Into the west

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So next morning we feasted and jumped on the boat for the 2.5 hour crossing to Floreana. San Cristobal was left behind very quickly, as we headed into the rain. The boat was mighty impressive, holding a good speed through the huge pacific swell, but I swear the waves were coming from 3 different directions; Russell would probably agree as he spent most of the voyage revisiting his breakfast! Meanwhile I saw something that looked like a sheet of cardboard jump out of the water; wet cardboard doesn't tend to do that kind of thing, so I think it was a manta ray...
We arrived at a sheltered cove on Floreana and jumped in the water, almost instantly bumping in to a couple of mating turtles, they were never going to get much peace with us around. Having disturbed them enough we quickly found a couple of small sharks, and I started swimming after them to get a better photo. Oh how quickly i'd changed! We also saw 4 types of starfish, including a blue one, before we reached the sealions. These guys and gals were up for photos, and I did wonder if I could touch them, they were that close. Decided not to as I remembered that they have sharp teeth! Still, they hung around and blew bubbles, and darted in between us: hope the pictures came out.
For lunch we headed over to the pier, but had to eat on the boat, then on to dry land to see the marine iguanas, a huge tortoise, and a couple of sealion pups playing in the surf. Back on to the boat for the almost 2 hour crossing to Isabela (much smoother) and I think I saw a couple of penguins in the water; Russell can top that as he saw dolphins!
A quiet evening, but another noisy morning as we were woken by the neighbourhood cockerels, then a quick ecuadorian breakfast (fish soup) and onto a minibus up the mountain. It was definitely raining up there and we were in the clouds to boot. We slipped our way up to the rim of the volcano and could see precisely nothing! We wandered along through the clouds, rain and mud for about an hour before imperceptibly the rain stopped and the ground started to dry out, then the cloud lifted a little and we had our first glimpse of the caldera; apparently the second biggest active caldera in the world, but we couldn't even see a quarter of it. As we walked on the sun came out and we headed down the (out)side to the area of the last lava flows, and looked into the lava tubes, fumeroles and spattercones, often coated in sulphur. We could also make out some of the island below; it's the biggest island in the archipelago, but most of it was hiding in the clouds.
Back the way we came, including a stop for lunch, and into the clouds once more, although this time there seemed to be less of them, and the ride back down, and on to see the flamingoes. Little bit disappointed when it turned out to be 3 birds!
Next morning we jumped into a local boat and out again into the water; there was a lot of suspended sand, and not a huge amount to see apart from a big puffer fish, and a 5 foot reef shark that scarpered everytime we saw it. Out of the water we saw a few penguins, and then climbed onto the shark trail. It struck me as a strange name, but pretty quickly we saw lots of iguanas posing on the rocks, and then we walked along the side of of big cleft in the rock, with iguanas and crabs crawling all over it. Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a shark swimming up the cleft, it swam past us, then another one cruised passed, so the trail did live up to its name after all. Onward, we tried not to step on the sealion, and marvelled at the iguanas fighting, and then, inevitably it started to rain! Back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes, and off to the tortoise breeding centre, then a quick visit to the playa del amor, then on to have cocktails on another beach, surrounded by iguanas.

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Photos

along the crater rim
the greenest things in the Galapagos (apart from the iguanas)

a fumarole
who said lava was always black?

Comments

[Dr Astelia]

should have shaken
So, Galapagos, like thats cheap. I think you have busted the previous marker now (around 15 wasn't it?). Good job there's nothing riding on it, else we'd have to resort to favours.

[amatth11]

Well you know..
I was in the area, would have been rude not to go!