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Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

Part IX – Not The Galapagos Islands

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Stranded in Guayaquil: Saturday 14th to Tuesday 17th February.

Saturday 14th (Valentine’s Day)

So there we were, after our wonderful fifteen-day South American adventure, stranded. The fuel leak on the port engine of our plane couldn’t be fixed, so we weren’t going anywhere soon.

The confusion soon clarified. We were given vouchers for a hotel and ushered onto a coach to take us there. Foreign Office advice said we should not leave the airport, but we had little choice but to accept what was on offer. By this time it was midnight and I didn’t feel like arguing.

About an hour later we arrived at the Hotel Oro Verde. We were met by an armed security guard, which did nothing to put me at ease.

I am diabetic, and had eaten nothing since two in the afternoon except a packet of pretzels. My blood sugar was getting low. We checked in, and asked if I could get something to eat. After some fuss, they brought a couple of stale bread rolls and some fruit. We ate and went to bed.

Hotel Oro Verde

We woke up fairly late on Saturday morning but early enough for breakfast. While we were having breakfast and trying to work out what to do with this unwanted extension to our holiday we met an American man who offered to be our guide to Guayaquil. Initially I wasn’t too keen.

For me, there is a point in every holiday, when the holiday is over. At that point all that is left is to get home. That point was the Panga ride from the ship back to the airport the day before. I didn’t see this as an extension to the holiday; I saw it as an inconvenience. Also, given the nature of the city we were stranded in, I wasn’t planning on doing too much touristy stuff.

Diane, however, was keen to do something. So we took him up on his offer. We never actually found out what a young single man from Miami was doing in Guayaquil in the first place.

Guayaquil has a cable car system called the AeroVia, which runs around the city. There are a lot of wide rivers in Guayaquil, so it is quite an efficient way of transporting people around. It is not really a tourist attraction, but it could be. It gives amazing views of the city, is cheap to European eyes and safe. It ran from just outside our hotel to the suburb of Durán.

Hospital
River Guayas
Cemetery
Crossing the Guayas River
Large white three-dimensional DURÁN sign on a paved waterfront plaza, with the Guayas River, palm trees, and a white building visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Welcome to Durán
Views from the AeroVia

We got off the cable car in Durán to stretch our legs. The first thing I noticed were three cops, or possibly soldiers, in full combat gear, faces masked and carrying M16 rifles. Like the armed security guard at the hotel, I did not find this to be a reassuring sight. I didn’t take photos, because they didn’t look as if they wanted their photos taken.

Things perked up after that. We hadn’t realised, but Carnival was about to happen, in a couple of days time. In a small park by the terminal, we found various groups practicing for a Carnival Parade.

Practicing for Carnival
Not just the kids.

We spent about half an hour watching the dancers, before deciding to head back to the hotel. Opposite the hotel was a coffee shop. So we decided to have coffee. It was part of a chain, sort of the Ecuadorian equivalent of Starbucks or Café Nero. There was a security guard (unarmed) on the door. The coffee and cakes were good though.

We had lunch at the hotel, then had a discussion with our friends Helen and Tony and a few others who had been on the ship with us. We set up a WhatsApp group to share the information we had been given. By this time we had been given details of our flights home. We were going to be among the last to leave. Our first flight left Guayaquil for Quito at four in the afternoon on Monday 16th, getting us back to Heathrow, hopefully about two thirty in the afternoon on Tuesday, going via Madrid.

With everyone’s travel arrangements sorted, we just had to decide what to do with our remaining forty-eight hours. I didn’t feel like venturing out again. The hotel had a swimming pool, so I decided to go for a swim.

Small whale spotted in Guayaquil

There was a Valentine’s Day celebration at the hotel in the evening. This meant we had to have dinner earlier than we would have liked. After dinner we went to Helen and Tony’s suite and chatted and played games until it was time for bed.

Sunday 15th

We woke up reasonably early, showered and went down for breakfast. The breakfast buffet at the hotel was very good. It had a mixture of Ecuadorian and Western dishes, a good variety, well prepared and presented.

After breakfast, there was no way Diane was going to sit around the hotel all day. She had been Googling and found this place; the Museo Antropologico y de Arte Contemporaneo

We took a taxi from the hotel. We found the museum eventually. It seemed that every road the driver wanted to take was closed for some reason. We learned a few Spanish swear words on the journey. At the museum we were met by yet another armed security guard. By this time I was beginning to get used to them.

Entry to the museum was either free or very cheap; I can’t remember if we paid something like five dollars or whether it was free. The museum itself is split into two parts: the Anthropological part has artefacts covering about ten thousand years of pre-Colombian Ecuadorian history. The Modern Art section has a selection of very contemporary art.

The pre-Colombian section was interesting, the artifacts on show were not that different from what we had seen in museums in Peru. That was not that surprising as the Inca culture was very widespread. There were also many artifacts from the pre-Inca period.

As a complete contrast, contemporary Ecuadorian art:

It was an interesting and quite different gallery/museum to visit. I don’t know of anywhere quite like it in the UK. If someone decided to amalgamate the British Museum and the Tate Modern, that might get close. It is worth a visit if you are ever stuck in Guayaquil for a few days.

Coming back to the hotel, we weren’t sure how to find a taxi, but it didn’t matter. We found that the museum was just across the street from an AeroVia stop, so we caught the cable car back to the hotel.

While we are on the subject of modern art, we found this sculpture/relief on a building next to the hotel.

I can’t find out all that much about it, except that the style is described as mid‑20th‑century Latin American modernism. I liked it though.

After lunch, I decided to go for another swim. This time the pool had been taken over by a large number of very noisy kids. I settled for having a beer and reading my book by the pool instead.

