Following our orientation and safety induction onboard the ship we departed on our first excursion to Las Bachas beach on Santa Cruz island. It was a wet landing, i.e. you were going to have to put your feet in the water. Upon setting foot on the beautiful sandy beach we were greeted by flocks of Blue Footed Boobies. There were also countless Sally Lightfoot Crabs scurrying amongst the rocks. "Quick, turn around, there´s a flamingo flying overhead". Needless to say the camera was clicking like this was going to be our only opportunity to spot wildlife in the Galapagos. Thank God for digital!! There was a nightly session to decide how many pictures of the same crab, iguana or bird we actually needed. It was a great first landing and the sunset on the way back to The Eclipse was the icing on the cake.
It´s tough at the top!
Sea Lion "welcoming comittee" on the pier at Baltra Island
Sally Lighfoot Crabs
Look at the pretty blue feet...
Blue Footed Boobie
Do you wanna see an iguana?
Marine Iguana
Some Galapagos Archipelago facts:
Location: 960km of the coast of Ecuador
No of Islands: 13 large & over 40 small islands, islets & rocks clustered around the equator
Largest Island: Isabela
Discovered: Accidentally in 1535 by the Bishop of Panama
1st Documented Settler: Patrick Watkins, yes you´ve guessed it - Irish of course! Typical eh?
Patrick Watkins was a reluctant settler really. He had an argument with the captain on board his ship & was subsequently marooned on Floreana in 1807. Apparently he was a heavy drinker. Shock, horror. He spent 2 years there, growing vegetables and selling them to visiting whaling ships before stealing a boat and sailing to the mainland taking some of the sailors with him, however he arrived at the Ecuadorian coast "alone".
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