Last week we got a little slice of the tourist experience and spent five days between four islands, visiting the critical sites on each. It's quite the production to organize the travel and logistics for 50 students, but the program ran swimmingly. Divvied up into four separate small boats, we hit the high seas armed with cameras and sea sickness meds.
First, a note on the boats. They were the same size as the ones everyone takes as the "ferry" between San Cristóbal- Santa Cruz- Isabela, which makes for an interesting ride as I've mentioned before. In this case, the seas weren't always the calmest, which left each seafarer with two basic options: sit inside: where the ride is significantly rougher, air is stuffier, but you're guaranteed to stay dry OR sit outside: where it's a bit less bumpy, the air is as fresh as can be, and regardless of where I sat in the back I seemingly always got the wettest. For me, outside was always the move, as I'd rather get a little wet than have a "reversal of fortune" (to borrow a term from Major League Eating). Onward...
Santa Cruz
In my triumphant return to the island, we basically did the same things as my friends and I did when we had our weekend here, minus diving. We went to Los Gemelos, which I learned actually aren't volcanic craters but rather collapsed lava chambers. Looking through my pics it looks like I didn't take more here. Oh well.
Then we walked through a different and larger lava tunnel than the first time. Pictures for this were also tough because the lighting was strange but parts of it were so expansive and perfect that it could've been a subway tunnel. Other sections were a bit more...
confining.
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| The move was to go in a push-up position and sort of hand walk your way through. This was no polar caves amateur hour experience, but the turf was a nice touch to add a little forgiveness on the hands (or others' knees) |
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| Here's the entrance. So cool from any perspective but especially from a geological one |
After the tunnels we headed to a tortoise ranch that was a bit more extensive and lavish than the one we went to before. Lavish in regards to the restaurant there that was also hosting one of those massive boat tours a la Nat Geo but it wasn't actually the Nat Geo boat. As you might expect, at the tortoise ranch there were tortoises. We strolled through the area enjoying the Jurassic Park type vibes. And unfortunately pictures can't capture the awesome sounds these guys make. Their munching sound has to be the most satisfying crunch in the whole animal kingdom, but the real treasure is the sound they make when they retreat into their shell. It's somewhere between a hiss and a deflation. I think it's actually the sound of their muscles retracting, so I suppose it sounds like a deflation because that's precisely what happening. I'll attempt to recreate the sound for anyone who's curious when I get back home.
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| Humans and boulders |
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| Messy eaters |
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| Homey with a squad in the back |
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| If you move reeeeaaalllly slowly and then crouch reeeaaallly slowly you can get super close without them getting spooked |
Of course a main topic of this outing was the newly "discovered" tortoise species on this island the week before. It's not as exciting as you might think, as it just came from genetic sequencing that determined there are two distinct populations of Giant Tortoises on Santa Cruz. Now they are the Eastern and the Western Santa Cruz Giant Tortoise. These are the more abundant and "original" western tortoises, although I guess if the scientists say there's a new species there are technically two new ones. Semantics.
Also on this ranch and pathway system we came across a little lake covered in red vegetation. Super cool.
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| You can even see the trails that the ducks make when they paddle around |
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| Two ducks @Gary Lorden |
After the ranch we headed to a nice mixed sand and mangrove beach about twenty minutes from town. The real treat here was in a small inland lake/marsh type thing beyond the backshore of the beach, in which we got to see these:
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| Swag pic of high tech binocular/iPhone combination. I kind of want to start taking pictures of people like this it would give a hilariously creepy effect |
There were maybe four flamingos here, which are supposedly kind of rare on Santa Cruz. I'm not sure where they're common here, since we didn't see any more on the rest of the trip.
The next day we got up bright and early for a quick day trip to
Bartolomé
Which is well known primarily for it having the classic iconic view of the Galápagos after you summit what might actually be the most desolate island in the world. Basically just a loose pile of rubble, they've constructed a boardwalk/staircase for your walking pleasure and safety. Anyway, here's that classic vista:
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| Google images or my private collection? |
In the background is the significantly larger Santiago Island. Bartolomé can't be more than a few square kilometers. But the coastline is lovely:
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| We went for a snorkel out around that strange protruding spear point in the distance |
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| Does it get any more Galápagos than this? |
The visibility for the snorkel was incredible but they told us the water was really warm and we wouldn't need wetsuits. They were wrong. I was actually shaking in the water but it was so gorgeous that I didn't want to get out. You'll see videos of it in the final Island Hopping Video, but there's 1 or 2 in the trailer (at the end of this blog) and a couple of screen grabs here:
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| The beautiful beach we arrived at once we swam around the rocks to the left |
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| Really cool octopus encounter |
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| Mid color change as it swam and had just landed on this patch |
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| The first penguin I got footage of out of the three I saw here. This was totally lucky it was swimming around the shallows of the beach while the zodiac was bringing us back to the big boat and I just stuck my camera in the water and it swam right under. They're just the best. Thankfully I got to see many more on: |
Isabela
The largest of the islands by far was also my favorite. The port town is smaller and less developed with streets made of sand. Just standing on the pier will almost always yield sightings of sea lions, iguanas, penguins, and rays swimming around the shallows. This island is a bit more rugged and the scenery is incredible. We spent two days here: one was terrestrial, the other aquatic, both fantastical and strange in their own ways.