In the lift on my way down to the pool, I bumped into the Captain and First Officer of our KLM flight, wearing their uniforms. I asked them if that meant the plane had been fixed. They said that as yet it hadn’t, but that they were on their way home. People from our group were beginning to go home. We were all on different flights. Some people going via Panama, some via Bogota, and a couple via Rio. It can’t have been an easy job, finding flights for three hundred people at short notice.

We were going to be among the last to leave.

Our friends Helen and Tony were already on their way home via Bogota, so after dinner we had a drink in one of the bars, read our books and went to bed.

Monday 16th to Tuesday 17th: on our way home.

We didn’t get up particularly early this morning. After breakfast, we did our packing, and then Diane went shopping. She had found a shop in the hotel arcade selling “vegetarian ivory” jewellery, which was quite attractive and reasonably priced. She bought some for herself and some to bring home as presents. Later, we went across the road for a coffee, came back, had lunch, and then caught the hotel’s shuttle bus to the airport.

Check-in for the first of our three flights home was at 15:30. It took just under an hour to reach Quito, leaving us with about two hours to kill before we had to check in for the flight to Madrid. The flight left about ninety minutes late, possibly due to the rather long queue of people in wheelchairs waiting to board.

Gentlemen start your engines.
Bye Bye Guayaquil.

I did not enjoy the flight. I am not fond of overnight west to east flights at the best of times. I didn’t like the seats we had been given, they were immediately behind a bulkhead, there was enough legroom, but no footrest. The food was mediocre, and to cap it all, because of the late departure, the flight landed in Madrid leaving us less than forty minutes to make our connection.

Diane’s lack of mobility, saved the day. Without her wheelchair driver waiving us past queues and through checkpoints, I don’t think we would have caught our flight.

We made it by the skin of our teeth and two and a half hours later we were back in a grey and rainy London.

We made the flight, but our suitcases didn’t. They were still in Madrid. There were about ten people who had been on the Quito flight. None of our bags had arrived. One person had an air tag on her suitcase, which was telling her it was still in Madrid. We assumed that everyone’s was still there. Diane took the pragmatic approach, and decided that it saved us doing the laundry when we got home.

The bags arrived a day or so later

With that our South American adventure came to a close.

Thinking back on this part of the adventure, I could have made more of it. I know that Guayaquil is a dangerous city, but by taking sensible precautions it should have been safe enough, at least during daylight hours. However getting past my “the holiday is over” feeling would have been more difficult.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands – Part VIII

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Friday 13th February
We thought the adventure was over.

We had enjoyed fifteen amazing days journeying through Peru, Ecuador, and round the Galapagos Islands. We had seen the Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman and Machu Pichu. We had kissed each other across the Equator. We had survived early morning starts. And we had survived oxygen deprivation at three thousand five hundred metres.

We had spent eight days exploring the Galapagos Islands on M.S. Santa Cruz II. We had some unforgettable experiences, on land, on the sea and under the sea. We had seen some incredible and unique wildlife and scenery. It was now unfortunately time to go home.

There was an option of a trip to see Giant Tortoises before we caught the plane. Diane vetoed it, on the grounds that she found them “creepy”. It would also have meant an early start, so I wasn’t so keen either. We opted for a more relaxed start to our final day.

After breakfast our bags were collected for transport to the airport. As there was going to be a complete change of passengers, we were politely kicked out of our cabins at 09:00hrs, to give the crew time to get them ready for the next bunch of lucky adventurers. We had about an hour and a half to kill before we left the ship. We spent the time in the lounge, drinking coffee, comparing notes and swapping e-mail addresses.

Then it was time for one last panga ride back to Baltra and the first of the planes home. We spent some time checking out the airport shops for last minute souvenirs. There was surprisingly little tat, most of what was on offer was decent quality.

Our plane to Guayaquil.

The flight took about an hour and fifty minutes. It was smooth and uneventful. We had one last chance to experience Latam’s favoured in-flight snack, quinoa bars.

With a fair bit of time to kill before we caught our KLM flight to Amsterdam, most of us decided to have lunch. HX had also arranged a lounge for us, which was better than hanging around on the concourse.

And then things started to unravel…

Our bags had been checked all the way through to Heathrow, so all we had was our hand baggage. Check-in and boarding was smooth. We were settled into our seats, Premium Economy this time as we couldn’t wangle an upgrade, waiting for take off.

Except… nothing happened.

After a long wait, the captain finally explained that a ground engineer had spotted a leak from the port engine. Probably nothing, but it needed checking. Three hours later, with nothing more than a bottle of water and a packet of pretzels to sustain us, we were told they couldn’t fix it. The flight was cancelled..

That’s when I remembered the date: Friday the 13th.

We all had to get off, of course. Then came the joy of retrieving our bags and going back through immigration with three hundred equally fed‑up passengers. And the bigger question: where were we going to stay?

Guayaquil has never had the reputation of a gentle seaside town — even forty or fifty years ago when I was in the Merchant Navy, it wasn’t exactly a carefree run ashore. These days the coastal provinces are caught up in a nasty war between drug gangs, and they’ve even managed to annoy the local fishermen. A few days before we arrived, half a dozen severed heads turned up on a beach.

The British Foreign Office advice didn’t exactly soothe the nerves:

Avoid all but essential travel to the coastal provinces — Esmeraldas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Guayas, El Oro, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.

The only exception? Airside transit at Guayaquil Airport.

In other words: you’re fine as long as you don’t leave the airport. Step outside and… well, good luck.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands – Part VII

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Thursday 12th February –Bird Island

We were now eight days in to our expedition/cruise around the Galapagos Islands on the M.S. Santa Cruz II. Today would be our last full day. We had thoroughly enjoyed everything up to now, including the early starts. They were worth it. Every island had been different, different wild life, different scenery, and different adventures. We were determined to make the most of our last day on “Bird Island”

Or Isla Genovesa to give it its proper name.

