The ship pulled anchor shortly after we were aboard and headed for a tiny island just north of Baltra, where our airplane had landed. North Seymour was our first excursion; mind you, this was on the same day we got settled !! Whoa, what an itinerary, and what an experience it was; right off the bat. I should note here that some of the photographs you will see were shared by fellow passengers. They were provided to us on CDs at the end of the trip. Thank you all. |
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| But let me explain: The excursions were our choice and classified as "high", "medium" or "low" intensity. All this means is that either we took a simple Zodiac ride (low i.) or went for a nice long hike or snorkel in deep water (high i.). In either case there is lots of excitement and splendid scenery. I did a couple high intensities with Sharon, and she did some medium. Oh, by the way, for those who are cruisers and are used to pay for shore excursions: "Galapagos is all inclusive." Furthermore, it should be understood that all excursions are with a guide; no more than 16 people per guide and you better follow his advice: no food or snacks, no potty stops, no touching or feeding the animals, but lots of interesting information, etc. I don't think anyone had trouble abiding by those simple rules. |
| As soon as we landed we were surrounded by sea lions and their pups. The little ones came right up to us and wanted to play. We actually had to back off (don't touch !). Then we continued along the beach and saw our first sea iguana and the black frigates during their mating season. Obviously the red breasted bird is the male putting out his best throat to make an impression. These majestic birds, with a typical wingspan of up to seven feet, were all above us, soaring and looking for a mate. |
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Our guides took us along the beach and rocky paths to see more birds and reptiles. These naturalists are Ecuadorians, some born on the islands. They have had extensive training and had answers for almost every question we would throw at them. At the same time, they would caution us about staying on the trail and not to touch the animals. It was OK if they touched you, but not the other way around. |
| Then we saw our first blue-footed-boobies. These unusual birds are comical to watch as they dance and prance while whistling and honking during their courting ritual. The animals are not tame; just not afraid of people. I sat on a rock and two of them came so close that I had to quickly move away. |
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| As we continued, we saw several lizards on the path. Then the guide pointed out a land iguana and soon we saw some more of these large, slow moving monsters. |
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| Before we boarded the Zodiac to go back to the ship, we spotted several Sally Lightfoot crabs. These colorful animals would jump from rock to rock as they scurried away from us. |
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| In the two hours we had been on the island we had seen more animals than we had expected to see in several days. What could we do for the next six days to top this? |
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At seven o'clock the following morning we stopped at Kicker Rock for a Zodiac excursion. This island looks different from various angles and got it's name because in one view it looks like a boot, as shown below. Kicker Rock is also shown in the heading on top of this page. |
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| We circled the island and saw this large crack with light shining through from the opposite side. As the waves crashed into the opening from the other end, they would rush through here like a pot of boiling water; too strong to enter the passageway. After we returned to the ship we had breakfast while continuing on to San Cristobal. There was a 9:00am tour to the little town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno with a visit to the interpretative center and museum. Talk about go-go-go. |
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In the afternoon the ship continued on to Espanola Island where we elected to do the hike to the blow hole and see more iguanas and various birds. Mind you, Sharon and I are not birders, but here you cannot help but be intrigued by all the various species. This is the island where the albatross makes its nest. Click here to continue to Part 2. |