Our navigation from Santa Cruz to Isabela took a little more than the normal two hours due to rough seas, but we all arrived in one piece. Our boat held the true troopers. I forgot to mention that the four boats were divided into two groups of two, with different itineraries that essentially meant we flip-flopped days. For example, our group did the tortoise ranch and then Bartolomé, the other did the opposite. Traveling in these groups of two of course facilitated competition and I'm happy to report there were no cases of vomiting on our boat during any of our voyages. The other boat had 2-3 basically every time.
The rest of the first day was for terrestrial exploration as we loaded up in a "bus" for the highlands, which was something between a bus, trolley, and truck. Imagine an open-sided vehicle with benches that doesn't feel quite luxurious enough to be a trolley, and you have the basic idea. On the way to our hike, we stopped at this incredible oasis of a restaurant basically in the middle of a cloud forest. We weren't expecting much but it turned out to be a lavish interior with one of the best buffets of all time. The most exciting part of this was a delicious spaghetti bolognese which rivaled anything back home. After endless plates of rice here, this may have been the most rewarding dish yet.
What better way to work off a thorough engorging than undertaking an 11 mile hike? I can't think of one. The microclimates on this hike were insane. We started off in a heavy, cold mist of a cloud forest. The path was muddy and rainjackets were a must.
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| Lord Huron- Strange Trails |
Quite suddenly the sun appeared, jackets were shed, and this view revealed itself to us:
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| Volcan Sierra Negra (Black Mountain Volcano) |
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| It has the largest crater of the four main volcanoes that comprise this island and is actually active |
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| But as a shield volcano, it isn't particularly dangerous. There are occasional little bubble-ups in the weaker rock |
With a diameter or circumference of 10km (the translation of the guide was a bit shaky again), the vastness of this place was breath-taking. I can only imagine how hot those black rocks must be with a combination of the hotspot activity below and the relentless Equatorial sun from above. Yet, there is still life in this crater. In the distance, almost slightly visible in the first picture, there are lighter patches composed of intrepid lichens. These areas haven't been active in quite a long time, allowing for the nascent stages of primary succession in one of the harshest landscapes imaginable.
This wasn't the end of the there-and-back-again hike, however. From this lusher area, we pushed onward, roughly following the ridgeline in that third picture. We went beyond and vegetation all but disappeared as we entered a foreign martian landscape, culminating in the views from Volcan Chico.
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| Casual mid-hike calf-raises are the best way to get diesel calves- proven fact |
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| Nice little lava flow staircase here |
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| The holes in the ground were like pizza ovens, with hot air rising out of them |
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| Desert southwest or Galápagos? |
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| Cool crater-type thing |
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| Black rocks to the left, Fernandina island off in the distance past them, the rest of Isabela stretching out to the north, and Roberto stretching out for the photo-op |
These are just a few images, and looking at them now- they really don't do the place justice. There's a bit more in the video to share the experience. No fall foliage to be seen here, actually no foliage at all, but the scenery was still spectacular. Especially for anyone with an interest in geology. Anyway, that was our terrestrial day- 5.5 miles out and the same right on back before a bus to the lowlands.
Again, no diving on this trip, but when you can snorkel and see this,
it becomes less of an issue. Actually it was so shallow here that diving would've been foolish and even limiting by time.
The name of this places is Los Tuneles- The Tunnels. It's a landscape of small lava-formed arches an passageways that feels like a real life aquarium. These arches almost form views into exhibits.
