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Published: April 8th 2009
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The Flamingo
Our boat for five days, not a luxury yacht but comfortable, with a great crew and guide. The food was excellent and the other 8 passengers made a good group. Friday 03.04.09
Last night I went out with the group in the hostel in Quito as it their last night there as well - many were going into the jungle for 5-10 weeks environmental project. They were a lively group. We went to a restaurtant where you could eat and drink as much as you like for $12 - this included cocktails. I wasn´t very hungry as I ate at lunchtime. I tried out a few cocktails (margaritas, mojitas and caipirinis) and had a bite to eat later.We left the restaurant just after 11 and continued back at the hostel until after midnight when I made my excuses and went to bed. Someone gave me a knock at 6:00 in the morning when I quickly packed and shared a taxi with Kirsten & Dieter (the Dutch couple recently married) to the airport as they were also going to the Galapagos. ´Cecked in, paid the airport tax and got onto a half empty plane. It stopped at Guayaquil, whre a few passengers got off but those coming on filled it. A German couple sat next to me - university lecturer adn a journalist - and we chatted all the way. ´Landed at
Fellow Passengers
Some of the group on the Flamingo Boat. Nine passengers and five crew plus the guide made up teh total on board for the five day trip. Baltra airport on the north point of Santa Cruz Island where I was met by the guide (Alfonso). We went to the harbour where the boat (the Flamingo) with its crew and other passengers waiting for me. Íntroduced myself to the rest of the passengers (8 of them) and joined them for lunch on board. The flamingo is not the top of the range yacht but not a bucket ship either - it has a capacity of 10 passengers with a crew of five plus the guide. Most of the passengers had already done a few days on the boat and explored some islands north of Santa Cruz. We went to North Seymore Island where the guide took us on a tour to see some sea loins, iguana, swallow tailed gulls and red billed tropicbirds. The unusual ones were the blue-footed boobies, some of which were nesting, some mating and others just feeding. alos saw a snake and many Galapagos grasshoppers - large, green and winged ..like nothing I´d seen before. As we were right on the equator ti was hot and humid so needed lots of water. We then went ot a cove area where we did an hour´s
Blue-footed Boobies
These birds are really unusual; they walk with a distinct waddle, have a long interesting mating dance and are very friendly. snorkling - saw shoals of various coloured fish, very few of which I could recognise at the time (looked them up later on board the boat). It was a great experience and a good way to also cool down; the water wasn´t cold and I could have stayed there much longer. Snacks were waiting for on board - burra de queso with honey We moved south to Santa Cruz where we dropped anchor and had dinner on board. The food was good and varied with every meal. I was sharing a two bunked cabin with Franco, an Argentinian from Nuquen (one of the places I´d visited on my previous visit to S.A.) I had the top bunk with tree port-holes at eye level just a few feet above the water - idyllic. The generator was cut off at ten(lights out) and everything was quiet, so I slept soundly.
Saturday 4.04.09
The boat engine starting up just before 5 woke me and we started moving. I dozed for a little while, then looked out the portholes at the red blazing sunrise - beautiful (unfortunately did not get a photo, just enjoyed the moment). A few pelicans hovered around the boat
The Magnificent Frigatebird
This male puffs out it´s red balloned pouch to attract females during courtship. Once blown up it takes 6 hours to deflate. and followed it.
Confined space on the boat menat showering in a small bathroom which flooded easily and swills around with the movement of the boat. we breakfasted at 7:00 and harboured at South Plazas Island off the coast of Santa Cruz. We hiked around the island following Alfonso who gave a running commentary of all the wild life around plus a background history of the island, in English and Spanish. Lots of sea lions inhabited the island with many land and marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls nasda and blue-footed boobies and magnificant frigatebirds. ´Caught sight of some manta rays just off shore. ´Difficult wallking in the heat once inland .. without the sea breeze, so hot! ´Back on board for another snack and then moved towards Santa Fe´Island - about an hours journey. ´Rested on the top deck where the breeze was cooling as we travelled. After lunch we wnet snorkling for abut 3 hours - it´s another world under water and so refreshing. Shoals of rainbow colourd fish of various sizes swam around and under me - they had no fear. Sometime it looked like a carpet below me, there were so many of them. I got a fright
A beach full of Sea Lions
Nearly all of the islands had sea lions, most very placid and friendly ( apart from a few of the alpha males). They are also very lazy, they just lie by the shore, and when the tide comes in they just move up a few feet, enough for the water to lap over them, or bask in the sun. when a sea lion swam up behind me and brushed past me - the sudden sight of something so big, so close after admiring all the little fish around, made megive an underwater scream and panic gasping for air! But it mant no harm and was such a sight! ´Changed for snacks and went for another hike across part of the island; Santa Fe´is a lovely unspoilt island with lots of species of birds adn many of the creature we saw earlier. ´Took lots of photos.
Back on board we had dinner, after which we started our journey towards Español Island - a long rough journey. Trying to scribble a few notes as we travelled turned into an illegible scrawl. Lay on the top deck for a while before retiring to bed.... a lot of roll made getting to sleep a little difficult.
....to be continued
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