Day 11 - Monday, June 11, 2012

The motion last night was quite rough but Dave and I fared pretty well with our patches and I only had one slightly queasy moment which passed fairly quickly.
The ship stopped moving by 3:00 am so people could get a few hours of sleep in if they didn't last night.
Today we visited the island of Floreana which is one of only four island that are inhabited. We were met by some sea lions on the dock and then by William who is a descendant of the Ritters who settled here back in the 1930's. We drove in a truck up to the highlands where we hiked for a little while to see some of the early settlements and some caves that were used by the pirates. We were also able to see some tortoises along the way and even witnessed one taking a bit of a stroll.
Next we headed up the side of one of the mountains to get a glimpse inside one of the collapsed volcanos as well as the volcanos behind it. The walk was nice but I stepped on a nest of fire ants which kept biting at my ankles. Dave helped me get rid of all of them and I had no residual side effects from it but man do they bite hard.
Then we traveled down to Fredo's farm and some of the descendants of the Ritters prepared us a great lunch of veggies, salad and both steak and chicken. They were very gracious to us and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit there. It was like being at a big family reunion and they all wanted to make sure that we had enough to eat.
Now it's time to get back on the boat and start the next leg of our journey to Santa Cruz.
This last journey was a little rough as well but it was during the day which seems to have made it easier. We arrived in Puerto Auyro  just before dinner and we had a sort of farewell cocktail reception with the entire crew since tomorrow will be a bit hectic as we have to disembark. The crew on board was very nice, attentive and helped us all a little with our Spanish.  I'll comment now about our naturalist guide for the week. Fausto was a very well educated person who knew plenty about the Galapagos as he had been a guide for 20 years but we felt that there were a few times that he bent the rules that he was supposed to enforce particularly those that dealt with distance to the animals. But overall we did not let it affect our experience and we saw some amazing things.
Tonight after our last dinner on board we took a panga ride into town for a walk around the port and to buy some souvenirs. Then we had to head back on board and get some packing done.

Day 10 - Sunday - June 10, 2012

This morning was our first real early morning as we got up at 5:30 so that we could take a panga  ride through the mangroves at Bahia Elizabeth on Isabela.  Somehow Dave and I were on different pangas  but they stayed pretty close together. We started off by getting close to a very small island where there were about 6 cormorants and one little sea lion sleeping on the rocks. The sun was coming up in front of us too and we got some good shots of it as it rose.
Next we went towards the mangroves and we saw some cow-nose rays in the water which we had never seen before. They have an orange color to them and a shape like the eagle ray. If you were quick enough, you got to see a couple of penguins here and there but they were fast and didn't stay on top of the water very much. The drivers shut off the panga  engines and paddled through so as not to disturb anything too much. We saw glimpses of turtles, sea lions and cormorants and overall was a nice peaceful ride.
We got back on board ship for breakfast and then the ship moved a little south and after a quick rest we were off to snorkel through some lava caves where we saw dozens of sea turtles swimming around along with some of the usual tropical fish. It is amazing that there is so much color in the fish yet the water is colder and there is hardly any coral at all in some spots. Lastly we saw a sea lion that was just done swimming hoisting himself up onto the rocks to take his nap.
Back to the ship and a bit of a rest until lunch.
Lunch today started with some fish cerviche which I enjoyed but Dave passed on due to the abundance of red onions. The main course was pork and it seemed almost as though they had roasted a whole pig. It was very tender and juicy.
A short rest and then a walk on Punta Moreno on Isabela. There wasn't much in terms of wildlife to see here. We hiked over big lava rocks and saw a couple of lagoons in which one there were some flamingos. Even though the hike was a little less than an hour it was extremely hot so when we got back to the ship Dave and I decided to skip the afternoon snorkel this time. Instead we hung on the top deck and had a couple of beers.
Once everyone was back from snorkeling the ship got underway to reach our next port which was to be Floreana. It was quite a long trip and the waves were quite large. Dinner was quite the experience in that most people were feeling a bit green and did not eat too much for dinner. Tonight everyone went to bed pretty early and strapped in for a bumpy ride.