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| Fear not, even though they were close enough to touch (wink wink), White Tipped Reef Sharks are among the tamest sharks in the world. They're a really cool species- one of the rare sharks that can breath without constantly swimming, so they just hang out in these caves, often in groups |
Exploring this area was such a rush, even knowing these sharks are totally chill. These areas under the arches are dark, so you swim towards it without being able to see anything and then suddenly your eyes adjust and boom, six sharks right in your face. There was this one secluded lagoon type thing were we had to swim through an actual tunnel (adjacent to the one in the pic above and thankfully wider) to enter. I was the second one through and I was greeted to about ten sharks circling around and swimming right by me before other snorkelers showed up and the sharks retreated into their caves.
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| This doesn't show how many there were (I was shooting in narrow FOV), but it gives you a good idea of proximity... |
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| Shark Sandwich- Spinal Tap |
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| Ok, this view was a little scarier. There's a huge difference between having one swim by and having one swim right at you. It made a quick turn shortly after this, incredible C.O.D. |
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| Cave chilling. They can breath by allowing water through their mouths by opening and closing, rather than having a constant flow of water through the gills by swimming |
Although the sharks were the highlight, they weren't the only things to be found here. The bottom in some areas was entirely zoanthids, which are closely related to anemonies and such. Really cool for it to not just be rock or sand like basically everywhere else.
There were some epically big turtles:
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| You can see the zoanthids all around too |
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| Noggin, fin, duuuuude |
And stingrays that actually moved:
And this demonic-eyed porcupine fish:
This snorkel ended, but the party was far from over. We walked around for a bit on the land (read: volcanic rocks and cacti) and good to hang out with a bunch of Blue-Footed Boobies.
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| So this a "baby" Booby. It's the same size as the adult- might be time to leave the nest bro |
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| They're either fearless or really dumb. The utterly vacant look in their eyes suggests the latter, especially with the open mouth |
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| You might think it was making noises with the open mouth. You'd be wrong. Just sort of jaw-dropped, dumbfounded about everything in the entire world |
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| I feel like this could be in a Galápagos ad (humblebrag city, population me) |
We did a second snorkel in a deeper spot, closer to the waves and less protected. Casually hanging out with penguins below and above water:
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| This one was swimming around me, darting about after fish or maybe just swimming for fun, for a few minutes |
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| It was incredible. I'm pretty in love with penguins now, not sure what to do with it |
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| "Nobody really likes us except us, Yeah all I ever needed was the sqaud so that's what's up" |
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| Just as funny as the Madagascar penguins |
Herman Melville was a harsh critic of penguins, giving them this extremely unfair description:
"What outlandish beings are these? Erect as men, but hardly as symmetrical, they stand all round the rock like sculptured caryatides, supporting the next range of eaves above. Their bodies are grotesquely misshapen, their bills short, their feet seemingly legless; while the members at their sides are neither fin, wing, nor arm. And truly neither fish, flesh, nor fowl is the penguin; as an edible, pertaining neither to Carnival nor Lent; without exception the most ambiguous and least lovely creature yet discovered by man. Though dabbling in all three elements, and indeed possessing some rudimental claims to all, the penguin is at home in none. On land it stumps; afloat it sculls; in the air it flops. As if ashamed of her failure, Nature keeps this ungainly child hidden away at the ends of the earth, in the Straits of Magellan, and on the abased sea-story of Rodondo." -The Encantadas
A brilliant man, to be sure, but he could not be more incorrect. These are beautiful birds and they actually seem to have personalities. There was one who was super unkempt and portly, there were others who were social and well-groomed, and there were some who were curious of humans and others who were indifferent. In the water they were stunningly powerful swimmers, darting every which way in impressive displays of acrobatics. On land they sort of hop about, stumbling over the rocks until they find a nice place to stand and hang out. Or sometimes they just recline:
Basically, they're unreal. Melville can take a few steps back and can it.
The other exciting thing here for me was the potential for seahorses. This area was a very brief snorkel to hang with penguins and the guide wasn't feeling well so stayed on the boat. He told me to dive down and look among the algae for the seahorses. I was free-diving my royal rastafarian nay-nays off, in desperate search for them, running my hands through stalks of algae as I explored the depths. My searches were fruitless but the guide made the mistake of telling me not to give up. I took his advice and kept getting after it. Most people had returned to the boat when one finally decided I was a worthy witness:
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| Ok, so it was much bigger than I expected, but they're almost the exact same color as the algae and they hardly move, so they're easy to miss. |
I found it quite simply because I dove and searched more than anyone else. Seahorses are also really cool animals. They're extremely monogamous, to the point where if a mate dies, the remaining one will not seek another partner for the rest of its life. Not that they're extremely long-lived (4-5 years), but that's rare devotion in any species (even human!). Also the father exclusively takes care of the young, which is also rare in any other species (dare I say- even human!). Apparently you can find seahorses nearly worldwide, even on Cape Cod, so I guess I have a task for the rest of my days in New England...