“Bird Island”

But first a little geology. As can be seen from the above image, Genovesa is a volcanic Island, a shield volcano, to be precise, with a collapsed caldera, which forms Great Darwin Bay. In the middle of the island is a salt water crater lake called Lake Arcturus.

It is not the most northerly island in the archipelago, Pinta, Marchena and the isolated islets Darwin and Wolf, lie further north. However Genovesa was as far north as we went. The island is completely uninhabited (by Homo Sapiens) and quite remote.

Genovesa is known as “Bird Island” because of the large and varied bird population. I will introduce you to them as we go.

Prince Philip’s Steps.

Santa Cruz II anchored in the bay and after breakfast, but still early, we took the Pangas to the island.

We landed at Prince Philip’s Steps. A steep narrow staircase, cut into the volcanic rock. They take you from sea level to cliff top about twenty five metres above. From there a path takes you onto the plateau, filled with nesting birds.

The cynic in me thought they had been built for Prince Philip, when he visited in 1964, to save him getting his feet wet. Apparently they were just named after him, to honour his visit to the island. Prince Philip was already deeply involved in conservation work—he helped establish the World Wildlife Fund in 1961—and his interest in Galápagos wildlife made the visit notable.

As we climbed the steps it became obvious why it was known as “Bird Island”. We were greeted by birds of all descriptions, none of whom seemed to bother that we were there.

The first I encountered was a Nazca Booby chick, sitting in the middle of the path. Mum was alongside keeping an eye on things.

There are three types of Booby in the Galapagos. The Blue Footed, the Nazca and the Red Footed. The Blue Footed Booby is not found on Genovesa, although it is ubiquitous elsewhere in the archipelago. The Nazca Booby is also fairly widespread. The Red Footed Booby is more or less only found on Genovesa. It is also the most numerous of the three.

The Red Footed Boobies are fairly uniquely for a sea bird, in that they nest in trees.

Moving on past the booby chick, we encountered a huge variety of birds. The Frigate Birds were probably the most spectacular.

The males are distinguished by their red pouch under their chins. It is inflated as part of their mating display. They are very elegant and manoeverable in flight. Their method of feeding is harassing other birds into giving up their catch.

There is a colony of Wedge Rumped Storm Petrels, that nests on the cliff top.

Wedge Rumped Storm Petrels with a Short Eared Owl.

There is also a colony of Galapagos Short Eared Owls, which prey on the Storm Petrels.

Short Eared Owls

Just trying to remember the names of all the birds that I saw is a challenge.

Bird Species Seen by me on Genovesa

Below is a reference table of the bird species I encountered on Genovesa, It includes common and scientific names, families, and links for anyone who wants to dive deeper.

Common Name Scientific Name Family Wikipedia Link Notes
Red-footed Booby Sula sula Sulidae Red-footed Booby Genovesa; tree-nesting booby
Nazca Booby Sula granti Sulidae Nazca Booby Genovesa cliffs
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus Phaethontidae Red-billed Tropicbird Nesting on Genovesa
Galápagos Shearwater Puffinus subalaris Procellariidae Galápagos Shearwater Endemic; often in feeding flocks
Elliot’s Storm-Petrel Oceanites gracilis Oceanitidae Elliot’s Storm-Petrel Seen around Genovesa
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel Hydrobates castro Hydrobatidae Band-rumped Storm-Petrel Pelagic; breeds in Galápagos
Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel Hydrobates tethys Hydrobatidae Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel Abundant around Genovesa
Great Frigatebird Fregata minor Fregatidae Great Frigatebird Seen across islands
Swallow-tailed Gull Creagrus furcatus Laridae Swallow-tailed Gull Endemic; nocturnal gull
Brown Noddy Anous stolidus Laridae Brown Noddy Common coastal species
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus Haematopodidae American Oystercatcher Seen on beaches and rocky shores
Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea Ardeidae Yellow-crowned Night Heron Rábida; hunts crabs
Striated Heron Butorides striata Ardeidae Striated Heron Small shoreline heron
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias Ardeidae Great Blue Heron Large solitary wader
Galápagos Mockingbird Mimus parvulus Mimidae Galápagos Mockingbird Endemic; very curious
Galápagos Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia aureola Parulidae Yellow Warbler Endemic subspecies
Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus Strigidae Short-eared Owl Genovesa; hunts storm-petrels
Darwin’s Finches Geospiza, Camarhynchus, Certhidea, etc. Thraupidae Darwin’s Finches Endemic radiation; varies by island

The Red -billed (in fact all Tropic Birds) are known to seamen as Bosun Birds. This is because their tail feathers stick out like a Bosun’s (Boatswain’s ) marlin spike from his belt.

Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus)

Distinguishing between the various Storm-Petrels was quite difficult. I relied on the Cornell Bird Identification app Merlin to help me.

The variations between the finches on the different islands is one of the cornerstones of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, I really should have done better at identifying them, but I failed miserably.

The sheer volume of birds was almost overwhelming. The fact that you could walk more or less right up to them, made it even more so.

That was our morning expedition. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

After Lunch

After we went kayaking around the cliffs of Darwin Bay. This was actually where I saw the Tropic Bird. I didn’t manage to get a photo. The photo above is a stock photo I found. They are beautiful birds, and I thought you deserved to see what they look like.

Kayaking was fun, but we decided against paddle boarding.

Diane and me Kayaking
Not Diane and me Paddle Boarding

We didn’t sink, we didn’t capsize and we didn’t scare the Sealions, so I think it was success

Just before sunset we landed on the beach at the opposite end of Darwin Bay to The Prince Philip Steps. We had a gentle stroll along the beach, encountering, Sealions, a nesting colony of Red-footed Boobies, Swallow tailed Gulls, juvenile Frigate Birds, various herons and a Galapagos Yellow Warbler.

The Red-Footed Boobies have two variants, a white one and a brown one. They are the same species. They can and do inter breed.

After that it was back to the Santa Cruz II for our last night.

