More wonderful stuff. Is a wet suit and snorkel essential to enjoy this holiday? I have neither and am not about to try them in cold Atlantic waters and I don't do public pools with chlorine.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
The water was 26C. Like a warm bath. We took our own masks, fins, snorkel and wetsuits with us, and a few people like me had their own mask with prescription lenses in. The boat has ample masks , snorkels, fins and shortie wetsuits, so If you do not have them already there is no need to buy them and carry them out there. However if you are snorkelling, shortie wetsuits do not stop the back of your legs getting burnt. I would always recommend wearing a long sleeved rash vest and leggings underneath them. For those who were inexperienced at snorkelling, they had lessons from the beach on the first day. There was always boat cover. They had special bright yellow blow up jackets for poor swimmers. It would certainly be possible to have a good holiday without doing the snorkelling, but you do need to have a certain fitness level for hiking over the islands , getting on and off the zodiacs, and even going up and down the stairs from the zodiac on to the ship. There is no getting away from the heat, which is why first walk was usually at 7am and the later walk after 3pm.
Thanks. Reasonably fit cos of dancing, walkies and gardening but nothing like when I was a young 'un. Given Possum's studies I have nearly 2 years to get fitter. I can do heat if it isn't too sticky and always have sunscreens to hand cos I'm blonde.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I found two walks a day at each end of the day (still hot) plus snorkelling(to cool down) was pretty exhausting. I slept well each night. Certainly, if I was to do it again, I would have upped my fitness levels before going.
I shall certainly make an effort then but I think the 7am on parade would be harder for me but I dare say the incentives would get me up. I'll avoid prawns too. Had bad ones before and it was worse than salmonella.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I had a discussion with the Captain about this. We thought they should have Boat time. Instead of light at six, first trip at 7 and dark at six, just alter all the clocks on board. If they thought they were getting up at 7am, first trip at 8am, psychologically they would feel better about it. Everyone had to alter their watches on arrival anyway, just move it to another hour.
Interesting tour of biodynamic, organic coffee farm, with a tasting of the product. A raw coffee bean has a fruity tasting pulp around it. We had a coffee tasting of the product, starting with smelling the ground beans. Dark chocolate I can smell, which apparently is what I am supposed to smell.
We also saw the free range tortoises present, and their mud baths.
They are supposed to migrate up and down the island, depending on the season. However under the avocado tree is a large male, who prefers to wait, for the avocado season, his favourite food.
I bought a couple of packets of coffee to bring home. I can add it to the chocolate bars that I have been saving. A couple are put out every night when the room is turned down. Because we have been so well fed, I, a chocoholic, saved them all.
Before returning to the ship for lunch we went to the fish market. The sealions appeared to be trained, keeping away the brown pelicans in return for fish skin, much as a dog begging at the table. The sealions did not take full fish, unlike the pelicans who took what they could get away with. Do we have an evolving species? A couple of vegetarian marine iguanas who should be living off green algae, eating fish. Maybe we are seeing evolution in action.
Overheard at lunch. “sorry we could not find your (diamond) earring yesterday.”
“Oh it’s OK, I have plenty more.”
Afternoon walk on Plaza Island
This is part of the wall of an eroded caldera. There are cactus trees with trunks a foot thick. (Prickly pears). Yellow flowers. Lots of land iguanas, one rolls prickly pear fruits to get rid of the spines before he eats it. Apparently a hybrid has been seen on this island. One of the guides saw a mating between a land iguana and a marine iguana. They then had a funny looking offspring, but this seems to be not very robust and/or sterile, as it doesn’t seem to be there now, and no others have been seen. We had a pair of cactus finches just in front of us, just before we left. An american was trying to mildly push hubby out of the way to get a better look. Dangerous habit lady. My husband has big elbows and not easy to push out of the way.
Last night on the boat, and we were shown a video made by the pro on the boat. We could buy it but I thought it was steep at $168. I think with the cost of the cruises, they should throw one in to each cabin as a promo. I also paid $42 to have five pair of underpants, five tee shirts and a pair of trousers washed so we could have clean clothes for traveling back in. We weren't charged for seeing the Doctor, but as we could have only picked it up on the boat, being 10 days in, there would have been words said if we had been.
