Where We Be
These candelabra cactus are found only in the Galapagos
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Galapagos Cruise: Days 1-3
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Galapagos Tortoises are the largest in the world and can live several hundred years.
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The highlight of our first day was seeing big fellas like this one
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We saw literally hundreds of marine iguanas on Tintoreras
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It was a powerful first-hand experience hearing this huge tortoise
take in a deep draft of air every thirty seconds or so in between eating
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Our group gets up close and personal with a giant tortoise [Photo by remkonicole.nl]
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Our guide Alex pointed out this lovely passion flower
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Marine iguanas swim well. They latch onto rocks underwater with their claws and tear at the seaweed that is their main food source.
During a snorkel we watched a marine iguana eating seaweed underwater for more than ten minutes without coming up for a breath.
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One marine iguana protects the nest she has just finished digging from another who might try to usurp it
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We watched numerous territorial disputes during mating and egg-laying season in March
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This one strikes a relaxed pose, showing off his five-fingered "hand"
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This one shows off his colorful beaded skin
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Excited to have our own balcony
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Sea lions make themselves at home on people's
boats as we make our way to Santa Cruz Island
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Rancho Primicias on Santa Cruz Island is
a great place to see Galapagos Tortoises
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Elephant-like legs support their huge weight
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Treasure of the Galapagos: home sweet home for seven days -- and what a home!
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The Galapagos Islands more than met our high
expectations. It certainly didn't hurt that we
were able to snag a luxury cruise for half price
by booking last minute in Quito -- or that the
wildlife cooperated so extravagantly in making
each day memorable.
The Galapagos delivered as hoped for when it
came to close encounters with giant tortoises
and other land-based reptiles and birds, but the
really big surprise for us was the abundance of
underwater life. We snorkeled every day and
were blown away by our up-close encounters.
Tops on our list was a meet-and-greet with a
manta ray bigger than our zodiac! Watching
incredibly speedy penguins leave contrails of
bubbles behind them in hot pursuit of fish was
another once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you
only see the surface of the Galapagos you're
missing out on half the fun -- not to mention the
water feels great after a sweltering day hike.
Each day was jam-packed so we've broken the
cruise into two pages. We hope this little taste
inspires you to go see the Galapagos in person.
Day 2. Isabela Island: East Side
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Our cruise took us on an unforgettable seven-day journey through the Galapagos Islands
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Our next stop was Playa del Amor, a pretty beach with lots of marine iguanas
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After beers and coco locos at Beto's, we returned in darkness to the zodiac and home
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Snoozing in a hammock at Beto's at the end of a long touring day
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Our final stop was Beto's Beach Bar with its colorful bottle tree on the outskirts of Puerto Villamil
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At the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center we enjoyed watching tortoises climb all over each other
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Tintoreras is a major breeeding ground for marine iguanas -- the world's only seagoing lizard
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Our first stop in the morning was Tintoreras, an islet just off Puerto Villamil. It consists mostly of sharp "aa" lava rock.
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The Wall of Tears was a make-work project for prisoners in the 1940s-50s
that involved cutting and stacking blocks of lava for no real purpose
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This is one of Darwin's famous finches -- 13 distinct
species are all descended from a single common ancestor
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This extravagantly colored creature is a Sally lightfoot crab
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From the zodiac we saw this Galapagos penguin, the second smallest
penguin species in the world -- and the only one living in the tropics
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Here we had our first sighting of a blue-footed booby -- found only in the Galapagos
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Day 3. Isabela Island: West Side
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The remote western side of Isabela is only reachable if you're on a week-long cruise or longer
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At Elizabeth Bay we looped around two or three small islands in our zodiacs. Here we saw a
sea lion playfully holding onto the tail of a marine iguana to keep him from getting to land!
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Pink flamingos seem out of place in such a remote place as the Galapagos -- but here they are on Punta Moreno
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Green grass makes a startling contrast with the black "pahoehoe" lava rock on Punta Moreno
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Each day would start with our group piling into one of two zodiacs
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The booby in the background really does look a bit daft
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.This cormorant's wings have atrophied -- it can no
longer fly but it's a consummate swimmer and diver
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Another highlight was seeing this sea lion pup nursing
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We got very close to these blue-footed boobies during our zodiac ride
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After lunch we relaxed as the yacht made its way to Elizabeth Bay
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Several sea lions swam around the zodiac, apparently curious about us
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Day 3 ended perfectly as we sipped wine and enjoyed the sunset from our balcony
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Remko and Nicole get attacked by a mangrove shrub!
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We entered a beautiful mangrove swamp, turned the motor off, and just drifted among the green sea turtles
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A frigate bird soars overhead
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We also got to walk inside this lava
tube, formed by the solidifying of the
outer skin of a molten lava flow
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We were struck by the range of facial features, body types, and colors
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Then we donned snorkel gear and saw multiple white-tipped
sharks, marble rays, and golden rays [Not my photo]
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Robin tries on life as a Galapagos Tortoise
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We walked all over Las Tintoretas taking
in the marine iguanas and other wildlife
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[Photo by remkonicole.nl]
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