Dave & Claire´s Travels: Day 7

Day 7 on the Galapagos (Friday) was devoted to the island of Espanola. We decided to do the 2 water based activities (snorkeling and kayaking) in the morning and so didn´t set foot on the beautiful looking beach in Gardner Bay. Things were pretty quiet really but we were able to bring the kayak right up beside a blue footed boobie. This was the only time we risked taking the camera with us on such activities so we got some nice snaps.

That afternoon we disembarked at Punta Suarez on the other side of the island. Like Fernandina, Espanola has a high proportion of endemic fauna. This is primarily due to its isolation from the other islands. The coastline was scattered with Christmas Iguanas. These are marine iguanas but with red and green scales in addition to the usual black and grey. The real attractions here, however, are the waved albatross (see picture opposite). They are the largest bird of the Galapagos (7ft wing span) and not found on any of the other islands. There´s not much disappointment on the archipelago in regard to the fauna, and before long these majestic birds were flying overhead. There were also plenty of them on the ground with their chicks, eggs, or simply going through their mating dance. Funny thing is that they can´t take off from the ground. They have to walk to the cliff, wait for an upcurrent, and hurl themselves off. Another site to be seen here is "the blowhole" but to be honest it wasn´t all that impressive. Apparently it´s better when the tide is in. On the way back to the panga we passed nazca boobies, blue footed boobies, huge male sea lions, little baby sea lions (how cute), and countless Christmas iguanas.

That evening we were each handed a complimentary cocktail to enjoy while the lead guide (Bitini) did a synopsis of our full week in the Galapagos and concluded by playing a slideshow of pictures she had taken during the week. It was a really nice wrap-up. The meal that evening was full waiter service, as opposed to the buffet style we were used to. The starter composed of red & black caviar and salmon. How are we ever supposed to return to a backpacker lifestyle??