Day 9 - Saturday - June 9, 2012

Last night was a very restful sleep. We were both feeling well and since the boat traveled earlier in the day, it was already anchored and the water was very calm for the night. So, we woke up refreshed and headed to breakfast which today features pancakes and everyone seemed to be pleased with that.
About 8:00 we head out for the first excursion which will take us to Punta Espinosa on Fernandina island. This was a dry landing into a path that ran through the mangrove trees. The highlight here was more marine iguanas but first we saw what looked like a little mouse in our path but Fausto says it was a Galapagos rat. As we hike through the mangroves we come upon a beach area that is loaded with marine iguanas. They are basking in the sun climbing on each other, laying on each other and spitting out salt through their noses, especially if you get too close.
They really were not amused or threatened by us so we got to walk pretty close up to them while still respecting their space.
Along our path we also saw the bones of what is thought to be a small whale. You could still see many characteristics of the creature from the bones that had been found.
We also saw the lava effects on this island which are formed into rope shapes along the ground.
Towards the end of our hike we saw two Galapagos Hawks that were in different trees and we could hear them calling to each other.
Lava cactus also grow here and it was strange to see that they need very little soil to set roots into. As we were looking at some of the cacti, we were near the edge of a small crack in the lava and we saw three racer snakes down in the little canyon. They look a lot like our garden snakes only bigger. Fausto claims that two of them were mating but I don't know you would tell. As we made our way back to our launch site we came across some sea lions hanging out. A couple were in the water and a mom and baby were on land and one had plopped himself down in a crevice in the lava.
After this we headed back to the boat, got our wetsuits on and went snorkeling. Here we saw some marine iguanas feeding on the seaweed at the bottom of the ocean. We also saw some unusual green sea urchins. I caught a couple of glimpses of a sea lion but he was very fast and didn't stick around long.
Back on the boat for lunch and then we moved down a little and across to Isabela  island again and stopped at Bahia Urbina where we saw the land iguanas which are much more colorful than the marine ones and we saw Galapagos tortoises as well. There were also a few other sights such as fairly large hermit crabs and some little yellow warblers.
All in all today was a good day and we got to see quite a bit of new things here.
Per usual dinner was good. Tonight was pieces of steak in a little bit of sauce which was just an a jus type sauce. There were mashed potatoes as well which went pretty fast.
Tonight Fausto  gave a presentation on the island of Floreana which we will be visiting on Monday. Apparently the first inhabitants were prisoners from the mainland that they sent out to the islands since there was no real way to get back to the mainland. Next came rich folks who tried to turn the prisoners into slaves but after a while the prisoners revolted and killed their masters. Ecuador had wanted to promote the islands and since Floreana had a fresh water source, they invited people to come and they would give them land for free. Some of the Europeans thought it would be a great life so they packed up and moved to Floreana. Once here some were trying to rule over the others and then they just disappeared one day and no one knew where they went. It seems like the island has quite a history of violence. And on that note, we are sent off to sleep.

Day 8 - Friday - June 8, 2012

Last night was a bit rough for Dave - he wasn't feeling well and probably just had a case of travelers disease. He was doing a little better in the morning but decided to skip the morning excursion. Now I am the one wondering, what the heck did I get him into.
A little bit after breakfast I went on the morning trip with the rest of the group to Isabela island which is the largest and youngest in the Galapagos and we will make a few different landings here over the next few days. Today we land around the most northern part of the island at a spot called Punta Albermarie. This the site where the US Army once had a base. This island also has hundreds of marine iguanas and they were just lying on the rocks and a few were even in the middle of the paths. We were able walk anywhere around here to observe the iguanas as well as see the remains left by the US Army.
After spending a bit of time at this location, we head back to the ship. So far this landing was the roughest. Even though it is classified as a dry landing, you are landing on wet lava rock which is very slippery even to those that had good hiking shoes. We did all make it back in one piece though so that is a good thing.
Back on the Samba I find that Dave was able to eat an apple and have a Sprite since they didn't have gingerale and he seems to be doing a bit better.
We have some lunch which included a nice soup, salad, beets(again) as well as a beef stir-fry and even though Dave and I only ate a little bit, we find it to be good. Dessert today was peaches poached in a wine sauce.
During our lunch we got underway to our second spot of the day, and just as we finished lunch we all headed to the captain's deck to view the GPS mark the 0.00' as we crossed the equator. Our next stop was still on Isabela  but was at Punta Vicente Roca. This not a site where we can land so we had water excursions, the first was snorkeling just on the outskirts of the island and this time the water was quite cold and we were glad we wore wetsuits. Dave was feeling better and he came along but he didn't stay in as long as the rest of us because of the water temp. While he was in the water with me we saw a sea turtle, then another, then another and when we looked at the bottom of the ocean floor there were many more just hanging out in the bottom of the sea. It was amazing to see how many there were. Dave went back to the pangas and waited until the rest of us finished snorkeling. I was just kind of floating around and all of a sudden I came upon 3 sea lions just playing around in the water. One of them had a lizard that he just kept bringing to the surface and then dropping, then going back down and swooping it up again. He was quite a treat to watch and I hovered there for quite a while with him watching him play and trying to get some pictures and a little video of him, we'll have see how good these come out. Some of the others in the group as well Dave from the pangas saw a few penguins playing around but I missed those.
Once the snorkeling was done, we headed back the ship and redressed into dry clothes and then went on a ride in the pangas  to observe the walls of the sunken volcano and there we saw many birds, lizards and some fur seals playing in the water. Those guys move so fast it was impossible to get a picture of them from where we were sitting.
Next it's back on the boat and we will travel southwest to Fernandina which sits to the west of Isabela. The crossing was fairly easy and pleasant as far the motion goes since we were heading into the channel between Isabela and Fernandina.
Dinner was curry shrimp with the usual salad, yucca, and some carrots and broccoli. They told us dessert was cheesecake but it had more of a custard or flan texture but still it was very good. After dinner Fausto  gave a bit of a geology session to explain how the islands were developed through the shifting of the tectonic plates and then the islands were lifted above the ocean's surface. I find it interesting that they say some of the islands are still young yet they have been here for hundreds of years.
Tomorrow we are due to visit both a part of Isabela  and a part of Fernandina.

