King of the Mountain and Swimming with Sea Lions

Wednesday, April 6 and Thursday, April 7, 2016 WTRD 88-89

Thinking of my Dad today on his birthday.    He would have been 89 today on our 89th day of travel.

As is write this blog it is already April 7, 2016, and we are on day 89 of our South American Adventure.  Russ and I are up and about early this morning before other passengers, having a cup of coffee (me) and cocoa (Russ) on the deck of the QB as the sun is rising over Santa Fe Island.  I am trying to stay focused and mindful of where we are and what we are doing, but it's hard because I know by this time next week we will be home.

So as we drift through the sea, my mind is drifting home.

Yesterday, we were on Santa Cruz Island with 22,000 inhabitants and home of the Charles Darwin Research Center where we walk from town to the center.

Animals have adapted to human handouts

Walking on the Edge

The biggest and basically the only project that tourists can observe here is the tortoise recovery center.  Whalers, pirates, explorers, fisherman, early inhabitants, introduced rats, cats, and birds have reduced and severely endangered the species  There are 11 species of tortoises here all who have adapted to their specific island an even their specific volcanic habitat.  Some eat high vegetation and their shells overtime have adapted to lifting their heads high, while some who eat low vegetation have a more rounded shell as there is no need to pick their mouth too far off the ground.

This turtle's shell has adapted to lifting its head high to feed on higher vegetation

Darwin's finch

There is a "poison" apple tree from which many of the turtle species eat.  This tree produces an apple that is poison to humans and produces a sticky substance that burns skin tissue.

If picked up and handled, it can burn the skin.  If swallowed it can be fatal.  But the tortoises love them and is their primary food source once they drop from the trees.  

The tortoises move quite slowly, and their days must be very boring as well.  The males spend 2-4 hours mating with a single female who is only 1/3 of their size.  The male's breast plate is concave so that he can snuggle close to his mate.  When not mating, the tortoises play king of the mountain and climb on top of one another.  Interesting behaviors.

Turtles playing king of the mountain

Later in the day we visited the highlands of Santa Cruz Island where we saw another, more rounded species of tortoise.

Into the highlands we go.  How nice to see trees!

Spanish Moss

Turtle Enjoying a Cool Mud Bath in the Bog

Andres tries on a turtle shell.  It's not easy being a turtle with a heavy shell.

Today, April 7

We started our morning with a walk on Santa Fe Island, searching for the brown land iguana, endemic to Santa Fe.  It didn't take very long for us to find several of them.

In addition to the iguana, we also saw the little Galapagos dove with blue eyes and red feet, and several other birds

These land iguanas have adapted to their yellow, orange, and green environment

Look at the Iguana Skin and that of the Cactus Trunk - Adaption.

Yellow Warbler

 and some seal lion pups nursing from their moms.

By 9:30 we were in the warm Galapagos waters snorkeling.  Young sea lions wanted to swim and play with us.  They were diving, rolling, and flipping.  I felt something tug on my fin and it was a sea lion with his mouth clamped on it trying to tug it off.  We tried to take photos of these playful guys, but they were so quick, it was next to impossible.  This morning was a lot of fun!

We stayed in the water for nearly an hour, returned to the ship, and are currently motoring to our next destination which gives us all a time to relax, read, and catch up on journals and blogs.

All is well with the Worrall Travel Rs in the Galapagos Islands

From the Galapagos with Love... Part 1 Blue Footed Boobies and Mail Pickup

Tuesday, April 5, 2016, WTRD 88

Thinking of my Mom today, as she would have been 89 on this birthday.

We rocked and rolled on our way to our destination last night.  Russ and I slept soundly, but many of our fellow passengers had a rough night.  it is a bit overcast this morning.  While snorkeling yesterday, black flies kept landing on my buoyant fanny and nipping me right through my suit bottom.  They didn't bother me until this morning, now they itch like crazy.  Time for some hydrocortisone cream. First time I've had to use it.

Breakfast is 7:00 pm and we are out for a panga ride, short walk and human history lesson of the Galapagos by 8:00.  Sometimes, I think it is more to get us off the ship so the crew can clean our cabins, than for a compelling offshore experience.  I'm a bit cranky today I think, but the onshore excursion turned out fine, even though it was blistering hot and humid.

We saw a few critters this morning on our way to Florena, but our camera lenses were so steamed up we couldn't see through them.  The combination of humidity, cold air conditioning, and rising morning temperature created very foggy lenses.  We never seemed to have this problem when we were sailing on our own boat primarily because we did not have air conditioning.  A fellow passenger said we should put our cameras in a dry bag and leave them outside on our balcony at night.  We will have to give that a try.  Russ's camera recovered a little faster than mine, and we were able to catch a few shots in the morning, and a few more as the day wore on and the camera's dried out.

THE GALAPAGOS "Post Office".  THE EXCEPTION TO TAKE NOTHNG, LEAVE NOTHING 

When you are in National Parks, you are supposed to leave only light footfalls, and take only photos.

Today we took something special from the Island!  When my parents were alive, they loved getting messages from us as we traveled around the world.  That is why we started this blog.  Early sailors and cruisers used to stop in Floreana and leave messages for each other, basically "we were here, going there, where are you?"  Since cruisers are no longer allowed on the islands, those types of messages have been replaced with an informal mail delivery service for island visitors.

