After setting the alarm clock last night at 6.45am so we would have time for breakfast and to meet our new guide at 8am, we both crashed. The alarm duly went off and we hurriedly washed and dressed and went down for a very nice breakfast. Surprisingly, as I was quite critical to the owner of the hotel of our meal last night. I thought it might be better that we look for another breakfast place. Jen wouldn’t have it.
Anyway, once breakfast was completed we waited in the unoccupied office reception area working on yesterday’s blog. At what we thought was 8am, nobody was showing up. Then we realised we were an hour early. “How could that happen” I hear my siblings say, with derision..:). The answer, when we set the alarm on the iPad, it was showing Quito time and by morning, it must have reset to local time, an hour earlier!
The day’s program.
First up a 10min walk to the Charles Darwin Research Centre with seven others, five different nationalities. American, German, Belgian, English and an Asian lady from Ottawa.
What a fascinating experience the Darwin centre was. The Galapagos is all about bio-security. They are going to extraordinary lengths to eliminate years of introduced invasive species, and research continues.
The man himself, later in life..😉
Jorge, our ebullient guide.
Next, by bus about 10k’s to a dairy farm that also accommodates wild Tortoise. There are dozens of them minding their own business and free to wander, or not, as they chose. The lowest fence wires must be high enough to permit their wandering. Oh!, I forgot to mention, after all the discussion about camera’s, I decided not to take the Canon but rely on my and Jen’s phones. Not my Nokia that’s steam driven, but Jen’s old Galaxy, which I have inherited.
Next, at the same location, a walk along a collapsed Lava tube. While it’s about 400m long, or the section we visited, the actual caves are over 90 k’s!
A bit blurry, but you get the picture.
The next phase.
After returning from the farm, a coffee stop for Jen and pinia for me, a real one this time with more pineapple than water, before heading to the wharf and a 5pm appointment with the Frigata.
While waiting for the water taxi or Panga to arrive to take us to the Fragata, moored out in the bay, this large sea lion ejected himself gracefully out of the water onto the jetty, then progressed clumsily up the walkway to deposit himself among the people waiting to board their transport.
The Fragata is one of two vessels owned by the same tourist company, plies between the main islands. We are going to be on her for the next three days.
Not the Fragata but similar.
Dinner on board and the food is plentiful. Not gourmet but adequate.
After a long varied and interesting day, not to mention the early mornings, we were pooped and headed for our cabin. While we had paid $50 extra to have a double bed, it was made up as twin. The American couple Duncan and Mariana, on their honeymoon, had the same experience. However, in time the beds were converted and everyone was happy. 😊.
Our journey to the next island commences at 11.30pm. Let’s hope we are fast asleep during that time.
Tomorrow we have a 5.30 wake-up.
Have you noticed lately, Jen coming out of her shell?…..:)
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