There is a special way of delivery mail in the Galapagos. Traditionally, whalers would leave correspondence in the barrel, in the hope that some months (or years) hence, the letters would be delivered. In turn, if the ship was headed home soon, they would take the responsibility and deliver any letters addressed to their final destination. And so we did the same…but no-one left a ballot (we all voted early in any case). Not much secrecy or privacy in this system!
But the morning began much earlier than our visit to the barrel. Just after daybreak, the Zodiacs took us ashore for a landing on a beige/green sandy beach. Eroded from the tuff cone towering next to us at Punta Cormorant, these peridot crystals common in basalt formations have been deposited in the leeward shore of this northern point creating an “inorganic” beach. The trail we followed soon after, however, had us crossing over to the windward side where a bright, white, soft sandy “organic” beach awaited us. Not only humans enjoyed this serene coastline, but on arrival a female green sea turtle was found sleeping soundly above the gently retreating tide. This is not unusual, but the first we have seen in many months; meaning perhaps the mating season – followed soon by the nesting season - may be revving up here in islands. Combine that hint of changing seasons with the fact I saw a Floreana cactus in flower…the temperatures indeed will be changing soon for the warmer.
Between breakfast and lunch the National Geographic Islander repositioned and anchored next to a delightful small, low off-shore islet known as Champion (named after a British whaling firm from the 1800’s). Here we tootled around the islet looking for our third species of mockingbird. We had a list to keep up! First day, Chatham mockingbird, second day Hood mockingbird, and now for our Charles mockingbird! I could use the Spanish names as well, but thought to stick with tradition, as the English names were the first to be given during the map-making era by pirates and buccaneers of European descent. Finally a Floreana mockingbird was spotted – at a distance, but it counts for our wildlife list! Other sea birds were more easily found: red-billed tropicbird coming out of its cliff-side nest, blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies perched atop the bluff, and Galapagos shearwaters squeaking like rubber bathtub toys as they zoomed in flocks around and around, skimming the cliff-front in coordinated maneuvers.
The surface was choppy and the current respectable, but even so our intrepid snorkelers jumped in unfazed and were rewarded with white-tip shark sightings, a mysterious dark ray (possibly eagle or mobula) and loads of fish of all kinds, shapes and colors. There was even an octopus – but in such a surge zone that few saw it.
By the afternoon, the captain had repositioned the ship yet again, this time into the famous Post Office Bay. Renown for the presence of a wooden barrel about 50 feet inland off another beige/green beach, we trooped up, postcards in hand. I’ve heard of postcards delivered after a hiatus of 16 years, but more often they arrive home before the writer does! It is visited frequently, by people from around the world. We read addresses as far afield as Israel, Australia, Germany, the U.S.A., England, Japan, Cuba, Taiwan and perhaps other countries whose language and writings we didn’t recognize.
But many were gladly accepted by our guests for delivery, after which we got back into our Zodiacs for a spin around the off-shore islets. Some folks chose to kayak instead, paddling in the calm waters, and everyone saw a magnificent spotted eagle ray whose composure around all these excited humans was admirable to say the least! Then the Galapagos penguin put in an appearance! One up on a rock, and two more zipping around the lagoon; for a brief moment, both approached the Zodiac to check it out (perhaps the toes?).
Sunset called us back to the ship where our barman Juan had the bar open on the top deck, and Angel our head waiter was hosting a table there as well, with various wines for tasting. What a fabulous day!