Our short walk this morning involved a visit to a mailbox, where we could deposit unstamped mail and pick up unstamped mail.  The idea is to hand deliver mail close to your residence or near future destination.  Unfortunately, we didn't come prepared to drop off anything, BUT











we did pick up a post card for "Mom" from newlyweds out of Cameron Park, about 35 miles from our home in California.

It is my Mom's birthday today and because she is lovingly in my mind and no longer living, I am drawn to this particular postcard.  

Happy Birthday Mom!

We look forward to delivering this card when we return,  to "Mom".

We saw some more sea lions this morning lounging about.  They look less like our California sea lions and more like our seals.  They are smaller, but the distinction between a seal and sea lion here, is that the seal isn't here and the sea lion unlike a seal that drags its lower fins through the sand, uses the back fins like legs and walks on all fours.  Very interesting to see these sea lions walking like dogs.

I bowed out of the morning snorkel.  I think I just needed some down time.  The snorkelers were gone for 45 minutes to a rocky beach close to the boat.  I tried to take a nap, but the activity and noise level on the ship from the crew squashed that notion, so I just read instead.  Russ came back with a couple of photos of a sea turtle in murky sea tossed waters.

1:00:  Lunch is over and now the boat is quiet.  Even the crew takes siesta.  There is another shore walk and snorkel this afternoon.  We enjoy the air conditioned stateroom.

Galapagos Penguin

2:00-4:00 We took a walk today from one side of Santa Fe Island to the other over a small saddle from leeward to windward.  On the leeward side, we saw some blue footed boobies,

heron,

sea lions,

Add caption

and penguins.

Mid island near the lagoon we spotted more flamingos.

On the windward side which was also to the east, we came to a beautiful beach where sea turtles have nested, frigates sailed overhead in the onshore breeze, and crabs either scurried or walked in slow motion over the lava rocks as the tide went out.

Galapagos Nature's Art

4:15 Today's snorkel is at Devil's Crown.  We were looking forward to it, but decided it might be more than we wanted to do when we realized we would be jumping into a washing machine of ocean swells on the windward side of the crown and a strong current around the outside that wrapped around the crown crashing on to the rocks so we didn't go.  

Tonight we say goodbye to some fellow passengers who are leaving in the morning.  Tomorrow we may be able to post the blogs on Santa Cruz Island, population 22,000 people.

All is Well wth the Worrall Travel Rs leaving Floreana for Santa Cruz

Sunrise, Marine Iguana, Penguins, Turtles, and Sea Lions

Galapagos Dawn

Monday, April 4, 2016, WTRD 87

We were up at 5:00, in the Pangas by 6:00, on the trail by 6:15 and watching the sunrise in the Galapagos.  On our way to the island, we spotted some Galapagos Penguins,



 Pelicans, and a Blue Footed Boobie, but the sun had not yet risen so taking photos was a bit problematic.  Our goal on this mornings walk was to visit the nesting grounds of the marine iguana.

These animals have adapted color-wise so much to their environment, they are very difficult to spot even when they are right in front of youl  These very prehistoric looking animals are black like the black lava stone and have white markings similar to the white lichen growing on the lava stone.

In addition, to the iguana, we saw some large green sea turtles,

Galapagos Penguins

sea lions walking on all fours,

and bright red crabs.

We returned to the boat by breakfast at 7:30, had enough time to let the food settle before going snorkeling at 9:30, on the the island Isabela.  The water clarity was much better today and I actually got to swim with a marine iguana.  Russ got to swim with some penguins. 

We  had enough time after snorkeling to take showers, eat lunch and take a siesta in the shade on the sun deck.  Indeed we fell asleep in  the company of almost everyone in our group who fell asleep with a gentle breeze and the rocking of the boat.

At 2:00 pm, we returned to Isla Isabela to visit a tortoise breeding project where the park is working hard to increase the tortoise population that have been severely reduced by whalers, pirates, rats who eat the eggs, donkeys and cattle that trample the eggs, and goats that eat the vegetation that tortoises eat.  Because temperature creates the gender of turtle egg, the National Park project, incubates eggs at a warmer temperature so that more females hatch than males and the breeding and egg laying  process is expedited.  Fortunately, the turtles were doing what they are supposed to do at the breeding center, so we got quite the Turtle Sex Show.  We were asked if we could distinguish the male from the female.  I said, "Position?"  Well turns out the correct answer is the males are much bigger than the females.

Love the expression on this guy's face.  Turtle sex takes 2-4  hours  This one just climaxed!

We walked from the breeding center back to the beach seeing flamingoes,

marine iguanas,

Marine iguanas swim with front leg along their sides like a snake

and various birds.















We stopped at a local palapa for beer and the local drink Cocoloco before heading back to the boat.  On our way back to the boat we saw more turtles, a manta ray, and and an eagle ray.

Once again, many of us were nearly nodding off at dinner.  The after dinner show was watching small reef sharks being attacked and eaten by sea lions off of our balcony.  Nice desserts.  We retired , took showers and are now in bed.  

Tonight we sail to Floreana, and tomorrow after lunch we sail to Cormorant Point.

All is well with the Worrall Travel Rs in the Galapagos Islands.