12th April- snorkeling and cycling

12th April- snorkeling & cycling.

We got a lie in this morning & didn't get picked up until 09:15, which was just as well after the cocktails we had last night. 

We got picked up in a bus with what looked like Indian restaurant curtains glued to the ceiling & walls. We picked up at 2 other hotels, as joining a different tour group this morning. 

First stop off was at a lava rock site.

The water is 30 degrees Celsius. Like a warm bath. The water has warmed up more than usual for this time of year, so the penguins have moved west to cooler water. It is, however, Marine iguana mating season & we could clearly see a number of iguana nest sites in the rocky terrain. Iguanas do not stay with their nests. The smaller females dig a hole, lay between 2 & 6 eggs, cover them over & then leave. The males have nothing to do with the whole experience, but then they mate on average with 45 females, so are probably too knackered to do much else. No wonder they are always just lying around snoozing. 

Isabella Island is shaped like a seahorse. Today we were in the south of the island. 

It was so hot, I just wanted to get into the water- and watching a juvenile sea lion playing in the water didn't help, we got back on the boat & dropped off at a rocky cove. The guides were careful to look after us, staying at the front & back of the group with life rings in case anyone got tired. There was a mum and young son ( about 12) in our group, & the lad swam like a fish, diving onto the bottom with his go- pro camera. It must be wonderful to be that confident in water. I on the other hand, am always fearful & a tad nervous. I had my new underwater camera to play with, but in truth it was taking away from the experience, as I was concentrating too much on that & not enough on the moment. Then we saw 5 sea turtles on the bottom. We spent time as a group watching them, & as the group moved off, I hung back. One of the turtles swam up towards Graeme & Bernie, brushing past Bernie as it went. I thought I had caught it on camera. Then another turtle swam upwards, & I pushed myself to get along side it. It looked at me and gently moved it's flippers, gliding along beside me. It was absolutely magical. I was convinced I had captured the whole experience on camera, so was thrilled. Although, couldn't find the footage when I looked later. It is impossible to upload anything from the camera memory until I get a decent WiFi signal- which could potentially be when we get back to England in May! We went on to see so many fish, star fish ( bright blue ones, black & yellow) and even an eel. There were also marine iguanas swimming on the surface. Graeme kept coming back beside me to make sure I was ok and took hold of my hand each time I fell too far behind the group, pulling me along to catch up. I don't have the muscle strength to cover much ground in the water & found the current of the sea too strong for me- so trying to swim against it was utterly exhausting. I was happy to be dragged along to keep catching up. We were in the water an hour, but it felt like longer on my shoulders, which were aching when I got out. I felt tired, but very happy. We went back on our boat, past a shoal of golden wrays, and various sea lions hunting for fish. Once back at the harbour, there were sea lions everywhere. Including an adult lying on one of the benches, with a baby sleeping under the bench. They were also playing & showing off in the water & snoozing in any available spot. Also large male marine iguanas, with their shedding scaley skin & huge claws, lay everywhere, like little dinosaurs. You have to watch where you are walking in case you step on one or trip over them!

We went off to have lunch at the restaurant on the peer. It has great views of the beach, but you have to step over a lot of bright orange crabs & sleeping iguanas to get to it. We also saw a wray in the surf as we walked along. Lunch was burritos and delicious frozen juice drinks- like a fresh fruit slush. Far too much food though. I feel like I haven't stopped eating for weeks. After lunch we took a slow walk back to the hotel, taking in the site's of the town & headed back to the hotel for a shower, before being picked up at 3pm to go cycling.

