Bartholomew and Santiago Islands
Puff, puff. Climbing three hundred-and-seventy-some wooden stairs to the top of this small island is perhaps not the easiest thing to do right off the bat here in Galápagos. However, everyone had a sound night’s sleep and we had an excellent turnout for our pre-breakfast excursion up this most famous of islands. Ochre, brown, beige, grey, black and white accompanied us to the top. Volcanic spatter cones as well as tuff cones displayed their angles of repose to our now discerning eyes. The sun rose behind us in the east, and stretching out westward lay the green isthmus between golden beaches, framed by blue-turquoise waters and “Pinnacle Rock” pointing at Santiago’s century-old flow of lava in the background added immensity to our panorama.
The humidity was high and the ocean felt delicious, delighting all of us including the penguins! Food was apparently in abundance today, and a pair swam speedily through the shallows, an arc of tiny fish leading the way as they tried to escape into the air (the water being the more dangerous). Okay, so all I got was a rear-end view of these small birds as they cruised by seemingly effortlessly, yet left me in their wake. Their wings took flight through the oh-so-much-more-heavier medium of water, rather than air.
The afternoon snorkel added another dimension to our experiences: sea lions, marine turtle, white-tipped reef sharks and marbled rays floated by. One ray seemed particularly attracted to our presence (or perhaps my florid snorkel skin had something to do with it?). Dane’s presence alongside caused not a blink of concern that we could discern.
The afternoon light was golden, as Galápagos sea lions and fur seals lay open for inspection and a Galápagos hawk alighted in the setting sun. We could not have asked for more, as we had already been given a gift way beyond expectations.
Puff, puff. Climbing three hundred-and-seventy-some wooden stairs to the top of this small island is perhaps not the easiest thing to do right off the bat here in Galápagos. However, everyone had a sound night’s sleep and we had an excellent turnout for our pre-breakfast excursion up this most famous of islands. Ochre, brown, beige, grey, black and white accompanied us to the top. Volcanic spatter cones as well as tuff cones displayed their angles of repose to our now discerning eyes. The sun rose behind us in the east, and stretching out westward lay the green isthmus between golden beaches, framed by blue-turquoise waters and “Pinnacle Rock” pointing at Santiago’s century-old flow of lava in the background added immensity to our panorama.
The humidity was high and the ocean felt delicious, delighting all of us including the penguins! Food was apparently in abundance today, and a pair swam speedily through the shallows, an arc of tiny fish leading the way as they tried to escape into the air (the water being the more dangerous). Okay, so all I got was a rear-end view of these small birds as they cruised by seemingly effortlessly, yet left me in their wake. Their wings took flight through the oh-so-much-more-heavier medium of water, rather than air.
The afternoon snorkel added another dimension to our experiences: sea lions, marine turtle, white-tipped reef sharks and marbled rays floated by. One ray seemed particularly attracted to our presence (or perhaps my florid snorkel skin had something to do with it?). Dane’s presence alongside caused not a blink of concern that we could discern.
The afternoon light was golden, as Galápagos sea lions and fur seals lay open for inspection and a Galápagos hawk alighted in the setting sun. We could not have asked for more, as we had already been given a gift way beyond expectations.
