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Published: February 2nd 2007
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Snorkeling with Sharks, Sea Turtles & Starfish - - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Although we felt very settled and happy in San Francisco, our global journey beckoned and we continued our journey to South America. We began our SA journey in the footsteps of Charles Darwin in the natural paradise of the Galapagos Islands. Being spoiled from our era of Discovery Channel/National Geographic images of the Galapagos, we almost expected to be a bit disappointed. Disappointed? Not a chance - we were incredibly delighted! From the first day when we were snapping photos of the one lone marine iguana until eight days later when we had been fortunate enough to have seen thousands of them close-up…swimming, feeding, scrambling about -- we were in a perpetual state of awe. Marine iguanas are a lesson in adaptation. Scientists think the scarcity of vegetation on the volcanic islands drove the land iguanas to seek food along the shoreline and gradually underwater, leading to the development of the marine iguana!
In addition to the thousands of marine iguanas (which spend most of their time on land but do all their feeding underwater), we saw a plethora of other mammals and reptiles…sea lions and their
curious sea lion pups, giant Galapagos Tortoises (for which the Galapagos Islands are named), sea turtles, etc. Birds also thrive in the Galapagos -- like the infamous Boobies (Blue-footed, Red-footed and Masked Boobies). As you can imagine, this has sparked a niche market of humorous “I love boobies!” line of souvenirs! The Galapagos Penguin (the only penguin able to live this close to the Equator), Frigates (Frigate males’ bright red neck pouches inflate into big balloons to attract females), Herons, Swallow-tail Gulls, and Oystercatchers abound as well. We also had the pleasure of seeing many birds either sitting on their eggs or tending to their fuzzy, greedily-eating young.
During our twice daily snorkeling excursions, we experienced the amazing underwater world of the Galapagos…we swam among many giant sea turtles (they seem to be just floating in the water), brightly colored starfish, coral, and fish (Wrasses, Parrotfish, etc.). If I had to pick a snorkeling highlight it would be the time we looked down and saw a shiver of sharks - - five Hammerhead Sharks swimming in what looked like a v-formation! Along with Hammerheads, we swam amongst numerous White-tipped and Black-tipped Sharks (Eryn, you would have loved that or, more
I love my iguana friends!
Punta Suarez, Galapagos Island likely, have had a heart attack!!!). In fact, at one point, Jason was concerned a group of 20 White-Tips had mistaken him for lunch so he darted out of the "shark circle!"
The Darwin Yacht we called home for 8 days was 61 feet long. There were 16 passengers and 8 crew members including our Galapagos National Park guide, Sergio. As seems to always be the case with our travels, we met a remarkable group of people on our boat - - hailing from our backyard of Rolling Hills Estates to far flung corners of Scandinavia…In fact, we were fortunate enough to have already seen one of our fellow passengers months later in our travels to Iguazu Falls, Argentina!
Of course, there were many times along the voyage where I was reminded that it's essential to learn to laugh at yourself. We were caving in a lava tube on Isla Santa Maria -- I kept noting (and some would say complaining!) that my headlamp was dying and not very bright. I moaned, “I can’t see…I can’t see…this cave is pitch black!” As a fellow passenger turned around to assist me across a slippery rock, she laughed and said, “You still
Blue-footed boobies
North Seymour Island have your sunglasses on!!!” Whoops, shocking it would be so dark! In fact, there was lots of laughing on the boat. Jason and John F. were trying their best to always playfully antagonize the guide (and blame it on each other!!!). Jason would pipe up, “John said we’d see mermaids!!!” and John would shoot back, “Jason says he knows more about the sharks than you!” On-board, we enjoyed comical stories of accidental book and sandal “thieves” and the abundant adoption of “Katie-isms” such as “Get Down!” and “Peachy.” Off the boat, after 8 days on the water, many of us suffered from “sea legs,” stumbling around on land like a bunch of drunken sailors!
Another fun stop in the Galapagos was the “post office” in the aptly named Post Office Bay on the Island of Floreana (aka Isla Santa Maria). The island is best known for its colorful history of buccaneers, whalers, convicts, and colonists. In the late 1700s, British whalers established the Post Office Barrel to send letters to and from England. This tradition has continued and even today visitors may drop off and pick up letters, without stamps, to be carried to far destinations. We deposited our postcard
Turtle
Puerto Egas, Santiago Island in exchange for another postcard pick-up -- we carried it to more than five countries and another continent before sending it off to its rightful owner in California (boy, the stories that postcard could tell!! haha). Our postcard we had dropped off in Post Office Bay got delivered by a woman living 30 miles north of our home in California. I thought the whole exchange was a really fun concept and a unique way to meet new friends!
Along with the Galapagos Islands, we visited Guayaquil, Ecuador - - the city we flew to/from the Galapagos. Once known as a scary, crime-ridden spot, it has now been beautifully constructed and contains a maintained waterfront promenade stretching almost 2 miles (called the Malecon) -- perfect for a beautiful day out for families, couples, and tourists alike. Guayaquil also boasts the historic, cobbled area of Las Penas & Cerro Santa Ana, a funky revitalized area with shops, coffee baristas, homes, fabulous views, etc. What I really enjoyed was each “restored” property donned a framed photo at the entrance showing the historic structure before it had been refurbished…merging history with modern day improvements. A tree-filled park, Parque Bolivar, is home to many wandering
Sandy pup
Espanola Island iguanas -- a great spot to relax and soak in the reptilian habitat in the midst of a city. An interesting fact on Ecuador…their official money is the US dollar! It’s surprising to go to a different continent and use George Washington as barter! I guess now the Ecuadorians will be joining the Americans in bemoaning the British pound now topping $2 US dollars!!
Thanks to our fellow Darwin peeps for such a great time! Look forward to crossing paths again!
Next stops:
Peru & Bolivia
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Elba Ortega
non-member comment
booby-licious!!
Katie - Thanks for keeping me on your blog list. Reading your blog makes me feel like I've been to all these places myself! Can't wait for the next installment. My Fav Pics on this trip: the seal pups and the colorful crab! Beautiful!!