Those of you who know me, will have an idea that my anxiety levels were quite high at this point. Daniella walked with us to collect our bikes & helmets for the activity. I could feel my stroppy side coming out, as I felt out of control over this and not happy about the location, height of the bike, height of the seat, & how busy it was. I figured the best thing I could do was to peddle as fast as I could and get out of the town as fast as humanly possible. There was too much traffic, people and lack of control for me- so I felt stressed to hell. I was just starting to feel better, as we left the town, when we made our first stop at a tortoise reserve. I was still not comfortable enough to be acting rationally, and I snapped at Danielle, saying can we not do the big distance first and do the stops on the way back? Obviously, I just wanted to get it over & done with & couldn't find anything remotely enjoyable about being on a bike at this point. In truth- it was bloody awful. How do people do this for fun? My hands were hurting from gripping onto the handlebars for dear life and I felt breathless, yes I was probably holding my breath & definitely did every time a car, motorbike, pedestrian or dog went near me. I also didn't like being next to the other bikes & was sure we would end up clashing wheels. Not my idea of fun at all. 

We wandered around the tortoise reserve in blistering heat & I changed my top part way around as could feel the skin on my arms frying. Yep, all of the tortoises have seen my bra. Daniella then excitedly rushed us to a large enclosure, saying two tortoises were mating. The huge male was grunting away making sounds like a cow, whilst the female looked wholly unimpressed. It all felt a bit weird & like we shouldn't really be looking. Tortoise porn definitely does not float my boat. 

That said, the work of these reserves has secured the future of so many species of tortoise, that otherwise would be lost. It was quite sad the other day to see the taxidermy remains of lonesome George, and to have been alive at a time when his entire species became extinct. I hope it is the last species to die out within my lifetime. I hope even more that his was the last species to die out in anyone's lifetime. We got back on our bikes and stopped again at a lake. There was a lone flamingo standing in the middle. We then headed off on our bikes again & I began to settle down, as the scenery was beautiful. We passed lush fields, banana plantations, and the road turned to gravel and then to sand as we weaved along the coast past stunning beaches, with pelicans flying overhead. I began to enjoy the cycling, although the ground was really uneven. Then we turned into wooded area with shingle tracks, with tall trees and giant tortoises in the road. It was fabulous to be cycling past them. The terrain got steeper, with lots of climbs and dips. It was very hot & humid too & felt hard to get my breath. I continued for as long as I could, but found the steep inclines too much for me. I didn't like to drop out, but had no choice. I was really frustrated with myself, but I know only too well that if I push myself too hard, I will pay for it later. I convinced Graeme to leave me with a bottle of water and to finish the climb to the wall of tears- which had been a penal colony. Once I had gotten my breath back, I continued a bit further upwards, but again, really struggled, so had to admit defeat. I sat in a shady spot with a giant tortoise for company. She was munching away on the vegetation, without a care that I was there. I was also joined by a male lava lizard, who sat on the rock next to me, looking at me curiously. He too, didn't seem nervous of me at all. I knew he was male as the males have a bright red throat, as well as their beautiful green & black markings. After a while I decided to head back. My tortoise friend trundled off over some rocks and across the road & into the trees. I got back on the bike & free wheeled down the steep hills. The breeze it created was fantastic. I stopped at the beach at the bottom and waited for the rest of the group. They weren't far behind me, apart from Bernie, who's bike chain had snapped completely on route. Everyone was too hot, so we ran into the sea to cool off, some in clothes, some in underwear.  The waves were fantastic and so much fun, we didn't want to get out. We stayed there a while & Daniella organised a lift to come and get us & a separate bus for the bikes. We were dropped back at our hotel to shower & change & then went back out for dinner & cocktails at the beach. We were all pretty tired, but stayed out to enjoy the happy hour 2 for 1 deals, although there was mass confusion at one point trying to split the bill. Then we were over charged in another bar, so Beth, the only Spanish speaker amongst us sorted that out. She is a Spanish teacher in London at a primary school - I am sure we are a lot more trouble than her usual classes. We headed back to the hotel, only to find we were locked out- and no staff around. Luckily one of the lasses had her door key & could open the stairwell door ( reception was completely locked up). Our room key had been left in the door for us! I'm not sure how they thought we would get through on our own though! Anyway, we got in & probably woke most of the building up in the process. A brilliant day had by all though! 

Speak soon,

Caroline.