Will be finished soon!
DAY ONE & TWO: May 15/16 - We started the day early but not as early as we were, unknowingly, about to find ourselves. Our flight left DFW for Miami around 11:30 am, I think. We had about an hour lay-over then onto Guayaquil (don't pronounce the "g"), Ecuador. Woo Hoo! South America, here we come! No problems arriving in the southern hemisphere. Ecuador is on EST time but they do not observe daylight savings time so they are an hour behind Miami. The islands are an hour behind Ecaudor, or CST, but an hour behind Dallas due to non-observance of DST. Confused yet? The Hilton Colon was very nice and we did absolutely nothing but hang out there for the day and watch spanish TV. Exciting, aren't we? There was a casino but it was business casual, which means tucking in a shirt and that is out of the question for Keith...hehe. There was some other entertainment of a sorts....outside our window we could see some people wandering in and out of the traffic lanes trying to hop on the back of pick-up trucks to hitch a ride. They wouldn't ask either, they just waited until they were told "no" or were chased off. The ultimate in asking forgiveness, never permission. Dodging cars appears to be the norm here - much like in Beijing but without the huge number of people and cars. Funny, we haven't seen a lot of people wearing shorts, yet. Interesting. This evening, there was a Mariachi band playing downstairs but not a band from Ecuador. Oh no, this was an authentic band from Mexico, not even local music here. Time for bed. Off to the islands tomorrow. Buenas noches, amigas y amigos. Funny side note, I couldn't remember a word of Spanish - not that I really know all that much - but I couldn't even remember hola. Now how pathetic is that? Everything I could think of was in French and I don't know that well either and don't practice. Weird. I picked up on the Spanish as the days went on, thank goodness.
DAY THREE: May 17 - The Galapagos Islands (so named when the explorers saw the tortoises and were reminded of a type of saddle back home) sit 600 nautical miles off the coast of Ecuador. We caught a Boeing 737 to Baltra from Guayaquil. Baltra is a military base and the flattest of all the islands, which is why it makes such a great airport with a mile long runway - with no taxi ways. You get to the end of the runway, turn around, come back down the same runway. Luckily, there are very few flights to Baltra. We're not talking La Guardia here. After debarking the airplane, we pass thru Galapagos "customs", for lack of a better term, where we step on a squishy sponge to disinfect our shoes then off to the buses that will take us to the zodiac and, finally, to the ship, Polaris. The Polaris, originally, was a ferry in Europe then converted to a cruise ship where it sails, permanently, in the Galapagos. We found our exceptionally large cabin (and I'm not exaggerating) without a problem. While the toilet and shower were in very close proximity to each other, at least they were not a shower/toilet combo like our last trip. lol. Next stop was a trip up (no, not literally) to the lounge where our orientation and fire drill occurred. That is a story on its own but won't work without sound effects so you will just have to see me in person (even with that, you really just needed to be there to appreciate the humor). As we set sail for Santa Cruz, we are getting our first impressions of the islands. I have to say they weren't quite what I expected but, then again, I'm sure not what I expected. Let me just say, by the end of the trip I absolutely loved the place! The islands are dry, arid, volcanic rocks with very little vegetation. However, in the rainy season they are a bit more lush but don't expect a rain forest. As Darwin put it, "like the others, it rises with a tame and rounded outline, broken here and there by scattered hillocks, the remains of former craters. Nothing could be less inviting than the first appearance." (1845). Side note: the islands are the second most active in the world right behind Hawaii. The Galapagos Islands are 5 million years old while the Hawaiian Islands are about 20-25 million years old. This helps to explain while the Hawaiian islands are so lush and full of life while the Galapagos are more barren. If you're curious, they were guessing the number three hot spot to be Yellowstone. It is now time for our zodiac (in the Galapagos, it is not, technically, a zodiac but a "panga" ride) tour of Cerro Dragon (iguana back), or more specifically, the islets of Venecia. We saw lots of great wildlife both on land and below the water...herons (Garza Real), boobies (Piquero Patas Azules), spotted eel rays, reef sharks, crabs, etc. The day ended with a lovely sunset panga ride back to the ship. I like this place already.
