13th April- on the move again

13th April & on the move again!

We were up early again & felt fine, despite the cocktails last night, although my inner thighs and knees were aching from the cycling. After breakfast we walked along as a group with guide Daniella & collected snorkeling gear, before continuing on to La Perla, a pretty little cove, near the harbour,  accessed by a wooden walkway through the mangroves. The wooden boards were littered with large marine iguanas. We had to stay alert to avoid hitting our heads on branches, whilst also avoid standing on or tripping over iguanas. 

The water was like a warm bath, with the occasional colder blast of cool water coming in from the sea. The water is really clear, with shallow, rocky bits, with big drops down to real depths. Mangroves are around the edges, and provide a great place for brightly coloured fish to dart in & out of. We were again meant to be swimming with sharks, but they obviously were somewhere else today. I did snorkel over a whole shoal of about 15 wrays- black with white dots on, moving gracefully along. Then I spotted a turtle eating algae from rocks on the bottom of the cove. I bobbed about watching for a long time when, she slowly swam upwards towards me, turned gracefully and disappeared of towards the sea. Breathtaking! It just feels so magical to see these big graceful creatures in their natural habitat. I then swam back to the group and through a mangrove channel, with strong undercurrents, and over a baby reef shark, hiding in the depths. We were just about to get out of the water after an hour's snorkeling, when a playful juvenile sea lion appeared. I got straight back in, as wasn't missing that opportunity!

The sea lion darted amongst us, getting very close, before turning and darting away with real agility, they then swam back, turned on his back and blew bubbles at me, as he swam up past my face. It was fabulous! It was worth the entire trip just for that moment. Mind you, the whole experience has been fantastic. I can't quite believe that I am here. 

We then walked back, got showered & changed & had a delicious lunch at a restaurant at the end of the pier, with lovely views on both sides of the long, sandy beach. All of our meals & water/ soft drinks have been included with our package deal, as has equipment hire. The only things we have paid for are alcoholic drinks & any souvenirs we want. We are briefed at each meal time re what to expect next and what we need to take with us. Daniella our guide is as flexible as possible with what we want, but all activities on the island must get clearance from the National Park, who control the numbers at any particular site at any time. All guides must be residents of the Galapagos & must have the necessary qualifications & license to be a guide. Daniella said she studied for 6 months to get her license and had a knowledge test every week. 

After lunch, we took a slow walk back to the hotel. Once there, we packed up our belongings and were transported to the pier to catch a water taxi. There were sea lions everywhere, sleeping in the shade & lots of marine iguanas of various sizes. We get a water taxi to a speed boat ferry & made the 2 hour journey back to Santa Cruz Island. When we arrived, the town was buzzing & not at all like the little sleepy village we had left. There were families out, music playing, street vendors  and throngs of people. Maybe it was quiet when we left because it was Easter Sunday? It didn't feel like the same island. 

We checked back in to the hotel Deja Vu, and had an even bigger room than last time, which was fabulous. I didn't get in the pool this time though, as I didn't fancy my hair turning blue again. We were booked into our favourite restaurant for dinner, and I shared a bottle of delicious wine with Emma & Kate. We then strolled along towards the pier, looking in the shops, stopped off at the cash point as we were just about our of cash, and wandered past the busy bars and restaurants. There was also a bouncy castle up in the street and a group of local teenagers smoking something exotic…

At night, the walkway along the sea front and the pier are lit by coloured lights, which attract small fish. These in turn, attract young black tipped reef sharks, so we spent a lot of time watching them circling and darting through the water to feed. Some were quite big, although the really big sharks would be further out to sea in deeper waters. Reef sharks can grow up to 2 meters in length. 

There was a young sea lion resting on a bench & a group of Ecuadorians were crowded around it, taking pictures and getting too close ( they can't have been local to the islands as too disrespectful of the animal). I felt like I wanted to say something, but don't have the language skills. As it turned out, I didn't need too, as some kids were teasing it and the sea lion bit one of them. Everyone moved back after that & kept there kids at a safe distance. Score 1 to the sea lion. The kids went back to jumping off the dock and swimming. 

Some of the girls went off to buy silver jewelry in one of the shops & we decided it was cocktail o'clock, so headed off to an upstairs bar for Margherita's. The place was almost empty but had great Latino music and a man playing drums, bongo's and a block, for the kind of rhythm you just can't sit still too. We were tired, but stayed for another round of drinks before heading back to the hotel, stopping on route for a T-shirt for Graeme at one of the stalls, as he has run out of clean clothes again. We later discovered he had paid more than he should have, but hopefully the money went to supporting a local family. 

I slept like a log, which is unusual, and Graeme hardly slept at all, as couldn't get comfy at all in the huge bed, saying the pillow was too firm. It was perfect for me. 

Blissful in fact,

Night night,

Caroline