Tag: iguana

Galapagos: Day 5

May 1. Another early start. At 6:45 we’re in the water snorkeling with penguins. The penguins feed in the morning, hence, swimming with them requires an early start. Our swim took us around the ship looking for penguins under the ship. I wasn’t lucky enough to catch a photo of the penguins.

Breakfast was served at 8:15. At 9:15 we were back in the pangas for a short ride to Tagus Cove on Isla Isabela for a dry landing. From there we take a short hike up the mountainside to a view of Darwin Lake.

It’s always a delight to return to the ship where we’re handed cool washcloths and refreshing juice after hiking in the sun. If we’ve been in the water, it’s a hot shower on the deck and hot chocolate. We don’t dally around much though.

At 10:00 we’re back in the pangas exploring the coast, watching iguanas, penguins, blue footed boobies and poking into sea caves.

At noon we are back in the water snorkeling with marine iguanas and turtles.

Back onboard, lunch is a delicious soup, coleslaw, lasagna, grilled octopus and avocado salad. Hot soup hits the spot after being in the water.

3:00 we’re on another panga ride. This time we land on Isla Fernandina near Espinosa Point, where we walk among the iguanas, sea lions and some unusual lava cactus.

We’re back onboard at 5:30 with a briefing at 6:40 and dinner at 7:00. After dinner we’re underway heading towards the north end of Isla Isabela. At 8:08 PM we cross the equator. A number of us assembled in the pilot house to watch the GPS count down to zero degrees of latitude. More photos of the day’s adventures are available in an online gallery.

Galapagos: Day 4

April 30. The day starts with an early morning swim before breakfast. At 7:30 we climb into the pangas for a short ride to our snorkeling location.

We’re swimming with sea turtles. What an amazing adventure! They don’t seem to mind our presence. They take their time swimming and munching on the algae growing on the rocks.

We’re back onboard the Passion for breakfast at 9:00. Then it’s back in the Pangas to explore the mangroves and the volcanic coast. We see a few sharks and rays as well as flightless cormorants and iguanas.

Our original itinerary called for a kayaking adventure, but with lava flowing into the ocean at nearby Isla Fernandina it was a unanimous decision to go visit the lava flow. From the pangas we were able to get quite close to the action. Red hot molten lava flowing into the steaming ocean water.

The chef fired up the BBQ on the upper deck and we enjoyed an amazing dinner with a view of the lava flow.

To top off the evening the chef presented us with a cake to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Never mind that the date of August 25, 2023 had passed. We had told the tour operators that the cruise was part of our anniversary celebration. More photos of the day’s adventure are available in an online gallery.

Galapagos: Day 3

April 29. Wakeup call is 7:20am with breakfast at 7:40. I’m getting quite used to the fresh fruit for breakfast: watermelon, pineapple and papaya, not to mention a variety of other selections including pancakes, rolls, yogurt, granola, eggs and sausage.

At 8:30 we climb into the pangas for a ride to the beach. We’re going to the Post Office. This is not your ordinary post office. In 1793 James Colnett, a British sea captain put up a barrel. The idea was that lonely sailors could deposit mail here and passersby would pick up mail they could deliver at their convenience. No postage required.

We dropped off three postcards and picked up three postcards we could deliver. One card with an address in Benicia caught my attention. I have a good friend in Benicia, and I thought this would be a good excuse to get together. So, once we’re back home I send my friend Dan an email saying I have a piece of mail from the Galapagos Post Office to deliver to somebody in Benica. Dan writes back and asks if it is addressed to Jane. Sure enough! Jane is his granddaughter and Dan had deposited the card on a recent trip to the Galapagos. What a funny coincidence.

Our panga ride included traveling along the shoreline to watch for wildlife.

Pelicans, sea lions, crabs, blue footed boobies and iguanas. I was also intrigued by the cactus which looked half Saguaro and half prickly pear, the Galapagos prickly pear.

At 10:30 we were back in the water snorkeling. We were hoping to find turtles, but we did not have much luck.

After lunch the ship weighed anchor and we made way for Isla Isabela. More photos for the day are available in an online gallery.