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.

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, unfortunately, 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. Unfortunately 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 wildlife, as always, was abundant, although we saw nothing that we hadn’t seen before. Sealions were everywhere, as were Marine Iguanas. I did manage 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 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.

After our snorkel, it was back on board for another excellent lunch. The food on board has been excellent—very locally sourced and Ecuadorian with an international twist.

Dolphins

Just after lunch, we were met by a school of, I guess, two hundred Bottlenose Dolphins. It was very impressive.

In the afternoon, Diane and Tony decided to go kayaking while I chose to snorkel from the beach—possibly a mistake. The visibility was poor and there was less fauna than on the other outings, but it was still enjoyable. Wandering along the beach afterwards, I encountered a Sealion or two (obviously), Sally Lightfoot Crabs with amazing colours, and a Lava Lizard.

Sharks

After dinner, we were treated to an amazing display of sharks, likely attracted to our lights. They seemed to be hunting flying fish or possibly sea lions, of which there were several nearby.

The Galapagos Affair

Floreana Island was also the location of one of the Galapagos Islands’ strangest stories. In the early 1930s, Floreana was settled by various European settlers looking for utopia. Led initially by Friedrich Ritter and his partner Dore Strauch, they 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.

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.

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