  This thin-skinned lava molten material cools down after an eruption causing the surface materials to buckle creating a rope-like appearance.  Panoehoe lava is rare to the rest of the world, but is common to the volcanoes of Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands.

In the nearly 100 years since the last eruption only a few plants have managed to take root in the harsh environment.  The lava cactus (brachycereus) found here is evidence that life is returning to Santiago Island. 

The next day we return to...........

Santa Cruz Island

The hub of most activity in the Galapagos Islands is Puerto Ayora, a charming port town where the sea, sun, seabirds and sailboats coexist in happy equilibrium.  On the town's outskirts you'll find the headquarters for the world renown Charles Darwin Research Station.

Although it is the Galapaganean town most frequented by visitors, the majority of travellers just pass through on their way to see Lonesome George (an old tortoise; the last of his species) at the Darwin Station.

In 1959 (the year I was born), the centenary of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, the Charles Darwin Research Station was established.  Collections of several of the rare sub-species of giant tortoise are maintained at the station as breeding nuclei.

The research station also raises the giant tortoise from the moment they hatch.  These may look large but they are only babies (about an inch in diameter).

Lonesome George (c. 1910 - June 24, 2012).  The last known individual of the Pinto Island Tortoise subspecies.  He has been labelled the rarest creature in the world.  George was first seen on the island of Pinta on December 1, 1971.  The island's vegetation had been devastated by the introduced feral goats, and indigenous tortoise population had been reduced to one.  Relocated for his safety to the Charles Darwin Research Station , George was penned with two females of a different subspecies, but although eggs were produced, none hatched.

George was 102 years old when he died of heart failure related to old age.

And that folks marks the end of my 50th birthday celebrations and 2009 holiday of Peru and Ecuador.  Cheers......

DIARY ENTRY:  Friday November 20, 2009  12:36PM:  Just finished a great meal of fish chowder  and white fish of some sorts.  The food so far on the MV Angelique is pretty good.

Our guide picked us up at the airport yesterday (Thursday Nov 19, 2009) and we went straight to our boat.  We were assigned our cabins (Don and I are sharing) and then we headed back into town and went to see some 'giant Galapagos tortoises'.  I couldn't believe there were so many of them and you can certainly get up close and personal with them.  Our guide indicated that they can reach a full size of 450 kilos....WOW!.  Afterwards we went to a lava tunnel, not so WOW.

Anyway supper on the boat last night was like home (North American) cooking with potatoes, green beans and meat stew, just what I needed, getting tired of rice and rice!  later that night I got a dingy ride into town and managed to fire off some emails.

Today we were up for breakfast at 7:00PM and on the dingy to Post Office Bay by 8:00AM.  Post Office Bay is where the first inhabitants of the Galapagos ended up, they were abandoned by their ships crew.  Later the place was used to drop mail off and the next visitor to the bay would check to see if there was any mail with an address close to their home, if so, they would take it and hand deliver it.  Of course, over the centuries this tradition continues and now the Post Office (consisting of a barrel) is filled with Post Cards from around the world.  There was quite a few for Canada, but all were for Ontario or west.   We put ours in (mine was addressed to myself) and hopefully someone will knock on my door one of these days  with it.  How cool  would that be hey!!

We went snorkelling and lo' & behold I'm swimming along minding my own business, when a sea turtle comes into view.  We got up close and personal with each other, took some shots and basically swam with the thing for a few minutes.  It didn't seem to mind me being there, in fact it appeared a little curious.  Also saw a few sea lions although I never got to swim with any.

After siesta we are heading to Cormorant Point for a snorkel front he MV Angelique.

As an afterthought, I'm sitting here on the front gang-plank; Don is behind me learning his chirango; its about 22C and the water looks like its part of the Mediterranean....not a bad place to spend November 20th!!

DIARY ENTRY:  Saturday November 21, 2009  7:32PM:  Just finished a meal and now I'm sitting here sipping on a red Chilean wine!!!