Sunset

It was then time to pack our bags ready to go home tomorrow. But not before a farewell cocktails and dinner.

The expedition crew

The adventure wasn’t quite over, but tomorrow morning we would be on our way home, with a lot of photographs and even more memories.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands – Part VI

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Wednesday 11th February – Red Beach in the Morning, Lighthouse in the Afternoon.

I had thought that we were finished with very early starts when we left the mainland. I was wrong. We were up at five in order to visit the Red Beach on Rabida Island before breakfast. The ship laid on coffee and pastries in the Expedition Lounge to help us wake up. We were more or less all awake by the time we piled into the Pangas for our trip to the island.

Rabida Sunrise

The beach is an incredible bright red colour, due to the very high iron content in the sand.

Beach, Sealion and MV Santa Cruz II
Flamingos at dawn

As we walked along the beach the first thing we encountered, apart from Sealions, was a brackish lake. It was home to a flock of flamingos.

The young flamingos are grey. This is because flamingos develop their pink colour because of the food that they eat.

Flamingos are not born pink; they hatch with gray or white down feathers and gradually develop their signature pink, orange, or reddish hues over time as they consume carotenoid-rich foods such as algae, brine shrimp, and other small aquatic organisms 

These pigments, including beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, and astaxanthin, are broken down in the liver and transported via the bloodstream to the feathers and skin, giving flamingos their vibrant coloration.
The intensity of a flamingo’s color depends on diet quality, species, and habitat. Birds that consume more carotenoid-rich shrimp and algae develop deeper pink or reddish tones, while those with less access to these foods may appear paler or even nearly white 
Colour can also fade if a flamingo’s diet changes or if the bird becomes stressed or ill, because feathers are only replaced during moulting, which occurs twice a year 
It typically takes 1 to 3 years for a young flamingo to achieve full pink coloration, reflecting years of consistent carotenoid intake .This process highlights the principle of “you are what you eat,” as flamingos’ iconic color is a direct result of their specialized feeding habits and the pigments present in their natural diet 

Encyclopedia Britannica

Galapagos Dove
Flower!!
Dead Starfish
Red Sealion

I suppose we spent about an hour exploring the area around the lake. We found a few other wildlife specimens, such as Galapagos Doves and Lava Lizards. We also found a flower, I’m not sure what it is, to be honest, it looks a bit like bindweed to me. It was probably the only flower that I saw in the wild. Our naturalist/guide assured us that if we came in a months time, there would be flowers everywhere.

We returned to the boat for a well earned breakfast

Snorkelling off Rabida

Next up, more snorkelling. But this time I caught something reasonably exciting with my video camera. (Excuse the Finger Fish that pops up occasionaly

The water was again very clear.

My best video

I tried to convince my six year old twin grandsons that the small (about 1m 20) White Tipped Reef Shark, was the biggest and baddest shark in the whole of the Galapagos. They didn’t buy my story, but they were impressed by the fact that I had managed to film a shark. I would love to take them there, in three or four years time, when they could cope physically with snorkelling. They would love it.

That was our excitement for the morning. Diane didn’t go snorkelling, as her knee was causing her a few problems, so she went for a trip in the glass bottomed boat.

Photos from the glass bottomed boat
Bartolomé snorkelling

While we were eating our lunch the ship moved on to another island in the Santiago group, Isla Bartolomé. We landed on the beach by Pinnacle Rock, I went snorkelling again, this time from the beach. Getting into the water from the beach with your fins on is tricky. Walking backwards is the best way.

My videos from this expedition were less successful, but our videographer obtained some excellent footage, which I share below.

He captured things that I had seen, but didn’t get decent footage of, like Rays and Turtles. He also managed to get footage of Hammerhead Sharks, which I didn’t see, as they were the far side of Pinnacle Rock (the large rock formation seen at the end of the video).

The current on the far side of the rock was quite strong. I was, still am, an inexperienced snorkeller. I decided discretion was the better part of valour and stayed on the sheltered side. I think that you will agree that some of Andres’ shots are spectacular.

After we had finished our snorkel, we returned to the Santa Cruz II, to change and get ready for our climb to the top of Bartolomé.

Climbing Bartolomé

We had a dry landing for a change. There is a set of concrete steps that leads to a boardwalk which takes you to the summit of the island. After negotiating the inevitable Sealions, who had decided that the steps were a good place for a nap, we were off. There are about three hundred and eighty steps (I didn’t count them) to the summit of the island. The climb isn’t too hard physically, but the heat does get to you. Take water.

To the Lighthouse

Bartolomé, on this side is very barren. I looks a bit like I think Mars would be. Red, rocky and barren.

Lava Cactus (brachycereus nesioticus)

This was the only vegetation that I saw on the climb up. There are places to stop, rest and take photos on the way up.

The Galapagos Gulls on the way up.

Contrary to the impression I may have given in my title, it is more of a navigation beacon, rather than a lighthouse on the summit. When you get to the top you are rewarded with some magnificent views of the island.

As you can see the other side of the island is less barren.

Penguins

As we were heading back to the Panga, a bird that I had hoped to see made an appearance. The Galapagos Penguin showed up. (Click on the link for more information). Diane, because of her knee, elected to take a Panga tour instead of the climb, told me they had seen loads of them.

It was nearly six p.m. by this time, so the park was closing. We headed back to the Santa Cruz II for a shower and a cold beer.

After dinner there was a charity auction, in aid of the HX foundation, which supports various conservation projects in the islands.

Some of the winners with their purchases.

We had a very good, very full day. There was not much chance of getting bored on this trip.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands – Part V

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Tuesday 10th February Heading North

Northern Route

We were starting on the second part of our cruise. Taking in the northern islands of Santiago, Rabida, Bartolome and Genovesa.

Our first stop was off Buccaneer Cove on Santiago. We were in our wet suits. There was a panga tour of the base of the cliffs, but we were scheduled to go snorkeling after the tour.

