THE CHERRIES ON TOP Final Chapters of The Great Galápagos Adventure

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, little did we know that the best-of-the best was still awaiting us. We’d had some easy going read-your-book and kayak around-the-bay days in between, but the true highlights of the trip were yet to come.

The first took place at “Playa La Fe” (Faith Beach), a hidden paradise not normally featured in the local tour shops. We were offered the unique chance to be taken there by a boat captain and island guide Luis, and boy, did he ever treat us
                                                                   to a very special paradise.

We cruised along, enjoying the coastal view for about a half hour. When he slowed down, strangely, all we could see was a thin, black, getty-like line of rocks. Luis took his time, carefully riding in on the low tide waves and into a cove. Pristine emerald water beneath us, we’d just entered into the most magical estuary we’d ever seen. Sea lions, marine iguanas, pelicans and frigates lazed contentedly on the rocks on the sides of this narrow canal. Still, we couldn’t see a beach and I started to wonder if it even existed. Then we turned left, and tucked into themangrove was a tiny little “beach” area ~ larger now because it was low tide, but you could see clearly how most of it would fill in later to the tide line.

We settled in, and  Luis took us for an even greater surprise through a

tough-going rocky path of black volcanic rocks behind the site. Incredible in itself, I could imagine the original red-hot lava flowing to the sea at the island’s birth. Making it through to the other side, it opened up to the open sea. We were stunned. Marine iguanas were everywhere - large and small; out in the open, and tucked under the rocks beneath our feet. It was wild. Luis recommended we come back later at higher tide, because he said right now most were out feeding in the water. We did, and again, it was just pure fascination.

Luis took us snorkeling in the canal, and we traveled along, enjoying the

myriad of lovely fish living in the volcanic rocks on the sides. Luis brought us a sea urchin, and placed it in my hand. Tan and brown with a touch of white, it felt slightly prickly. He motioned underwater to flip my palm over. It stuck! We all took turns, and Luis made sure we didn’t take it out of the water in order to protect it. We then continued on, seeing a sleeping manta ray, more gorgeous and curious fish, and a sea turtle flying gently by. 

We alternated between the beach and snorkeling, but were more often in than out. The iguanas stayed just feet away. Most beautiful was a mother sea lion and her pup, nursing in the mangroves. We could hear their hoarse, excited barks - especially when the baby must have bit mom’s nipple. So, so fascinating. What a treat.

The best, though, was when a playful sea lion pup came over to us and started playing, weaving through us all as we stood in the water. Oh, my gosh, it was the BEST! I moved away to snorkel on my own, and she came up and swam with me. She darted this way and that, dashing sleekly around and under me. I played with her, and mimicked her, stretching my arms out over my head. She teased me so, and I wanted to run my hand down that long, beautiful belly (button and all!) but I wouldn’t out of respect. Just as curious, I swear she wanted to touch me, too. And that face with her little ear flaps - so adorable. But then she shot away. Minutes later she was back, teasing as if to say, “Come on, let’s play again!” Truly magical.

We took Luis’s advice and went back over to the other side. He was right. Iguanas were everywhere! It was hard to avoid them, and sometimes if you got too close they’d spit out their nose or tick their heads back and forth in warning. The larger ones did that to the smaller ones in domination, too. Some were darker, and others were orange and rainbow-colored with cool spiky crests. When they swam, they tucked their clawed arms sleekly by their sides and navigate with their tails. Fascinating. 

It was surreal to be part of this wondrous natural scene in which sea lions, iguanas, pelicans, crabs, blue-footed boobies and more all hung out together in their own private paradise. What a precious gift we’d been given. Muchas gracias, Luis!

THE NOT-SO-UNEVENTFUL GLASS BOTTOM BOAT TOUR Galápagos Chapter 4

While cruising the tour places in Puerto Ayora, we came upon one that sounded interesting, though possibly not all that exciting. But heck, why not get a glimpse of the underwater world here via glass bottom boat? So playing the good tourists, we laid down the $35 a piece, and figured on a mild next day. Boy, were we in for a surprise!

 

We met our tour guide Fabrizio at the main dock. Nice guy, and spoke

English really well. Our group then folded in together, consisting of an Australian couple, two Swedish women (an orthopedic surgeon and a gynecologist - both of whom looked like kids!), and a young Saudi who’d just graduated from university.

We cruised along, waiting for the floor panel to be lifted to expose the

glass bottom. But that never happened. Instead, we were taken to several different sites to snorkel and see everything up-close-and-personal. What a treat! Apparently the glass bottom is really meant for those who prefer not to get in the water. But we were all game, snorkels either in hand or provided by the tour. Wahoo!

Our first stop was to Las Grietas ~ a massive volcanic chasm with crystal clean emerald water reaching in from the ocean. You can swim and snorkel in its deep canal, but of course, some “locos” (in my humble opinion!) choose to dive off from its cliff heights, too. To get there is a challenge in and of itself - a winding walk through a rough, rocky volcanic path and then scaling down huge, slippery boulders leading up to the water. Not for the faint of heart, for sure. Jeff got in right away, but just sticking my toe into the cold water made me think twice. I was here, though, and I wasn't going to pass it up. 
In I went, a little breathless and slightly freaked out at having to tread water because there wasn't much to hang onto or stand on.Calming myself down, I began to snorkel. Unfortunately I saw only a fish here and there, but still, what an awesome experience. Just as I was getting out, I turned to see Fabrizio grinning, ready  to take the dive. Sure glad Jeff didn’t attempt it.  I know I would’ve panicked then!

