A very early start for a breakfast zodiac ride around Kicker Rock, not accessible, steep volcanic road that is also called sea lion rock as it resembles a sleeping sea lion. Watching the sunrise and the blue footed boobies gliding in the sky was mesmerising, they dive into the water like gannets in the arrow position. We saw another booby, the Nazca boobie, and a couple of green turtles swimming under the zodiac as we bobbed up and down. We saw sea lions playing with the boat, brown noddys again and frigits.
Back on the boat for the buffet breakfast, then on with the lifejackets again for our arrival at San Cristobal Island and an actual town. We visited the interpretation centre, telling us the history to the Galapagos, Darwin and early explorers and eco-tourism. On our departure, Ali spotted the San Cristobal lava lizard, only found on this island. Our next 30 minutes was meant to be for shopping by Ali and I got side tracked by the most amazingly coloured Sally Lightfoot crabs with their bright red shells, bright blue chest and pink eyes. Sea lions rested on the rocks, some under the benches on the pier and then back on the zodiacs for lunch. There isn’t much downtime in this trip…but we can always sleep at home.
After a Galapagos buffet lunch, it was on with the life jackets for the third time of the day an onto the zodiac’s for a dry landing. However, a sea lion mum and baby also wanted the dry landing point and after all, humans are second to animals on these islands. The marine iguanas are so graceful when they swim, and boy they can move. These islands feel so pre-historic, the marine iguana’s look like something from Jurassic Park and the Frigit birds look like pterodactyls. Time has forgotten these islands, and I’m very glad it has.
The amount of marine iguanas and sea lions on the beach was amazing, you really had to watch you feet otherwise you would have stood on one. What’s amazing is that they just don’t move when you come close to them, they have no fear of you at all. The iguana’s congregate on each other to keep warm, the sea lion pups with their inquisitiveness approaches us to play. We were also lucky enough to see a Galapagos hawk, the number one predator on the islands.
The Mockingbirds were the most inquisitive and you really did have to watch your feet, they looked like they were coming over to tell you a message as they hopped over and looked at you like you were an alien. The ground finches with their jet black feathers walk along the land looking for seeds and the best bit of Espanola – the waved albatross with their bright yellow beaks. They soar through the air and like all the others, we could walk straight up to families together with their chicks.
The Nazca boobies ad blue footed boobies were in abundance and at one point we walked down to the beach we were lower than all the animals, it did really feel like it was their islands. On the way back, through an albatross colony we hopped from boulder to boulder (this trip really is a workout). We got soaked on the walkway to the zodiac as the swell of the Pacific is huge. Back in Xpedition, pina colada cocktail party, dinner and then bed very exhausted.
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