The cliffs, especially a rock formation known as The Bishop, and a sea cave were worth seeing.

The Bishop (at prayer)

The snorkelling around here was the best so far. The water was clear, with vision for at least twenty metres. Unfortunately, my video clips are mainly of my fins.

My fins (and a few fish)

So you will have to make do with pictures of Blue-Footed Boobies instead.

After lunch we moved on round Santiago to Puerto Agas, where we had a beach landing, before going for a walk, to see the wild life. Sealions and their pups were everywhere. Marine Iguanas and Sally Lightfoot Crabs were there in abundance. There were also Land Iguanas. The scenery, like most places on the Galapagos, was quite barren. It was mainly volcanic rocks and most of the vegetation was cacti of one kind or another.

Some of the wildlife we saw on our walk.

Land Iguana
  • Sea Lion and Pup
  • Lava Lizard
  • Marine Iguana and Sally Lightfoot Crab
  • Cacti
  • Heron, with MV Santa Cruz II
  • Galapagos Mockingbird
  • Erosion

By the time we had finished our walk it was heading for 18:00, which is the time that The Galapagos National Park closes. It was also beginning to get dark. So we headed back to the ship.

Evenings on board were fairly quiet. There is no entertainment as such. We would normally have a pre-dinner drink, at which time there would be a briefing about the next day’s activities. Then we would go down for dinner, which was never worse than very good. I would usually have a whisky as a nightcap and be tucked into bed by ten. The days were fairly full on, generally with reasonably early starts, so by ten I was ready for bed.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands – Part IV

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Sunday 8th – Not your normal Post Office

We had an early breakfast this morning. We were off to the Post Office to send our post cards home.

Overnight we had crossed from Puerto Ayora to Floreana Island. We anchored off Post Office Bay, the site of the world’s most unusual Post Office.

The Post Office

It is a barrel mounted on a pole. It works like this. You put your postcard or letter into the barrel. The next ship that comes along sorts through the mail in the barrel. If anyone finds something that they can deliver they take it with them. When they get back home they take the letter or postcard along to the address and pop it through the door. We didn’t find anything that we could deliver, but our friends Helen and Tony found a card addressed to some one in the town that they live in, so they took it home with them.

The origins of the system go back to the whaling days of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Outward bound whalers would stop at the island to top up their water supplies and, unfortunatly, grab a few tortoises for fresh meat. They left mail for home in the barrel, where it would, hopefully, be picked up by a homeward bound ship. Once they got home the mail would be delivered. There probably were other barrels scattered around various islands in the Pacific, but to the best of my knowledge this is the only one that survives.

We sent three postcards, to Diane’s kids, they all arrived within a month of us posting them. Unfortunatly none of them managed to talk to the people who delivered them.

After posting the cards we went for a walk around the area. The wild life, as always, was abundant. Although we saw nothing that we hadn’t seen before. Sealions were everywhere, as were Marine Iguanas, I did mange to get photos of a Blue Footed Booby, a Galápagos Yellow Warbler and a Wedge Rumped Storm Petrel.

It was then back to the boat to get ready to go snorkelling. In many ways snorkelling has been the highlight of the the trip. Considering all the other things we have seen, that takes a bit of doing. This morning’s snorkel was no exception. The range of underwater life on show has been amazing. I just wish I had decent videos or photographs to show you.

Snorkelling

After our snorkel, it was back on board for another excellent lunch. The food on board has been excellent. It is very locally based, ingredients wise, and Ecuadorian with an international twist.

Dolphins

Just after lunch, we were met by a school of, I guess two hundred Bottlenose Dolphins. Very Impressive.

In the afternoon Diane and Tony decided that they would like to go kayaking. I decided to snorkel from the beach. This was possibly a mistake. The visibility was not very good and there was not as much in the way of fauna as on the other outings. It was still enjoyable though. Wandering along the beach afterwards I bumped into a Sealion or two (obviously), Sally Lightfoot Crabs, which have amazing colours, and a Lava Lizard.

Sharks

After dinner we were treated to an amazing display of sharks. I think they may have been attracted to our lights. They seemed to be busy hunting flying fish. Or possibly sealions, as there were a few Sealions there as well.

The Galapagos Affair

Floreana Island was also the location of one of the Galapagos Islands strangest stories. In the early 1930’s Floreana was settled by various European settlers looking for utopia. Led initially by Friedrich Ritter and his partner Dore Strauch, the were followed by the Wittmer family. The hoped for paradise never materialised and quickly descended into a struggle for survival. This was not helped by disagreements between the Ritters and the Wittmers. Later, in 1932, an Austrian self-proclaimed “Baroness” Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet arrived, with a pair of lovers in tow. By 1934 four of the seven settlers had either died or vanished in mysterious circumstances. It was the basis for the 2025 film by Ron Howard, “Eden”

A fuller account of the mystery can be found here: The Galapagos Affair

The Wittmer family survived the chaos and run a small hotel on the island.

Monday 9th – A day off

This marked the end of the Western Loop round Isabela, Fernandina, Santa Cruz and Floreana Islands. We headed back to Baltra as some passengers were leaving us and others were joining. The ship also needed resupplying.

Supplies

It also gave us a chance to catch up with laundry and other things. I was going to say blogging, but as you can see I am still quite a way behind.

In the afternoon we did head off to a beach called Las Bachas on Santa Cruz for snorkelling, swimming or just wandering around.

Las Bachas

Then back to the ship for a beer, dinner, more sharks then bed. Tomorrow we were heading North.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands – Part III

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Saturday 7th Tortoises and other creatures

Today we woke up anchored in the bay off Puerto Ayora. Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island is the largest town in the Galapagos Islands. It is the M.V Santa Cruz II’s home port. It is also, and more relevant to today’s excursions, home to the Charles Darwin Research Station. This was our first port of call on Santa Cruz.

