FLOREANA ISLAND TOUR

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 17^thcentury. 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… 

         

TORTUGA (TORTOISE) BAY AND LA LOBERIA, SANTA CRUZ ISLAND.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2018

TORTUGA BAY AND LA LOBERIA, SANTA CRUZ ISLAND. 

We awoke at 6.30 after a fairly comfortable night and went one floor down to the Dining room of our hotel where breakfast was served from 7.00 am onwards.  Liliana and other wait staff looked after us very well and started us off with fresh pineapple juice. Then followed a coupe of yogurt with fruit and cornflakes. Next followed a large platter with eggs, a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, two slices of bread and a cheese empanada. Coffee, tea, etc. was also available. Indeed it was a huge breakfast that provided superb fuel for the rest of our wandering that day.

         At 7.40, our pick-up arrived for our tour of Tortuga Bay—or Tortoise Bay--which is not far from the main waterfront of Porta Ayora which we discovered to be a sweet island township with the typical shops, restaurants, etc. running down its main avenue that is named for Charles Darwin. In the mini-van, we were joined by four Mexican women who turned out to be delightful company and with whom we interacted very easily because they spoke fairly good English. We met our guide Ignacio who stayed with us for the entire morning. We climbed up about fifty stairs to the promontory of a hill where an office and a small museum were located. There Ignacio told us that we would be walking for about 20 minutes before we arrived at Tortuga Bay.

         Tortuga Bay is a perfect curve of beach that is among the most beautiful and pristine in the region. It is composed of white sand that was soft as cotton. But before we arrived there, we had a very long walk along a brick path past amazing bird and plant life about which we learned so much. Ignacio told us about the giant cactuses that we could see all around us. They grow to an enormous height and can be seen only in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona in the US. They had round flat leaves with prickly spines and the insides resembled a network of fine white threads. We also saw prickly pear cactus that was in flower and in fruit—they are a favorite fruit of the bird and lizard life that teems in this area. We saw mockingbirds that were unafraid of us and came so close as to actually perch on our hands. They sang the sweetest song and fascinated us with their calls. We also saw a variety of finches—later we learned that they are named Darwin’s finches—we saw black, grey and yellow ones. We stopped often to rest on our long hike to the beach but eventually we did reach there.

         Once within sound and sight of the crashing waves, we felt sorely tempted to take off our hiking boots and don our flip flops/sandals instead. Immediately, we were charmed by the silken feel of the white sand beneath our toes. The Mexican ladies who were worn out by their excursion of the previous day, immediately spread their towels out on the beach and decided to spend their time sun-bathing. Hence, it was just Blair, Chriselle, Llew and I that followed Ignacio along the gorgeous curve of the beach in search of marine iguanas. Meanwhile, before we got to the spot where they congregate, we saw lots of birds milling in the skies. About 15 minutes later, we saw and smelled our first marine iguanas—a whole colony of them.  They were absolutely hideous to look at and they really did stink. We found them in various sizes from lean to fat, from big to small. Ignacio explained that the largest were the oldest. All about the beach scuttling everywhere were baby iguanas. The marine ones are usually pitch black so that they can be camouflaged against the black volcanic rocks that dot the shore line.  We also saw a number of mangroves—red, black and white ones—that are the perfect nesting ground for the iguanas. We took many pictures of these odd creatures (that are native to these islands) and with them. Again, they are completely harmless because they too have no predators. Occasionally you can hear them spitting but this is not a show of aggression—it is simply their way of getting rid of excess salt that they have ingested with the sea water.

         We had waded into the water when we first arrived at Tortuga Bay and were not inclined to swim as we found it much too cold. So, when Ignacio suggested that we walk past the sand dunes on to the other side of the beach in order to swim, if we chose to, we declined although we had carried our swim gear. When we reach the beach—a pretty lagoon really—we found an abundance of students had taken it over—most of them Americans.  We stayed there for a while and then started the stroll back along Tortuga Bay to join the Mexican ladies who had been sun-bathing.  We picked up our hiking boots and socks and wore them for the long trek back to base and to our van.