DAY FOUR: May 18 - Sunrise: 0553; low-tide: 1016, 0.2m. Sunset: 1756; high tide: 1620, 2.2m
May is the best time to come to the Galapagos, not only because the weather isn't too hot (except inland during the afternoon) but, also, it's mating season for many of the birds, including the blue footed boobies. So, today we are anchored off the island of Espanola (the oldest isle) landing at Punta Suarez, one of the richest wildlife locations in the Galapagos. Wake up call at, wait for it, 5:15 a.m. Yes, that's right, Keith and I managed to drag ourselves out of bed before sunrise (and will continue to do so the rest of the week). That's what ya gotta do if you want to get the good pics. The photo group departed for the island at 6:00 a.m., an hour and a half before the main breakfast is served. Ugh. But it was well worth it, especially since it was much cooler at that time. As we stepped ashore, there were sea lions (lobo marino) and marine iguanas (iguana marina) all over the place. You really had to be careful where you stepped since they don't move out of your way. It was truly amazing. We were told to "put our blinders on" and not get side tracked by the sea lions and iguanas. We would have plenty of opportunity to see these animals again. We were here to see the boobery (as it was nicknamed) or the blue-footed booby rookery/nesting areas. We had to hike a moderate trail, including boulder hopping most of the way, to reach the nesting sites. The complete walk was about 1 3/4 miles. Keep in mind that the plants and animals have the right away at all times. As we soon discovered, there were many times when you might have to balance on a rounded boulder, maybe on one foot, to avoid the booby sitting in the middle of the trail. Or, you might have to walk the very, very edge of the trail, without stepping on the plants, to avoid a sea lion whose nose is at the tip of your shoe. Entertaining to say the least. We arrive at the boobery and we see many hundreds of boobies flapping, sitting, "whistling" and, yes, mating. Awesome....and a bit smelly but not too bad in all actuality. Farther down the trail, we come to a cliff's edge where we saw swallow-tailed gulls (gaviota de cola bifurcada) and other sea birds. This is, also, where we saw the blowhole (which Keith was able to capture but I missed it). That was very cool to see because the wind would blow the water across and a rainbow would form. Again and again. Beautiful! We returned through the center of the island where we were able to see the season's last waved albatrosses (albatros). Magnificent birds. So funny how they run to the edge of the cliff, then jump in order to take flight. What a great morning! Loads of pics to download now. Back to the ship for snorkeling/diving info then lunch!
After lunch, Tim Davis (one of the photogs on board) provided an enlightening talk on "Portfolio: Animals of the World." He is a stock photographer and his images have been used extensively, many in advertising. He had some wonderful shots and told us all about his experiences working with digital manipulation. Thank you, Tim! If you're interested and want more information about Tim Davis and his work, check out his web site: davislynnimages. It is now mid-late afternoon and time for some SNORKELING!! The ship is now anchored off another part of the island called Gardner Bay and it is here we get our first flavor of the Galapagos underwater life. I have to say the water was much cooler than I had expected, seeing as we were on the equator. However, this is the Pacific Ocean so thank goodness for wet suits! We (in the general sense as Keith stayed on the beach) saw quite a variety of fish and corals but not quite like what we saw in the Carribean or Australia. An interesting tidbit about the Galapagos Islands corals is they build up and die in one season, due to the different currents. When the warm current flows, the corals start to build but then the colder current comes in and kills them off. Therefore, the islands are not built by the corals, like you might see in the Carribean, and there are really no big coral reefs in the traditional sense. While snorkeling, I saw black tip reef sharks, sea cucumbers and urchins. We're back in time for some snacks, a re-cap of the day and, finally, dinner. The day ends with Ralph's photo lecture, Part 2. We're learning all sorts of good stuff here, this time about camera functions and composition tips. Thanks, Ralph! If you would like more info about Ralph and his trips, check out his web site: wilderlandimages.
A little FYI:
DAY FIVE: May 19 - Sunrise: 0556; low-tide: 1104, 0.3m. Sunset: 1800; high tide: 1706, 2.1m
Floreana Island, our next stop, not only has many extinct volcanoes but a colourful past to say the least. This history dates back almost two centuries, is really quite bizarre and includes stories such as marooned whalers, prisoners and colonists, a toothless dentist and a self-proclaimed empress. See, I told you it was bizarre. You didn't believe me, did you? The aforementioned stories are much too long for this format but there are many, many books on the subjects to research on your own. Also, Floreana Island was the second island Charles Darwin visited on his 1835 trip around the world.
We start the morning by sleeping in.....until 6a.m. The photogs are at it again climbing to a look-out deck. We get lots of pics, hopefully good ones, before heading off to the Post Office Barrel. Yes, there is a story to this name and I will give you the very condensed Reader's Digest version. Basically, many years ago in the war of 1812, whalers needed a way to communicate with each other so they created a "barrel" in which to leave notes, directions, etc. An American captain (not the airlines) discovered this barrel and began to intercept the ships and take prisoners until he exhausted his supply of officers and crew and was left with one cabin boy who then went on to become a great navy admiral. Was that condensed enough for you? I like to get the point you know, especially when it comes to history. hahaha. Moving on, today the Post Office Barrel is a place where tourist can leave letters and postcards to be picked up and delivered by other passing tourists. The tradition states that if there is a card from your part of town, you are to take it and deliver it, personally, to the addressed party (preferably at dinner time so they will feel obligated to invite you for a meal). Unfortunately, there were no cards or letters going to TX.