Some of the guests have gone to town for the last night. Fancy frocks, lots of jewellery, the odd quilted Chanel handbag. I feel distinctly underdressed in my dive watch and best linen baggy trousers that I have been using for the evening for the last two weeks. The only jewellery was the key card on a lanyard around my neck. On the other hand you could have a bottle of 12 year old Glenmorangie in your room if you wanted it. Our mini fridge was refilled every day, mainly with diet coke and the odd can of beer. Usually we went up to the bar to have cocktails mixed.
Parting words from the cruise director.
You can leave the Galapagos, but the Galapagos will never leave you.
That's a very profound statement from the cruise director, and very true l would imagine. Never thought l would see a photo of a sealion begging ! Good news about the diamond earring (!)
When we got back we rewatched the documentaries about the Galapagos with David Attenborough in. He did three for Sky which are about the formation of the Islands, and the evolution. He also did one for the BBC which is available on catch up or BBC iplayer, about how the human population is affecting the wildlife. It shows the fish market with the sealions being younger.(It was filmed when Lonesome George was still alive) Apparently they were two orphans that were hand reared and have become even tamer than the other sealions. After the sealion got his fish skin, he went back to the opening, guarding the fish and keeping the brown pelicans away, just like a trained dog.
As for the Marine Iguana eating fish, are we seeing evolution?, can they even digest it? It was certainly keen, a hosing down didn't deter it. It went and lay on the concrete flat out afterwards looking totally stuffed.
When I was doing a marine Biology course some years ago, the group went to Mull for a field trip. The sheep there graze on seaweed at the waters edge, and have apparently developed a liking for seagull. Presumably they had some washed up dead after storms with the seaweed and liked them. Is this a similar adaptation?
David Attenborough also expressed concern about human population growth on the Island. The Ecuadorian government seem to have listened. There is a cap on visitors that can come in. No more plane landings are allowed than now, so limiting those that can get to the Islands. No more cruise boats are allowed in. We were on one of the largest with 100 passengers. This is going to be replaced, but the old one has to be taken out before a new one with the same capacity is allowed in. All crew have to be Ecuadorian. All guides have to be licensed after passing exams in geology, biology, and ecology. Even Ecuadorians from the mainland need a visa to visit, and are only allowed in for a maximum of three month. Immigration to the islands has been halted. If you were not born on the Islands, you cannot live there for more than three months.
The future for the Islands is looking better than it was 20 years ago.
Posts
Overheard at lunch.
“sorry we could not find your (diamond) earring yesterday.”
“Oh it’s OK, I have plenty more.”
Afternoon walk on Plaza Island
This is part of the wall of an eroded caldera. There are cactus trees with trunks a foot thick. (Prickly pears). Yellow flowers. Lots of land iguanas, one rolls prickly pear fruits to get rid of the spines before he eats it. Apparently a hybrid has been seen on this island. One of the guides saw a mating between a land iguana and a marine iguana. They then had a funny looking offspring, but this seems to be not very robust and/or sterile, as it doesn’t seem to be there now, and no others have been seen. We had a pair of cactus finches just in front of us, just before we left. An american was trying to mildly push hubby out of the way to get a better look. Dangerous habit lady. My husband has big elbows and not easy to push out of the way.
Some of the guests have gone to town for the last night. Fancy frocks, lots of jewellery, the odd quilted Chanel handbag. I feel distinctly underdressed in my dive watch and best linen baggy trousers that I have been using for the evening for the last two weeks. The only jewellery was the key card on a lanyard around my neck.
On the other hand you could have a bottle of 12 year old Glenmorangie in your room if you wanted it. Our mini fridge was refilled every day, mainly with diet coke and the odd can of beer. Usually we went up to the bar to have cocktails mixed.
Parting words from the cruise director.
You can leave the Galapagos, but the Galapagos will never leave you.
Good news about the diamond earring (!)