         In the van, we discovered that we were missing Blair. Ignacio got worried and discovered that he had walked ahead of us, probably back to the hotel. At our hotel, we drew a blank and so Ignacio dropped us at the waterfront and went to look for him in his car. The three of us wandered around the waterfront and took in the sight of a dozen pelicans hounding a fish market stall and scavenging bits that were being tossed as waste. They were huge and very tame. We also saw our first sea-lions—a mother that was actually suckling her baby. It was a very interesting sight. Some more photographs later, we decided to get some lunch and found a nice seafront shack called Il Giardina where we ordered a salad and grilled swordfish that came with avocados and banana fritters and rice. Chriselle got two mojitos for the price of one, Llew got wine and I got a beer and with our very nice meal almost over, we saw Blair strolling towards the next meeting place for the second half of our tour.

Yacht Tour to La Loberia Island:

         It was not long before we reached the spot where one of the Mexican ladies bowed out from fatigue leaving us with three others. We had a new guide who led us to the ferry pier for the second half of our day-long tour. Our ferry ride did not last more than twenty minutes but it was some of the most terrifying moments I have spent at sea. The sea was choppy to say the least and we were in a tiny craft, very low and close to the water. Every few seconds, we would lurch from one side to the other bringing salty waves and their spray wetting us throughout.  I realized that I was not the only one suffering because the Mexican ladies admonished the captain and told him to lower his speed. In consultation with the guide, the two of them decided to change course and take us to another side of the island where the currents were less fierce. I was relieved when we disembarked and began our walking tour of it.

         The island offered something for everyone. Our guide first led us to a collection of rocks where marine iguanas and vivid orange crabs called Sally Light Foot crabs could be seen in their hundreds.  Having seen many marine iguanas in the morning, we did not want to risk stumbling over the rocks to get to the waves to see them.

         Hence, we walked with our guide to another side of the island where he led us up a path towards a sheltered cove where we could spy a variety of sharks just below the greenish surface of the water. This was not a very impressive sight as they were very far from us and could barely be seen. In another cove, he told us to look for sting ray fish, but we could find none. This was also very disappointing.

         The next part of our trek took us to an area that was well landscaped with rocks that rose up high in tiers. A few of the members of our group then put on snorkeling gear and decided to go into the water to try to find marine life. On the rocks, we could see seals and birds including blue-footed boobies. They returned from their snorkeling stint and said that they had seen large green sea turtles. Other than that, however, the sea did not yield many secrets.

         Back on land again, the guide led us on a hike to a part of Loberia Island where a river had created a deep and rocky canyon called La Greitas. This spot is very popular with young students (mostly American) who had donned their swim gear and were plunging from the canyon walls into the river below. We could hear their shrieks and see them in the distance far below in the water as towering rocky promontories sprouted all around us. 

         By this point, as the hike was tiring, Chriselle and Blair decided to start the trek back to a bar shack past the natural salt pans that are called Las Salinas. Llew and I, on the other hand, decided to continue with the trek, along the canyon, to arrive at the top for what the guide termed “a panoramic view” of the islands. The hike took us up a further 15 minutes and rewarded us with many sightings of the colorful little bits of the islands. The panoramic view was not quite as spectacular as we had hoped and it was not long before we started our return trek to the base to join Blair and Chriselle. This took us a further 20 minutes.  They had refreshed themselves with beer and were ready to rejoin our trek to the water taxi stand which was a further 15-minute walk away past a pretty beach with more American students enjoying the waves.  

         At the water-taxi stand, we boarded a ferry that took us across a channel back to Santa Cruz Island’s main pier at Porta Ayora from where we made our way to our hotel. By this time, we has mastered the route to and from our hotel by the shortest possible route. We took a bit of a rest and showers at our hotel before we decided to meet in the lobby at 7.00 pm for dinner. This time we chose ……restaurant which was simply heaving with people. Over a bottle of beer and some delicious local delicacies—mostly shrimp, as it is relatively inexpensive on the islands—we had a lovely meal. 

         Night had fallen over the islands as we walked to our hotel and did not lose much time climbing into bed and calling it a night.

         Until manana, adios…