After landing and negotiating the Sealions and Marine Iguanas littering the wharf (National Park really should have a word with them) we took a gentle walk along to the entrance to the research station.

We saw a lot of birds on the way there. None of which I could identify.

The Charles Darwin Foundation, which the research centre is part of is dedicated to the conservation of the environment of the Galapagos Islands.

” As one of the most renowned planetary treasures, the Galapagos Islands have played an unrivalled role in the history of science. For more than 60 years, the research undertaken at the Charles Darwin Foundation has focused on furthering our understanding of the natural systems, their relationship with those living in the archipelago, and the intricate and delicate balance between climate, mankind, and nature.

Major research efforts have also focused on the prevention, control, and eradication of invasive species to maintain Galapagos as one of the best-conserved archipelagos in the world.”

The man himself.

The most visible research and conservation programme at the centre is concerned with the preservation of, probably, the Galapagos’ most notable animal, The Giant Tortoise.

The Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis niger), which has or had several subspecies. Some of the subspecies are now extinct, others are critically endangered. In the 18th and 19th centuries the tortoises were hunted for food and oil. Because a tortoise can live for a long time without either food or water, the were seen as a source of fresh meat, by the crews of passing ships. The Floreana Giant Tortoise became extinct in exactly this manner. Other sub-species were badly depleted by this practice. Introduced animals, mainly but not limited to rats, cats and dogs also wreaked havoc on the tortoise population.

This link takes you to a list of all the sub-species of Galapagos Tortoises, showing their current conservation status.

We were shown round the various breeding enclosures where tortoises are reared before the are returned to the wild.

As you can see, giant tortoises are not always giants at least to start with.

Eggs are harvested and the incubated in temperature controlled conditions. This is necessary as the incubation temperature influences the sex of the hatchling. Warmer temperatures produce more females and cooler temperatures more males. With global warming more females than males were being born.

After having looked round the enclosures we went to meet “Lonesome George”. His stuffed remains to me more exact.

Lonesome George (Spanish: Solitario George or Jorge, c. 1910 June 24, 2012) was a male Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis niger abingdonii) and the last known individual of the subspecies. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. George serves as an important symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands and throughout the world.

After having had a look around the museum attached to the centre, it was time to go and meet the Giant Tortoises in the wild.

But first we had to get there. We had two options, be lazy and get the coach, or cycle there. Diane, because of her knee took the coach. I decided to cycle. This was possibly a mistake, because it started to rain as soon as we got on the bikes.

Cycling through the rain

Also the bike was probably the worst bike I had ridden in years. It also did not have electric assist. I have probably become too used to my e-bike over the past few years.

Wet but unbowed, the gallant cyclists at our destination.

We visited a sugar cane plantation for lunch. Before lunch they showed us their production process, or to be more exact, the way they used to produce sugar.

Crushing the cane
Fermentation
Distillation

They also produce a type of rum, my feeling is that the process is slightly more sophisticated than that shown above. The end product is still a bit rough though. I bought a bottle for my friend Toby.

After seeing and sampling their various products, as well as sugar and alcohol, they also grow coffee and cocoa, we had a rather good lunch.

The sugar cane plantation is on one of the migration routes of the Giant Tortoises. So after lunch we got to see them in the wild. Actually, we had seen quite a few on the way into the plantation. If they are on the road they have right of way.

An intrepid wildlife photographer

It is quite surprising exactly how large they are. The biggest of them are around a metre, maybe a bit more, in length. They like to bask in ponds in order to cool off.

After our tortoise encounter we went back to Puerto Ayora to catch the Panga back to the ship. We stayed behind for an hour or so, to do some souvenir shopping and have a beer, which came with fresh plantain chips on the side.

As we sat on the pier waiting for the Panga we were fascinated by the marine life that we saw. There were Sealions and Marine Iguanas of course. In the water there were sharks, rays and turtles. On the rocks there were herons and crabs.

After that it was back to the ship for a briefing on the next days activities, then dinner and bed.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands – Part II

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Friday 6th Isabela and Fernandina Islands

Overnight we sailed from Santa Cruz round the north of Isabela and by breakfast time we were anchored off Punta Vincente Roca.

After breakfast the first item on the days agenda was getting kitted out for snorkelling. HX supply all the equipment required, including short wetsuits. It didn’t take too long to find a wetsuit that I could fit into. As well as the other kit, fins, a mask and snorkel and a buoyancy vest. The latter was fairly important for me initially. I wanted to snorkel, but I hadn’t done it for about forty years. I had never snorkelled in deep water before. I was understandably slightly apprehensive. The buoyancy vest reassured me.

It may seem surprising that a wetsuit is needed to snorkel on the equator (Punta Vincente Roca is actually on the equator). The water in the Galapagos can be surprisingly cold. The Humboldt (a.k.a. Peru) current brings water all the way up from Antarctica, and while it does get warmer on its trip north it is still only 18-19 °C by the time it gets to the Galapagos. Spend twenty minutes in that and you will begin to feel cold.

Isabela Island – Punta Vincente Roca

It was slightly overcast when we set off in the Panga. We went initially on a tour around the base of the cliffs of Punta Vincente Roca. Our naturalist guide Alex explained the geology of the islands. The Galapagos Islands are volcanic and very young geologically. Isabella, the island we were visiting is less than a million years old. It still has active volcanoes. The most recent eruption was in 2018.

Ready

The cliffs are home to many birds, including flightless cormorants and blue footed boobies. They are also home to Sealions and Galapagos Fur Seals. The Galapagos Fur Seal is actually a sealion just to confuse you.

Flightless Cormorant
Fur “Seal”

Having had our geology lesson and a close look at the wild life, it was time to discover the underwater fauna. We were already suited up, so all we had to do was slip our masks and fins on. We had a short briefing on what to do in the water. Basically it was instructions about how to signal back to the Panga and other snorkelers if we were in trouble. Also how to indicate that we were OK. In addition we were told that sealions are quite curious and not to worry if they decided to investigate what we were doing.

