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Published: January 26th 2008
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We have just arrived back from our holidays, after the eventful road trip through Central America and Colombia we decided we deserved a bit of a treat. Five nights and six days on a budget cruise around the Galapagos Islands. Not cheap but a one off we really wanted to do from the start of our trip. A bit ironic paying out all that to go on a boat when not so many years ago I would happily have paid the same amount to get off one. The Galapagos Islands are approximately 1,000 km off the Pacific Coast of Ecuador, famous for their unique fauna and flora which triggered the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin in the mid 1800's. Tourist numbers are controlled and the do's and don'ts are well established to maintain its truly unique ecosystems. We flew from Quito, the capital of Ecuador to Santa Cruz the biggest of the thirteen main islands among many other islets. The vast majority of species are endemic to the islands with subtle variations of sub species on each island. We joined our ship 'Friendship', on the first evening and embarked along with a multi-national collection of sixteen budget travellers, Australian, Dutch,
The good ship Friendship
The animals went in two by two. German, Swiss, Cypriot, Swedish, Irish and us representing the UK. Our guide was an Ecuadorian 'Del-Boy' type character who had a loose grip on the English language specialising in phrases such as 'Hey man how's it going' and 'let's do it guys, we're rocking'etc. After 27 years on the job he could recite his tour information if somewhat garbled, but if you asked a question with some confusion he would give a completely random ramble unrelated to the question. A classic case of being able to transmit and not receive, a bit like I feel with my Spanish. This was only a minor irritation and once I got over the disappointment of finding out Galapagean Boobies were bloody seagulls everything was superb. For the next few days we toured the islands encountering wildlife at close quarters unlike anywhere else we have ever been. June will fill in the details because she is much better at remembering place names where as my retention is in the goldfish league. Before I do I shall tell you about the plight of poor 'George'. George is a giant tortoise, it is rumoured that he could be up to 200 years old, he is in
Puerto Ayora
Lonesome George pretty good nick and doesn't look a day over 180. Two hundred years ago it is reakoned that around 250,000 giant tortoises roamed the islands. Each islands tortoises had evolved specific features, so about 15 different species were identified. The passing mariners of the 1800's decimated the tortoise population. A tortoise weighs about 500lbs and can survive without food or water for up to one year. The mariners captured them, put them upside down in the ships hold and had a supply of fresh meat, oil and water which apparently filled various cavities in the tortoises body. Anyway, following all this decimation on one particular island only one tortoise remainded and was brought to the Darwin Centre on Santa Cruz for breeding in order to save the species, this was Gearge. George now spends his days in a tortoise style love nest with two hot looking females of the nearest species, he has a jacuzzi, soft lights, seductive music... the works. For whatever reason, gender issues, old age, amnesia, George is not doing the business. When George dies so will a complete species. All things have been considered cloning, viagra and artificial insemination (not the best job in the world)
Santa Cruz
Got the idea George? each with its limitations. As a last resort June and I thought a demonstration might help (see photo). A sad story indeed.
This was our trip of a lifetime and something I've been looking forward to since watching David Attenborough introduce it to the world via the BBC many moons ago. We ended up with the best cabin on the boat or should I say a Noah's Ark look-a-like. We could watch the sea and islands drifting by with the odd sting ray doing a back flip and turtles popping their heads up for air. On the first couple of days everybody yelled and lept about with excitement as we spotted a new species but as the week went on the novelty wore off and it was 'Oh not another blue footed booby nose diving into the water'. I'm sure you can imagine all the booby jokes that were flying around. The souvenir shops do a roaring trade in selling 'I love Boobies'Tee shirts, Nik was tempted. We visited the islands of Floreana, Rabida, Bartolome, Santiago and North Seymour, everyday we saw something different. We snorkelled a couple of times each day, Nik has never been so clean in his
Floreana
Sally Lightfoot crabs life and we seem to be developing gills and scales. The underwater world was spectacular, oodles of multi colored fish, rays of all shapes and sizes and reef sharks that made your heart stop on the first encounter but were pretty harmless. Best of all swimming among the playful sealions who headed straight for you only to swerve at the last minute and treading water next to giant male sea turtles grazing on sea lettuce who looked apon us as some sort of white, clumsy creature fumbling around in the water.... awesome. The land experience was just as spectacular. The creatures had no fear of man and we were able to walk between seals and their new pups, nesting boobies, frigate birds that were puffing out their red throats to attract a wifey and the marine iguanas doing their best to resemble dinosaurs from the jurassic age. Up in the highlands of Santa Cruz the giant tortises ambled around the countryside munching on the vegetation, just like cows would back home. A true feast of wildlife and for us a culinary feast back on board. Three meals a day, nibbles in between and not a pan to scrub. How will
North Seymour
A pair of Boobies we ever get used to pasta and boil in the bag rice again. What else can I say but ....WOW!! Hope our pictures do it justice.
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