Year: 2006

Day six, henceforth to be known as the one where we swam with the whale shark OR the one where we saw the pod of a few hundred dolphins. I’ve been hoping for at least one moment on this trip that everyone would remember for a lifetime, and today we got it twofold. The day started out with a late wakeup so that we could snorkel first thing with marine iguanas as they were feeding underwater. Unfortunately the marine iguanas didn’t get the memo, but several sea turtles drifted to within inches of people while feeding on sea lettuce. A borderline aggressive group of sea lions also followed us for nearly the entire snorkel, repeatedly swimming up to people and turning away only inches from their masks. Following the snorkel we went ashore and communed with the thousands of marine iguanas at Punta Espinosa. While wading out to some tide pools I managed to slip, and given the choice between getting the camera wet or cutting up my leg I saved the camera and earned the nickname of “shark bait” for the day. An octopus that was chasing crabs through tidepools was the landing’s final highlight before we returned to the ship for lunch.

Following lunch we motored to Tagus Cove for the Bataan Death March through blazing heat up to Darwin Lake. Sukh and Greg continued on a bit further while saner members of the group returned to the boat for a quick (and more importantly cool) swim. We then spent the next couple of hours out on deck looking for whales and dolphins as we motored north, but both creatures were in hiding so we arrived at the northern part of Isabela Island a bit disappointed. It was just as we were getting ready for a snorkel in the “Icebox” that one of the panga drivers shouted “whale”. We didn’t see a whale, but in record time everyone had their gear ready and was in the panga, and we motored over to a young whale shark that was hanging out on the surface. I was first into the rough and murky water, and had to swim within only a few feet of the shark just to be able to see it. The tail was huge, sticking a couple of feet out of the water and slicing through the ocean like a scythe. As more people got in the water the shark made a u-turn back towards us, and it swam back towards me, showing me the entire side of its body, before turning right at me, swimming to within a foot, diving, and then disappearing into the ocean.

Still high from the whale shark we motored over to a cave in the island and did a quick snorkel amongst sea turtles and an utterly massive school of salema before getting back in the boat. Glowing over the whale shark experience we all watched the sun go down, and as we were getting ready for dinner the captain shouted out that there were dolphins outside. A school of probably 100-200 common dolphins was surrounding the boat, leaping insanely high out of the water with the sunset in the background. No one had any complaints after all was said and done, except for Scott who was heard to mumble that we had already done everything, and there are still five days left.

Day five. The day began at 6:15 AM with a kayak through one of the coves at Elizabeth Bay to look for sea turtles, penguins, “tree” lions and rays. While the rays disappointed the other animals were out in force, and JB and I (the 2003 team reunited) took advantage. The crew scared the hell out of us on the return as they were yelling and waving all of the kayaks towards the stern, convincing JB and I that a killer whale was chasing us or some other danger was imminent. Turns out they just thought we were racing and wanted to cheer. Oh well.

The highlight of the day, and possibly of the trip, followed when we snorkeled with about forty sea turtles in a pool in Peppys Cove. It was one of my favorite experiences from the 2003 trip, and while there weren’t as many turtles this time around it was as amazing or better. Floating in a pool that’s perhaps sixty feet across and no more than twenty feet deep while sea turtles glide by on every side is pretty awesome. I stayed in the water for as long as I could handle the cold, got out to warm up, and then snorkeled some more. Given the chance I could have stayed all day.

The remaining activities for the day were a panga ride to see more penguins, blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, frigate birds, and sea lions, followed by transit time up to the next site. Aaron’s and my attempts to search for whales and dolphins turned into a siesta instead, but the whales and dolphins seemed to be hiding anyhow. The day’s final activity was a walk near Alcedo Volcano to see land iguanas in an area that was underwater until the 1950’s when it rose fifteen feet in two days due to volcanic uplift. Amazingly the trip is now halfway done, althought tomorrow holds another highlight as we visit Fernandina Island and its many marine iguanas.

Day four. A late (5:45 AM) wakeup was followed by a 7:00 AM landing in the town of Puerto Villamil where we met trucks that took us forty-five minutes up into the Highlands of Isabela Island. From there the fun began as seventeen horses were trotted out to take us the remainder of the way up the Sierra Negra volcano. From the early moments it was clear that these horses were going to do whatever they wanted, which in my case was to sprint to the front of the pack and then slow the pace to a crawl, blocking the other horses from moving quickly and therefore allowing my horse to move slowly without fear of getting a switch in the tail from the gauchos who were accompanying us. An additional insult occurred when my stirrups came unhitched near the end of the trail just as the horse broke into a canter, resulting in a textbook example of blunt testicular trauma; that horse is not one that I will remember fondly.

The hike that followed provided great views across the baking hot lava, and we returned to the horses several hours later quite tired. On the ride down Sukh’s horse distinguished himself by continually abruptly stopping in close proximity to other riders, forcing the knees of those riders into an orifice of the horse that no one wants their knee forced into; Scott, myself, and several other people will probably be burning our pants later today. The day finished with some relaxation in town and on the beach, including cervesas, ice cream, and great bakery food near the jetty. After a long and likely choppy boat ride tonight it’s on to another side of Isabela to chase turtles and penguins for a day.

