THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2018
FLOREANA ISLAND TOUR
Breakfast upon awaking in our hotel was a repeat of the previous morning. We had grown to know Liliana, the owner-manager, well and she took good care of us as she offered a fresh fruit plate, yogurt with fruit and granola, eggs with ham and cheese, fresh fruit juice and coffee. Fuelled well for the day ahead, we awaited our pick up taxi that arrived at 8.45 am to take us on a tour of Floreana Island which is one of the more remote but more popular of the Galapagos Islands. We were led to the marina and the main pier on the Santa Cruz waterfront and from there we boarded the boat that would take us to Floreana.
Sailing to Floreana Island:
We had no idea that the sail to Floreana Island would take a full two hours. Fortunately, the sea was less choppy and within minutes, we got used to the rolling motion of the vessel as it skimmed the waves. We were about 20 people in the ferry with a bi-lingual (Spanish and English) guide who, for all his swagger, did not reveal very much.
When we arrived at Floreana Island, the authorities searched our bags very carefully to make sure we had not brought any plant, animal or bird life in our bags. They are really strict about restricting any such creatures as they can severely alter the delicate eco-system of these islands that have flourished undisturbed for centuries.
Exploring Floreana Island:
We then boarded a Landrover to begin our exploration of the island. This vehicle and our position in it reminded us very much of the Landrovers that we had used while on safari in Africa. However, here there was no wild life to be spotted. We drove for about 20 minutes to what our guide called “The Highlands”. These were hills that rose above us clad with thick green vegetation. As we hiked higher and higher into the mountains, the guide told us stories about past Western explorers who have left their mark on the island. In particular, he talked about Patrick Welland, who had quarreled with his companions on the ship that had brought them to Floreana at the end of the 17thcentury. As a punishment, they had left him marooned on the island for five years. He lived on fruit and tortoise meat and fresh spring water that, fortunately for him, kept him alive through countless lonely days and nights. He was also known to be an alcoholic who bartered alcohol from passing whaling ships for tortoise meat and oil that he hunted during the day. We passed by the cave he used for shelter, saw the source of the fresh spring that dripped delightfully in a verdant cave and received lovely views of the waters surrounding the island from a height.
When we had finished our trek, our guide led us down the mountain to a waiting vehicle where we drove to a shack for lunch that was included in our package tour.
Lunch on Floreana Island:
We had two choices of entrée for lunch: Chicken Curry or Fish. The entire table (comprising about 20 people) chose fish. Since Llew does not eat fish, he opted for the chicken. It was a huge mistake. While it was tasty and made a good meal (with rice and salad) and watermelon for dessert, it upset his stomach so badly that for the next couple of days he was miserable and very ill. It was good to sit at a long communal table, however, chatting with our international companions—some from Australia, others from Japan and a noisy lot of Spanish speakers from Argentina.
Swimming and Snorkelling:
When lunch was consumed, we boarded the Landrover again and were driven to a pretty beach covered with beach succulents and flowers. We followed our guide to a small beach called the Queen’s Crown that is popular with swimmers and snorkelers. Our guide provided snorkeling equipment to those who did not own it and, before long, most of the people in our group were in the water—either swimming or snorkeling. We did not do either—in fact, we preferred to sit on the sands and take in the quiet of the serene scene in front of us as we caught sight of sea turtles frolicking through the waves. Blair, who snorkelled, said he was very disappointed as he did not really see anything and thought it was a huge waste of time.
Spying A Colony of Marine Iguanas and Sea Lions:
When the swimmers and snorkelers had dried off, we made the return trek along the beach to yet another beach where the guide led us to twin colonies of sea lions (seals) who were very tame and did not seem to mind our presence. They were a lovely tawny golden color and we took many pictures with them. We also came upon a colony of marine iguanas that were slightly different from the black ones we had seen on Santa Cruz island. These were an attractive pink-red color to help them camouflage with the vegetation of the island. They were also larger and fatter than the ones we had seen before.
After we had spent some time on these beaches, we walked back to the pier from where we boarded a little water-taxi that took us to the large ferry that had brought us to the island. We boarded it and settled down for the long two hour sailing back to our base on the Santa Cruz pier. Overall, Floreana island had been something of a disappointment. If you were not interested in swimming or snorkeling, there was really nothing much to commend the island—and most swimming and snorkeling could also be done on Santa Cruz. Having paid $250 each for this excursion, we were not very happy with it.
Back in our hotel, we rested for a little bit and met, as usual, at 7.00 pm to eat dinner at restaurant called Bahia La Mar which was the warm recommendation of our hotelier Liliana. We walked past storks and pelicans at the pier and reached the restaurant where we settled down to the lilting sound of waves at the restaurant’s edge. There we ordered cocktails and noodles with shrimp and more shrimp ceviche. The food was delicious but the portions were small. Still, we enjoyed our meal and our return walk to our hotel in the dark. Once in our rooms, we settled down quickly at the end of another tiring day.
Until manana, adios…
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