Our second snorkel stop was to swim with sea turtles. We’d seen several at the surface, many of them coupling (!) during this mating season. Unfortunately the water was too murky there, so we moved on. Oh, the beauty we saw once in. Schools and schools of various magnificent fish everywhere. They came so close, clearly unbothered by our presence. There were velvety dark blue fish with iridescent aqua spots that shone like neon. Others had bright yellows and reds and stark white stripes, and the parrot fish were rainbow iridescent. Stunning. 

The best of the day, though, was saved for last. They took us out to what is called the “Loberia” - a favorite spot for sea lions. Oh, my word - we

got in and swam with a group of about 20 or 30 of them! They’re amazingly playful. Fabrizio had a rope and handed it to each of us to drag it along behind. The minute I grabbed it, a sea lion chased and bit onto it, happily being pulled along gently and swimming along with me. Incredible! Jeff dove deeper down and played with all of them. They seemed to love it, too, swirling and darting around him. Pure Joy.

Great group, spectacular day.

The only regret I have in all of this is not having bought an underwater camera. Next time, it’s a must. We learned as we went along that a vast majority of the beauty of the Galápagos lies underwater. We were so thankful to have purchased those snorkel kits!

Information:  Aquaview Tours, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz 
 Contact Jenny: speaks English         $35 per person including snack

HIDDEN TREASURES, BOUNTIFUL LESSONS Galápagos Chapter 3

There’s no doubt about it - in order to begin to understand the complexities of the Galápagos islands, taking a tour with a naturalist guide is a must. The next day we met up with Paul, a biologist, park tour guide, and coincidentally, our house manager. He’s been living in the Galápagos from England for over twenty years, and couldn’t possibly have been more passionate about sharing his knowledge with us. Alright, I’ll admit  - a good deal of  the technical & scientific stuff he told us went completely over my pea-brained head, but still, it made all the difference in my enhancing my appreciation for what we were witnessing.

We started out that morning by meeting him at the Charles Darwin Research Center. The center, and the Galápagos National Park (GNP), were founded approximately 50 years ago by Belgian Victor Van Straelan along with other visionary international scientists and conservationists. Distraught by the massive human destruction of its wildlife and delicate habitat during the 19th and early 20th centuries, they were spurred to action to try to save the entire archipelago’s ecosystem - something pretty much unheard of worldwide. Certain giant tortoise species had already been driven to extinction on some islands, and many other species like fur seals and whales were endangered as well. Humans had also introduced may species of invasive plants and predatory animals, which ended up dramatically altering the ecosystem. Their work was definitely cut out for them, and yet many conservationists think that it’s been a true success story in that the environment now is in far better condition than it was 100 years ago. Very cool.

Paul took us through the park, showing us the various land tortoises bred there, which are then reintroduced to their respective islands. Some original giant land tortoises have lived there for years and have become very comfortable with humans. There were lovely iguanas, too. We learned that the park caretakers used to feed them personally, but now would never do so that they learn to survive on their own before being put back into the wild.

After lunch, Paul greeted us at the dock in a fancy leather-seated van to take us to a few sites unexpected, beginning with a lava tunnel. Several cut through the island. What’s neat is that you can actually see the lines marking where the lava  flowed at various levels. There’s also a major difference in the consistency of lava rock ~ one is hard stone which was created under the pressure of weight, while the top layers have bubbles created by gases that expanded and burst. Amazing.

We then went over to the Pit Craters ~ massive pits formed by the land apparently caving in. Inside they’re lush with trees, although the endemic (native) scalacia trees are being crowded out by a species of blackberry that was introduced. Paul has witnessed these losses over time, including a guava and a quinine species, too. Most sadly, there used to be a beautiful crimson colored finch seen all over that hasn’t been seen in a few years. What a loss.

Finally, our last stop was to a giant land tortoise farm. There we met Steve, a friend of Paul’s whose parents came to live in the “highlands” of the island when there was absolutely nothing - no stores, schools, amenities, or even roads. I can’t imagine. I tried to get a handle on what it had been like for him to grow up in such isolation, but I’m not sure I really got the answer. He said he had to go everywhere with a machete, and that it took hours to get to Puerto Ayora on horseback (just a half hour or so now by car). He went to school in Cuenca at 10 years old, and then back to Santa Cruz where they actually had a class of eight students. Later his mother tried to home-school him with the Calvert method, but he ultimately ended up in high school in Guayaquil. Wow!

His family had gotten into farming on the island, but then when the tourists started coming they also realized a niche in something very special - sharing the joy of the immense land tortoises who’d found the ideal place to hang out at their farm. The terrain is really lush at these higher elevations, providing yummy vegetation for them to chomp on. We learned, too, that most tortoises are male here. For some reason the females tend to stay closer to the coast, where it’s easier for them and still provides sufficient plants to feed on.

We couldn’t believe how many assive tortoises domes dotted the farm all over. They evenallowed us to get fairly up close and personal, though we did stay a respectable distance away to marvel at them. Very fun.

What a full day. Full of learning, full of surprises. We topped it off with a lovely coconut fish dinner at William's, served at a table in the middle of the street. I just love this place!