November 19th 2014
I wake up early from a wonderful yet interrupted sleep, the first 5 hours on the deck, the last 4 in my Cabin. The bell rings just a few instants later and I duck out of the cabin and hurry to breakfast just in time to snag the last of the muesli. We’re anchored off Isabella island in a somewhat more crowded bay near a main pier. I’m excited for today, but not quite as much as I was for the past two. This is because of one simple thing. There’s no snorkelling today.
Still at 7:30 we’re climbing into the dingy’s for the simplest landing of all, onto the main Isabella pier where we will have to pay a 5 dollar fee to enter the Island. As it works out we’re too early for them and will pay on our landing in the afternoon. Johan goes to organize a bus to take us up the island towards the Sierra Negra Volcano , and we are left to explore the mangrove covered beach. Of course it’s the galapagos, so it’s not just mangroves, there’s crabs, marine iguanas and sea lions too. In fact here the sea lions take their level of human comfort up a level by lounging on the boats and benches all around the bay.
Before too long Johan calls us up into the parking lot and we climb onto two seperate vehicles, an open air bus, and for the more rotund folk, myself included, a pick up truck.
It’s a forty five minute ride up through the largest island in the archipelego. Once again I’m impressed with how drastic and sudden the shifts in landscapes are, from barren desert like scrub land to lush green forests. The higher we go, the greener it gets. Probably because the volcanoes attract rain.
Speaking of rain, it’s started in a persistent drizzle by the time we climb out of our pick up truck, seeking shelter in a small roofed Gazebo maintained by the national park. Once the rest of us arrive we set off along a well maintained path for what will be the longest walk yet.
Johan breaks it up effectively stopping the group to tell us endless interesting facts about the islands, including just how damaging small things can be to the endemic species of flaura and Fauna in the Galapagos. He relates one story where two dogs were brought over and unknowingly were suffering from a disease where their bodies produce so much mucus they die from it.
there were only two sick dogs, but it the disease caught on in the Sea lion population and before scientists could bring it under control 60% of the Galapagos Sea lion population had died. Suddenly the dog sniffing our bags at the airport makes sense. Luckily enough the Sea lion population has now pretty much entirely recovered.
As we walk we see various finches and other small birds in the greenery and we talk. It’s a sad day, two of our number are leaving at lunch, and will be replaced by two strangers, but as we climb higher and closer to one of the largest Caldera’s in the world, excitement starts to grow. It measures 9 km by 11km. Massive.
We reach the Caldera and find it mostly shrouded in clouds, though even through the low hanging mists we can see just how huge this caldera is. Up where we are everything is green, but down there is only smooth black rocks, some sections so smooth they look like strange and creepy lakes. It’s undoubtedly a beautiful view and only gets more beautiful as the clouds start to clear, giving us a more complete idea of the sheer size of this caldera. As we snap photos and chat, and learn from Johan, a few brave lava lizards keep closer to our feet.
We head back down the path and climb back into the bus and pick up truck which takes us all the way back to Guantanamera in time for lunch. There’s a little time to relax and then it’s back to the pier where we again don’t pay the 5 dollar fee.
The morning repeats itself as Johan goes to arrange the bus and we return to the each where we find even more Sea lions and Marine iguanas. Some of the ones on the benches from the morning don’t seem to have moved. (The life of a sea lion, that’s the life for me.)
We snap some more photos and then are back on buses for a much shorter ride to man made lagoon which Flamingos have made there home. We climb out and sea ten of the gorgeous pink birds feeding and playing in the water. We’re a distance away, but not to far to be entranced by these lovely birds.
From the Flamingoes we climb back into the truck and are taken to another Tortoise Breeding Center, which I must say seemed better for the tortoises than it’s more famous cousin on Santa Cruz. Of course I’m not a scientist so It’s just my opinion.
Here we also get a little more information thanks to Johan, including some well preserved Tortoise fetuses, and a real living new born tortoise. Pretty cool.
And of course no visit to the breeding center is complete without a quick walk through the information center where we learn all about the the tortoises, including this fun factoid.
As we wait for our bus to come back we all indulge in a local ice cream and get to know the two new members of our cruise, Julie from France and Henreich from the Netherlands. They’re both lovely people and a welcome addition to the group.
Soon we’re back on one bigger open air tuck bus on the way into Isabella town for a little grocery store and attempted wifi time. The town on Isabella town is much smaller than Santa Cruz, but not really much prettier though. I will give it one thing, it has a pretty beach running in front of the entire town, and the local people seem very friendly too.
I pick up a few snacks and manage a minute or two of wifi, but not enough to upload a photo.
We return to the boat together and settle down to briefing and yet another incredible sunset.
The next day will be spent on Isabella too, but much further north on the western coast, away from the city. Johan also tells us that we will almost certainly be snorkelling with sea turtles, something I’ve been waiting to do again since leaving Indonesia in April.
It’s another clear night so I rush out from dinner early, put on my sweatshirt, grab my e reader, i pod, blanket and pillow and make myself a comfy bed up on deck in one of the lounging chairs. The fresh air and ever changing incredibly clear and beautiful skies.
