Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Who`d have ever thought that on islands famous for it`s flora and fauna they`d have t`internet. Well they have, XP too, and it`s bloody quick. So here we are, 3 days into our Galapagos experience. Rather than sum up how we`re feelign about it all now I will do that after a detailed run down of what we`ve done so far...

Day 1 - Sunday...First up was the change of venue, we flew to Cristobal not Baltra, due to the airport at Baltra being reaved or something. This meant we flew in a smaller Boeing 727-200 not the lovely snazzy new Airbus that TAME have. This plane was so old and decripid it`s previous owner was Istanbul Airlines (WHO?)...having said that we arrived safely so enough said...

At the airport there was a big sign stating the things you couldn`t bring onto the islands...soil, live animals, VACCINES... so with a lump in our throat when asked we said we were carrying medicine which is true I guess and they let us in...

We were greeted at the airport by Walter, a Galapagos resident, who was to be our guide for the 8 days. To our relief he spoke good English. To our further relief we were told that there were only 7 of us booked onto the trip for the first 4 days (5 more are joining us tomorrow to make a full boat of 12), and we were then introduced to 3 of them. Emma and George are newlyweds from somewhere near London (or was it West London, can`t remember) - George originally comes from up north. Both are IT consultants but we didn`t hold that against them. Pilar (anyone remember Eldorado - well she looks nothing like THAT Pilar...) hails from Madrid, and she`s told us where to go and where to avoid at Xmas. The two others, who had arrived a couple of days earlier to do some diving, were a Swiss couple, Erica and Chris, who have been in South America for about 14 months driving around in a Toyota Landcruiser that Chris souped up into a kind of weird campervan and then shipped over to Buenos Aires. He also works in IT so for once I`m not the biggest nerd in the group...all are really nice and we seem to be getting on pretty well.

After sorting our cabins out (double bed, hot shower, wardrobe (!)) we hung around on the ship for a while before heading back to Cristobal Island for our first look at the wildlife. Our bus dropped us at a beach and we saw a sealion colony of about 30-40 just doing their thing, except these were different to all the other seals/sealions we have seen in that they didn`t react to humans. Usually they will hiss and try to scare you away if you come within a few yards but not these guys, they just sat there doing their normal stuff, babies suckling, others playing in the sea. We also saw marine iguanas which are indemic to the Galapagos Islands, in fact they do not exist anywhere else in the world and help prove Darwin`s evolution theories. The have basically had a need over time to swim and have thus developed tails and a breathing system that allows them to do it. There were tens of them and although really ugly they posed more than happily for photos. Now Walter, our guide, has a laptop with him which has XP (yay), and also writes CDs (double yay) so we`ve gone photo crazy, but not as mad as Chris who has a really nice camera - to date he`s taken over 800 photos!!!! We finished the day with a check dive, which made up my mind that there was no way on earth I was going to dive with a hood on...

Day 2 (Monday) started with an early dive at Cousin Rocks, where we saw 4 sharks, a couple of marbled stingrays, and a turtle, amongst others. The highlight though was undoubtedly getting checked out by the sealions who then whizzed around us performing barrell rolls just for the camera! On Bartolomè island we took a long walk to the top, via a boardwalk where we got a good view of the surrounding bays. Hopping back in our dinghy we managed to find the rare Galapagos penguin posing on a rock, before we donned our snorkelling gear and went for a dip with the playful sealions.

After an amazing lunch (our chef is one of those amazing people who you just don`t notice but he makes the most amazing food on his own in a kitchen the size of a small toilet cubicle) we headed to Santiago Island, to Puerto Egas to be exact. This was probably the highlight for me so far...although it didn`t start too well. We landed on another beach with another sealion contingent (they are everywhere, in the ports they even sleep on the boats!), which had the saddest little sealion who looked malnourished. Walter explained that his mother had wither died, or abandoned him due to him being touched by humans. The smell of people on fur leads the mother to throw the kid out on the sand (as it were) and effectively leave it to die. Walter said there was nothing anyone could do, and the pup would be dead within weeks. It was really sad, but again evidence of survival of the fittest, kind of, or at least evidence of how man manages to bugger everything up...

Onwards and upwards though to more lava-y landscapes, and more marine iguanas, so numerous and so camoflaged on the rocks that we nearly stepped on a few, playing sealions, and hundreds of crabs. We sat and watched nature at play for about an hour, 2 sealion males fighting over territory, 2 others chasing an iguana and then playfully biting it`s tail, crabs trying to avoid the passing birds...before visiting the fur seal colony that is also on this island. We also saw a canary, an oystercatcher, and many many pelicans. We sailed onto Rabida, arriving just before midnight.

This morning we headed to Rabida where there is a red beach full of sealions (surprise eh?) where we walked to the top of a hill before skirting around the edge of the island. We saw a couple of mating turtles, the female definitely getting the raw deal, not only was she nearly drowning but she had to provide all the flipperage to stay afloat whilst the male was using his flippers to get a better grip...we also saw the bachelor sealion beach where all the deposed males go to get fat and then mount a challenge to the other males who previously deposed them. No bar or cable TV though.

Our 2nd dive (at Beagle Rock) followed, and despite seeing a Manta Ray (from afar) it was a bit of a disappointment, a bit currenty and poor vis, and also Jen`s mask kept flooding for no apparent reason. The dinghy ride afterwards, through the mangroves on Cerra Dragon, was excellent however, adn we got fleeting glimpses of sharks and rays in the clear water. The best bit though was getting close to the blue-footed boobies which have bright blue feet (never I hear you cry!). They are mean divers though and we got to see a couple plunging into the drink for their lunch.

And here we are...after a five hour boat trip that nearly saw us seeing our lunch again (it`s getting a bit rough currently). Jen gave me my 4th injection (a rabies jab on the day we visited isla rabida - nice irony!) and we`re just about to head back to the boat for the remaining 4 1/2 days. To sum it all up so far for me it`s been amazing, yes some of the wildlife is a bit similar but we still go all gooey eyed at the sight of a seal pup, and diving with them is just incredible, a unique experience. There is enough variety in the islands, although all volcanic they have different hues, and fauna. Jen is getting abit cabin feaverish but is enjoying it too. Hopefully the 5 that join tomorrow won`t be like the gourp of Americans on the other boat whose itinery is the same as ours...obnoxious, hilarious dress sense, and no observing of the 2 metre rule (that`s how close you can get to the animals)...


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