We're back on board the Polaris for another delicious breakfast including the juiciest pineapples and, not just banannas, but plantains and such of all varieties. Yummmmmy! Meanwhile, the ship repositions itself to a small offshore volcanic cone called Champion Islet. This is the only island where a small population of the Floreana mockingbird, extinct on the main island of Floreana, still exists. Champion Islet is home to large colonies of Galapagos sea lions and here we will have another chance to snorkle!! This snorkeling trip is a "drift snorkle." Due to the strong currents, the panga (zodiac) drops us off at one end of the islet and you just flow with the current down to the other end to catch the ride back. Let me tell you, these were pretty strong currents. I tried to swim against them to catch a glimpse of a shark and I felt like I was on a treadmill....swim and swim and swim to gain not much ground. Cool stuff. It is in this area that we got to swim with the sea lions.....SOOOO AWESOME!!!! They are so very playful and curious. The sea lions will come right up to you and check you out before blowing bubbles in your face and swimming off out of sight. They mimmic everything you do. If you turn a flip, they turn a flip but be careful. If you reach out to touch them they might just bite your fingers. They don't really mean anything by it except to, perhaps, play but it can still hurt and cause damage. So, we were told to keep our hands close to our bodies. Some of the sea lions have been known to nibble at swimmer's fins trying to figure out what they are. We mostly swam with the younger ones, as they are much more playful but the large adults were close by...and, boy, were they ever large! Whew!
During lunch we lift anchor one more time to reach Punta Cormorant, our final destination of the day. Speaking of lunch, what a spectacular display it was! The crew presented us with a typical Ecuadorian buffet including the stuffed whole pig complete with sunglasses and a beer in it's mouth (yuck, I just lost my appetite). But there was quite a variety of other delcious choices available. Again, we had some wonderful pineapple and plantains and, also, passion fruit, cantelope, mango, starchy root fries, specialty breads and lots of cilantro (and we all know how much I love that....NOT). Oh yea, let's not forget the tres leches cake....delicious! Immeadiately after lunch, Tim Davis presented us with "An Introduction to Digital Photography." My, the possibilities are endless! It is now time for us to discover Punta Cormorant. We make a wet landing onto a very unique beach of olivine sand then walk to a second beach composed of incredibly fine, white sand. This beach is a favorite nesting site for the green sea turtles. Along the trail, we came across a large salt pond where flamingos, pintails and other shorebirds were feeding. Pretty neat stuff!
FYI: The islands have hundreds of thousands of introduced gaots roaming and destroying the land. The goats are eating all the vegetation leaving nothing for the Galapagos Tortoises to eat thereby causing them to starve to death. The park service releases baby goats that lead hunters to the main herd of goats so they can hunt the goats as a group.
Yet, again, Keith can't go anywhere without finding work. The videographer on board was having major problems with his computer so a staff member paged for help. Usually you hear about people asking if there is a doctor in the house but today they were asking if there was a computer expert on board and everybody turned to look at Keith. He gets well known quickly. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done as David's motherboard was fried. So, he ordered the new hardware but wouldn't be getting it until the end of the trip. Sorry, Dave.
DAY SIX: May 20 - Sunrise: 0558; low tide: 1200, 0.5m; sunset: 1805; high tide: 1800, 1.4m
Travelling north, we crossed the Equator during the night to find ourselves at the westernmost edge of the Galapagos. The environment here is quite different from the rest of the archipelago. Here the frigid waters of the deep Cromwell Current, also known as the Equatorial Countercurrent, rise up along the western edge of the undersea Galapagos Platform. This phenomenon can be responsible for thick sea fogs and cool sea temperatures, which occasionally drop as low as the mid fifties Fahrenheit. It is these conditions that are the heart of a very rich marine ecosystem attracting whales and dolphins to the region. Wake up call at 6:00 am and we head to the deck as the ship circumnavigates a remote rock outcrop called Roca Redonda. Roca Redonda is the top of a submerged volcano and is home to an variety of nesting seabirds. Unfortunately, there was heavy fog and Roca Redonda was hard to make out but there were lots of sea birds following our ship. After breakfast, we find ourselves near Volcan Ecuador, a shield volcano on Isabela Island that is bissected by the Equatorial line.
While Keith stayed on board to work on our digital photos I took the panga ride along the cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca. This area is an eroded caldera where half of the volcanoe has collapsed into the sea allowing us to see what the inside of a volcanoe looks like. It was very cool not only because we could see the different layers, etc but we could see the old vent shafts...awesome!