We had bought an underwater video camera before we left home. What I should have done was learn how to use it. There are a couple of quarter decent clips, which I might include in later posts, but most of the footage is, unfortunatly, rubbish.

However, even though, I have no photographic evidence, the experience was amazing. Within a minute of entering the water I had a couple of sealions come close enough to me to touch. Parrot fish and Yellow Tailed Surgeon Fish were everywhere. There were also several Green Sea Turtles swimming around, completely ignoring us.

Underwater at Punta Vincente Roca

This video was shot by the professional photographer/videographer that we had on board. It is not my handy work (unfortunatly).

After our underwater excursion, it was back to the ship for lunch. and recover for our afternoon hike on Fernandina Island.

Fernandina Island

Fernandina Island is the youngest island in the Galapagos group. It is also the furthest west. It is less than half a million years old, geologically speaking, hardly even a toddler. It is still an active volcano. Its most recent eruption was in March 2024.

Geological interlude
The Formation of the Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands are a group of volcanic islands situated in the eastern Pacific Ocean. They lie approximately 600 miles west of the coast of mainland Ecuador.

Geological Origins

The archipelago was created as a result of volcanic activity. This process began when the Nazca tectonic plate moved eastwards across a stationary hotspot—an area where magma from deep within the Earth rises up towards the surface.

Island Formation Process

Each volcanic eruption over this hotspot gradually deposited layers of lava. Over time, these successive eruptions built up the land, eventually forming the islands that exist today.

Variation in Island Age

The Galápagos Islands display a range of ages resulting from the movement of the Nazca Plate. This geological activity has given rise to a distinct pattern: eastern islands such as Española and San Cristóbal are the oldest in the archipelago. These islands have ceased volcanic activity and are now geologically stable.

In contrast, the western islands, including Isabela and Fernandina, are comparatively young. These islands continue to experience frequent volcanic eruptions, indicating ongoing geological processes.

Isabela Island Formation

Isabela Island stands out as the largest landmass within the Galápagos archipelago. Its size is the result of the merging of six separate volcanoes. This unique formation has contributed to its prominence among the islands.

Physical Features

The majority of the islands possess a conical shape typical of volcanic origins. These formations are characterised by steep slopes and elevated peaks, with some summits rising more than 5,000 feet above sea level.

Back to the adventure

We had a dry landing on Fernandina, which was good as I could wear my walking shoes. The lava floes would have been a bit rough with any other footwear.

Arriving the first job was to pick our way through the Sealion bodies arrayed along the shore and in the scrubland behind the beach.

Sealion
Another Sealion
More Sealions
Sealion playing dead

As well as sealions everywhere there were also Marine Iguanas everywhere as well. (And a few lava lizards)

The scenery in the Galapagos Islands is generally quite rugged and barren. This is not surprising given the recent origin of the islands. The wild life however is very varied. In general the animals act as if you don’t exist. which is great. In general you can get close enough to them to take most of your photos with your phone.

Arriving back on board, we had time for a shower and a change of clothes before pre-dinner drinks on the after deck. The sunset was spectacular. This meant that we were able to take lots of romantic looking photos.

Me and Di
Helen & Tony
Helen and Di

Dinner was good, then it was time for bed, as another busy day was scheduled for tomorrow.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

The Galapagos Islands

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Thursday 5th – Arrival

We were finally off for the main bit of the adventure. Our voyage round the Galapagos Islands.

As we had been living out of partially unpacked suitcases for a week. One thing I was definitely looking forward to, was being able to unpack properly, and not having to repack for eight days.

This morning, we hoped, would be the last early start for a while. We weren’t completely wrong.

On our way

So it was up early,again, a slightly rushed breakfast, then onto the coach to the airport.

The flight had a brief stop in Guayaquil, to refuel and pick up a few extra passengers. We were finally off to the Galapagos Islands.

They take bio-security very seriously in the Galapagos. As well as having to make various declarations that you do not have any nasties with you, you bag is searched and sealed. You are not allowed to break the seal until you get on board the ship. Arrival is a bit like arriving in New Zealand. The plane is sprayed before the doors are opened to kill any stray bugs. You have to, again, certify that you do not have any inappropriate food stuffs and the like. One step beyond NZ is that your bags are X-rayed after you arrive. The process was all pretty seamless.

The transfer from the airport on Baltra to the ship was equally seamless. Our baggage was collected at the airport and the next time we saw it, it was in our cabin. There were buses to take us from the terminal to the dock where we were taken by Panga (the local name of what we would call a RIB or Zodiac) to the ship.

Intrepid adventurers on their way to an adventure
Frigate Bird

On arrival, we were greeted with a cold drink, then shown to our cabins. Afterwards we had a welcome briefing, boat drill and lunch. We were given just about enough time to unpack, before being whisked off on our first hike.

The Western Route

HX (the company we were traveling with) has three routes that the MV Santa Cruz II takes around the Galapagos Islands. Initially we would be following The Western Route, visiting Santa Cruz Island, Isabela Island, and Fernandina Island. We then came back to Santa Cruz Island before visiting Floreana Island, and finally coming back to Baltra Island, where some passengers left the ship and others joined.

While we were having our briefing, boat drill and lunch the ship was cruising along the north coast of Santa Cruz. We anchored of Dragon Hill, where we went ashore for a hike. My guess is that Dragon Hill (Cero Dragon in Spanish) gets it’s name from the dragons that live there.

The “dragons” are iguanas. There are two types, Marine Iguanas and Land Iguanas.

Land Dragon
Sea Dragon

We were divided up into groups of ten or twelve for our hikes and other excursions. Our group was The Gulls. Each group had a very knowledgeable local naturalist to guide us. They also made sure that we kept to the designated paths, to avoid disturbing the wildlife. The landing at Dragon Hill was a wet landing, meaning, the Panga runs up onto the beach where you jump out into the shallow water and wade ashore.