Yesterday (Friday Nov 20, 2009) our second snorkel was awesome!  Lot's of exotic fish to see (even saw a white-tip shark).  I'm going along minding my own business and suddenly I hear that familiar barking of a sea-lion.  Off in the distance I see a large male....I try to take a few pictures but he's not cooperating, so I mosey on......suddenly Paul is pointing towards me.  I turn around and there's a youngster (sea-lion) coming right for me!  I would like to say that I played with him, but I know I was merely the source of entertainment for him!!  Nevertheless, I was able to get some great pictures, especially when he practically put his face up against my camera!!

After supper that night, we hung around on top deck for a coupe of hours before hitting the sack at 10:30.....jeeze Friday night, what party animals.

This morning we headed for a large beach on Espanalo Island.  Again there was an excess of our friendly sea-lions.  I also got to see our first iguana.  The big draw here is the exceptionally big beach, however today actually started out with a bit of drizzle.  The first real moisture we had this rainy season!  Afterwards we went for another snorkel and this time it was up against a sea wall.  Againn lot's of fish and again towards the end of the snorkel we saw another sea-lion.....they be everywhere!  This one wasn't interested in us at all as he was feeding, but this gave us some great photo's.

In the afternoon we headed for a western part of the island called Punta Suaraz.  This is where the largest colony of (sea) iguana's live in the Galapagos and without a doubt, they are everywhere.  The colonies vary from light blue to a brilliant red!!  We also got the opportunity to see various birds, such as the Nasca booby, the blue foot booby and albatross.  It is amazing how fearless of man these creatures are.

DIARY ENTRY:  Sunday November 22, 2009  6:04PM:  OK really bad news to report.......we've run out of beer.  I mean the entire boat has run out of beer.  This is not good since we had brought our own and we're only three days into an eight day trip.  Anyway our guide has guaranteed us that the captain we get us beer by tomorrow....my birthday!

Today we went to three islands.  The first, Isla Santa Fe is home to a land iguana, which I was able to see close up.  The second, Isla South Plaza, was even more beautiful with a different type of land iguana and the return of the sea-lion (mainly those sea-lions that no longer maintain harems (male)).

Now we are anchored at Isla Santa Cruz and will spend the night here.  Tomorrow we visit the Darwin Centre and say good-bye to everyone else on board.

DIARY ENTRY:  Tuesday November 24, 2009  12:49PM:  Happy Birthday to me!!!  Well I made it to 50!!!  Thirty-five years ago I may have concluded otherwise!  It was a great birthday which started at breakfast when everyone stood and Robert (Swedish guy) said on behalf of everyone that he wanted to wish me a happy birthday and everyone will sing Happy Birthday in their language.....there was Polish, English, Swedish, Dutch, Spanish and German!!

Afterwards we dropped everyone off and Paul, Don and I were brought to a beach while the ship refuelled.  When it was done we rejoined the boat with all new passengers (several women, which was a pleasant surprise, at least we now have something to look at)!!

At supper the guide stood and indicated that it was my 50th birthday and that they had a special surprise for me.  The cook had baked a cake and had my name and Happy Birthday on it.  Again everyone sang Happy Birthday and extended best wishes!  Later that night Paul, Don and I got on the go!

This morning feeling somewhat groggy.  We went to Genovesa Island and walked around.  This is a lava island and it was interesting to see the rock formations.  We also went snorkelling!  

DIARY ENTRY:  Thursday November 26, 2009  12:53PM:  Now on the plane heading back to Quito.  This is the "heading back home flight" or at least the end of the journey.

Yesterday (Wed. Nov 25, 2009) we visited the most photographed site in the Galapagos.  It is pretty amazing scenery I have to admit, including the lava field that we also visited.  But I think the final snorkel was my fav.....saw some more white-tip sharks, this was good because the water was much clearer then the other times I saw them.  We also saw some seals, Eagle Rays and on the beach, some sea-turtles.

All and all it was a good holiday and although I'm sad to see it over, I have someone special at home so I'm really looking forward to seeing her.