Galapagos Travel Blog

I woke up at 5:30 AM, once again hoping for a sunrise. Again, the skies were overcast and almost foggy. We were moored in James Bay off the island of Santiago. I watched the sea birds fly and feed in the still waters. I think a saw sea turtle or two in the water, but I can't be sure (maybe they were sea lions).

We leave the boat at 6:15 AM, landing on a black sand beach on Santiago Island. The black sand is eroded volcanic rock. This area is associated with Charles Darwin, as he stayed in a cabin for part of his stay in the Galapagos islands. After passing "Darwin's House", we went for a walk along the shore and soon came across many marine iguanas resting on the black rocks. Compared to the marine iguanas we had seen previously, these ones were much larger. We were able to get quite close to take photos of them, but you had to be careful that you didn't get sprayed with salt. Marine iguanas have unique salt glands that they use to sneeze the excess salt that enters their systems when feeding under water on seaweed. Amongst the iguanas, we also saw herons and oyster catchers.

Further along the shore, we came to a tidal grotto in the volcanic rock, know as "Darwin's Toilet". As the waves come in, it fills up with water, and as the waves go back, the toilet flushes. The following video explains better than words:

At another grotto we found several Galapagos fur seals. Fur seals are similar to sea lions, but have a thicker, furry hide. To stay cool, they stay in grottos like this among the rocks, while the sea lions stay mostly on the sandy beaches.

At 11:30, we arrived at Chinese Hat island in the Galapagos. The island is named due its shape. We landed briefly on a small beach with playful sea lions. We took some photos there and then went to snorkel in the area. As we began snorkeling, Michelle spotted a Galapagos Penguin standing on the rocks by the edge of the water. We swam over and were able to get really close. It was very small, no more than a foot tall. Since we were snorkeling, we only had our disposal film camera with us, and we haven't developed those photos yet. The photo shown here is not the penguin we saw, but it looked very similar to this one - just to give you an idea.

Our guide found a stingray sleeping under a rock. I swam down to take a look, but there was not much to see in the shade of the rock. There were not that many fish to see, compared to the other places we have snorkeled so far. We did get to see a few marine iguanas swimming and feeding under water, which was neat. It just seems odd to see a lizard under water.

Michelle was getting cold and got out of the water into the dinghy. I was about ready too, but then I spotted a shark! It was a small one, about 15 feet down, motionless, perhaps sleeping. I mentioned it to Michelle and she surprised me by immediately jumping back into the the water to see the shark. I figured she would be too scared to even stick her toes in! But no, she jumped in, right above the shark in fact, and in the rush she even forgot her fins.

We then went back to the boat for lunch and the boat sailed on.

After lunch we continued sailing toward our destination of Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz. On the way, we stopped briefly to do some snorkeling off the island of Pinzon, in area known to be popular for Galapagos white-tipped sharks. Our guide told us that it had been more than a year since he had snorkeled at that location, but last time there were sharks. We snorkeled in a shallow, protected cove. Before we even started, we saw a small sea turtle and a ray swimming. I tried to chase the turtle, but they are pretty fast swimmers. We then moved into shallower water, where the sharks usually stay. They like the shallow water at this time of the year because the water is warmer. Since there were over 10 of us in the water, and since it was so shallow (2-3 feet), sand was getting kicked up, and visibility in the shark den was reduced. Plus, due to the angle of the sun, and the reflection of the sun on the sand particles, we could only see a few feet in front of us. In other words, if their were sharks there, we wouldn't be able to see them until they were in our faces. Scary stuff, it was great. Suddenly Michelle stands up proclaiming she saw sharks, behind her. I stick my mask under, but I see nothing there, then I turn around and scan behind me, still nothing. Where, I say. Behind me, she replies. Still nothing. Finally I see them swimming a few feet away and then disappearing from view. Cool.

As our boat continued moving toward Puerto Ayora, the sun began to set over the ocean. It was a beautiful Galapagos sunset. The sun seemed very large as lowered into the ocean.

As we finished dinner on the boat, we arrived in the harbor of Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz, the largest town in the Galapagos. In total, more than 20,000 people live in the Galapagos Islands, but on less than 2% of the land mass. The other 98% is a national park and thus protected.

After dinner a few of us decided to go into the town to walk around, use the Internet, do some shopping, etc. There wasn't a lot to see at night, as we were not there that long and stayed on the main street of Puerto Ayora. As you might expect, restaurants, pubs, and gift shops mostly, catering to the tourists who come in everyday.