The first part of our walk took us past a brackish lagoon inhabited by flamingos, black necked stilts and a couple of lava gulls.

Pelican
Blue Footed Booby
Beach
Lava Gull

The Lava gull, also known as the Dusky Gull, is the world’s rarest gull. It is only found in the Galapagos islands.

Diane (and Diane) after a wet landing.

After an interesting hike during which we saw Land Iguanas, Marine Iguanas, Flamingos, Black Necked Stilts, Lava Gulls, Blue-footed Boobies and Pelicans, plus a few other birds that I didn’t identify, it was back to the ship for a shower and a change of clothes.

Before dinner we were given a briefing about what to expect tomorrow. That was followed by Captain’s welcome cocktails, or in my case a beer, and an introduction to our crew. Dinner was excellent. Then it was time for a small whisky as a nightcap and then bed.

While we were asleep the ship sailed to our next destination.

Peru, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Travel

Our Peru, Ecuador, and Galapagos Adventure – Quito

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Tuesday 3rd Cuzco to Quito

Another early start, though not as early as yesterday. It was a civilized five thirty a.m. wake up call this morning. We actually had time to sit down and eat breakfast before heading for the bus to the airport.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our hotel, in Cuzco, the Palacio del Inka, was a remarkable hotel. It offered excellent food, luxurious rooms, and brilliant staff. It had everything you could want in a hotel. There was also a lot of history associated with the building. We didn’t get time to appreciate it. Because of the schedule we were on, we might as well have stayed in a Travel Lodge.

This is my only criticism of the holiday. I would have liked this phase to have been slowed down a bit. An extra day in Cuzco would have been good. Our son did a tour of South America a few years back and said that he really loved Cuzco.

On with the journey.

To get to Quito from Cuzco we had to fly via Lima. The first flight left Cuzco about nine and arrived in Lima about an hour and a half later. We had about an other hour and a half to wait for our flight to Quito. That flight took about two and a half hours. By the time we had cleared immigration and customs, and got the bus to our hotel it was six p.m. when we arrived. There was not much to report about today. The quinoa bars that Latam Airlines serve as an in-flight snack are OK. Still, I would have preferred a packet of crisps.

Our hotel was another Marriott hotel. All the hotels we stayed in were Marriott hotels. The JW Marriott Hotel to be exact. It was a modern glass and concrete building, but reasonably attractive. The rooms were comfortable and the food was good

A pair of very curious travelers.

Wednesday 4th – Chocolate, policemen and The Centre of the World.

We had a moderately sane start to today, our tour left at 9:30. Waking up at 7:30 gave us enough time to actually sit down and enjoy breakfast.

Chocolate

Ecuadorian chocolate is probably the best in the world. A visit to an artisan chocolatier was the first stop on our tour of Quito and its surrounding area.

Indemini Baez has been going for about twenty years and is the product of an Ecuadorian-Swiss couple Bertrand Indemini and Cristina Baez. The chocolate pedigree is there. We were given a short history of the origins of chocolate. We were then introduced to how they make their chocolate. Their beans are carefully sourced. All their beans are fairly traded, and they keep track even down to community and plantation level where each batch is sourced.

We were given a demonstration of how the chocolate is made. Samples of their various products were tried. Most of their chocolate is in the 55% to 100% cocoa solids range. ( The 100% stuff is an acquired taste.) They also make an interesting white chocolate, based on cocoa butter and barley.

They also add things such as chilli, black walnuts and Inca peanuts to their bars.

Obviously there was an opportunity to buy some of the chocolate. Which we did, with the intention of taking it home as presents. Some of it even made it back to the UK. It is very good chocolate.

Policemen (and Jesuits)

Following our chocolate experience, we went for a walking tour of central Quito. We walked to the Plaza Grande, home to the Presidential Palace, various other government buildings and more police than you could shake a stick at. They all were very friendly, almost cuddly. (Unlike some of the police we met later when we were stranded in Guayaquil, more of that in a later post). I think they were meant to be a reassuring presence, which they were. But there were a lot of them.

Friendly Cop
Probably Friendly Cops
Presidential Palace

Moving on from the Plaza Grande we visited the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (the Jesuit Church). It is, to my taste, a bit over the top. They have slightly over done the gilding, overdone it to the extent, that if the church was melted down, it would probably solve Ecuador’s national debt. Check out the gallery to see what I mean.

By this time it was more or less time for lunch. We were whisked off to the El Cráter Hotel, which as the name suggests is on the edge of a volcanic crater (no longer active). The Cráter Pululahua to be precise. The views from the terrace were impressive.

Moderately interesting, useless fact; the city of Quito is built over the craters of seven inactive volcanoes.

The lunch was also good.

The Centre of The World

After a short llama encounter we travelled on to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World). Ecuador, as it’s name indicates is bisected by the Equator. Quito is very slightly to the south of the line. It was fun to stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern. Giving Diane a kiss across the hemispheres also had to be done.

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Other than taking a few photos there wasn’t that much else to be done there. There were a few shops and places to get a coffee. There was a reasonably interesting display of the history of Ecuador inside the tower, but other than that nothing to keep you on site for longer than an hour.

It was then back to the hotel for what we thought would be our last night on mainland South America.

There was a bit of time to kill before dinner. As the hotel had a pool I decided to have a swim. I had sort of forgotten about the altitude (2850 metres). Being about five hundred meters lower than Cuzco, and because I was becoming acclimatised to the it, I was no longer getting out breath just walking. Swimming was different. I found that I could only manage about ten meters before having to stop for a rest. It was nice to have a swim though.

Then it was dinner and bed, before another early start as we headed off to the Galapagos Islands and the reason we had spent the amount of money we did.