Galapagos stories and photos

are finally posted! Photo link: http://public.fotki.com/svceilidh/galapagos-isla-isabela/

8 days at Isla Isabela were not enough but served as an appetizer for future visits. It is spendy to visit the islands and go on all the available tours - so bring your $$$$'s and plan to spend them. We skated by on less than $200 all told for port fees, tours and food so we really did it all on the budget plan. We anchored in Isla Isabela, tucking into the reef that protects Puerto Villamil's anchorage from the southern ocean swell. Already posted about the trips to and from the Galapagos and introduced you to our penguin friends. What a hoot - to have penguins swimming by to say hello each morning. Wish I had some photos of the small colony (around 30 or so) on the reef at Puerto Villamile but when we went with camera to snap a photo they were not at home. Hung out the sign "gone fish'n" and there you go. Do have some shots of single penguins at Cabo Rosa so we are able to deliver proof of existence.

Think I mentioned that our friends on s/v's Carina, Isla Encanto and Otter all came into port just after us so we went as a group together on our adventures. We did a walking trip to see a lagoon with flamingos. There was only one standing in the center of the lagoon. It was so colourful I thought it was a buoy or ball. No, it was a flamingo and he/she kindly posed for pix. Didn't know it but the underside of the flamingo's wings are rimmed in black. A very striking contrast to their other colouring. We continued from the lagoon long a winding path thru small trees, scrub, lava and more lagoons leading to the turtle sanctuary. There are 6 or 7 active volcanos on Isla Isabela and the last eruption was only a year ago, with another just 5 years earlier. Because of the lava flows and fires that accompany the eruptions the giant tortoises are endangered. But mainly the tortoises are endangered by the animals introduced by early settlers: rats, ants, goats, horses. They attack and kill the eggs or immature tortoises either intentionally or unintentionally (horses walking over buried egg nests). Park officials created a special sanctuary where all the different species are protected. The facility is beautiful and the turtles have lots of room with a variety of habitat in which to roam and mate. The sanctuaries ultimate goal is to see the various species increase in numbers and then to introduce them into the wild again as adults. In the meantime conservationists are trying to figure out how to remove non-native animals from the islands. Standing at the edge of their enclosures I watched the tortoises as they returned my gaze. A fantastic experience.

We took a trip by truck and then horseback to Volcan Siera Negra. It is the second largest volcanic crater in the world and Isabela's most recent eruption - a year to the day from our visit. We sat in the back of a truck and bumped along thru expanses of lava and scrub which gave way to lush green farm land, trumpet trees and huge avocado trees. The earth is rich and reddish in colour. Rich and I were surprised at the depth of the soil. Since the island is of (geologically) recent volcanic origin we didn't expect fertile and plentiful soil. The road grew steeper and became a rutted track, no longer passable by the truck. We got off and walked to where the horses were saddled and waiting. Yes, Rich had his first horseback riding experience and handled it like a veteran. We rode up the mountain thru scrub and grass until the path became covered in sharp lava stones. Here we left the horses and continued on foot to view the crater. It is huge and awesome. The vegetation around the crater is still brown and dead from the fires that spread after last year's eruption. We could see the crater on one side and the ocean on the other. Quite a view. We ate our lunch and walked about as our guide, Joseph, provided information on the various types of lava and pointed out islands and bays in the distance. Then came the trek back to the horses and ride back to the truck.

Our last adventure was a ponga ride to Cabo Rosa. It is about half hours trip south along the coast of Isla Isabela. There was an 8 foot plus swell that day along with a bit of a wind chop that made the trip there very bumpy and wet. I knew we would be slipping in thru some lava reefs at the end of the ride and was a little concerned as to how it would all sort out. No worries were needed. The ponga driver was a pro and we surfed into the calm protected lava reefs to a magical world of huge fish and turtles, calm clear water and a myriad of caves and tunnels to snorkel and explore. I have never been in such a place as this. After snorkeling for an hour or so we ate lunch and then climbed up on the lava bridges and were able to look down and see the fish and turtles swimming below. One turtle was as wide as a VW bug and almost as long! The fish in the photo link were around 2 feet long. On the return trip we circled a rock that sticks up alone off the coast. There were seals, sea lions, blue footed boobies resting in the sun. The waves churned around and up the sides showing green and blue as the sun shone thru. We don't get that close to rocks in crazy surf in Ceilidh so it was a treat.

Saying goodbye to the Galapagos and to friends we won't see again for many years was difficult but our memories are happy ones. I'll post this before we leave Bahia del Coco on Tuesday so you can all see the photos. Take care all and look forward to hearing from you, as well.

Love
from the yin side