Day 7 - Thursday - June 7, 2012

Fausto was not lying last night, the anchor does come up at 5:30 and we are headed to Marchena. This was the first meal in which the boat was moving and it was a little bit of an experience. As breakfast was finishing, someone spotted a fin popping up out of the water along side of the ship and it was determined that is was a black tip shark. He didn't stick around long and quickly outran us.
Awhile after breakfast we had our first snorkeling of the day just on the outskirts of the island. Man is it a chore getting those damn wetsuits on but they sure do keep you warm. Jose, the captain, helped me get my wet suit on and I felt a little silly with him tugging and pulling like a little kid having their parent put their snow suit on. Finally, I am ready and Jose asks, "Listo?". "Si, listo!" ready!
As usual Dave and I are bringing up the rear and almost immediately we saw a hammerhead shark swimming by right underneath us. I was also pretty surprised that they had their share of Sargent majors, angelfish and the biggest parrot fish that we have ever seen. A while later we spotted a huge moray eel swimming along the bottom trying to find a place to hide. A few people dove down to see her better but she was not happy to see them and let them know by opening her mouth very wide. We also saw a huge Guineafowl puffer that was bright yellow and a very large rock lobster. Overall it was a decent snorkeling trip even though the waters were a little rougher than we would have liked.
So, back on board where we hang out for a little while then have some lunch which today is pasta with both red and a white cream sauce with salad and cherry tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and pesto.
We had a short break between lunch and our second snorkeling and then we were off. We traveled to the edge of the island and climbed over a little lava area to reach a lagoon on the other side. Once Dave and I were in the water we saw a small sea lion playing in the water near the rocks. He was diving and doing somersaults and just plain playing. He swam pretty close to Dave at one point and then just darted away although we saw him a few more times after this too. We also saw a good size sea turtle but he was at the bottom of the lagoon and didn't come up to see us. Also interesting was a tiger snake eel which looked like a white snake with spots on it. I'm not sure why but maybe because I read so much about swimming with the sea lions and penguins, I was amazed at the number of tropical fish that we would normally see in the Caribbean here.
Back to the boat where we start out longest journey to Isabel and hopefully we will see some whales along the way.
Once we got on our way, you could feel the boat start to sway more as the current got heavier. We hung out during the light hours to try and find some whales but we did not see any. Dinner was an event as it was definitely choppier and many of us were feeling the affects. It was early to bed tonight.

