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Published: November 13th 2008
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Evolution ?
Darwin thought there was a connection - but the Iguanas are quite friendly! awaited us as we arrived in the Galapagos, unknowingly sitting in the plane amongst the 12 other people we were about to share a boat with for 8 days - must have been a block booking by the trip organiser at a guess, but it did cause minor (and brief!) reflection on what we might have said to each other that we wouldn't if we'd known! Reminded me of the perils of discussing work on the Bristol to London line - never know who your unintended audience was!
Anyway, it seems we managed to offend no-one as they turned out to be bearing no grudges when we were assembled into a group at the airport by our tour leader Juan. Depressingly, with one or two exceptions, we all apeared to have shopped in the same places for durable, easy-care on the road clothes, with the result that we looked like extras in a commercial for Rohan, the North Face and merrill. So much for individuality. The only saving grace we had is that our long term preparations and late-found obsession with country side walks meant that at least our adult-gap-year wardrobe had lost the creases they came with out of the
Blue Suede Shoes
Elvis would have been jealous - these are waterproof too! packets.
It was an eclectic group with Americans, Danes, Swiss, Dutch, Norwegians, a sole Pom and us. Some extremely well-travelled companions we soon discovered as group meals, close-quarters living and cheek to jowl rubber duck transits to shore soon revealed. We had an ensuite cabin of our own at the front of the boat (the Samba) , with bunk beds and a shower that was always hot for post snorkelling rinses. Every meal was great, usually multiple courses and prepared in a small kitchen by Edwardo even in sea conditions that had we gringoes falling over and books evacuating their shelves. We had some quite strange salad combinations emerge from this kitchen ' beetroot and carrot (quite palatable) and brocoli and olives (doubtless healthy) which had us amused on more than one occasion.
In a complete contrast to Aussie dive boats we have stayed on, Juan was keen to point out that the boat supplied unlimited Dramomine to combat motion sickness - which turned out to be a strategic move on two counts - no-one was ill, and we were all asleep before 9 every night!
The first night aboard was dominated by an almost universal interest in the US
Larry, Curly and Mo
Beauty truly in the eye of the beholder - these sea iguanas eat algae underwater and then reheat themselves on the rocks. presidential result - which we could not access at all on board. In the morning however the results were in and we have since learned more than we needed about the American political machinery that has such an effect on the globe. Obama's win was well received by the Americans, all of whom expected significant changes now that the Democrats have all three tiers of national government in their grasp.
Over the next seven days we were ferried to shore, usually in the rubber ducks before 7.00 - which meant wake-up banging on the cabin door at between 5.30 and 6.00 - deep joy. The rationale behing these dawn raids was two-fold - firstly, we weren't the only boat at several destinations, so as one of the smaller ones we could mobilise faster, be first on-shore and get the best out of the creatures, and secondly if you are going to be standing on black lava in the tropics, it's best done before the sun really gets going and roasts you good and proper. So in the end all the group decided this was a wise if not always well received strategy!
When we were on shore, it was just
Bloody Birds
How am i supposed to get that off my shell? (Actually, the torrential rain sorts it out!) like being in a David Attenborough/BBC Dicovery Channel special. The sea lions, birds and tortoises just didn't care that you were there and carried on doing what they do regardless - even if you were less than a foot away from them. We walked through a field to see some collapsed lava tunnels and were treated to the amazing sight of no less than 60 giant tortoises lumbering around in grass. We saw more sea-lions than you could count, from the noisy Alpha Males guarding their bit of the beach and the harem there on, to cheeky pups that when snorkelling would swim up to your mask and try to stare you down, inches away, before flipping 180 degrees and tearing off to something else that amused them. Sea iguanas and their land based cousins mostly loafed in the sun in huge communities, occaisionally squabbling with each other, or in a few instances coming ashore after feeding on algae with a sea lion pup biting their tails as they swam.
One visit was to the Charles darwin Research Station where we saw the famous Lonesome George, the last Tortoise from the species specific to Pinta island and a world famous
Post Office Bay
Originally established for sailors in the whaling fleets to get post to and from home, now a tourist feature. We left a card, and collected three to deliver in Aus next year..... icon for conservation. George has been given two girlfriends whose genetic background is close, in the hope that some offspring may result. The big news at the Station is that George is reported as having "done the business" with one of them and some eggs are currently being incubated, hatching expected in 2-3 weeks. Given George is well over 100 years old and weighs in excess of 100 pounds, I expect the background music was more Mozart than the killers!
Snorkelling in waters that have been a marine reserve for 50 odd years saw us run out of superlatives. You would be immersed in a cloud of silvery darts one moment, watching reef sharks glide by the next, only to notice that there were a half-dozen sea turtles cruising by....... I probably saw more marine life in three snorkells than in the last 20 dives I have done combined. Sitting in the rubber ducks, we sawa Manta Ray leap from the sea to rid itself of remora, and later an acrobatic display by a gang of blue-footed Boobies flying low over the mangroves and then simultaneously plunging like spears into the water to feed, each hitting the water at the
Sea Lion take away
well, it would be if he had got some...... same time before surfacing to swallow their catch.
Our penultimate night aboard featured a coctail party to celebrate crossing the equator for the first time at sea, with a (not so) surprising vist from King Neptune (Juan in a bedsheet toga and tinfoil crown) and all of we passengers in hastily assembled fancy dress as a creature from the Galapagos - the Agent went as a Tortoise with a day pack representing the shell, and i borrowed some blue dive fins and fashioned a toilet roll into a beak - clearly a blue-footed boobie!
In all a fabulous way to forget what day of the week it was, let alone the date. Time was only important when we needed to ferry ashore or eat, and there was time to begin shedding our pasty white complexions loafing on the deck with a book or Ipod.
We flew to Quito where we now await the departure of our 53 day overland trek to Santiago in Chile. If we are lucky enough to getas good a group in the truck as we did on the boat, all will be well........
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Lynne and Simon
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A tortured landscape
Your latest title couldn't be further from the truth when reading your blog - I bored myself with the number of times I said "wow". It sounds awesome. I always remember every time we've snorkelled in the Caribbean that it's like being in a tropical fish tank but your experience with turtles, sea lions etc. just makes me feel inadequate! Jammy pair of b's I say. All well over hear - you'll be astounded to hear that it's cold, wet and miserable (difficult to believe I know). Was at NNG yesterday - joy unconfined. Was on holiday last week (again!) - we had a staircase fitted - now how many people can say that about their holiday eh? Bet you are dead jealous aren't you?!! RMT been talked into doing a panto next week at our 2 day RLG (wonder who did that? oh no she didn't!) I'm Cinders...and I will go to the flippin ball or there'll be hell to pay. Keep safe you two and keep having a fab time. Lots of love, your Scouse stalkers xxxx