The Rest of the Day

We packed a lot into my birthday,  Before seeing the tortoises, we stopped at Los Gemelos which are large sinkholes that formed near the time of the active volcano of Isla Santa Cruz eons ago.  They are amidst the scalesia forest of these highlands.

Darwin's Finches are everywhere.  There are 13 species.

After seeing the tortoises, we entered a lava tunnel.  When the outside of a lava flow cooled, the rest of the lava continued to flow out and away leaving empty tubes.

Our taxi tour ended up back in Puerto Ayora.  We had read about the fresh fish market, but we did not know it was run by the women.

Frigate birds and pelicans awaited any scraps to be dropped.

The Charles Darwin Research Center was nearby.  A different species of tortoise is being cared for here as are some land iguanas which are yellow and orange.  The word galapagos means saddle in Spanish, and these tortoises have shells that do look like saddles.

Charles and I had a hand holding moment.

On our way to Happy Hour, these guys were impeding our way.

I am a big fan of local art, and Puerto Ayora had its share.

Some of these folks thought it was highly funny when I tried to take a photo of the big tortoise sculpture.

It was another great birthday!

Happy Tortoise Day to Me

Galapagos Tortoises are HUGE! Jim is allowed to get within two meters of any tortoise.  It is a drippy day up in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island at Rancho Premecis, a private reserve of tortoises. Boots are even supplied so we are able to traipse anywhere on the property.

Such gentle giants.

But once up on those legs, can they move along.

It seems tortoises love mud.

Can you have too many photos of tortoises?

This rain forest provides water for the tortoises.  They eat the greens, but really relish opuntia, a type of cactus that reminds me of nopales, with huge paddles.  The cactus grows in the arid parts of the islands, so the Galapagos Tortoises have to trek many miles periodically to get food then to get water.

And before we left...

Tortoise Day to be continued....

I Wanna Iguana

The Galapagos Islands are all about tortoises, iguanas, birds, and all manner of sea life. Here is a cute guy we found on the beach at Tortuga Bay, a 2.6 kilometer walk from Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island.  He is a marine iguana that eats algae, seeks warmth on the lava rocks, and snorts to rid his body of salt.

The walk to Tortuga Beach is long.  Surfing is popular there and several boards passed us on our trek.  Once at the beach we immediately were confronted with many iguanas.

Along the trail we saw many finches and this mockingbird as well as heard many bird calls.

Crabs of all sorts were on the beach and rocks.  Somehow they remain immune to predators to get this big.

Iguana tracks were easy to identify.

The iguana's eyes were so black that it seemed like they were just empty holes.

At the end of the long Tortuga Beach where marine turtles do lay eggs, is the beginning of a lagoon surrounded by mangroves.  At this point in our hike, the colors of the sky and the water showed so many different hues of blue.

I tried to snorkel close to the lagoon's beach, but the water was a bit murky.  Jim and I rented a kayak.  In the shallows near the mangroves, we saw four white tipped sharks about four feet long.  Someone in another kayak asked if we saw a shark jump out of the water.  We  had not seen it, but looked when we heard the big splash.

  We did see our first marine iguana swimming; a sight at which you almost laugh out loud.  

At one point I got out to snorkel as the water was clearer away from the beach.  I saw an enormous eagle ray zoom by me.

A big boat arrived to take anyone back to town if they wanted to pay $10 per person.  We walked back adding up to about seven miles walked today.  

Becoming a Galapagos Tourist

We knew we were somewhere new.  First it cost $120 for fees...National Park fee.  The air was warm enough that we had to take off our coats and long sleeved shirts.  Hand luggage inspectors took my chia seeds and the seven kumquats I had left from Panoche.  The surrounding landscape was desert with nopales and palo verde trees.  After a short, circuitous bus ride, we transferred to a ferry to arrive at Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.  Sharing a car into Puerto Ayora with a German couple, we left the desert for the tropics that included two large sink holes, banana trees, and gigantic tortoises in fields along the roadway!  It reminded me of the area around Zipoliti, Mexico.

What do you do when your hotel is closed for lunch?  Go have a cerveza, of course, and enjoy the view.

Our online reservation at the Flightless Cormorant was ready and waiting.  We could be the only people here to enjoy this great place.  We have a comfortable room with both a tub and a shower.  An inviting terrace with lounges is nearly outside our door.  After a long nap, we walked around to acquaint ourselves with the neighborhood.

These sculptures are made using discarded cigarette filters.  They are unique, but ugly.

 

After watching an exchange of money by many of the men, a sort of 3 man volleyball begins.  A second game is started on the second court.  The same man always serves.  Each has his roll to play...server, passer, setter, hitter.  The men seem to yell at each other in an unsupportive manner.

We are close to the marina, and every boat has at least two or three motors.

We are trying to find a road to Tortuga Bay, but find the Laguna de las Ninfas.  It is like our Neary Lagoon in Santa Cruz, California.

I love finding murals.

Flowers...hibiscus, frangipani, bougainvillea, are blooming everywhere.

Walls of the local lava rock are all around.

We ate supper along a pedestrian street full of restaurants, tables, menus, and people.