That concluded our aquatic day and thus our time on Isabela. The next day, en route to Santa Cruz, we spent time on
Floreana
This island has more human history than others, dating back even before the whaling days. This used to be a stopping-off point for pacific buccaneers. They would come here to rest and roll around in their riches and do all those sorts of piraty things. Probably just drinking. Who knows. One thing we do know is that they constructed little caves up in the highlands where they could hang out in between quests for tortoises and other sustenance. The main draw of the island for the buccaneers, then whalers, then settlers, is that there is a natural source of fresh water. It's a small highland spring, but it's exceptionally valuable for long voyages. Floreana's location on the southern periphery of the archipelago and its well-protected harbor made it an easy find and stop for these sailors.
So that's what our day here focused on: the human history of the Galápagos, which was a dramatic change of pace from all of our other adventures.
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| I don't know if these steps date back to the bucs but they surely used this natural path |
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| Pirate cave! |
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| This one's slightly more built up |
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| The most luxurious of the caves |
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| There was a huge debate over this face for many years. Some thought it was indication of Polynesian settlement, a la Easter Island. Skeptics didn't believe this, finding no other evidence of Polynesian activity on the islands. The skeptics were right: it was carved by one of the first official settling families in the early 1900's. The man had carved it to add to the magic of this strange place for his kids, so the intent was far less deceptive than the Piltdown Man, for example. |
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| An extremely powerful drug comes from this lovely hanging orchid. Original uses were to place it under a child's pillow to help him or her sleep. There is also a tea that worked as an early sleeping pill of sorts, although it has some hallucinogenic qualities. The usage today is far more malicious. On the mainland, a disturbing new crime has emerged where shady characters place the essence of this flower on a flyer for a business or something like that and offer it to unsuspecting passers by. About five minutes after touching it, the victim will do basically anything the perpetrator asks. Most commonly is "let's go to that ATM and withdraw all of your money" or "show me where you live". Once at the home other robbers join up and they loot the house. We were warned against touching or accepting any flyer in downtown Quito. I don't think it's super common, but that's important advice to any traveler who makes his or her way through mainland Ecuador. |
We returned to the lowlands for some downtime. I took a lovely nap in a hammock underneath some mangrove trees with some sea lions strewn about me. When I woke up, I explored the rocks along the coast a bit. Nature-wise, Floreana is notable for its colorful marine iguanas. The males get a nice red and green going on the side, presumably due to a different diet of algae.
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| It's only prevalent in the males, so perhaps it's a sexual selection thing. As a matter of fact, here's two males who I was concerned might be trying to mate with me. I was crouching among the rocks and these two stuck out their tongues and started doing a vigorous head nod. This is a mating activity, so I was slightly alarmed. |
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| This one did it right in my face. There's a little clip of the bobbing in the trailer |
The other notable item of the island's history is its primitive "post office" dating back to the whaling days. The post office turned out to be no more than a barrel but the history is really cool. As whaling voyages often lasted several years, sailors would leave letters in this barrel on Floreana, a popular port for Pacific whaling journeys as I mentioned before. Whenever a new boat came through, they would collect any letters intended for a port they were heading for, and attempt to deliver them once they reached the destination. Most commonly, this would be a letter sent from a sailor during his first year of the voyage and delivered by a ship on its final year, heading back to a port like Nantucket. Snail mail was whale mail.
It's still operational, making it allegedly the longest-running post office in the world. These days, tourists drop in an unstamped but addressed postcard with a brief note on it. If anyone visits from that area, he or she claims it from the stack of cards and attempts to deliver it upon arrival. Ideally, this is done by hand, increasing the primitive nature. The cards never say anything of consequence- they just marvel at the system itself, saying things like "I'm writing you an unstamped card from the Galápagos. If you're reading this, the system worked!!" It's all trivialities. Some of them even have specific instructions on how to find the house in question.
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| Among the postcards was also this bottle. Who knows |
But the system seems to be effective, as the oldest cards in the barrel were only about a month old. There were none from New England, so I will be no one's faithful postman.
So without mail, I left Floreana and we headed back to Santa Cruz where we were treated to two days of lectures from various scientific and conservation figures of the islands. And then we returned back to San Cristóbal, which felt more familiar than it had before.
Island Hopping Trailer
Video has a little island flair courtesy of a great country band.
