Blogs from Galápagos, Ecuador, South America - page 14

Our last full day in the Galapagos was tortoise day. We had slept quite well on the boat for the first part of the week, but less so on Friday night with large swells rocking the boat where we were anchored in academy bay. Our outing was a single long excursion, with lunch on shore. We took the zodiac into Porto Ayora, the largest settlement in the Galapagos with approximately 16,000 people. We visited the Charles Darwin Station, a large research institution that advises the National Park Service. We mostly learned about the giant tortoises and the breeding program that the Darwin Foundation operates. The tortoises differ from one island to another and they are most actively trying to restore tortoise populations on islands decimated by humans (mostly during the 19th century when big ships would ... read more

The morning activity was a short hike on the island of Santa Cruz. The walk was mostly along a sandy beach where we saw ghost crabs. These little guys are very different than the Sally Lightfoot crabs we’ve seen elsewhere – they scurry much more quickly and are much more skittish. At the slightest provocation they vanish into the sand. This made the photography a bit more challenging, but we got a few good shots. They have an almost cartoonish appearance, with their eyes attached on stalks above their bodies, as if added as an afterthought. Our main objective was to visit a brackish pond hoping to find the Galapagos flamingos, and we weren’t disappointed. Three of the bizarre birds were working their way through the pool, filtering out the small salt-loving critters that they enjoy ... read more

I'm sure when everyone thinks of the Galapagos Islands they get images of giant tortoises appearing in their head. And so did I until........ I discovered that they have flamingos here as well!!! So while I have nothing against spending swags of money to get to the most controversial island in the world to see strange creatures living very comfortably next to humans, it is when I found out this information that it became even more worthwhile. I have been wanting to see flamingos ever since I was 'knee high to a grasshopper' and saw a flock of them on the TV a million years ago. Problem was, I didn't know where in the world they lived and really just fluked finding them here! By the way, it's not just the distance and the money to ... read more

So yeah....apparently sharks in the Galapagos are vegetarians, or so I have been told by Miguel who owns the house where I am staying. He, his wife Marisol and 11 year old son Areal told me this with straight faces and expected me to believe them. Problem being that I may have been misunderstanding their English (or their Spanish) as is often the case when things are lost in translation. Either way I didn't believe them! But I am getting ahead of myself, as usual. Here I am! in the most famous archipelago in the world!!! I can't even believe it myself. I have been here now for 10 days and still find that I am pinching myself nearly every day. The flight from Quito started off a little stressful with the traffic absolutely chockers. Let ... read more

The first leg of our trip took us to Quito, Ecuador. From one of the highest vantage points of the city, we could see the homes of the city expand out for miles. No high rises in this city. After touring the city and seeing the Cathedral, San Francisco Plaza Church, we joined our group and enjoyed a delightful hot chocolate in the main square while listing to a native flute player. Although our trip to Quito was only a day, we met delightful people and enjoyed the first day. The next morning we started our trip to the Galapagos Islands by flying from Quito to the Island of Baltra where we boarded a water taxi to take us to the Island of Santa Cruz. As we traveled to our hotel, the highly rated Finch Bay ... read more