Day three. A 5:15 AM wakeup was followed by an early landing on Flour Beach to look for nesting sea turtles. The turtles disappointed, but the soft sands were great, and the flamingos in the nearby lagoon put on a show for us. Breakfast was followed by not one but two snorkels, the first one at Champion with schools of fish and some really playful sea lions, and the second with the currents, sharks, octopus, and giant schools of fish at Devil’s Crown. It’s a tough call as to which one was better – the sea lions were a blast, following people around and obviously curious, but Devil’s Crown is a just a great spot with lots to see. Aaron managed to avoid killing himself diving in the caves this year, although Scott filled in nicely by failing to clear his ears while diving.

Still in the morning we did a kayak over to Post Office Bay, seeing sea lions and our first penguin enroute. Since another group was already at the post office barrel, and since in Greg’s words “it’s such a young group” we made a brief hike over to a lava tube cave before returning to the barrel. Lunch followed, after which we got into a truck/bus onshore (Aaron: “wow, this thing is so safe”) and headed up into the Floreana Highlands. I braved at least five attacks from a rabid, man-eating giant tortoise – it was only through sheer cunning and with ninja-like reflexes that I avoided an early demise. Scott and Aaron were later scared by endemic cows, Anna found several of the infamous snails and pre-empted the reason for Greg’s Snail Hill hike, and much of the group still chose to hike up the hill in the sweltering heat and then hike back to the settlement. Audrey and I reached the settlement shortly after sunset, grabbed a quick shower (cleanliness is a beautiful thing) and then joined the rest of the group on shore for a barbecue. A hunt for hermit crabs with Scott and Aaron ended the evening, and tomorrow we’re off to Isabela Island to visit the Sierra Negra volcano.

Day two. I made the comment at lunch that we’d been in the Galapagos for twenty-four hours and everyone’s eyes boggled since it feels like much longer with all of the activity. The water was choppy last night, and the (only) downside of having the owner’s cabin became apparent as Audrey and I got tossed all over the place. Luckily everyone else has rooms in lower cabins and awoke in good health this morning to the sounds of Kenny G on the ship’s speakers. We snorkeled immediately at 6:00 AM, ate breakfast, roamed the beach near Isla Tortuga, and then did two more snorkels with fish and a group of playful sea lions. As always the sea lions were ridiculously fun, and Gene came away with video of a sea lion repeatedly swimming at him only to blast away at the last second in a puff of bubbles. At the end of the snorkel I was given the option of returning to the boat by panga or by swimming – not being able to face the possibility of any downtime on the trip I opted for some exercise. We still managed an hour-long siesta after lunch during the voyage to another location on Espanola.

The afternoon’s landing on Espanola is one of the highlights of the archipelago. During the landing we watched marine iguanas swimming out to sea and sea lions surfing in the waves (quite literally). Marine iguanas, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, and waved albatross all made appearances as we traversed the one and a half mile trail through the area. The evening meal featured Aaron and Scott’s expletive-replacement phrase “Mother of pearl!”, with interjections to discuss how the gun show could best be fit on a Galapagos t-shirt. Tomorrow promises a 5:15 AM wakeup and a visit to Floreana Island and its infamous Snail Hill.

Day two started out with food poisoning on the plane – an important note for those flying Tame, there are no barf bags in the seat pockets. As quickly as it hit my time getting to know my breakfast was over, and we arrived in the Galapagos to meet Greg and board the boat. A bit of choppiness during the voyage to South Plaza Island allowed a couple of other passengers to join the upchuck club, but once we arrived on the island everyone was feeling fine and most people jumped in the water for a quick snorkel. Aaron and Scott of course literally jumped in the water, and a photo exists somewhere of the two of them doing tandem ninja kicks off of the boat’s second deck. Greg refused to even call this a snorkel, and instead described it as a “swim”, but a few sea lions playing with banana peels and several fish made for a good time. The day’s only hike was a three hour jaunt around North Seymour where the red-billed tropic birds wrecked havoc on my sanity by refusing to stay in focus, and the sea lions and land iguanas entertained everyone else. A good start, and everyone seems primed for tomorrow.

Day one has brought with it little sleep, good times in first class, an enormously enjoyable (and late) evening at the hotel’s bar, and not one, but two lost luggages. With luck American will come through and get the bags to the boat quickly, but aside from this snafu the trip is off to an excellent beginning.

Galapagos III kicks off tomorrow with a 4:30 AM wakeup followed by a flight to Miami and then on to Quito. It’s a bit of a struggle not to get too excited already since the last two trips have been such good ones:

• Galapagos I: Photos
• Galapagos II: Photos | Journal

As always I’ll keep a daily journal, but it will probably be a couple of weeks before ‘net access is again available and everything can be uploaded. Should be fun.