Day 6 - Wednesday - June 6, 2012

Well, the first night on board wasn't too bad. We could feel the motion in our cabin but it didn't seem to bother us. Being on a ship this size is different as in you feel the motion and hear the engine all the time, but we do seem to be adjusting. As for my stomach, it seems that things are better this morning but I take it easy on what I eat just in case.
We traveled north last night to arrive at Genevosa which is a sunken crater that has filled with water now. After breakfast we take our first excursion to a beach area and immediately we see some sea lions on the beach. There was Mom with a couple of pups and one is them kept trying to nurse off her. She would let it for a couple of seconds but then she would roll over or swat him away but he would come right back for more.
The island is know for its birds and we saw all kinds on our walk this morning. There were male frigate birds that had their red plumage all puffed out but this was the end of the mating season so not as many of the males were all decked out but it was quite a sight to see.
We also saw blue footed bobbies, red footed boobies, and nazcar boobies along with red-billed tropic birds, brown pelicans, lava herons, and a common egret. We walked through a path in which we saw many of the birds nesting and we caught glimpses of some of the eggs along with some of their young. There were hundreds of each type of bird and except for the frigate birds who tried to steal everyone else's food and supplies, they all seemed to get along fairly well.
Next was back to the ship for some lunch and a well needed nap.
For our second excursion we went to another part of Genevosa and climbed Prince Phillip's Steps which were not as tough as I thought they were going to be. Up top was a great view and many more of the same birds as earlier including  the Galapagos mockingbirds. We ventured over to a flat patch of lava and started to look for owls which are hard to find because they are the same shade as the lava rocks. Well, as usual, Dave was the first to spot something. It was quite far away but we could see it through our binoculars. Fausto had us move down a bit and then we saw it much better and in the meantime we also spotted 2 more. They are the short eared owl and as the sun started to settle a bit, the light hit them just right and you could see the nice yellow color of their chest feathers.
By this time it was getting late and we had to head back to the pangas to get back to the boat before dark.
We only had a short time before dinner so we had some tea and then sat for dinner which tonight was salad, beets, potatoes and chicken. I can say that all was good except the beets because Dave and I did not even try them. Dessert was chocolate cake with a cream sauce on it and it was very good although a bit rich so I only ate half.
Fausto came after dinner to explain to us about the currents in the Galapagos and how it changes the water temp and brings in more food and nutrients with the cold current better known as the Humbold  current. Hopefully this change brings things like whales to the outer western area which we will be sailing through tomorrow afternoon/night time.  He then also tells us that tomorrow we will anchor outside of  Marchena and while we can't go on to the island, we will snorkel twice in areas around the island.
We are also told to get some sleep because the anchor comes up at 5:30 and we will be heading to Marchena then.

Day 5 - Tuesday - June 5, 2012

Another day with an early start at 5:45 am so that we can catch our plane to the Galapagos Islands. I find it strange that when you go on vacation to a destination, you must always get up early but I suppose we can sleep some other time.
Our travel arrangements to the Galapagos was smooth as we had a guy Tony waiting for us at the airport to whisk us through the details. First we have to get our Galapagos Transit Card and once that was done, Tony takes our bag and goes and checks us in for our flight. He took our passports and went to a smaller line and then came back with our tickets, now that's service.
The flight to the islands was pretty uneventful. Dave and I had put on our seasick patches before leaving this morning so that we would be all set come time to get on the boat.
Once we landed in the Galapagos at the Baltra airport on Santa Cruz, we went through immigration where we also had to pay our national park fee, then they checked our carry luggage to ensure that no one was bringing anything to the islands that could grow and possibly take over an area. Then we collected our checked luggage and found our guide for our trip, Fausto.
They loaded us all up on a bus and brought us to the docks where we had to take a panga ride out to our ship and home for the week, the Samba. They started out with the assigning our cabins and Dave & I are in cabin #7 which is strange because I heard that this cabin, because it is on the top floor, gets all of the motion during the sailings and this made me a little nervous. I had specifically asked the travel agent to make sure we had room below near the engine as those were to be the most stable. But I figured that Dave and I had our patches on so what harm could it do. It's a decent little cabin with a double bed (all the others are bunk beds), some storage space and a small bath room with a stand up shower.
We unload our stuff into the room and then go downstairs for a briefing and some lunch as we head out to another end of Santa Cruz. At 3:00 is our first landing onto a beach area where we immediately see some marine iguanas and Sally lightfoot crabs. We hiked a trail out to where there was a small lagoon with a couple of Flamingos.
We headed back to the beach area where we swam for a little while. I thought the water was a bit on the cold side but all of our fellow cruisers who are from Australia, New Zealand and Holland all seemed to think it was pretty nice.
After we headed back to the ship and I had to lay down before supper as I wasn't feeling well, it was actually so bad that I went down for dinner and the first whiff of food made me running for the room. I think that this may have been something that I ate rather than seasickness as it didn't have quite the same symptoms but I seemed to get it out of my system early enough in trip that I hope it will not continue.
So off to an early bed for me today and Dave is not too far behind.